Right as Rain

Minglei was a quaint, peaceful town.

Modest but comfortable homes placed above terraced rice fields, local vendors selling colorful trinkets, the cheerful cries of children playing in uncluttered streets, and the smiles of friendly farmers told the group of wayward children that they had found a safe place for the time being. Despite the proximity to territory occupied by the Fire Nation, the people of Minglei seemed relatively at-ease.

This was most likely due to the Earth Kingdom military outpost and the substantial number of troops moving about.

Zuko was visibly unnerved.

"Calm down," Katara said to him. "You'll just draw attention to yourself by acting nervous."

"Nervous?" said Zuko, his voice hushed. "Who's nervous? It's not like I'm surrounded by people who would gladly crush my hands to keep me from bending."

"The Earth Kingdom wouldn't do tha-"

"Yes, they would. They nearly did to my uncle. If I hadn't shown up in time…"

He pursed his lips and tensed up as a patrol passed by him. Thankfully, they didn't spare him a passing glance.

"Right, here's the plan," Sokka said. "Katara, you and Aang take the angry jerk to the clinic."

"Hey!" Zuko snapped.

"I'm going to see if I can find a pawn shop. Some of those things Momo dug up at Taku might be worth a copper or two, and we don't know how much Zuko's medical bill is going to be. I'll meet you there when I'm done."

Katara and Aang nodded. Zuko, for his part, just gave his usual grumbling.

"Try not to get all loopy on us again, Mr. Koala-sheep," said Sokka.

"What are you talking about?" said Zuko.

"When we gave you some of the medicine from the herbalist lady," said Aang, "you started talking about how clouds look like fluffy, flying koala-sheep."

"You also accused Aang of trying to steal your fireflakes," said Katara, trying not to smirk. "You said he was in cahoots with your sister Lala."

Zuko's face went bright red and he started sputtering in disbelief.

"Calm down," Katara said, putting a gentle hand on his shoulder. "Sometimes people say strange things when they're unwell or taking medicines. You should've heard some of the things Sokka said when he was sick."

"Okay!" said Sokka. "I think you should be moving along to that clinic, now! Chop-chop! Time is money!"

The clinic was fairly easy to find, being one of the larger buildings in the town. On entering, they saw a number of Earth Kingdom people laid out on cots, all being tended for a variety of ailments and injuries. The clinic, itself, seemed well-stocked and clean, tidy shelves and tall cabinets filled with row upon row of drawers, each filled with different herbs, salves, powders, and potions.

They were met at the front desk by a dignified, older woman; her pale green uniform was pristine and her hair tied up and fastened beneath a cloth cap. She gave them a polite smile, introduced herself as Doctor Nuan, and asked if they needed assistance.

"Yes, our friend, here, was injured," Aang said, pulling Zuko forward. "He got an arrow to his shoulder."

Doctor Nuan looked over the wound.

"It does seem to be in quite deep," she said. "It might even be stuck in the bone." She quickly pulled up a book. "Before I proceed, I need your name, age, and a list of any conditions or allergies you have that you are aware of."

Zuko told her only as much as he dared. He gave the name "Lee" for a cover, as "Zuko" was a bit too obviously Fire Nation. Once she was satisfied with his answers, Doctor Nuan led them to the back office for a more thorough inspection. Once she had Zuko seated, she peeled back the fabric of his tattered shirt and the blood-soaked bandages, her long fingers gently prodding.

"No loss in sensation," she said. "It's mostly healed over and there's no sign of infection. I assume you patched him up, yourselves?"

"Yes, we got some advice from the herbalist outside Taku," said Aang.

"Ah, and your friend was injured a week or two ago?"

"No," said Katara. "It's only been a couple days."

"That's strange. An injury like this should still be bloody and raw." Doctor Nuan looked them all up and down. "Young lady, are you a waterbender, by any chance?"

"Yes, I am."

"Did you use waterbending to clean the wound?"

"I did. Is there something wrong?"

"On the contrary, you may well have kept your friend alive. As deep as this arrow is, the wound would have probably kept bleeding and gotten worse, especially since it looks like it was reopened recently." She gave Zuko a disapproving look. "You need to take better care of yourself, young man."

Zuko hmphed and pouted.

"So, what does my waterbending have to do with his injury?" said Katara.

"I've only heard rumors about it, but it's said that waterbenders can use their bending to heal." Doctor Nuan resumed her examination. "Yes, indeed, if this wound is only a couple days old, it could only have gotten to this state due to something more than conventional medicine."

"This is great and all," Zuko spoke up, "but can you actually do something about the arrow stuck in my shoulder?"

Doctor Nuan rolled her eyes at his tone. Katara had the distinct impression that she was used to dealing with temperamental people like Zuko.

"It will require some surgery," she said. "Do I have your permission to give you an anesthetic or would you prefer I try to slice you open right here on the table?"

Zuko started grumbling again.

"Jianhong!" Doctor Nuan called out.

There was a clinking sound as a short man with finely-trimmed facial hair popped in through the curtains covering the doorway. He was carrying a number of medicine bottles and his pockets were stuffed with fresh herbs.

"You called, my dear?" he said.

"Is the operating room prepped?" said Doctor Nuan.

"It is. How many assistants do you need?"

"Just one. Is Ru available?"

"Last I saw him, he was distributing medications. He should be free soon."

"Good. Tell him to wash up and meet me in the operating room as soon as he's finished."

"Right away, darling."

"And stop calling me 'darling' and 'dear' at work. You know it's unprofessional."

Jianhong chuckled and left. Doctor Nuan turned back to them.

"That was my husband, Doctor Jianhong," she explained. "You'll likely see him again in the recovery room."

"I won't have to stay too long, will I?" said Zuko. "I have important things to handle."

"You have an arrow in your shoulder, young man. You are not going anywhere until I or my husband have cleared you." She gave him another scrutinizing look. "Incidentally, how did you manage to get shot by the Yuyan?"

"How'd you know it was the Yuyan?"

"Soldiers make up the majority of my patients, these days. This isn't the first Yuyan arrow I've seen. But I am curious how someone as young as you got on the wrong side of the Fire Nation."

Zuko began fumbling over his words. It seemed he was hardly any better at deception than Katara was.

"Lee volunteered to run scouting missions for a small battalion," Katara piped up. "He was doing reconnaissance on Pohuai Stronghold and got hurt saving Aang."

The doctor became much more sympathetic to Zuko's plight as Katara spun a yarn about how "Lee" was a brave, young Earth Kingdom boy whose village was destroyed by the Fire Nation. She peppered in bits and pieces of the truth, keeping much of Aang's situation accurate and mentioning that he's the Avatar. It must have been believable enough, as Doctor Nuan didn't question it.

"That is a truly noble thing you did, young man," she said to Zuko. "And you're only sixteen, at that." She gave him a kind pat on his good shoulder. "I do hope you'll take better care of yourself, though. Courage and a fighting spirit are well and good, but you mustn't be so reckless. Too many young people are getting caught up in matters that adults should be responsible for."

Zuko was not a patient person.

He was also not particularly fond of dealing with medical issues. In fact, the longer he had to wait, the more restless he became. It was taking far too long for his surgery to start. He was half-tempted to just yank the arrow out, himself. He could do it. He was no stranger to pain. The doctor could stitch him up quickly and then he could leave.

However, he got the sense that such a move would only result in everyone getting mad at him.

Katara…the waterbender peasant, he mentally corrected…had made it clear that morning that she was going to ensure he got proper medical attention and that he was forbidden from doing anything that might make his wound worse or endanger his health. Zuko was sure that ripping out the arrow fell under the heading of "endangering his health."

As they waited, the Avatar had taken to speaking with the other patients in the clinic, most of whom were indeed Earth Kingdom soldiers, just as Doctor Nuan had said. Naturally, there was a significant boost in morale among the injured men when they realized that the smiling, bald child with the arrow tattoos was the Avatar.

A couple of them had a bit of an attitude, though. They said some very harsh things about the Avatar's absence during the last hundred years. Zuko felt his temper flare.

"At least he's here, now," he snapped. "Instead of bullying him for disappearing, you should be grateful that he came back."

He wasn't sure where the surge of protectiveness came from. Perhaps it was because of the Avatar's significance to him, personally. After all, if the boy hadn't appeared when he had, Zuko would still be searching the world for some small shred of evidence as to his whereabouts. He could have spent the rest of his life longing for home, his hope dwindling as the years dragged on and on. The Avatar's return to the world was not something to be sneered at.

It seemed most of the soldiers in the clinic agreed.

"Well said, kid," one of the nice soldiers said.

"Yeah, with the Avatar back, the Fire Nation doesn't stand a chance," another added.

"If he hadn't vanished," said one of the angry soldiers, an older man with burn scars all along his arms, "the Fire Nation wouldn't have caused so much destruction, in the first place." He glared at Aang…at the Avatar, Zuko amended… "Where were you when families were getting torn apart and villages burned to the ground?"

"He was trapped in an iceberg," said Katara…the waterbender. "And it's lucky he was. His entire people were wiped out and he would have been, too. You have no right to judge him for what happened."

The Avatar put a hand on her shoulder, his expression no longer that of the carefree child he'd been a minute earlier.

"Katara, it's okay," he said. He turned to address the soldiers. "I am sorry I've been absent from the world for so long. I know I can never bring back the people who were lost or repair the damage this war has caused. But I am here, now, and I will do whatever I can to protect the world. And I can promise you this. By the end of summer, the war will be over."

That seemed to settle things and even stirred up some excited chatter amongst the men at the thought of the war having a definite ending in sight. But something about that bold statement bothered Zuko. How could the Avatar be so certain that the war would be over by the end of summer?

However, before he could ask about it, Doctor Nuan called him in.

He was surprised when Katara…damn it, the waterbender, he stressed, having to resist the urge to slap himself for his constant internal slip-ups…followed him into the operating room.

"I wish to learn," she said in answer to Doctor Nuan's questioning look. "If something like this happens again, I need to be prepared."

Doctor Nuan gave her an understanding smile.

"Very well," she said. "You may observe."

Zuko wasn't sure why, but he felt a wave of relief pass through him. The doctor's official assistant, a young man, handed him a bowl of medicine and told him to drink it.

"Trust me, you don't want to wake up in the middle of surgery," he said.

Zuko drank the concoction in one gulp, grimacing at the sickly-sweet taste that was followed by a bitter tang that made his stomach twist. He gagged, feeling like he might throw up, but managed to force the vile substance to stay down. Its effects came on rapidly and Zuko soon found his vision beginning to black out.

The last thing he remembered before going under was a pair of ocean blue eyes watching him in concern.

It was a stroke of luck that the town had a decent pawnshop.

Even luckier that the pawnbroker seemed fairly honest. Well, as honest as pawnbrokers got. Sokka still felt like he'd gotten shortchanged for the stuff he'd sold. Although, considering it wasn't really his stuff, he supposed he shouldn't complain.

Either way, he hurried along to the clinic and found Katara and Aang waiting for him. Zuko was laid out on a cot, his wound rebandaged. He was awake but clearly a little loopy. Sokka wondered if he'd start talking about flying koala-sheep again.

"Oh, there he is," Katara said, waving Sokka over. "How'd it go at the pawnshop?"

"You'll be pleased to know, that we are no longer dirt poor," Sokka said. "Get it. Dirt poor? 'Cause we're in the Earth Kingdom."

"…Hilarious, Sokka." She turned to address an older couple, the doctors judging by their clothes. "How much do we owe you for Lee's treatment?"

Sokka blinked for a moment, wondering who 'Lee' was. His confusion quickly passed when he glanced down at Zuko. Obviously, he couldn't keep his Fire Nation name. Still, 'Lee' seemed a bit bland as far as fake names went. If Sokka ever had to pose as someone from the Fire Nation, he'd pick something more exciting. Like 'Wang Fire.' That would be awesome.

"Owe?" the lady doctor said. "I think you are mistaken. Clinics are a free service in the Earth Kingdom. With the war, medical care is a vital resource, so the capital has been funding us."

Sokka perked up at that. That meant they could keep the money.

"Well, if we have money to spare," Katara spoke up, instantly deflating Sokka's moment of joy, "we should get Lee some new clothes."

"Aw, but I just got this money," Sokka said.

"And Lee needs a shirt."

"Don't worry," Zuko said. He wasn't as out of it as Sokka had expected. That was a pity. Sokka had been hoping for some new stuff to tease him about. "You don't need to waste any money on me. I'll be fine."

"Don't be ridiculous. You are not going around shirtless in the middle of winter. Sokka, we are going shopping for him right now."

Sokka wanted to protest on principle, but knew it was probably for the best. Zuko would have an easier time blending in if he had some Earth Kingdom clothes, anyway. Besides, at least shopping was fun, and Katara would probably find better deals if Sokka helped her out.

"Aang, you wait here with Lee. Sokka and I will be back soon."

Minglei proved to have a very good clothing market. Sokka stared enviously at the fancier shops with their custom-tailored robes and fancy silks. If he got rich, one day, he'd buy a whole new wardrobe…and a bunch of weapons to go with each outfit, of course. He'd be the best-dressed, most badass warrior there ever was.

As it was, though, they could only afford to go to the cheaper places. Sokka held back from making comments about the muted colors and lack of interesting patterns. The clothes weren't for him, anyway. They were for the angry, dangerous firebender back at the clinic. Katara got huffy when Sokka steered them into a store selling second- and third-hand clothes.

"It's not like he'll be using it for very long, anyway," Sokka explained. "Once we get him back to his people, he'll probably just throw them away."

"Fine, but get something in good condition," Katara said, still annoyed. "Just because it's a temporary situation, that's no excuse to put him in something that might fall apart as soon as he puts it on."

Sokka gave her an affronted look. Surely, she knew he had better taste than to just throw any old rags at Zuko. There were plenty of good-quality things that could be found in cheaper stores. Besides, if he tried to make Zuko wear something he didn't like, the crazy firebender would probably pitch a fit and start chucking fireballs.

That wasn't to say finding something decent wasn't difficult. In fact, they had to dig through a number of bins stuffed with junk to find something that wasn't too small, too big, too dirty, too frayed, too tacky, or too stripped from a corpse to meet Sokka's standards.

Finally, they found something that would be just right. A simple, olive drab shanku and a dark green winter robe. It was terribly plain, but that was a nitpick. Actually, it was probably better if Zuko dressed plainly. The last thing any of them wanted was to draw more attention to his presence in their group.

As Sokka brought the clothes to the front to pay, he saw Katara grab a weathered bamboo hat with a sun veil.

"In case he's worried someone might recognize him," she said in answer to his questioning look. "You saw how nervous he was walking into town. And he can't exactly walk around in his Blue Spirit mask all the time."

"I guess you have a point. It would just spell a whole lot of trouble if the Fire Nation realizes who he is. Old Mutton-chops Zhao probably has wanted posters of him and Aang plastered over half the Earth Kingdom by now."

A veiled hat would make Zuko stand out more, but not nearly as much as his very recognizable scar. Not for the first time, Sokka wondered how Zuko got the scar. It didn't seem like the kind of thing that would be self-inflicted; Zuko wasn't that clumsy or careless. If it had been caused by an accident, then it must have been a really bad one. Like, burning house falling on your head or tripping headlong into a fireplace level of bad. It certainly gave him an 'evil, dangerous villain bent on doing unspeakable atrocities' vibe.

Sokka wondered if it would be rude to ask him how he got it.

The first thing Zuko had seen when he woke up after his surgery was Katara's big, blue eyes.

She'd smiled at him. Actually smiled like she was happy to see he had gotten through it all right. That had thrown him for a loop. The only person who ever smiled at him in that way was his uncle, but his uncle had always been the outlier in Zuko's experiences with other people.

Doctor Nuan and Doctor Jianhong had been standing nearby to tell him that everything had gone smoothly. Doctor Jianhong had then given him a tonic to clear up some of the grogginess from his head, but Zuko was still weak and dizzy.

After Katara dragged Sokka out to buy some clothes, Zuko sat with Aang for a while. He continued to fade in and out for some time and listened absently to Aang's stories. Aang told such interesting stories and Zuko wasn't the only one to notice. Some of the other patients listened in fascination at Aang's account of what life was like one hundred years ago.

Tales of childhood fun and friendship. Of people from all the nations being able to interact without it turning into a bloodbath. Aang spoke of his best friends, Bumi and Kuzon, an earthbender and a firebender, respectively, and how there was never any hatred or violence in their little group. Just happiness and childhood mischief and saving dragon eggs from poachers.

It sounded nice.

Zuko felt strangely calm, nodding along as he listened to what everyone else said, before a painful throbbing in his shoulder shocked him back to proper awareness.

He instantly started mentally berating himself. He couldn't let down his guard. He was surrounded by Earth Kingdom brutes, Water Tribe savages, and the Avatar. If he loosened up and started rambling, he could expose his identity. Then, it would be a short trip to the nearest Earth Kingdom prison and hands-crushed-under-a-rock time.

It was those damned medicines. Zuko certainly wouldn't think those stupid, treasonous thoughts if he wasn't heavily sedated. He had to maintain the separation between reality and drug-induced stupor. Next time he had to get an arrow surgically removed, he'd ask them to just yank it out and not give him any anesthetics. That was much more sensible, in his opinion.

"Hey, you okay?" said the Avatar.

Zuko just grunted in response.

Not long after, the Water Tribe peasants returned with his new clothes. Plain but comfortable. And mercifully not flashy. He was surprised by the addition of the veiled hat, until the waterbender explained that it was in case he felt the need to hide his face in case someone from the Fire Nation recognized him.

"Why'd the Fire Nation care about your friend, there?" one of the Earth Kingdom soldiers asked.

"Yeah, kid, what'd you do?" another added.

"Uh, Lee kind of broke into Pohuai Stronghold to save Aang," said Katara.

Agni-dammit! The waterbender! Wa-ter-ben-der. It's not that hard to remember. Zuko's inner monologue was screaming at him, by now. It was so draining to have to remind himself constantly of what these people were. Why did it have to be so confusing?

He barely heard the soldiers expressing their amazement at his feat of infiltrating Pohuai. The others obviously had to alter a few details, such as changing Zuko's reason for being near the fortress in the first place.

"Lee is part of a small battalion," the Water Tribe boy explained. "He was doing reconnaissance on the place."

"A sixteen-year-old?" said one of the soldiers. "Enlistment age is supposed to be eighteen. The only ones under that age who are fighting are desperate kids protecting their homes or vigilante freedom fighter types who don't know how war works."

"Yeah, like those lunatics who destroyed Gaipan," another added. "My family lives in that village."

"Was everyone all right?"

"Yes, thank the spirits. Some mystery boy turned up and warned everyone to get out right before the local rebels blew up the dam."

Zuko noticed the Water Tribe boy looked strangely smug while the Avatar and the waterbender fidgeted nervously.

"All right, you all need to settle down," Doctor Nuan said as she emerged from her office. She and her husband began checking on the patients, making decisions about which ones were cleared for release and which ones had to stay longer.

Zuko hoped she would clear him right away, but no such luck.

"Young man, you mustn't overexert yourself," she said. "You're still recovering. I know you young folks like to rush off and get into trouble, but nothing is so important that it's worth jeopardizing your health."

"You sound like you have some experience with impetuous teens," said the waterbender, shooting Zuko a smirk as she did so.

"Who's impetuous?" Zuko snapped.

"I've seen my fair share of kids like you, Lee," said Doctor Nuan. "All three of my own children left home as soon as they could to help the war effort."

"Are they all soldiers?" said the Avatar.

"Just my second eldest. Qiushi. He enlisted in an earthbender battalion. Even lied about his age so they would take him in early. My eldest boy, Zan, is a field surgeon. Honestly, it's my daughter I'm most worried about. Zhihao wanted to enlist alongside Qiushi, and she's actually an even better earthbender than he is, but with the ban against women in the military-"

"Wait, why would they ban female earthbenders?" said the waterbender. She looked at Zuko, but he shook his head in response.

Honestly, he'd never really noticed before that he hadn't encountered many female soldiers in the Earth Kingdom. In fact, other than the Kyoshi Warriors, he couldn't recall seeing a single woman in uniform. That was strange. Why wouldn't the Earth Kingdom put every available fighter on active duty when they were struggling to hold back the Fire Nation's advance?

"I don't know," said Doctor Nuan. "There used to be quite a number of women in the armed forces, and not all of them were earthbenders, either. But there have been some strange laws coming down from the capital in the last twenty years or so."

"But there are plenty of female earthbenders around," said the waterbender. "We saw a few of them when we liberated a Fire Nation prison rig."

"There are even plenty of non-bender women who are capable fighters, too," said the Water Tribe boy. "It makes no sense why they can't join the military. They could vastly increase the troop numbers."

"My Zhihao found the laws ridiculous, too," Doctor Nuan continued. "She was determined to join the army and do her part to defend the Earth Kingdom. I told her she should go to Omashu. King Bumi is more open-minded and rarely listens to edicts from the capital." Her expression became somber. "Zhihao insisted on going to Ba Sing Se to plead her case before the Earth King, himself. We haven't had any news of her in over two years, now."

That did not bode well.

Three possibilities entered Zuko's mind. One possibility was that Zhihao had been killed or abducted on the route to Ba Sing Se. The second possibility was that she was denied the chance of even seeing the Earth King and had done something to get herself killed or arrested while in the city. The third possibility was that Zhihao had somehow managed to gain an audience with the Earth King and was given a special dispensation to join the military; only to be subsequently either killed or sent to a prisoner of war camp.

Obviously, there were any number of other things that could have happened, but Zuko's sense of impending doom forbade him from even considering positive outcomes.

"So…" Zuko said awkwardly. "When do you think I'll be clear for dismissal?"

Doctor Nuan sighed and shook her head.

"I've already told you, you need time to recover."

"We don't exactly have a lot of time," said the Water Tribe boy. "We have to get on the road soon and we promised to get Lee back to his squad."

"You could send them a letter. We have reliable messengers in town and Lee could wait here for them to pick him up."

When she turned her back, Zuko began frantically shaking his head. He couldn't wait in an Earth Kingdom town. The instant someone found out his identity, he was a dead man.

"I'm afraid we can't," said Sokka…the Water Tribe boy, Zuko's brain sharply corrected. "After all, if the Fire Nation finds out that Lee is here, they might try to raid the town. He did break into a major fortress, after all."

"I still think he needs more rest."

"We'll keep him from doing any heavy lifting."

"Wait," said Katara…the water—oh, forget it! "You mentioned earlier how I used my waterbending to speed up his healing. What if I tried that, again?"

"I suppose," Doctor Nuan said thoughtfully. "I did say, earlier, that I've only ever heard it exists. I've never seen it used, let alone know how it's supposed to work."

"If I can get his wound fully sealed, will you clear him for dismissal?"

"…Very well, but I do have a request. If you can figure out how to use this healing power, could you assist me with my other patients?"

Katara blinked in surprise and Doctor Nuan explained.

"Some of these men have been laid-up for months. If you truly have healing abilities, you could do a world of good for them."

Katara nodded.

"I'll do my best."

Her best proved to be more than she'd expected.

In her whole life, Katara had never realized that she might have the ability to heal with her waterbending. She'd had practical experience with medicine thanks to Gran-Gran. She'd attended births since she was seven, watching how new lives entered the world and learning how to soothe and comfort the women who brought them into it. She'd patched up cuts and scrapes, rubbed salve into bruises, cooled feverish brows, and, only recently, kept a certain someone from bleeding out due to an arrow in his shoulder.

Now, with her hands engulfed in water, she could feel the chi paths flowing in Zuko's body as she pressed the water to his wound.

Doctor Nuan coached her through the medical theory. She explained how the chi paths were meant to distribute life force and energy through the body in the form of the meridians. The meridians also contained pressure points that could cause various effects in the body when they were struck.

As Katara focused on the chi paths in Zuko, she felt a warm, tingling sensation in her hands and saw the water illuminate them with an ethereal glow. Something about it felt right, as if she was meant to know about such a gift.

Maybe, deep down, she'd always known.

"Oh, well then, thanks for all the first aid over the years," Sokka snapped when Katara voiced her thoughts. "Like the time I fell into the greaseberry bramble. Or the time I got two fishhooks in my thumb."

"Two?" said Aang.

"He tried to get the first fishhook out with another fishhook," Katara replied.

As Sokka continued to rant about all the times he'd been injured and Katara hadn't thought to use her "special, glowy, magic water" on him, Katara continued to focus on Zuko. She sensed the energy around his wound was all twisted up and it was just a matter of untangling the knots and empowering the chi paths to stitch it back into place. Some smaller parts couldn't quite budge and Katara suspected that that was where the tissue would scar.

Still, Katara couldn't help the surge of elation in her heart when Doctor Nuan pulled back the bandages to show that the hole in Zuko's shoulder was perfectly sealed.

"How does it feel?" she asked him.

Zuko rolled his shoulder, giving only a small wince.

"It's a little sore," he said. "But, like, the kind of soreness that you'd get after a tough sparring session and less like the soreness of having an arrow in you."

"Hold on, let me try something," said Katara.

"It's fine. You don't need to do anything else."

"Hush, you. I'll decide when treatment is done."

"Good," said Doctor Nuan. "You're developing a doctor's mindset, already."

Katara pressed the water back to his shoulder, feeling the chi in her own body flowing into her hands. As the energy dug into his skin, she drove it deeper. For a moment, she almost thought she felt the very blood in his veins, but drew back from that sensation. Something about it frightened her and kept her from going further. She was deep enough, now, and started feeling around in the flesh, seeking out the chi paths that lurked far below the surface.

A small tweak here, a gentle nudge there. There was a sudden 'click' and the energy flooded back into the spot.

"I think that's all I can do for now," she said.

Zuko sat up and prodded at where there had once been a painful, debilitating injury. He didn't even twitch.

"Wow, that's some good water," said Aang.

"This is truly remarkable," said Doctor Nuan.

"I want to try it again," said Katara.

"Well, I have a whole clinic filled with patients who would be delighted to serve as practice for you."

"Great," said Sokka. "In the meantime, how about we go get something to eat? I'm starving and there are food stalls in this town just calling my name."

"Are there any with vegetarian options?" said Aang.

"Let's go and find out, buddy."

"Am I free to go?" said Zuko.

Doctor Nuan gave a small, tired smile and nodded.

"I'll see you guys when I'm done," Katara told them. "Bring something back for me."

Sokka and Aang were already out the door, but Zuko stopped and asked what she wanted.

"I don't particularly care. Meat skewers or some dumplings. Whatever's easiest."

He nodded and followed the others out the door.

Katara rolled up her sleeves and set to work.

There were a number of sick and injured men in the clinic. A lot of them had battle wounds. A couple of them were doing very poorly. One young man had a deep laceration that had punctured some of his organs. Until Katara discovered her healing powers, the doctors had not been able to do much besides stitch him up and try to keep him comfortable; the wounds were too deep and too severe for normal medical procedures to fix.

She pushed the energy-filled water into him, digging down into the chi paths and picking apart the tangled threads. His injuries were far more complex than Zuko's had been, but Katara persisted. She found a series of dark, pulsing spots that she figured were where his organs had been punctured and focused on them. They felt gross and sticky, like dunking her hands in squid-shark ink, and there was a wrongness that surrounded them. They were stubborn, but she worked the water into them and they steadily began to fade until nothing remained.

When Katara pulled her hands back, it seemed like there was something different about the man.

Doctor Nuan pressed her fingers to his wrist and then smiled at Katara.

"His pulse has stabilized," she said. "You just saved this man's life."

Katara tried not to let the pride at her accomplishment get too big, but she couldn't deny that it felt good. This skill could save people. Katara could save people.

She continued to push herself, despite Doctor Nuan suggesting she take a rest. Her insatiable desire to help others had come rushing into her from the discovery of her healing powers. She barely noticed when someone tapped her on the shoulder.

"Katara? Katara!"

She snapped out of her intense focus. She'd been treating a particularly nasty cut on an elderly soldier's leg. He'd said a Fire Nation spear had sliced him good a couple days earlier. She managed to keep the glow going in her hands, despite the distraction, and turned around to see who had interrupted her.

Zuko was standing there, a dumpling basket in his hands.

"Have you been working this whole time?" he said.

"Of course," she replied.

"Okay, you need a break."

"But-"

"If you don't take a few minutes to restore your energy, I am going to assume you forfeit your rights to these steamed dumplings I brought you."

The old soldier Katara had been healing started to chuckle.

"Go on, young lady," he said. "You've more than earned a rest. You've already stopped the bleeding on this, here, leg of mine, so I don't think I'll be losing it any time soon. You go have your dinner before your boyfriend eats it."

A burning heat spread over Katara's face and she saw that Zuko was just as embarrassed.

"He's not my boyfriend!" Katara said at the same time Zuko yelled, "She's not my girlfriend!"

They refused to look each other in the eye as they went outside the clinic to sit on a nearby bench. Zuko silently passed her the basket of dumplings and a pair of chopsticks. As she ate, she noticed his gaze kept flicking towards her, only for him to immediately look away when he realized she'd noticed.

"Zuko, if something's bugging you, you can talk about it."

"It's nothing," he said, eyes not meeting hers.

Liar. Big, dumb, awkward liar.

"Is this about what that guy said?" Katara asked. "That was out of line. Assuming we're boyfriend and girlfriend."

"That's not it."

"What's wrong, then?"

He shifted in his seat and seemed like he was struggling with something.

"It's just, well, you know how you have this healing power?" Zuko said. "I was just wondering…do you think you could, maybe, do something about…" He gestured towards a very specific part of his face.

"Your scar?" Katara said. Zuko nodded. "Well, I've healed a lot of burns today, but they were fairly new. Some of them still left marks. I don't know what I can do about that, but I can try." She reached one hand up and gently touched his scar.

Zuko tensed, but did not move away or try to brush her hand off. The skin was tough, like leather. There were some parts where she could see the muscle underneath where the skin and outer flesh had been seared off and melted away.

"How long have you had this?"

"Two years. Almost three."

"Do you mind if I ask how you got it?"

Zuko tensed again.

"I'm sorry, that was rude," Katara said. "You don't have to tell me."

"It's all right. I just…I just don't want to talk about it, right now."

"Okay. And, Zuko." He looked at her, some strange emotion stirring behind his eyes. "I will try."

They had to leave. Sokka would accept no more excuses.

Katara had pushed herself far enough helping those doctors. They'd ended up spending the night in the town, all because Katara couldn't stop working. And Zuko was no help, either. When Sokka complained about their tight schedule and that Katara's whole "tend the poor, injured soldiers" gig was holding them up, Zuko just shrugged and said it was a form of waterbending, so Katara was technically training.

"No other forms of bending can heal people, Sokka," he said in that dry, matter-of-fact, Zuko way of his. "At least, not as far as I've heard. I don't think blasting people with fire or dropping rocks on their heads is conducive to making people not die."

He further compounded his argument by pointing out that having someone with the ability to heal meant their chances of surviving future enemy encounters were vastly increased. There were all sorts of threats out there, and making sure Katara had some time to practice under the guidance of trained medical professionals could mean all the difference.

Sokka couldn't fault that logic, but he was still insistent that they needed to move on.

So, he and Aang went to bring Appa straight to the clinic to ensure there would be no further excuses about staying a few more minutes to finish treating some idiot's stubbed toe or whatever.

"We are most grateful for your assistance, Katara," Doctor Nuan said as she and her husband bid them farewell.

"Thank you for your instruction," Katara replied.

"Here, I want you to have this." She gave Katara a scroll. "It's a guide to the meridian system. I know you seem to have a natural affinity for sensing it, but it's good to keep such knowledge fresh in your mind."

Katara gave a grateful bow.

"And you, young master Lee." Doctor Nuan turned to Zuko. "Don't go getting yourself shot with arrows, anymore."

"It's not like I was planning on it," Zuko grumbled under his breath.

"We wish you all safe travels," said Doctor Jianhong. "Is there anything else you need before you set out?"

"Yeah," said Sokka. "I was wondering if you know of any messenger stations nearby. Neutral messenger stations," he added.

"Why do you need a neutral station? The local base is very efficient."

"We need to discuss a ransom situation with some Fire Nation troops."

That was true enough. The sooner they got Zuko off their hands, the sooner they could get things back to normal.

"Well, if it's a neutral party you're looking for," said Doctor Nuan, "The nearest place I can think of is in Makapu Village. It's very close to the border with the Fire Nation colonies, so there is some trade that goes through even if they are, technically, still part of the Earth Kingdom. And they have a messenger post that will deliver to anyone."

She paused and wrinkled her nose as if in distaste.

"The folks from there are very odd, though."

"Now, now, Nuan," said Doctor Jianhong. "We mustn't judge people for how they live."

"They're a bunch of crackpots. Not that surprising, really, since they live at the foot of a volcano, of all things."

"So, where is this village, exactly?" said Sokka.

"It's over those mountains," Doctor Nuan said, pointing to the tall, dark slopes in the distance. "The village is right below Mount Makapu. Believe me, you'll know it when you see it."

Author's Note: Poor Zuzu having a mental breakdown because he keeps thinking everyone's names and getting familiar with Team Avatar.

Sokka canonically loves shopping. Yay for breaking gender stereotypes! Give my boy a fancy, new bag and some designer nunchucks.

The shanku is a very basic form of Chinese hanfu. Just a shirt and trouser combo.

A number of Wuxia dramas have a character who walks around in a bamboo hat with a veil over it. It gives them this air of mystery that I like.

I think there has to be a kind of method to healing. It's not just slapping some water on an injury and forcing it to heal. If it were, there'd be no need to really study the art. Also, I believe it's implied that healing is supposed to follow the meridian system from Chinese medicine. Katara, I think, is something of a prodigy, as she figured out how to heal without prior instruction.

Does anyone else think it's weird how few female earthbenders there are in AtLA? I mean, we have Toph, and she's fricking amazing, but we never really see that many other female earthbenders. There is Kyoshi, obviously, but she was both an Avatar and from the past. We do see a couple women in the prison rig and I think there were some girls in Master Yu's academy (also, Master Yu was hired to teach Toph; even though he didn't really teach her anything, there was no question about him having a female student). So, women are allowed to learn earthbending and have used it to fight, but why are there no women in the regular Earth Kingdom military?

With the notable exception of the Kyoshi Warriors (who are from an independent island and are all non-benders), I have not once seen even one single instance of uniformed, female troops in the Earth Kingdom.

This brings up a very pertinent question about what, in the ever-loving heck, is going on. The Earth Kingdom is in a war for its very survival. Women are clearly allowed to learn combative earthbending. Why isn't the Earth Kingdom recruiting every earthbender they can find, both male and female? Furthermore, why does there seem to be this undercurrent of misogyny and rigid gender norms in the Earth Kingdom?

Earthbending should be a gender-equalizer, like how firebending makes women equal in the Fire Nation. It's not like in the Water Tribes where waterbending allows for combative and healing subsets which reinforce gender segregation and promote the patriarchal culture. Earthbending and firebending are both heavily combat-focused, though earthbending does allow for practical use in things like building and possibly even farming.

Still, I'm left with this massive conundrum: Where are all the female earthbenders?

Today's recommended C-drama is "Dr. Cutie." To clear her family name and learn the truth of the murder her father was accused of, Shen Zhao'er disguises herself as a man named "Tian Qi" in order to become a physician. After getting assigned to a young noblewoman, Zhao'er is finally able to enter the Ji family's manor to investigate and find the real culprit. What she did not expect was that she and the ice-faced young general, Ji Heng, would fall in love. However, misunderstandings threaten to keep the couple apart.

Cute, fun, fluffy, with a generous portion of danger and heartache. It's mostly a by-the-numbers C-drama, but it's still very enjoyable. Great chemistry between the leads. Good pacing. Also, it's just funny to see the frigid, uptight, overly suspicious general have a near panic-attack over thinking he might be gay for Zhao'er. There's even a scene after Ji Heng learns the truth and Zhao'er asks, "So, you fell in love with me when you thought I was a man?" and he goes, "What? Pfft! Noooo, that's gay. I would never!" when we, the audience, have already seen him do exactly that.