InsaneJournal

Tweak says, "I burned the yesterday."

Katara of the Southern Water Tribe (k_waterbender) wrote in mirage_rpg,
@ 2008-10-28 21:43:00

Entry tags:

complete, day 20, katara, zuko

Day Twenty
Who: Katara and Zuko
When: Day 20 ; Late Afternoon
What: Katara confronts Zuko
Where: Building A - Zuko’s room
Rating: PG-13
Status: Complete

After healing Toph’s wounds, trimming her singed hair, and acquiring the story of how she came to look like she’d been attacked by a firebender, Katara set out after Zuko. Would he attack her, too? Yes. If he hadn’t remembered Toph, he would remember her. They had met in the South Pole when Zuko came to claim Aang. That was how they had discovered Aang was the Avatar. They had met again in the North Pole where Katara had defeated him to save Aang after the Fire Prince had first knocked her out to kidnap the then-twelve-year-old. Did he remember the Crystal Catacombs? That was doubtful. Why would he feel the need to still capture the Avatar if he did remember that?

Would he recognize her? She had aged, but she was still the same woman. If the former leader of the Southern Raiders could recognize her after she had aged six years from a child to a teenager, Zuko should be able to recognize her after five years of aging from a teen into a woman, especially because the differences would be less sharp.

Despite the fact that the golems had refused to help her find Vincent, she needed them to help her find Zuko. After all, he could be anywhere, including the forest where Toph had seen him. There were simply too many options in too large a space to search for the Fire Lord.

The golem she found happened to be made of clay. His graceful movements were nothing like a human’s, but they seemed strange for one made of an earthen substance rather than flesh and bone. He led her over the grounds to building A. Yes, the Planet probably foresaw troubles if an enraged and unremembering Zuko was to be in the same building as Katara and Toph. His building wasn’t even among the same cluster of three as the female benders.

As she entered the building, following the golem, her heart began to beat faster. Too many questions swirled through her mind, and her fingers subconsciously moved to touch one of two full water skins as if to comfort herself with its presence. Zuko had become one of the greatest masters of firebending over the years she had known him. Ever since he and Aang had gone on that trip so Aang could learn firebending and Zuko could learn to fuel his firebending with emotions other than anger, the Fire Lord had progressed quickly. Even wounded, Katara suspected her friend would be powerful. If only she knew.

She stood in front of his door, heart beating rapidly beneath her breast. His was the first door, number one hundred. Katara stood there for a moment, unmoving. She hardly noticed the golem’s departure. At last she raised her fist to knock, but she paused. The key was in the door. Why would he do that?

Using the key, Katara tentatively unlocked the door and turned the knob while pushing at the wood. The door swung open to reveal a Fire Navy ship-like room. She hardly had to turn her head to see Zuko lying on the cold steel of the floor, passed out- most likely from weariness and pain. He hadn't even made it to the bed.

From the way he lay, the healer knew his right foot was the wounded one, but she could see the dark blood that had oozed from the wound. Even in sleep the body was mindful of wounds. A wave of compassion wound over her. She wanted to heal her wounded friend, for she still viewed him as such. She didn’t like to see him hurt. The last time he had been severely wounded had been when he had tried to save her from Azula’s lightening. It had taken a while to fully heal him again, but she was eternally grateful that he had almost sacrificed himself for her.

Subconsciously, her feet moved her forward, but she found the way blocked by an invisible barrier. It brought her attention back to the present, back to what Toph had told her conspired between the two during a chance meeting. This was not the Fire Lord Zuko she knew. This was the old Prince Zuko she used to know inhabiting the body of the Fire Lord she had last seen. She needed him awake, but she also needed to be prepared. Taking a defensive stance, one hand at the neck of a water skin, she rapped at the frame of the door.

(Read comments) - (Post a new comment)

fire_lord_zuko
2008-10-29 03:22 am UTC (link)

Blackness consumed everything inside of him, and from the blackness was spawned the light of dreams as Katara frantically worked to save the one who might have been an enemy. All around him the world was destroyed, desolate, scortched by fire and chaos. His body was throbbing in agony, and his vision blurred. But at his feet was the Avatar, slain, the arrow on his forehead which glowed now slowly fading. The Avatar would never return... he had fulfilled the dream of his father and his grandfather, and his great grand father. Blood trailed from the Avatar's mouth, and there were scorch marks all over his body, along with bruises. The fight had not exactly gone as easily as Zuko had envisioned it would...

Memories flashed back to a clash of titans, a firebender against a realized Avatar. What had resulted was a moment of insanity, a pure tornado of unadultered energy that had clashed between the two of them. In his mind he did things that seemed almost inhuman, firebending that would have made Azula drool with envy, and his father watch proudly... the two had taken to the skies in an ultimate showdown that was 5 years too late in the coming, what should have happened years ago, before either of them had learned to bend to the extent that it would tear the very earth around them apart and leave it scarred, perhaps for the rest of all time. Zuko stared blankly at the Avatar dying... and felt... nothing.

Then slowly he felt something slide across his bare midsection, his abs exposed from his torn shirt. It was like a serpent and yet not... it's blue scales shining brightly even in the dim light as the blue dragon wound it's way around him, whispering soft things in his ear. He could be all powerful for this... he would be known as the one who removed the last obstacle to the Fire nation, the one who had defeated the avatar once and for all... who was thought by many to be like a god... but gods made mistakes... and despite it being a lucky victory, he could claim total glory for himself, proclaim himself victor over all that he wanted to conquer. Who would stand up to the man who had defeated the avatar, after all?

As the thoughts raced through his head, Zuko stared out into the distance, where the red dragon hovered lightly, it's eyes staring at him. And all at once he felt a sense of shame that he couldn't place, or couldn't identify... no, that wasn't true... he could hear his Uncle's words in his head, words that had been spoken to him once when he'd sworn to get revenge on someone who had insulted him for the scar that had covered his left eye.

"Prince Zuko... a life lived for vengeance is like drinking poison and expecting your enemy to die..." At the time Zuko had rolled his eyes the way that he usually did and brushed it off as another one of his Uncle's silly introspective comments that usually came before him complaining about how he wanted another cup of jasmine tea. But here, standing before the Avatar, looking into the solemn eyes of the red dragon, he thought of something he'd not considered before... what if his Uncle didn't want to be avenged? His uncle had left the world of the living... and gone on to whatever lay beyond... If he had died at the Avatar's hand... would his Uncle seek revenge? Or would he just seek to stop a tyrant? Did the reason make a difference, if the action it caused was the same?

"Only to your soul, Prince Zuko... only to your soul." Came the disembodied voice of Iroh in his dream.

And then suddenly water was filling his lungs, choking him off as he tried to breath, the whole world drowning in water, wielded by a single dark haired, blue eyed water bender who stared at him with such hatred and contempt... the anger she'd only shown at the western air temple... wait... when had that been? That wasn't right. When he went to the western air temple it had been with his uncle, not with Katara... and...

None of that mattered when he needed to breathe.

(Reply to this)

(Read comments) -