Avatar The Last Airbender Fan Fiction ❯ Smile Because It Happened ❯ Chapter 7

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Chapter 7

 

The huge bison swooped down and landed with a splash in the shallow water on the beach closest to Kyoshi Village, his passengers scrambling off the saddle almost before he landed. Aang floated down onto the sandy beach as a handful of children ran up.

 

Giggling.

 

Katara and Zuko exchanged a curious glance before the Waterbender turned back to stare at the youngsters, who had gathered around Aang and clambering to all talk at once.

 

Zuko peered at the column of smoke coming from the village but couldn't see the source. “We should hurry,” he urged Aang.

 

The Airbender nodded and rejoined his friends, leaving the children to follow disappointedly in his wake.

 

Toph tilted her head slightly as they ran. “There's no panicked running as if there's an attack going on,” she announced.

 

Sokka looked at Katara, who happened to be running slightly in front of himself and Zuko. She lifted an eyebrow. “Then Azula must already be gone,” he grunted.

 

They passed several villagers, none of whom seemed injured. “What is going on?” Zuko wondered.

 

One elderly gentleman turned from his view of watching a couple large buildings burn. “Oh, it's the Avatar!”

 

Immediately people turned away from the burning structure to murmur and exclaim over the sudden appearance of the Avatar and his friends who had helped to save the world. One familiar face foamed up in frenzied fanaticism before finishing in a frothing faint.

 

Katara quickly ran to the old man who had seen them first. “What happened? Were you attacked?”

 

He shook his head, perplexed at her question. “A child accidentally dropped his lantern in the barn and ignited the hay. We managed to get the animals out, but now it's going to take the family's house too.” He pointed at the line of villagers attempting to put out the fire with a bucket brigade. “We're just hoping it doesn't spread to the rest of the village.”

 

Katara's expression was pure determination. “Don't worry, sir. We'll take care of it.”

 

A scream sounded from up near the burning building, prompting them to run. Once there they could see a young woman crying and screaming as she fought the two men who held her from running back into the furnace.

 

“My son!” she shrieked, tears pouring down her cheeks. “My son is still in there!”

 

A pit settled into Katara's stomach at those words. She turned to Aang, who nodded. “We have to get the water from the ocean up here,” she said, looking back down at the water and mentally judging the distance and how long it would take to bring enough water up to the burning house in time to save the child.

 

“No time,” Zuko said, running straight for the house. He turned back once to look at Katara. “Get the villagers back in case this thing explodes!”

 

A few people cried out at his warning and Aang made ready to blow an immense wind at the house to put it out. “No, don't!” Sokka yelled. “That house is ready to fall at any minute, and Zuko's right- if there's any oil barrels in that house we've got to get everyone away!” He turned to the Earthbender. “Toph! A wall!”

 

“Come on, Twinkletoes,” Toph said as Sokka and Katara began herding the people away from the burning building. Aang flew to the other side of the buildings and together they stomped the ground, sending up tall walls of thick stone to surround the blaze.

 

In front of the house where Zuko had entered, Toph left the area open so he could escape. As Aang rushed back to her side, he stared at the inferno. “We have to do something!”

 

Katara and Sokka raced over, concern on their faces. “Where is he?” Katara asked, her voice belying her worry.

 

Abruptly the flames consuming the doorway of the house vanished even though the house was still on fire. Zuko, dirty, smudged, and slightly sweaty, sprinted out of the dwelling with a small blanket clutched to his chest.

 

“Get away!” he hollered. He grabbed Katara by the arm and turned her so that he was between her and the burning building as they fled. “It's going to blow!”

 

The words were barely out of his mouth when the house exploded. The blast was so great it destroyed part of the stone walls Aang and Toph had erected and knocked everyone to the ground. Toph managed to raise part of the ground to shield them, but only Aang and Sokka were underneath it.

 

Zuko and Katara were too far away.

 

.o(O)o.

 

Katara opened her eyes slowly. The first thing she saw was dirt.

 

Her body felt heavy, as if a huge weight were pinning her down. Her ears were ringing, but faintly she could hear the wail of an infant.

 

Oh, Tui… The child…

 

She turned her head slightly and saw that there was a body half-flung on top of hers. She shifted some more so that she could turn it carefully.

 

It was Zuko.

 

His eyes were closed. His back was smoking from where the blast from the house had hit him- she peered closer and winced at the burnt skin exposed there. The crying seemed louder now and she leaned over to take the scorched blanket from Zuko's protective grip.

 

Inside lay the baby, slightly sooty but otherwise well, if the infant's wailing was any indication. The child's mother ran over, tears leaving trails down her smudged cheeks as she took her baby from the Waterbender. “Oh, my son,” she sobbed, evidently overcome with joy and relief. “My precious son…”

 

The other three hurried over from Toph's makeshift bunker and surrounded Zuko's unconscious body. “Is he gonna be okay?” Aang asked, his grey eyes wide with worry.

 

Katara's heart was pounding. She looked up and spied an abandoned bucket of water from before. She moved her arms and bent the water over to hover above Zuko's body. “Lay him on his stomach,” she ordered. Carefully, she and Sokka removed what remained of his dark red and gold tunic so that he was bare from the waist up.

 

Sokka grimaced at the sight of the Fire Lord's charred back. “That… doesn't look good, Katara,” he murmured.

 

“I know!” she snapped, bending the cool water down to wrap gently around Zuko's skin. “Don't tell me what I already know!”

 

Aang glanced at his fiancé then back down at his Firebending teacher. “He'll be okay, Katara,” he said, trying to comfort her.

 

The water was glowing pale blue on Zuko's burnt skin and when Katara's gaze snapped up to Aang's, he was slightly taken aback by the glowing in her eyes as well. “Just let me heal him! I can't concentrate!”

 

Toph stood up. “Come on, Twinkletoes. Let's go ask one of the villagers if we can borrow a few beds for the night. I have a feeling we're going to be here a while.”

 

In the silence that followed the young pair's departure, Sokka's eyes moved from his sister to Zuko and back again. “You okay?”

 

“No,” she replied, her voice cracking. “Why the hell does he do this? Why does he always risk his own life for other people? Why does he always save me?”

 

Sokka scratched his cheek, a seriously thoughtful look on his face. “That's a very interesting question,” he mused. “He's saved me once, but not really at risk to his own life.”

 

She sniffed and he realized she was fighting tears. Over ZUKO? “He did? When?”

 

“When we went to the Boiling Rock and saved Dad and Suki. I nearly fell off that gondola thing during our fight with Azula and Ty Lee, but he caught me before I did.”

 

Concentrating on healing and bending, bending and healing, Katara didn't look up from her work. “…Where was Mai?”

 

Sokka propped his head up on his hand, his elbow on his knee. “You know, that's the weird thing. She fought off the guards and stuff so we could escape, but Zuko didn't say anything about her. Once we were on the other side, he was totally focused on getting off the island.” He huffed. “If that had been Suki, I would've gone back through Azula to save her.”

 

Katara blinked once but kept her gaze on Zuko's back. “Save her? From Azula? They were best friends.”

 

“Yeah, but by letting Zuko get away, she `betrayed' Azula,” he clarified. “Ty Lee told the girls all about it while they were in prison. Azula was ready to kill Mai with her lightning but Ty Lee stepped in and did that chi blocking thing she does and that crazy bitch went down like a wet fish.” Sokka looked confused. “But Zuko's no dummy. He must've known that Mai would've caught hell from his sister for helping us escape.”

 

Or be killed, Katara thought. “Well, he must love her,” she said, her voice soft. “He's been with her ever since his coronation.”

 

Sokka snorted. “Yeah, I think he's just whipped. The mighty Fire Lord Zuko, scared to even think about breaking up with his knife-happy girlfriend. What a great leader for the Fire Nation.” He actually giggled. “I bet if they get married she'll be the one calling the shots.”

 

“'If' what? Toph told me directly that he's going to marry Mai once he catches his sister.” Katara frowned. “And how did we end up talking about Zuko's love-life anyway?”

 

He shrugged. “You asked why he risks his life to save yours all the time. I was just voicing my own confusion on the matter, since it seems that he wasn't even willing to try to save his girlfriend from his sister, but for you he's willing to nearly die- twice.”

 

*I would gladly give my life to save yours.*

 

“No,” Katara replied, cooling the water down a bit before placing it back on Zuko's skin. “He was trying to save the child. I just happened to be in the way.”

 

Sokka snorted again, louder. “Yeah, right.” Blue eyes the same color as hers regarded her over the Firebender's bare back. “I may be dumb, but I'm not stupid. “

 

“Uh-huh.”

 

The sound of several pairs of feet signaled the return of Toph, Aang, and several men from the village. “The old guy who talked to us before is letting us use his house,” Toph announced. “These guys are gonna help move Sparky.”

 

Katara stood up shakily, bending the water once around her body before sliding it underneath Zuko's prone form. “No need. I got him.” She lifted her arms and the water rose into the air, cushioning him carefully as she wrapped it around him so he wouldn't accidentally fall. “Just lead the way.”

 

.o(O)o.

 

His back hurt. Nothing overly painful, just a dull ache that indicated something had happened that he probably should be aware of.

 

The fire. The explosion. Oh, Agni- the baby… Katara…

 

His eyes flew open- and he didn't see the sky as he expected. Instead, he found himself staring at the wooden beams of the inside of a house.

 

Well, he was pretty sure the afterlife didn't involve either pain or modest housing such as this, so he took that as a fairly accurate sign that he wasn't dead.

 

He didn't feel as if he could move his head- or his body, for that matter- but he was able to move his eyeballs at least. He lowered his gaze and peered around the room.

 

The candles and lanterns scattered throughout the small bedroom cast a bright yellow glow on the walls that made it seem more like midday rather than the early morning hours it actually was. His Firebending senses told him dawn was still a few hours off, but he had no idea how long he had been unconscious for. Hours? Days?

 

A dark form caught his wandering gaze and he was startled to see Katara seated next to the bed, her arms folded next to him and her head resting on her arms as she dozed. From what he could see, she didn't seem to be injured at all from their narrow escape.

 

Thank Agni… she's okay. The blast didn't get her.

 

Which led to other thoughts. Why was she here? Surely she had a place to sleep while they were in Kyoshi Village, probably a place with the Warriors and Toph. His injury, whatever it was- had it been life threatening to the point where she was afraid he'd die if she weren't here?

 

Nah. Katara wasn't like that. Optimistic to an extreme, second only to Aang's perpetual peaceful attitude, she wouldn't let something like death scare her. After all, she was the one who brought Aang back to life after Azula shot him with lightning in the caves under Ba Sing Se.

 

He winced as he remembered the look of complete and utter betrayal on Katara's face when he had joined his sister in fighting the Avatar and his Waterbending teacher. The expression she'd given him was so painful he swore he'd do anything to ensure he'd never have to see it again.

 

His eyes drifted back to her hair, which glowed with auburn highlights in the firelight of the room. Her breathing was steady and even, indicating that she was deeply asleep.

 

Slowly, almost of its own accord, his hand rose and drifted to her hair. Gently, albeit hesitantly, he touched the soft curls with his fingertips. He marveled at the sensation- her tresses were softer than the finest silk robes that hung in his wardrobe, and he found that he couldn't pull his hand away. Indeed he slid his fingers deeper into the mass, the strands falling over his hand like water.

 

She stirred and his hand froze. She lifted her head and blinked at him, her oceanic eyes soft from her slumber. His hand was still buried in her hair but she didn't seem to notice. “Zuko?”

 

Her voice was husky with sleep and he had to push away the wave of longing that washed over him. She wasn't his- she would never be his. She belonged with Aang.

 

He opened his mouth and croaked out a single word. “Katara…”

 

Her eyes snapped open, all semblances of sleep leaving her. “Oh, oceans- you're awake!”

 

Zuko let his hand drop. His mouth was drier than one of his uncle's biscuits. “Water,” he grunted.

 

Katara jumped up and hurried to the nightstand, where a pitcher and a cup sat waiting. She poured the water into the cup and returned to Zuko's side. Carefully, she lifted his head with one hand while putting the rim of the cup to his lips so that he could drink at his own pace.

 

Once he had emptied the cup she lay his head back on the pillow and gazed at him with unreadable eyes. He blinked. “What?”

 

“You were burned… pretty badly,” she said softly.

 

He shrugged one shoulder, wincing slightly at the tug of pain on his back with the movement. “One of the hazards of being a Firebender.”

 

“You could have died.”

 

Golden eyes lifted to her azure ones. “The baby?”

 

Her face softened. “He's fine. Thanks to you.”

 

Something shifted in his gaze. Her heartbeat resounded in her ears. “And you?”

 

She frowned. “We're not talking about me, here. We're talking about you and your habit of jumping in the way of danger just to save me.”

 

His mind recalled the first time, when Azula and her fleet of war balloons had attacked the Western Air Temple- and he had practically tackled Katara out of the way as stone and debris had nearly crushed her. She hadn't been too appreciative then either. He smiled wanly, his strength almost completely gone.

 

“Maybe I just want to protect you.”

 

She blushed, but continued to glare at him. “I'm a Waterbending Master. I don't need to be protected like some helpless child.”

 

He grinned, enjoying her spirit, her indignation. “Apparently you do, if I'm constantly having to save you.”

 

“No one asked you to!”

 

Zuko chuckled weakly and gazed at her, his eyes glowing in the lamplight despite the fact that they seemed to be growing heavy. Sleep was threatening to overtake him again.

 

“My… heart… told me to…” he murmured as darkness enveloped him once more.

 

Katara's face showed her complete and utter shock at his words, as well as a healthy dose of embarrassment. She stared in absolute silence as Zuko drifted back off to sleep.

 

Surely she had misunderstood him. They were friends, right? Even though he hadn't actually seen any of them since Toph's birthday party, he had kept in touch with Sokka and Suki through infrequent letters. He worried about them. He asked over them. He had saved Sokka's life. He had helped save Suki. His heart wouldn't allow harm to come to any of his friends.

 

That's right. Friends. We're friends.

 

She leaned forward and placed a shaking hand on his brow- and hissed through her teeth as she realized he was burning up with a high fever. Well, that explained it. He was delirious.

 

As she bent fresh water from a bucket on the floor near the wall and made ready to administer more healing to him, both for his fever and his burn, she let out a deep breath.

 

The thudding of her heart echoed in her ears, and she couldn't seem to ignore it, no matter how hard she tried.