A Broken Bond Part Four
The Beach and the Temple
Katara
I remembered going under the water, and the feeling that someone was keeping me safe. I opened my eyes and found myself lying on a beach that was strewn with seaweed forty feet up the shore, wet and waterlogged. Zuko was lying a few feet away, his arm inches from mine as if he had been holding onto me. A trickle of blood ran down his cheek from under his shaggy black hair, and his eyes were closed. “Zuko?” I whispered, and he groaned and sat up. “Now we’re even.” He grumbled, hand on his head. “For what?” I asked, relief creeping into my voice. I was glad he was ok, even if I wouldn’t tell him that. “You saved me from the Squid-shark; I saved you from the giant wave. So, who’s going to save who from the giant monster?” I gave him an eye roll and stood up, surveying the beach strewn with dead sea creatures and seaweed. “What could have caused that wave?” I asked myself, not noticing the firebender behind me struggling to stand. He fell down, cursing silently. I scanned the horizon, searching for some sign of a natural cause. “Why are you still on the ground?” I asked, and he crossed his arms. “Maybe I don’t feel like standing up after saving your butt.” I scowled and stalked down the beach towards the Air Temple, leaving Zuko alone with his stubbornness.
Zuko
Have you ever noticed how girls have these mood swings? One minute they’re just happy to be alive, the next they’re storming off and leaving you sitting on a beach in the middle of nowhere. (I’ve noticed that all Air Temples are located in the middle of nowhere). After a few minutes I decided I was going to get up and go find her. But I was forgetting one crucial fact; I had a bloody huge gash down my leg. I huffed and got up anyway, my leg nearly collapsing under my weight. I knew I probably couldn’t get all the way up the hill by myself, so I did the thing I hated most.
I asked for help.
“Katara, come back!” I shouted, and a few seconds later a head poked up from a sand dune. “What?” She snapped. “Come over here!” I shouted again. The head disappeared and reappeared a few moments later around the sand dune. “What?” She shouted, still a few yards from me. I motioned for her to come closer, and she did with an obvious eye roll. “What?” She snapped, her arms crossed. I sighed. “I’m sorry I was like that, I wasn’t thinking. Will you help me please?” I think the shock of me saying ‘I’m sorry’ and ‘please’ in the same sentence overwhelmed her, because she stumbled back, spluttering like she had swallowed sea water. (Not that we hadn’t done plenty of that already.) “What?” She asked, and I pulled up my pant leg. She saw the gash that I hadn’t really looked at yet, and her face turned a visible shade lighter. “Zuko, what happened?” She squeaked. I shrugged. “Come on, we have to get you lying down before you injure your leg more.” She grabbed my arm and slung it around her shoulders, and we headed off up the hill.
Katara
When he lifted his pant leg up I almost fainted. (After already almost fainting from hearing him say ‘sorry’ and ‘please’ in the same sentence) A huge gash jutted from his ankle to his knee, so deep you could see the bone and muscle in places. I felt my stomach roil as I looked at it, and I had to hold back a wave of nausea. We struggled up the beach towards the Southern Air Temple, and he did pretty well until we came to the hill. We took one step up and he drew a sharp breath. I looked up at his face and saw it was tightened in pain. “We can make it. Just to the top of this hill and then we can rest.” I said encouragingly, and he nodded. We took the hill slowly, and the amount of his weight I was supporting became greater and greater until I was holding him up. We reached the top of the agonizing hill and collapsed, landing side by side on the dirt. We just laid there panting for a moment, and then met each other’s eyes. “Good job.” I said, and he smiled at me, a genuine smile, one that radiated gratitude; a smile I had never seen coming from his face. “Thank you Katara.” He said, and his voice was strained with pain. “Come on, we still have to get to the campsite.” I said, and helped him up, refusing to look at his leg that was still oozing blood. “We can do this.”
Zuko
I almost passed out when we reached the hill. The pain was almost unbearable, but I had to be strong for Katara’s sake. She wouldn’t be strong enough to carry me, and I had to make sure she wouldn’t have to sit with me on the beach if I did pass out. There were huge thunder heads in the West, sweeping in from the evaporating water in the Fire Nation. Already thunder rumbled across the rapidly darkening sky. We reached a small cave at the top of the hill, and we stumbled in, holding on to each other tightly. There were several benches carved into the stone, and a small fire pit in the center. Katara guided me over to one of the benches and set me down, her limbs trembling with exhaustion. I expected her to collapse on one of the other benches, but instead she turned and set about lighting a fire. “Katara, let me.” I blew a fireball at the sticks that she had put in, and they flared to life. She smiled weakly at me and reached into her sodden pack, pulling out the dried meat that was now dripping wet from the sea water. She began to cook it, and I realized what an incredible person she was. She had just been attacked by a sea monster; nearly drowned by a giant wave and climbed a mountain with a firebender on her back, and the first thing she does is cook dinner. She tossed the meat into a pot of water along with some herbs I hadn’t even seen in her pack, and set the pot in the coals. “Here, let me see your leg.” She turned to me and pulled out her bending pouch. “Katara, you’re exhausted. Get some rest.” I said, and she shook her head. “You’re hurt badly, I need to heal it.” I slowly pulled my leg around in front of me, taking a look at it for the first time. Blood covered my entire leg, and a gaping slash ran from my knee to my ankle. I clearly saw patches of gleaming white bone visible through the flesh. I resisted the urge to shout, faint or run away and placed it in front of Katara. She was looking at my face with an amused expression. “What?” She shrugged, hiding a smile and set to work on my leg.
Katara
He looked at his leg and turned absolutely green! I resisted the urge to laugh and pulled out my water skin. My vision swam, and I had to blink to clear the spots that had begun to dance when I closed my eyes. “Here goes.” I said, and closed my eyes. I ran my hand above the wound, feeling the flesh knitting back together as my hand passed over it. When I was finished, I opened my eyes and looked. The leg was still covered in blood, but the huge gash had been reduced to a thin white scar. “I wish I had you around when I got burned.” Zuko said, wiggling his leg experimentally. I stood up, but my vision was all blurry. “Katara!” Zuko shouted, and I hit the floor, my world going black.
I remembered going under the water, and the feeling that someone was keeping me safe. I opened my eyes and found myself lying on a beach that was strewn with seaweed forty feet up the shore, wet and waterlogged. Zuko was lying a few feet away, his arm inches from mine as if he had been holding onto me. A trickle of blood ran down his cheek from under his shaggy black hair, and his eyes were closed. “Zuko?” I whispered, and he groaned and sat up. “Now we’re even.” He grumbled, hand on his head. “For what?” I asked, relief creeping into my voice. I was glad he was ok, even if I wouldn’t tell him that. “You saved me from the Squid-shark; I saved you from the giant wave. So, who’s going to save who from the giant monster?” I gave him an eye roll and stood up, surveying the beach strewn with dead sea creatures and seaweed. “What could have caused that wave?” I asked myself, not noticing the firebender behind me struggling to stand. He fell down, cursing silently. I scanned the horizon, searching for some sign of a natural cause. “Why are you still on the ground?” I asked, and he crossed his arms. “Maybe I don’t feel like standing up after saving your butt.” I scowled and stalked down the beach towards the Air Temple, leaving Zuko alone with his stubbornness.
Zuko
Have you ever noticed how girls have these mood swings? One minute they’re just happy to be alive, the next they’re storming off and leaving you sitting on a beach in the middle of nowhere. (I’ve noticed that all Air Temples are located in the middle of nowhere). After a few minutes I decided I was going to get up and go find her. But I was forgetting one crucial fact; I had a bloody huge gash down my leg. I huffed and got up anyway, my leg nearly collapsing under my weight. I knew I probably couldn’t get all the way up the hill by myself, so I did the thing I hated most.
I asked for help.
“Katara, come back!” I shouted, and a few seconds later a head poked up from a sand dune. “What?” She snapped. “Come over here!” I shouted again. The head disappeared and reappeared a few moments later around the sand dune. “What?” She shouted, still a few yards from me. I motioned for her to come closer, and she did with an obvious eye roll. “What?” She snapped, her arms crossed. I sighed. “I’m sorry I was like that, I wasn’t thinking. Will you help me please?” I think the shock of me saying ‘I’m sorry’ and ‘please’ in the same sentence overwhelmed her, because she stumbled back, spluttering like she had swallowed sea water. (Not that we hadn’t done plenty of that already.) “What?” She asked, and I pulled up my pant leg. She saw the gash that I hadn’t really looked at yet, and her face turned a visible shade lighter. “Zuko, what happened?” She squeaked. I shrugged. “Come on, we have to get you lying down before you injure your leg more.” She grabbed my arm and slung it around her shoulders, and we headed off up the hill.
Katara
When he lifted his pant leg up I almost fainted. (After already almost fainting from hearing him say ‘sorry’ and ‘please’ in the same sentence) A huge gash jutted from his ankle to his knee, so deep you could see the bone and muscle in places. I felt my stomach roil as I looked at it, and I had to hold back a wave of nausea. We struggled up the beach towards the Southern Air Temple, and he did pretty well until we came to the hill. We took one step up and he drew a sharp breath. I looked up at his face and saw it was tightened in pain. “We can make it. Just to the top of this hill and then we can rest.” I said encouragingly, and he nodded. We took the hill slowly, and the amount of his weight I was supporting became greater and greater until I was holding him up. We reached the top of the agonizing hill and collapsed, landing side by side on the dirt. We just laid there panting for a moment, and then met each other’s eyes. “Good job.” I said, and he smiled at me, a genuine smile, one that radiated gratitude; a smile I had never seen coming from his face. “Thank you Katara.” He said, and his voice was strained with pain. “Come on, we still have to get to the campsite.” I said, and helped him up, refusing to look at his leg that was still oozing blood. “We can do this.”
Zuko
I almost passed out when we reached the hill. The pain was almost unbearable, but I had to be strong for Katara’s sake. She wouldn’t be strong enough to carry me, and I had to make sure she wouldn’t have to sit with me on the beach if I did pass out. There were huge thunder heads in the West, sweeping in from the evaporating water in the Fire Nation. Already thunder rumbled across the rapidly darkening sky. We reached a small cave at the top of the hill, and we stumbled in, holding on to each other tightly. There were several benches carved into the stone, and a small fire pit in the center. Katara guided me over to one of the benches and set me down, her limbs trembling with exhaustion. I expected her to collapse on one of the other benches, but instead she turned and set about lighting a fire. “Katara, let me.” I blew a fireball at the sticks that she had put in, and they flared to life. She smiled weakly at me and reached into her sodden pack, pulling out the dried meat that was now dripping wet from the sea water. She began to cook it, and I realized what an incredible person she was. She had just been attacked by a sea monster; nearly drowned by a giant wave and climbed a mountain with a firebender on her back, and the first thing she does is cook dinner. She tossed the meat into a pot of water along with some herbs I hadn’t even seen in her pack, and set the pot in the coals. “Here, let me see your leg.” She turned to me and pulled out her bending pouch. “Katara, you’re exhausted. Get some rest.” I said, and she shook her head. “You’re hurt badly, I need to heal it.” I slowly pulled my leg around in front of me, taking a look at it for the first time. Blood covered my entire leg, and a gaping slash ran from my knee to my ankle. I clearly saw patches of gleaming white bone visible through the flesh. I resisted the urge to shout, faint or run away and placed it in front of Katara. She was looking at my face with an amused expression. “What?” She shrugged, hiding a smile and set to work on my leg.
Katara
He looked at his leg and turned absolutely green! I resisted the urge to laugh and pulled out my water skin. My vision swam, and I had to blink to clear the spots that had begun to dance when I closed my eyes. “Here goes.” I said, and closed my eyes. I ran my hand above the wound, feeling the flesh knitting back together as my hand passed over it. When I was finished, I opened my eyes and looked. The leg was still covered in blood, but the huge gash had been reduced to a thin white scar. “I wish I had you around when I got burned.” Zuko said, wiggling his leg experimentally. I stood up, but my vision was all blurry. “Katara!” Zuko shouted, and I hit the floor, my world going black.
Zuko
Katara stood up after healing my leg, and suddenly began to sway, as if she was drunk. Suddenly she toppled over, and I leaped up to help her. The pain in my leg was all a memory now, and I knelt at her side. She was breathing and her heart was beating, and I couldn’t find anything wrong with her. I reached into her pack and dried out her sleeping sack before putting it on the ledge across from mine and nestling her in its furry blue folds. She sighed and snuggled down, her face peaceful. I smiled and tucked a strand of hair that had strayed on her face behind her ear. She was so beautiful.
‘He was so handsome I couldn’t resist….’
I sighed and moved to the fire, stirring the pot of soup with a stick. Memories swam before my eyes, good and bad alike, but all of them of us.
Katara stood up after healing my leg, and suddenly began to sway, as if she was drunk. Suddenly she toppled over, and I leaped up to help her. The pain in my leg was all a memory now, and I knelt at her side. She was breathing and her heart was beating, and I couldn’t find anything wrong with her. I reached into her pack and dried out her sleeping sack before putting it on the ledge across from mine and nestling her in its furry blue folds. She sighed and snuggled down, her face peaceful. I smiled and tucked a strand of hair that had strayed on her face behind her ear. She was so beautiful.
‘He was so handsome I couldn’t resist….’
I sighed and moved to the fire, stirring the pot of soup with a stick. Memories swam before my eyes, good and bad alike, but all of them of us.
Her eyes are wide, and her expression one of pure terror. She is just a child, one who will never understand the terrors of the real world outside her tiny little village at the bottom of the world.
She sweeps her arms around, splashing the buffoon pirate in the face. She runs, looking behind her. She looks forward and tries to stop, but too late. She runs right into my arms, a look of mixed anger and fear on her face. “I’ll save you from the Pirates.” I say tauntingly.
“But I have something you want.” I whisper in her ear, and I hold up the necklace in front of her. “Where did you get that?” She cries, tears making her eyes glisten.
“He’s my friend. I’m perfectly capable of protecting him.” I stalk towards her, the waterbender totally unaware of my presence. “Well, aren’t you a big girl now.” I mock, and she turns to me. “No.” She breathes, as if my very presence makes her afraid. I stride forward, prepared to take the Avatar without a fight. “Yes. Give me the Avatar and I won’t have to hurt you.” In all honesty I didn’t want to hurt her; she was an innocent little girl. Then she smacks me with a pillar of water that might as well have been a block of stone. I fly back, landing on the ground with a thump. “I see you’ve learned some new tricks, but that won’t save you.” I blast a fireball at her, and she blocks it with ease. I fire off blast after blast, and she blocks or dodges them all. I dash past her, and grab the Avatar’s collar. She blasts me against the ice wall at the side of the oasis, making me see stars. Suddenly the water closed in around me, creating a prison of ice. She smiles as the ice prison closes. “You little peasant. You’ve found a master, haven’t you?” I say, and blast my way out. She slams me against the wall again, and this time she pins me there. I hang there limply for a moment, not sure what is happening. She had beaten me? Perhaps I had underestimated her. Suddenly I feel power blossom in my chest, and I melt the ice holding me. I drop to the ground and slam her against the post, knocking her unconscious. I grab the Avatar and stand over her, feeling a bit of regret at hurting her. “You rise with the moon. I rise with the sun.” I say, the light of the newly risen sun casting shadows over the grass and the limp figure beneath the post.
I watch helplessly as Uncle falls, his cry of pain ringing in the still air. I cry out in anger and blast my sister. She escapes, and I fall to my knees beside my uncle. The Avatar and his group approach hesitantly. “Get away from us!” I snap. “Zuko, I can help.” The waterbender, the one I had hurt more then all the others combined, was offering to help me. “LEAVE!”I bellow, blasting flame at them. They run, leaving me to care for him alone.
“You’ve got company.” The Dai Li agents holding me laugh and toss me down a tunnel. I land in a heap at the bottom. “Zuko!” I look up and feel my heart sink. Katara is standing above me, looking like she’s ready to kill someone. “You’re a terrible person, you know that? Always following us, hunting the Avatar, trying to capture the world’s last hope for peace! But what do you care. You’re the Firelord’s son. Spreading war and violence and hatred is in your blood.” I turn around, barely containing my anger. “You don’t know what you’re talking about.” She whirls on me, fire in her eyes. “I don’t?! How dare you?! You have no idea what this war has put me through, me personally.” She crouches down, her hand on the necklace that she always wears. “The Fire Nation took my mother away from me.” I hear her voice crack, and I know she is crying. “I’m sorry. That’s something we have in common.”
She looks guilty. “I’m sorry I yelled at you earlier. It’s just that for so long now, whenever I’d imagine the face of the enemy, it was your face.” I frown, my hand straying to my scar. “My face. I see.” I say. “No, no, that’s not what I meant!” She stutters. “It’s ok. I’ve always thought this scar marked me. The mark of the banished prince, cursed to chase the Avatar forever. But lately, I’ve realized I’m free to choose my own destiny, even if I’ll never be free of my mark.” I don’t know why I’m telling her this, but I can’t stop the words from coming. “Maybe you could be free of it.” I feel my heart jolt. “What?” She shrugs. “I have healing abilities.” I feel my heart sink back down. “It’s a scar. It can’t be healed.” She pulls out a small vial, shaped like a half moon. “This is healing water from the Spirit Oasis at the North Pole. It has special properties. I don’t know if it would work but.........” I nod and close my eyes. Her hand touches my face and I feel a bolt of electricity down my spine. Her finger grazes my lips, and I have to struggle to slow down my heartbeat.
“I thought you had changed!” She cries, slashing at me with her water whips. “I have changed.” I say back, hoping and praying she knows my secret plan, understands why I had to do this. I slash back, hoping to make it seem as real as possible. Azula blasts her, and she falls down, weak and outnumbered. I fight the pain in my heart at seeing her like this by saying to myself ‘It must be done. I must gain Azula’s trust.’ But the look in her eyes is worse then a million daggers to my heart.
“What on earth makes you think we’d trust you? How stupid do you think we are?” Katara snaps, her eyes blazing. I kneel down and place my hands in front of me. “If you won’t accept me as a friend, then maybe you’ll accept me as a prisoner.” Suddenly I am hit by the pillar of water again, and I fall back. “No, we won’t!” Katara shouts. I sit up, dripping and humiliated. “Get out of here. If we see you again…. Well, we’d better not see you again!” I turn and walk away, my heart heavy.
Why won’t you trust me?” I ask, fuming. “Everyone else does!” She whips around. “Everyone else trusts you? I was the first to trust you! Back in Ba Sing Se, remember?” I sigh, wishing she could forget. “What can I do to make it up to you?” Her beautiful face twists in anger. “What can you do? How about you re-conquer Ba Sing Se in the name of the Earth King, or, I know! You can bring my mother back.” She hisses and stalks away. I watch her go with a heavy heart.
“But I am ready to forgive you.” She says, and he face is sad and smiling. She comes closer and throws her arms around me. I realize that the feeling of her arms around me is wonderful and thrilling. “You were right. Violence isn’t what Katara needed.” I say, watching her walk away.
“He doesn’t know about us.” The actors snuggled, and Katara and I scooted apart, our faces burning with embarrassment.
I hear footsteps, and I turn around. “You may have everyone else fooled with your transformation, but you and I both know you’ve struggled with doing the right thing in the past.” Katara stalks in, her eyes dark with a deadly light. “But let me tell you something right now.” She moves closer and jabs her finger in my face. “If you take one step backward, one slip-up, give me one reason to think you might hurt Aang, and I’ll make sure you don’t have to worry about your destiny anymore. Because I’ll make sure your destiny ends, right then and there. Permanently.” She turns and storms back out, leaving me as alone and lost as before.
“Thank you, Katara.” I whisper as she heals the lightning wound in my chest. Tears wet her eyes. “No, I’m the one who should be thanking you.” I smile and wish I could hug her, but I’m too weak, and I let her help me inside.
I stand in my place as Firelord and look out over the assembled peoples of all the nations. But one catches my eye immediately; Katara. She is smiling at me, her face full of joy as she stands with her father’s arms around her.
“I guess this is goodbye then.” Katara looks down at me, her eyes full of sadness. “Yes. Goodbye, Zuko.” She says and walks away up the ship until I lose sight of her. I reach out as if to bring her back, but the boat pulls out and takes her away; leaving me more alone then I had ever been.
I sighed and stirred the soup, stretching my stiff leg and watching Katara as she slept.
“But I am ready to forgive you.” She says, and he face is sad and smiling. She comes closer and throws her arms around me. I realize that the feeling of her arms around me is wonderful and thrilling. “You were right. Violence isn’t what Katara needed.” I say, watching her walk away.
“He doesn’t know about us.” The actors snuggled, and Katara and I scooted apart, our faces burning with embarrassment.
I hear footsteps, and I turn around. “You may have everyone else fooled with your transformation, but you and I both know you’ve struggled with doing the right thing in the past.” Katara stalks in, her eyes dark with a deadly light. “But let me tell you something right now.” She moves closer and jabs her finger in my face. “If you take one step backward, one slip-up, give me one reason to think you might hurt Aang, and I’ll make sure you don’t have to worry about your destiny anymore. Because I’ll make sure your destiny ends, right then and there. Permanently.” She turns and storms back out, leaving me as alone and lost as before.
“Thank you, Katara.” I whisper as she heals the lightning wound in my chest. Tears wet her eyes. “No, I’m the one who should be thanking you.” I smile and wish I could hug her, but I’m too weak, and I let her help me inside.
I stand in my place as Firelord and look out over the assembled peoples of all the nations. But one catches my eye immediately; Katara. She is smiling at me, her face full of joy as she stands with her father’s arms around her.
“I guess this is goodbye then.” Katara looks down at me, her eyes full of sadness. “Yes. Goodbye, Zuko.” She says and walks away up the ship until I lose sight of her. I reach out as if to bring her back, but the boat pulls out and takes her away; leaving me more alone then I had ever been.
I sighed and stirred the soup, stretching my stiff leg and watching Katara as she slept.
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