Author's note: I was so out of it when I posted my last chapter that I forgot to mention I added a new image to www. sasartstudios. com/ samples. html (remove all spaces in the URL or go to my bio page and click the link)
I also updated my image from 'The Shallows' with a new one. The old one can still be viewed upon mouse-over, just so everyone can see how awful it was and understand why I re-did it.
Sorry I forgot to mention it last time…
Returning to consciousness was a slow and awkward process. The first sensation he was aware of was a ringing in his ears, and when he opened his eyes, the light filtered in dimly as though traversing a dark fog. Everything seemed alien, and for a moment he wasn't entirely sure who he was, let alone where.
But as the ringing gave way to a buzzing and the light finally began to penetrate his sight, his sense of identity gradually came back to him. He looked blearily around the room; everything still muddled and blurred, and spotted a familiar figure dressed in dark red kneeling beside him. He blinked groggily as he recognized her through a jumbled haze of memories.
"Mom?" he croaked in confusion, his dry throat not willing to release any more than a raspy whisper.
The woman turned upon hearing his hoarse and unintelligible voice, and his vision began to shift into focus. Her dark hair and pale skin melded into warm shades of brown, and the gold eyes sharpened to reveal mere lamplight reflecting on a brilliant blue.
Zuko felt a brief pang of disappointment when he realized it was only Katara. But then he noticed her lips were moving, and he tried to listen past the humming in his ears so he could understand what she was saying.
"…arm isn't fully healed yet, but I got the worst of it. You have a slight concussion too; I was just about to get started on that."
"Where is everyone?" he asked as he struggled to sit up, seeing that the room was empty save for the two of them.
"Aang went to see Appa," she replied, scooting around from his left side and repositioning herself behind him so she could better reach the large, bruised contusion on his forehead. "And the others went downstairs to eat so I could concentrate on healing you."
Laying one hand on his bare shoulder, she tenderly pulled his head down onto her lap and drew up some more water with her other hand to begin healing his forehead.
Now Zuko was no stranger to Katara's unique abilities, for she'd healed a number of minor cuts and burns for him since he'd started travelling with the Avatar. But this time, when her cool, water-encased hands made contact with his scalp, Zuko was inexplicably engulfed by the strangest sense of disorientation.
He was suddenly reminded of being in that dingy little apartment in Ba Sing Se, burning with fever and perilously thirsty. It was an agony beyond mere physical dehydration, but he had no concept then of how to satisfy that need. And he recalled his frustration at being unable to quench this deep-rooted desire for water, so much so that he'd flung the drained bucket across the room in irritation and disgust.
But this was different. Even though the glowing liquid didn't touch his parched lips, he felt overwhelmingly sated and restored. He wondered vaguely if this water, this touch, would have satisfied him then; would have slaked the indefinable thirst he'd felt during his fever. Involuntarily, he sighed and leaned his head into that soothing caress…and decided that it would have.
"Is that helping?" asked Katara gently.
He barely nodded, giving a slight "mmm-hm," in reply.
"You know you gave us quite a scare," the healer remarked casually. And when Momo alighted on Zuko's chest to peer anxiously into his face, she giggled and added, "See? Even Momo was worried."
Zuko couldn't help but chuckle weakly as he sardonically replied, "He's just afraid of losing the extra food I that I sneak to him off my plate."
But despite this un-endearing comment, the prince fondly rubbed the tender spot behind the lemur's ears, eliciting a relaxed purr from the little creature. Seeing it, Katara smiled.
"That or he just likes the way you pet him," she observed good-naturedly.
As Katara's fingers brushed against Zuko's skin again, he closed his eyes in a flood of contentment and murmured.
"Right now, I know exactly how he feels."
Two figures, hooded and cloaked, made their way silently to the royal stables. They ducked into the shadows and waited for a guard to pass, then continued on their way. Once inside, they noticed a number of unconscious sentries.
"Ty Lee is already here, I see," remarked Azula with satisfaction.
As they walked down the long row of stalls, Mai cast a hesitant glance at her companion.
"If the Fire Lord wants you to go after Zuko," she mused dolefully, "then why are we sneaking out in the middle of the night?"
Azula paused thoughtfully before answering with simple honesty, "Because my father isn't sending me."
At this, the somber young noblewoman stopped dead in her tracks, staring incredulously at the princess's back. Hearing the sudden halt, Azula stopped as well and turned to face the other girl.
"Tell me, Mai," Azula requested indifferently, "what are your feelings for Zuko?"
"How should I know?" she replied with a dispassionate shrug, "I haven't even seen him in over three years. People change."
"So you don't care if he lives or dies?"
Mai didn't reply, but she didn't have to. The flicker of dismay that crossed her face told Azula everything the princess needed to know. Adopting a sympathetic and benign expression, Azula took a step toward Mai.
"I didn't want to tell you this before," the princess confessed apologetically, "because I thought it might upset you. But my father wants Zuko dead."
Even though Mai already knew this, and was furious that Azula took this long to tell her, she pretended to absorb the news with her customary apathy.
"Is that why you're going after him?" she asked carefully.
"No," Azula insisted sincerely. Then, laying a hand on her friend's shoulder, she explained, "He's still my brother, Mai. And if there's a chance I can help him, bring him home so he can beg Father's forgiveness, then I have to try."
Looking into Azula's earnest face, Mai found it difficult to believe that the cunning princess could be lying. But if there was one thing she'd learned during the years of their friendship, it was that Azula could make anyone believe anything.
"He'll never listen to you," Mai pointed out coolly.
"I know," replied the princess, looking down sadly. Then she returned her gaze to Mai once more, and it was almost pleading. "But he might listen to you. He was always fond of you. After all, you two were betrothed."
This time, Mai was completely stunned, and there was nothing she could do to hide her reaction. This was something she had never been aware of, but that she had daydreamed about when she was a girl. Azula watched carefully as Mai's cheeks flushed ever so slightly, and waited until the color faded before speaking again.
"So will you help me?"
Forcing herself to remain nonchalant, Mai carefully regarded her friend, her eyes lingering on the glaring red mark etched across the princess's once flawless face. She knew better than to believe everything Azula had said, but ultimately realized there was only one way to determine if she was telling the truth. At last, she let out a bored sigh and walked past Azula, continuing on down the corridor.
"It's bound to be more exciting that sitting around the palace."
With her back turned to the princess, Mai didn't see the satisfied smirk that crossed Azula's face as she followed behind in the shadows.
The silence of the subterranean passage was periodically broken by stifled yawns as the Avatar and his five companions trudged through the darkness. Iroh and Aang lit the way, the young air bender being most pleased with himself for keeping the bright flame in his hand under perfect control, despite how tired he felt.
A short distance behind them, Sokka stumbled sleepily into Toph for what had to be the hundredth time since they entered the hidden tunnel Zian had brought them to so they could exit the city undetected. So far, the blind earth bender had been patient with him, but her temper was quickly beginning to sour.
"Can't you watch where you're going?" she snapped, pushing him back into an upright position.
"Hey, it's not my fault Katara didn't come tell us when she was done so we could all have gotten a little more sleep," he complained.
"I already said I was sorry!" his sister retorted hotly. "I can't help it if I was tired. And," she added quickly, anticipating Sokka's next comment, "It's not Zuko's fault either; he fell asleep right before I did."
At the back of the group, unseen by the others, Zuko hung his head guiltily upon hearing Katara's statement; the truth was this situation was his fault. It was his fault he was recognized, his fault he was injured. Because of his foolishness, Aang had been put in danger. The prince's footsteps slowed as the banter of his friends continued.
"Yeah, Sokka," interjected Aang from over his shoulder, "Besides, you're the one who wouldn't let me go upstairs to check on them when I got back."
"Oh, so then I suppose it's my fault we didn't get enough sleep?" the warrior cried indignantly.
"You're the one who said it," taunted Toph brightly.
By now, they were nearing the end of the tunnel, and the pale light of pre-dawn glimmered in from the jungle beyond. Zuko had fallen a good distance behind, and he stopped just shy of the circle of soft radiance spilling into the passageway. The others were about to step outside when Toph noticed he wasn't moving.
"You fall asleep back there, Princey?" she called.
Lost in thought, Zuko didn't answer, and when no reply came, the others turned to see what was wrong. Aang took a hesitant step forward.
"You coming, Zuko?"
A long silence ensued, before Zuko answered simply, "No."
Shocked by his response, the group looked around at each other in confusion.
"What do you mean, 'no'?" asked Sokka in bewilderment.
"I'm not coming with you," Zuko clarified quietly.
Again, the group glanced at one another with puzzled expressions. But as no further explanation seemed to be forthcoming, Aang decided to guess at the reason.
"This is about what happened earlier, isn't it?"
A penitent bow of his head was the only reply the teen offered.
"Zuko," the Avatar began timidly, "you can't blame yourself for that. It was-"
"My fault!" he interrupted heatedly. "What if they had recognized you too, Aang? What do you think would have happened? My father may have a price on my head, but the whole Fire Nation is after the Avatar. And if they find me, they find you!" he ranted. Then more softly, he added, "I can't let that happen."
No one had a response for Zuko's concerns. They were valid, and everyone knew it. Due to his scar, there was no mistaking the prince's identity, and the military was already aware that he was travelling with the Avatar. If Zuko were to be found, it wouldn't take anyone long to track down Aang as well.
"But…what about you?" Katara finally ventured.
"I stand a better chance of slipping through places unnoticed if I'm alone," he replied, the tone of his voice indicating that he'd already thought this through completely. "So I'll take a different route and meet up with you outside the capital, in Port Shukumei, before the eclipse."
After another moment of silence during which everyone absorbed this plan, Iroh cleared his throat, and turned to address the Avatar's group.
"Will you all excuse us a moment?" he requested gently. "I need to have a word with my nephew."
They nodded their assent and stepped out of the corridor into the jungle, leaving Iroh and Zuko alone. The old fire bender walked up to the prince and regarded him critically, but said nothing.
"You won't change my mind, Uncle," Zuko said firmly, unable to look the man in the eye.
"I hadn't planned on trying," Iroh told him, at which point Zuko looked at his uncle with surprise…and a hint of suspicion. Seeing it, Iroh sighed. "I think your decision is both sensible and honorable. And, I know, that it must have been a difficult choice to make."
"Not really," Zuko retorted with forced gruffness, "it'll be nice to have some peace and quiet for a change."
At this, Iroh chuckled warmly and placed a hand on his nephew's shoulder.
"You're not fooling anyone, Zuko," he confided, "I've seen how much you care about them, even when you think you are hiding it. And what you are doing now only proves how you truly feel. Still," the old general added slyly, "I can't help but wonder if there isn't something you aren't telling us."
Knowing that keeping a secret from Iroh was about as pointless as lying to Toph, Zuko let out a heavy sigh. He might as well tell him now and get it over with, since he knew his uncle would never let it go otherwise.
"I think…I think I saw my mother here in Kazimizu," admitted the prince uncertainly.
Whatever ulterior motive Iroh was expecting to hear from his nephew, it wasn't this. And the retired general couldn't help but be skeptical about what Zuko might have really seen.
"Zuko," he warned seriously, "Ursa has been missing for almost ten years. No one is even sure if she-"
"I'm aware of that, Uncle!" snapped Zuko. "But…if there's a chance…if it really was her…Uncle I have to know," he finished with a look of desperate pleading in his eyes.
Iroh sighed once more, and nodded his acceptance of Zuko's choice. "Just be careful, Nephew," he cautioned, and then he gave the boy a swift hug, which Zuko returned before stepping away.
"I will."
Iroh smiled gently and walked away. But as he got about halfway to the exit, he turned and called back softly.
"They would understand if you told them."
Without waiting for a response, Iroh continued on toward the opening, and smiled again when a faint whisper echoed back through the tunnel.
"I know."
Just as Zuko was about to head back the way he'd come, he was stopped by another voice.
"Zuko, wait!" called Aang.
Turning to see what he wanted, Zuko waited for the Avatar to approach; pet lemur perched on the air bender's shoulder. The boy seemed to hesitate for a moment, as though coming to a decision of his own, before suddenly reaching up to his shoulder so Momo could move to his lower arm. He then held the lemur out to the prince.
"Take Momo with you," he instructed resolutely.
No explanation was given, but despite his shock at the gesture Zuko didn't need one. He understood what Aang was trying to express. It was both a request and a promise; a silent plea for Zuko to come back to them, and a pledge that he would be welcomed when he returned. So it was with great reverence that the prince extended his arm out to Momo, who promptly scampered up it to rest on Zuko's shoulder.
Without a word, the two boys bowed respectfully to each other, and the next moment, Aang was hurrying back down the corridor to where the rest of the group was waiting outside. Zuko craned his head to one side and looked at his new traveling companion, and the little creature blinked serenely back at him.
"You're just going to be another mouth to feed, aren't you?" the prince asked wryly.
Momo only purred in response, and Zuko shook his head with a rueful grin.
"That's what I thought."
Taking one last pining look at the light shining in from the end of the tunnel, Zuko slowly turned and headed back into the darkness.
fin
Author's note: So this chapter went a little longer than it probably should have, but I figure since some of the others in this 'episode' were a bit on the short side, it all balances out in the end.
For those of you who aren't aware, each segment of these 'episodes' is only meant to represent approximately three minutes of animation. As near as I can tell, that gives me about 2000-2200 words per story chapter. I try to adjust word count to allow for physical descriptions and such but for the most part, I do my best to hold to the format I've established.
I'm mentioning this because someone remarked that things seem to move too fast, and I wanted to explain the reason why this is so. It isn't always easy to curtail my propensity to go into lengthy details when I write, but it's often necessary in order for me to give these stories an actual episode-like feel. I hope you all understand.
And now, please (please) tell me what you thought of this. It was one of the more difficult 'episodes' I've done, and I am very anxious to know if I pulled it off or not.