Zutara: Dying To Survive- 7

Dying To Survive

Chapter 7 – Thunder’s Melody

“Weave in and out of this dance I call denial.”

..::-::..

The whole world was blazing through Laia’s steaming tears.  She shrieked the whole time as she ran through the barbed branches and tangled undergrowth.  But nothing stopped her until she saw the glistening water, full of spectacular cold refreshment.  Laia ran straight into the lake, but a few steps in, her legs got caught in some weed and she fell face forward into the water with a large splash.

Katara’s eyes widened as she heard a shrill cry of desperation come from the lake up ahead.  She narrowed her eyes and ran faster until she reached the shore where the water lapped onto the muddy earth.  A woman in bright scarlet robes was lying flat on top of the water’s surface.  She was motionless and Katara’s instinct made her run in after her.

“Hold on!  I’ll get you out of here!” Katara exclaimed as her feet sunk deeper into the watery landscape.  When she tried to pick up the woman, Katara winced and the body fell back into the small lake.  Her breathing grew deeper and then she decided that she needed to use her waterbending.  Katara closed her eyes and then pulled her arms towards her, causing the water to carry the woman onto the shore by itself.  Once she had done that, Katara slowly made her way out of the water and next to the woman’s side.  Pushing the woman over, Katara withdrew in surprise; the woman’s face was all red and distorted so that it matched her outfit.  After the shock left her, Katara pinched her fingers together and pulled upward, a ribbon of water crawling out of Laia’s open mouth.  

Suddenly, a rush of footsteps came pounding through the rustling grass.  Katara turned to her left and saw Jet’s gasping expression as he stumbled out of the forest and into the opening where the thinning trees met the barren ground and rocks.

“Katara!  Why did you run off like that?  Wait… who’s that?” Jet asked as he realized Katara was kneeling beside someone.  Katara didn’t pay attention though because she heard a grunt as more footsteps tripped through the forest to her right.  She twisted her head and her lips parted.  Her eyes expanded and her hands let go of Laia’s head, making it thud against the ground.  She gasped and was about to exclaim her surprise but Jet came rushing to her defense.

“What are you doing here?” Jet asked suspiciously.  “Were you following us?”

Zuko walked forward after his initial shock had passed.  For a moment, his feet had become stuck to the ground as he looked into Katara’s equally astonished eyes.  Then his focus turned to Laia and he quickly came closer towards them.  Katara looked up at Zuko as he glanced downward at Laia’s swelled face.  With a scowl, he then matched Jet’s stare and let the gear drop onto the ground from his hands.

“I wasn’t following you.  I was following her,” Zuko said and pointed at Laia’s still body.  “She’s my partner for my mission and she ate some poisonous berries.  When we saw the water, she immediately ran towards it, so I followed.  I think there’s nothing wrong with that,” he concluded.

Jet lifted an eyebrow and then crossed his arms.  Katara looked into Zuko’s face and then the realization hit her.

“Oh!  I need to heal her!” she exclaimed and then quickly grabbed a trail of water from the lake.  Jet and Zuko watched as Katara put her hands onto Laia’s cheeks and mouth.  A soft glow radiated from her touch and then it subsided as Laia coughed up some more water.   Katara stood up as Jet began to laugh, a broad smile slapped onto his expression.

“That’s your partner?  Oh, that’s just perfect!  Of course you’d get paired with someone who doesn’t know anything!” he exclaimed.  Katara narrowed her eyes and then jabbed him in the side.  Jet winced and his laughter disappeared as Laia started to cough some more.  Jet shied away from Katara’s scornful look and Zuko’s unpleased expression.  Curious, he bent down and looked at the woman’s face a little more.  He observed the swelled cheeks and pink shade as both started to disappear gradually.  Laia’s damp hair was scattered away from her head and as her face was becoming clearer, Katara began to realize who she had just dragged out of the water and healed.  Her gasp was covered by a murmur as Laia blinked and struggled to sit up.

“Zu…ko?  Is that… you?” Laia asked as Jet helped her sit up.

“No, I’m not Zuko… but wait…”  His voice vanished as the rest of the swelling melted away with the drops of water on her face and Laia’s realization hit her straight in the chest at the same time.  

“YOU!” they both yelled at once.  Jet dropped her immediately and stood up with a growl.  For the second time in five minutes, Laia moaned as she hit her head on the ground.  Once the initial pain subsided, she jumped up and pointed her finger at Jet accusingly.  She craned her neck up to face him; Laia’s head reached the height of Jet’s chest and he stood towering above her, his authority dominating as he stood his stance, ready to attack if need be.

“I can’t believe you followed me out here!  You’re such a jerk!” she exclaimed furiously, wiping away the wet strands of hair from her now again reddened face.

“Follow you?  You’re lucky we found you!  Katara saved you from drowning!  I can’t believe you think I’m that desperate!” Jet yelled into her face, bending his back more.

Zuko and Katara caught each other’s shocked stares and they shrugged their shoulders and shook their heads, not knowing what was happening.  The pandemonium continued as Laia clenched her fists and hunched her shoulders.

“Saved me?  What do you…” her anger diminished as if an invisible wave washed over her.  It was then that Laia remembered she had run into the lake, her mouth literally on fire.  Laia looked down at her soaked cherry kimono, now covered in blotches of dirt, and then shot up a stare into Jet’s face once more.  “Still, I don’t know why you’re here!”

“I’m Katara’s partner, and we were on our mission,” he said with a deep voice.

“So were Zuko and I!  Katara might have saved me, but that doesn’t mean you had to be so close to me when I wasn’t awake!” she exclaimed.

“What?  I didn’t even know it was you!  You’re face was all puffy and red.  It looked really gross and I wanted to get a closer look,” he said and then smirked evilly.

She shrieked and then was going to push Jet into the water when Katara and Zuko pulled them away from one another.  Laia growled angrily and then struggled out of Zuko’s grip, pushing her arms straight down to her sides.  Katara let go of Jet and he folded his arms, looking away and up to the sky.

“Can the two of you please settle down?  You’ve scared away all of the animals!” Katara said desperately.  No one spoke and they listened to the bitter silence.  It was true; every animal had darted away from the obnoxious quarrel.  Just when the peacefulness was absorbed into each person’s mind, Zuko spoke up.

“Why are you so angry with him anyways?” he asked with confusion.  Katara stared at him in disbelief and grumbled when Laia started yelling again, pointing at Jet with a straight finger.  Katara ran over to Zuko and pulled him to the side.

“What do you think you’re doing?  You just started another fight!” she whispered fiercely to him.  Zuko raised his eyebrows as they both turned to see the heated dispute erupt once more.

“You once chased me all the way around the temple just so I’d go on a date with you!” Laia said, fully enraged at reliving her horrible memory.

“You’re exaggerating!  Besides, that was two years ago!” Jet retorted.  

Katara suddenly felt faint as their loud voices made her wince.  She closed her eyes and soon found herself falling back against someone.  For a moment, the arms that held her in place reminded her of the dream she had that morning.  A soft smile was about to appear on her lips when her eyes jolted open and she stepped away quickly, remembering that it wasn’t a dream.  She turned towards Zuko frantically and he frowned seriously as he put his hands on her shoulders and sat her down.

“Zuko…”

“You look ill.  Right now we can’t do anything about the two of them, so we should meditate,” Zuko said calmly as he sat down a few feet away from her.  They held each other’s gazes before Katara nodded and then they closed their eyes in unison, breathing in deeply and letting go of all the built up stress the unexpected reunion had brought upon them.  As their chests rose and fell, Katara’s mind began to loosen and it floated towards Zuko.  The buzzing rage of battle was hushed as Katara saw a river of red ribbon flow by her.  It slowly crept its way around her, but then, as everything became quiet, inside and out, her blue ribbon shot out and almost attacked the red one.  Her eyes opened and her gaping mouth stared at Zuko.  They heard a stampede and turned to see a pair of fuming faces marching towards them.

“Come on Katara, we’re leaving right now!” Jet yelled.

“Get up Zuko.  I can’t stand to be here a minute longer!” Laia attacked him verbally and then dragged him up by the collar.  Zuko stood up and planted his feet firmly in place while he scowled at her angrily.  Katara did the same and crossed her arms as Jet began to pick up their gear.

“What are you waiting for Katara?  Let’s go!” Jet said.

“Zuko, we have to leave!” Laia cried desperately.

Katara walked up to Laia and stood in front of her calmly.  Laia raised an eyebrow and then gasped as a piercing snap shot through the air.  Katara’s hand pulsed as the blood rushed through it.  The slap had caused Laia to stumble backwards a bit.  She held her face in awe as Katara put her hand on her hip.

“You need to grow up, and so do you, Jet.  Whatever happened in the past is in the past and just because the two of you miraculously haven’t seen each other in the temple for the last two years, doesn’t mean you can boss us around now.  Laia, you still need to rest, or did you forget the wonderful berries you ate?  And Jet, we didn’t get to eat breakfast yet.  That means no one is going anywhere,” she stated and marched towards the lake.  They all looked at her dumbfounded as Katara rolled up her pants underneath her kimono and waddled into the water.  Her hands danced in the air and soon enough four blobs of fish sprouted up in front of her.  Katara waved her hands in an arch and the fish splashed onto the ground.  They flipped a few times before stopping and then Katara came out of the lake.  She sighed and looked at them.

“Is anyone going to help me?  I can’t start a fire to cook these fish… maybe if one of you would stop staring, we’d be able to have breakfast,” she said quietly looking at Zuko.  He raised his eyebrows and walked towards her.  Laia bit her lip and rubbed her arm as Zuko and Katara started preparing the food.  She looked at Jet and then at the ground; Katara had made Laia realize how immature she was acting.  Jet sighed and then stretched his gaze over the calm water.  The lake wasn’t as big as he had thought, but it did continue on as a thin stream about twenty feet wide.  

“I’ll start the fire,” Zuko said to Katara shortly.

She nodded and got the words out of her mouth quickly, “I’ll go find some sharp sticks.”  Katara held his gaze and then he looked down at the ground, making his hands touch and produce a flame of fire.  Jet came next to him and Zuko looked up curiously.  They didn’t speak a word; the tension was still there between them.  Jet let go of the few branches in his hands and they clanged against each other, finally falling into the fire so that it bloomed.  Zuko stood up and watched Katara come back with four fishing sticks.  She handed him one and he nodded in return.  

“Here you go Jet,” Katara said as she tried to smile.  His lips lifted swiftly but as soon as she left his side, his eyes became downcast once again.  Katara walked over to Laia who was still trying to get the water out of her hair.  Extending a stick to her, Katara put on her best grin and Laia looked at her with surprise.

“This is your stick.  Come and eat with us,” she said cheerfully.  Laia took the stick and held it to her breast.  Just as Katara was turning around, she felt a hand on her shoulder and she spun around, her kimono flying in circles.  Laia looked at her with round eyes and sighed.

“Look, I’m sorry about before…” she whispered.  To Katara’s amazement, she saw regret painted in Laia’s round bright eyes.  Her mouth sagged as if the energy was sucked out of her and Katara remembered how that could feel.  She put her hand on Laia’s shoulder and smiled genuinely.

“It’s okay.  Just don’t do it again,” Katara said.

Laia smiled in return and nodded enthusiastically.  Katara stopped her from going further and worked her fingers in a fluid motion as she withdrew the water from Laia’s hair.  Laia touched her dry hair and flashed Katara a warm smile.

“Thanks,” she said meekly.

Katara let the water drop into the ground as they walked to join Zuko and Jet.  The sunshine poured over them and added to the heat of the burning fire.  Katara sat between Jet and Laia.  She lifted her face and stared at Zuko through the flames.  Suddenly, she shuddered and looked away.  Her heart momentarily raced and then settled down as she looked for her fish and stabbed it with her stick.  Everyone had already put their sticks into the fire and when Katara added hers, it burst to life.  The quiet breeze blew by them, making the flames flicker and spark.  No one spoke; they only stared into the orange and golden light and after a few minutes passed, they withdrew the fish.  Katara doused them with water and the fish seemed to hiss as the steam spiraled into the air.  The leaves rustled in the wind all around them and the peaceful atmosphere spoke words of Ionen Forest’s history.  Slowly, the sounds of life came back and birds began to chirp; abrupt crunches in the forest marked the return of the animals.  Laia put her hands over the flames and they died away into the ground within seconds.  Jet stood up at the same time as Laia and they stared at each other. Then they looked away quickly as they marched in opposite directions to look for their things.  Katara sighed and got up to follow Jet.  Zuko watched her for a moment and then looked down to the bare ground before standing up himself.

“If it’s all right, I’m going to go practice my waterbending for a while.  How about you check our supplies while I’m gone?” Katara asked Jet.

He smiled and nodded.  “That’s fine.  I’ll wait here for you.”

“Promise me you won’t get into any more fights.”

“I promise,” he said.

Katara smiled and slipped into the forest unnoticed by Zuko and Laia.  There was a spot a bit further down the lake that was hidden from their temporary camp’s view.  She kept turning back to look through the stalks of trees to make sure they weren’t looking for her.  Katara sighed happily as she neared the corner that lay hidden by an indent of land in the lake.  The trees created a curved cove that hid her from anyone’s prying, but was still close enough so that she could get to the camp if there was a problem.  She took off her kimono so that she was in her undergarments and she ran into the icy water with pure elation.  Her arms soared in circles as the water sprung up into the air and funneled around her.  She spread her arms out to the side and the tornado flew outwards, broadening into a large orb.  The sun watched over as passing clouds began to roll through the sky.  Katara smiled to herself and then let the water fall back into place.  One at a time, she fanned her fingers out and watery snakes emerged from beneath her feet.  Her eyes narrowed and she glanced from side to side, seeking out ten trees.  All at once, the water sprang out and curled around the branches as her hands turned into fists.  It was going well until she heard a crack and then another.  Her eyes sprang open and her mouth fell.

On the other side, Zuko had hesitantly skimmed his bare foot against the water of the lake.  Its glistening shadows called out to him and he looked around to make sure no one was bothering to look at him.  Jet seemed intent on counting all of his supplies on the other side of the opening, closer towards the forest’s edge.  Laia had also become engulfed in the tedious task and she wasn’t looking.  To his surprise, he couldn’t find Katara anywhere.  Zuko shrugged and took off his kimono so that he could get into the lake, only having to worry about soaking his pants.  He rolled the bottom up to his knees and walked cautiously into the freezing water.  Zuko winced but soon found himself getting used to the temperature.  He kept walking further along the edge of the lake and farther away from the camp.  When he was far enough away, he cupped his hands and dove them into the water.  The drops of life splashed against his dry body and he shivered momentarily as a chill went down his spine.  His eyes widened and then he held onto himself, shaking slightly.  

“I didn’t think it’d be this cold,” he said to himself.

Katara turned her head to the left and saw one tree snap in half and fall into the lake close to where she was standing.  She grimaced and lost her concentration, letting go of the trees on her right.  The pressure on her left let go and the unequal balance sent her riding on a massive wave through the trees.

Zuko widened his eyes as the towering wave swept through the branches and leaves.  It suspended in the air briefly and then let go, crashing down onto him with a loud explosion.  Katara cried out as she fell through the air and landed in the shallow water of the lake.  Cringing, she stood up and looked around to see where she was.  The first thing that caught her eye was a man lying on his stomach on the shore.  She rushed out of the lake and watched as Zuko spat out soggy grass and water of his mouth.  He heaved and then climbed up on his knees and stood up with an arched back.  His eyes darted madly and zoomed into Katara’s shocked face.  Zuko marched up to her and grabbed her wrists forcefully.

“Are you trying to drown me?” he yelled furiously.  His snarling teeth and anger made Katara flinch and then she looked straight into his golden eyes with sorrow.  Without even knowing it, she had almost attempted to kill him already, and they were no where near the Kuusu Mountains.  She looked down a bit and stared at his tense neck.  Zuko saw the sadness in her face and loosened his grip slowly.

“It was an accident.  I was waterbending and the water got away from me…” she said softly.  Katara shifted her gaze back up at him and let her fingers curl into her palm.  Zuko’s lips parted and Katara stirred awkwardly in place.  Suddenly, they heard a loud shriek and they twisted their heads to see Laia gawking at them with her hands in the air.

“What are you two… doing?” she yelled in disbelief.  They looked back at each other and Katara finally noticed that he wasn’t wearing the top of his kimono.  Her eyes widened and Zuko let go of her immediately, backing away as he realized that she was just wearing her undergarments.  A deep blush rushed up to their cheeks and they averted each other’s gazes uncomfortably.  Laia ran to them and Jet looked up to see Katara standing next to Zuko, both of them half-naked.  A sinking feeling pulled his stomach inside his body and he looked down, not wanting to see anymore.  Laia was about to yell something at Katara but she started to back away into the forest.

“Sorry everyone.  I’m going to get my clothes… it was an accident, nothing more!” she said and dashed away into the shadows of the trees.  Zuko coughed and Laia stared at him incredulously.

“What happened?” she asked with her mouth hanging.

“I was just in the lake washing up and then a wave of water knocked me onto the ground,” Zuko said and walked away from her.  Laia looked from him to the forest and shook her head.  

Katara’s bare feet pounded against the scratchy earth underneath her.  Her breath echoed in her head as her heart beat into her curled fingers.  The thought of being so close to Zuko, so into his gaze that she was mesmerized, scared Katara more than trying to kill him.  It scared her because it meant that something was happening to her that she didn’t want to happen.  At that moment, he had held her like he did in the forest so long ago, near that lake and right after she had tried the water whip for the first time. Back then, she was afraid of him, but now, she didn’t mind him holding her so tightly, and Katara denied all of this as she found her way to the pile of dry clothes on the ground.  She quickly dressed herself and put on her shoes.  The tree remained half buried in the water and the ground was soggy everywhere so that it resembled a swamp.  Katara wanted to get back to Jet as quickly as possible.  The longer she stayed near Zuko, the more confused she was getting.

Back at the campsite, Laia had decided that she needed to help clean Zuko up because no one else could do as good a job as her.

“Just hold still Zuko!” she said forcefully. He sighed and propped his arm on his knee.  His cheek rested on his palm and his other arm leaned forward.  Laia hummed to herself as she rubbed a towel against Zuko’s hair.  His head bowed back and forth as she vigorously tried to dry every single strand.  “I’m going to get you all dried up, that’s what I’m going to do!”  She glanced to the side as Laia heard a muffled growl coming from the other side of the camp.  Jet kicked the ground and quickly turned away as Laia laughed happily.  She stopped and smirked to herself; watching Jet so angry and jealous made her feel much better about the situation.  Zuko sighed again and looked down as Laia held the towel in her hands gently.  

Katara neared the edge of the trees and spied on the three of them.  When she saw Laia purposefully using Zuko as a way to make Jet jealous, she immediately felt the anger boil inside of her.  But then, her attention turned to Zuko.  Her jaw dropped as she watched the remaining drops of water on his body glisten in the sunlight.  She was so entranced by his calm appearance that she didn’t even notice that she had walked into plain view.  Zuko looked up at her and they stared at each other for a moment.  When Zuko realized that Laia was kneeling beside him with her hands on his head, he quickly looked away from Katara and snatched the towel away from Laia.  She came out of her trance as well and gawked at Zuko as he stood up.

“I can do this myself.  I don’t you to help me,” he said loudly.  Katara smiled to herself as she watched Zuko dry himself off and then shake his hair of the remaining drops of water.  He grabbed his leafy green kimono and buttoned it quickly.  Laia began to fume as she saw Jet smirk happily to himself.

“Fine!  I won’t help you… I was just being nice Zuko,” she mumbled to herself and then went to gather her things.  Zuko glanced at Katara and she immediately let go of her smile.  She averted his gaze and jogged across the grass to Jet’s side.  A dim shadow slid across his face for a few moments as the thick clouds started to drift above them.  Katara stared up at the sky and wrinkled her nose.  She hadn’t realized that the weather had changed that morning.  

“Did you have a good time waterbending?” Jet asked cheerfully.

She looked back at his face and smiled, nodding.  “For a while I did… it felt really nice to just be surrounded by water.”

“You deserved that break.  While you were gone, I got all of our things ready, so we can leave now,” Jet said as he strapped on his pack.  Katara’s smile slightly waned and then she nodded, taking her things as well.

“I think we’re okay to leave now.  We should probably continue heading north around the lake,” she said and then glanced at Zuko.  Laia was standing near him; they were also getting ready to leave.  For a moment, Katara saw Laia staring at them and then she turned to Zuko quickly.  Katara raised her eyebrow curiously and then shrugged her shoulders, thinking nothing of it.

“Which way do we need to go Zuko?” she asked without enthusiasm.  He looked over the map and then pointed towards the wrecked forest Katara had driven through on her surging wave.

“We just have to keep going this way, but we’ll go around the mud when we get to it,” Zuko said.  Laia sighed and walked over to Katara.  Zuko followed her and then the four of them stood facing one another as the tension eased.  They were going to go their separate ways and they would all be able to forget the eventful morning.

“Thanks for helping me out Katara.  I… I’m really glad you were there to help me,” she said and then extended her hand.  Katara stared at her and then shook Laia’s hand slightly.

“It’s all right.  I’m glad I could do something,” she said.  Suddenly, Jet laughed shortly and looked at the forest.

“Maybe she shouldn’t have eaten the berries if she didn’t know what they were,” he stated.  Laia narrowed her stare and growled lightly.  Right then, Zuko put a hand on her shoulder and pulled her back against him.  Jet’s jaw dropped in shock and Katara’s eyes widened.

“Don’t think about it anymore,” he said quietly.  Laia looked up at him and smiled.

“Thanks Zuko.  I guess we should go now,” she said.  Katara stared at his hand; it remained there for a little while longer and then it finally drifted to his side as they turned away.  She swallowed the lump in her throat and then turned away as Jet put his hand on her back to push her forward.  Katara didn’t look back.  If she had done so, she might have seen Zuko glancing at her as they disappeared into the forest.  The campsite became burdened with footsteps and indented blades of grass that held the truth of each person’s intentions.  The breeze blew by and the water lapped softly onto the rocky ground.  

..::-::..

The sky was disappearing among the puffy grey clouds that stretched across it.  As they traveled on through the trees, the breeze grew stronger on the outside, but inside the forest, everything was still.  Zuko led the way a few inches in front of Laia while she stayed a bit behind him, collecting her thoughts into an invisible jar.  She was confused and surprised by Jet’s sudden appearance and it had stirred a lot forgotten memories.  The quiet began to irk Zuko after an hour of traveling through the wooden maze.  Green pointed leaves dangled above him as they entered a part of the forest where the canopy of leaves was right above their heads.  He had to duck to get inside but Laia just passed right through along the path without even glancing at the new surroundings.  Zuko slashed through the forest’s foliage with his broad swords and after a few minutes, they made it into a more open space where the trees soared up above them again.  Laia sighed and then bumped into Zuko as he stopped.  He turned around and looked down at her shocked face.

“I’m sorry Zuko.  I didn’t see you there…” she said softly.

“Are you okay?  You seem… very quiet.  It’s strange not to hear you nagging,” Zuko said.

Her eyes widened and then she looked away embarrassed.  Suddenly, she laughed and bit her lip quickly.  “Is it that obvious?”  Zuko nodded and then looked around before asking her the most pressing question on his mind.

“It’s because of him, isn’t it?  Do you want to tell me what happened?” he asked.

Laia looked up at him and sighed.  “I guess you deserve to know what we were arguing about back there.”  They continued walking along the grassy path and twigs while she explained.  “Two years ago was the first time I met Jet in a class.  I guess he assumed that I’d love him at first sight, so he came up to me like every other guy and asked me if I was interested.  I told him that I wasn’t.  The next day he tried again, but I told him off just like before.  After that, he followed me around all the time and I had tried being polite, but one night he brought me a bunch of flowers and I couldn’t take it anymore.  Most guys disappeared right after I rejected them, but he kept trying!  I was very harsh with him that night and threw the flowers into his face.  I never saw him again after that, which is amazing because we went to the same temple after all.  It was just a bad memory and I thought that maybe he was trying again when I saw him.”

Zuko stopped walking and looked at her smile.  There was something wrong with it; the shining spirit of the firebender was lacking and the smile seemed to be lost and lonely.  Zuko twitched his lips and then spoke.

“I think he really liked you back then,” he said.

Laia opened her eyes and then scowled.  “Don’t say things like that Zuko!  It’s… it’s just insane!  He’s just like every other guy!  He only liked me because of my looks…” she said sadly.

“I’m not like that… you’re a good firebender and that’s why… I chose you,” Zuko said but stopped and thought about another certain person.  He closed his eyes momentarily and then opened them again and continued.  “Maybe he’s different too.”  Zuko walked ahead and Laia remained rooted to the ground and the nature surrounding her.  She watched him walk on and she sighed.

“It doesn’t matter though because he has that girl…” Laia said to herself and then ran to catch up with Zuko.  They walked in silence as the top of the forest struggled to keep everything in perfect harmony within its walls.  Suddenly, Laia had an idea pop into her head as if a leaf had fallen on her hair and given her its energy.  She tugged on Zuko’s sleeve and smiled broadly.

“You know that girl though, right?  Katara… at the temple you two talked a lot, right?” she asked hopefully.

Zuko halted and took a moment before he looked into her face.  His expression was still and cold, almost exuding hatred as he breathed.

“I’ve known about her for a long time, but we’re not close if that’s what you’re thinking,” he said and turned away.

Laia’s happiness dropped and she fumbled with her fingers.  “Oh.  It’s just that I thought you two knew each other for a long time.  How do you know her though?”

“I had to chase after her and capture the Avatar.  I was her enemy from the first day I saw her.  I betrayed her trust and almost killed her hope.  I don’t think that’s exactly a good way to know someone,” he said bitterly and walked away.

Laia’s jaw dropped and she ran after him.  “Wait!  What do you mean you had to chase the Avatar?”

He stopped again and stared at her fiercely.  The forest was calling out to him as he remembered his past and the burden it carried in his mind.  “You really want to know?  I’ll tell you.  I’m a firebender, but I was also the Prince of the Fire Nation.  But now I have no royalty left in me.  I don’t know who I am, or what I’m supposed to do.  I was given a chance by the Masters of the temple and I’m going to fulfill the task they’ve assigned.  Maybe then I’ll know, or I might not, but it’s worth trying.”

“Zuko… I should have known… is that why…” she reached towards his face slowly but he looked away so that her fingers fell short of touching his scar.

“Yes, I’m the banished prince you’ve heard rumors about.  I don’t want to talk about this anymore.  We have to keep going,” he said and then dragged her forward by the wrist.  Laia gasped but continued following without saying another word.  Too much was acknowledged in too short amount of time.  Her head began to spin but she steadied herself and said no more for a long time.

On the other side of the Ionen Forest, Jet and Katara were walking side by side in silence.  It corrupted their thoughts and Katara was afraid of awakening a beast within Jet if she mentioned Laia.  Her curiosity wasn’t resting, it was raging inside her mind and she needed to know desperately what they were quarreling about.  The trees had grown shorter as they walked away from the source of water they had visited before and patches of the sky appeared above them.  Nothing in the sky matched Katara’s clothes; there were only misty gray sheets of sky and she had a sinking feeling that the hot weather they had yesterday wasn’t going to stay around for long.  Katara sighed as they reached a bigger opening in between the trees and she decided that she’d ask Jet what happened.

“I know you probably don’t want to talk about it, but I was just wondering…”

“You want to know what happened with Laia?” Jet asked as he turned to face her.

Katara nodded and smiled sheepishly.  “It’s okay if you don’t want to though… I under…”

He cut her off and put a hand in the air to silence her.  “It’s okay Katara, you have a right to know.”  He took a deep breath and looked away into the trees.  “I hate to admit this, but before you came, about two years ago, I saw this girl in one of my classes that I hadn’t seen before.  I guess you can say I fell for her, kind of like I fell for you… but not really.  I was sure she wouldn’t say no, so when I asked her if she wanted to have lunch with me, and she said no… I was shocked.”  Katara smiled as he said this, knowing how confident Jet always was.  “Yeah, she said no.  But I kept trying until she finally got fed up with me and threw the flowers I gave her into my face.”

“Wait a minute, don’t tell me.  You took her to the courtyard and gave her the flowers from the pond?” Katara asked smugly with her arms folded and a raised eyebrow.  Jet laughed shortly and rubbed the back of his head.

“How did you know?”  Katara rolled her eyes and then sighed as she waved her hand in the air.

“Continue please.  I want to know how this story ends,” she said sarcastically and then saw Jet’s downcast expression.  Her eyes widened as her guilt deepened.  “I’m sorry… I didn’t mean it like that.”

“She said that I was using her, playing with her emotions and that I was a jerk for doing so.  I told her back then that I wasn’t but she wouldn’t believe me.  She said I was lying through my teeth because I wanted her so badly.  I tried to tell her that wasn’t true, but Laia slapped me and walked away.  Today was the first time I saw her after that.  She isn’t any different,” he said and laughed.  “Can you believe she still thought I was trying to follow her?  I guess it’s logical though if I happened to pop up in the middle of a forest where she was, but it was just a coincidence.”

Katara nodded and opened her mouth to speak.  She didn’t have enough time to stop the words from flowing out.  “Exactly, it’s not your fault!  And I just happened to be in the same place as Zuko… it doesn’t mean that I was following him…”  Katara gaped at Jet’s curious face as he crossed his arms.

“What’s that supposed to mean?” he asked with a smirk.

“Oh no!  That’s not it!  I meant… I meant that I was comparing it to your situation… that coincidences happen and I wasn’t trying to… oh forget it,” she suddenly said with force to cover up her rush of unwished emotions.  “Let’s keep going.  I just wanted to know what happened with you and her.  That fight was really something,” she joked and Jet laughed as they walked on.

“She’s really hot-headed and foolish though,” he commented.  “How could she just eat some berries in the middle of an unknown forest?”

“What’s really strange is that Zuko didn’t stop her,” Katara stated.  They stopped, looked at each other and burst out laughing.  “I wouldn’t be surprised if Zuko wanted her to eat those berries,” she said through joyous tears.  Letting go of her clutched side, Katara pulled out the map from her bag and consulted the directions.  Her eyes widened in shock as Jet’s laughter subsided.

“What’s that look for Katara?” he asked.

“Jet… this is bad.  I thought we were supposed to head north, but I should have looked at the map first.  We were supposed to travel along the southern part of the lake!”  

Jet sighed deeply and put a hand to his head.  “Well the only thing we can do is go back.”

Katara screamed desperately as a sudden burst of wind swept through the opening and carried the map out of her hands.  She lunged forward and tried to clutch onto the paper but it kept rising higher.  Jet’s eyes widened and he followed Katara, trying to grab the map, but just as his fingers brushed its edges, the wind pushed it forward.  They urgently tried among grunts to catch it, but the more they tried, the farther it was swept away from them.  They dodged trees at the last moment and almost tripped over a coil of roots but the wind still wouldn’t let them have their direction.  Suddenly, they had traveled so far that they stopped and let their jaws drop as the map danced away from them and above the stream of water.  They had run all the way back to the stream of water that spilled away from the lake.  

“What are we going to do?  Look!  It’s falling into the water!” Jet exclaimed.  Katara narrowed her eyes and suddenly jumped into the stream.  “Katara!  What are you doing?”

“I have to get that map! Just wait there!”  She pushed her clenched fists downward and then up into the air.  The water underneath her rose dramatically into a spinning tower and she darted quickly through the air, reaching with one hand for the flying scroll.  She chased it for a few more seconds and then caught it.  A triumphant smile spread across her face as Katara’s tower of water fell back into the stream.   She jumped onto the ground and landed with one bent knee.  Katara stood up and looked across the stream at a stupefied Jet.

“Did you get it?” he shouted loudly.

“Yes!  Hold on, I’m going to get you across the stream!” she yelled back and then pushed her breath across the calm water.  It froze instantly and Jet smirked.  He knew that move from a long time ago.  He grabbed his bag and slowly walked on the blanket of ice.  After a few minutes, he made it to Katara’s side of the stream and she unfroze the water so it was untouched like before.

“I guess we got back on the right track after all,” Jet stated happily.

Katara nodded and rolled up the scroll.  She stuffed it deep inside her bag and sighed as she dried herself off.  Just as she was doing this, a familiar frustrated moan echoed through the heads.  Jet and Katara turned around and their jaw’s dropped as Zuko and Laia came out of the forest.  Zuko’s eyes widened for a moment and then he looked away as Laia put her hands on her hips and pointed at Katara.

“What are you two doing here again?  Didn’t you go up north?” she asked.

“That was a mistake.  We’re actually supposed to go down the river to the south,” Katara replied.  Zuko and Laia walked up to them and Laia put her finger on her chin while she thought.

“That’s odd… where are you headed anyways?” she asked curiously.  

Katara narrowed her eyes as she looked at Zuko but then released the expression and put on a bright smile.  “We’re going to the Kuusu Mountains.  How about you two?”

Zuko twisted his head quickly to face Katara and he leaned forward in disbelief.  Laia did the same and Jet raised his eyebrows as he folded his arms.

“No way!  We’re going there too!” Laia exclaimed.  All of them jumped as a boom of thunder rippled through the sky.  They looked up and saw the grey clouds becoming more ominous as less of the blue sky was visible.  Katara held onto her bag as a sudden rush of wind blew against them.  Zuko steadied Laia who lost her balance and then sighed as the breeze passed upstream.  It was Jet’s turn to be shocked.  He pointed at Zuko quickly and narrowed his gaze.

“What’s your mission exactly?” he asked with suspicion.  Zuko looked at Laia hurriedly and glared at her to keep her mouth shut.  He turned back to Jet and Katara and put on a serious expression.

“Our mission… our mission is to… to go help someone…” he said slowly.

Up until that point, Katara wasn’t surprised.  She knew where Zuko was going and it stung her heart when they started to talk about the situation.  But when he started to talk about helping someone, she immediately recoiled and choked on her air.

“What?  But that’s our mission!” Katara exclaimed wildly.  Laia saw this and smiled broadly, taking the chance to speak up.

“Nope!  It’s our mission!  We have to go help an old man in the mountains!” she said enthusiastically.  Zuko eyed her with a disapproving glare but then Jet interrupted with his disbelieving laugh.

“That’s funny.  You see, Katara and I have to go help an old woman.  What a coincidence!  Maybe they live together… but I don’t understand why he’d give you two the task if we could just go and heal both of them,” Jet finished thoughtfully.  Laia shrugged her shoulders and bounced up when another flash of lightening shot through the sky.  Zuko looked away towards the water and eyed it suspiciously.  Katara saw him glance that way and suddenly, she felt uneasy.  There was no reason that he had to hide his mission from her, but Zuko made it clear to Laia that she had to follow his story.  If he was going to get the Orb of Chi so that he could use it for his own reasons, it would make sense that he would be so sensitive about it.  As the storm was beginning to drive into the atmosphere above the forest, Katara felt its electricity burn inside of her fists, almost as if she could produce fire herself.  The masters were right; Zuko was evil and to her disappointment, Katara had given him another chance.  

“Maybe they think you two aren’t good enough to heal them.  Or maybe they thought that you wouldn’t get there since you two aren’t as skilled as Zuko and I are,” Laia said smartly and stepped in front of Jet.  The two glared at one another as Katara observed how quiet Zuko had gotten.  She almost wanted to kill him on the spot, but she remembered what Taiko had said.  It was best if she killed him when they got to the Kuusu Mountains.  Katara clenched her fists and turned to face Jet.

“I think we’re perfectly able to do this mission alone, but since the masters thought otherwise, maybe we should team up, because whether you want to believe it or not, we both have the same mission for some reason,” Jet said.  Laia stepped back and stuttered as Zuko focused his attention back on them as did Katara.

“Wh-what di-did you say?  We should… team up?” she asked in a weak voice.

“I don’t want to, but it’s kind of pointless if we keep separating and then bumping back into each other, wouldn’t you think so?”  Jet asked Katara.

She was at a loss for words.  Out of all the crazy ideas Jet could have had, he picked the craziest.  Telling him the actual plan, that she had to kill Zuko at some point, was not an option, but from what he knew, teaming up would be the best option and she couldn’t say no.  Katara turned to see Zuko deep in thought as well.  Her heart raced and then she finally smiled and nodded.

“I think… you’re right.  We don’t know what challenges we’re going to face later on, so it’s better if there are four of us.”

Zuko swallowed hard and then sighed.  He put a hand on the back of his neck and looked around to each of them.  Laia’s round eyes pleaded with him silently but he winced and then let his hand drop.

“We could travel together for a while… just until we reach the base of the mountain,” he said.  Laia dropped her jaw and wailed.

“Zuko!  Don’t say that!  Please take it back!” she said desperately.  They all looked at her silently and with a raised eyebrow.  She whimpered slightly when Laia’s gaze held onto Jet’s for the last time.

“I’m not a crazy lunatic, Laia,” Jet told her bitterly.

Her eyes widened and then looked down broodingly.  She rubbed her arm and then sighed deeply.

“All right.  We’ll go together.  The map said we should follow the stream until it takes us out of the forest,” Laia said and then walked ahead of everyone.  Jet followed her as she flipped her hair and passed him.  He scoffed and put his hands in his pockets.  A low grumble of thunder swam through the sky and Katara flinched.  Zuko looked around cautiously and kept closer to the forest as he followed Katara.  There were only a few feet between the trees and the water, giving the four travelers just enough room to pass by.  The branches stretched out of the tress as if they were alive and trying to grab onto each person as they passed by.  Katara swerved around a large root that was coming up from the ground and she jumped across, looking back at Zuko.

“There’s a…” she stopped herself and then said nothing, remembering what his true intentions were.  She had no reason to help him in anything at all.  He stared at her back and swaying braid as she marched off, saying nothing more.

“I saw it before,” he stated simply.  Katara narrowed her eyes and clenched her fists as she paced farther away from Zuko so she was closer to Jet.  Laia was still leading the way and the four trailed onward for another hour in tensed silence.  The storm was likely to start at any moment, but the grey rug in the sky wasn’t giving in to the spontaneous bursts of lightening.  Not a single drop of water fell and as the afternoon grew dimmer, the forest was growing eerily quiet.  The water in the stream wasn’t shining; instead it was hazy and covered in brown dirt.  Zuko had caught up to Katara and she tried to control her breathing as he walked right behind her.

A rattling noise scurried through the forest behind them and Zuko glanced back gradually.  A soft boom echoed through the air up above and he narrowed his eyes as he tried to make out any movements between the trees.  He slowly turned his head back and then spotted something to his left.  In the middle of the trees, he saw a dark figure standing and aiming towards them.  His eyes widened rapidly and his heart started to hammer against his chest.  Another loud crack resounded and the whizzing from the trees shot towards them and across the river.  

“Katara!” Zuko exclaimed as he lunged forward.  She cried out as he pushed her down onto the ground forcefully.  Jet and Laia immediately stopped and turned around when they heard a painful moan and the colliding bodies thud to the ground.  Katara lifted her head up and strained her neck as she tried to get up.  Zuko was sprawled out on her back and she yelled furiously.

“Zuko!  Get off of me!”

Jet and Laia’s eyes shined with fear as they ran to them.  Katara raised an eyebrow as Laia cried out.

“Oh no!  Zuko!” her voice shattered as the thunder jolted through the sky once again.  Katara felt the weight lift off of her body and she huffed angrily.

“Finally!  Zuko, I can’t believe you…” she turned around and gasped as she saw Jet lifting Zuko into a sitting position.  His head rolled back and his arm stretched outward towards her.  A dark brown arrow stuck out of Zuko’s forearm.  Katara’s heart stopped as he turned towards her and his fingers tried to reach her.  She scrambled up to him and held his hand as her mouth fell open in shock.  The point where the arrow struck his forearm was soaked in dark crimson blood.  

“What happened!?” Katara exclaimed nervously.  Jet looked at her and shrugged.

“I don’t know.  One minute we were walking and then we turned around and you two fell.  The arrow was in his arm already.  You have to heal him fast Katara,” he said.  She bit her lip and looked into Zuko’s face.  His eyes were rolling around and he was murmuring something softly to her.  All at once, she felt the urge of hatred explode into a million pieces as she realized that he had saved her from the surprise attack.  She bit her lip and restrained herself from letting any tears fall.

The hairs on Laia’s body stood on their ends as her sense of the surroundings became amplified.  She turned her head in every direction and then focused in on the spot across the river where the arrow had come from.  When she saw the figure preparing another arrow, she took a deep breath and rose her arms up above her head, drawing them closer to her chest and clasping her hands together.  Jet looked up at her and stared in bewilderment.

“Laia, what are you doing?” he asked with panic and Zuko still in his arms.

“Jet, don’t talk to me right now.  Tell Katara to duck.  You need to do it too,” she ordered, her voice even and steady amidst the growing heat within her body.  His jaw dropped as she spread her arms out to the sides and a stream of raging fire stretched in between.  Jet turned to Katara and she nodded, having heard Laia’s comment.  Laia inhaled once more and closed her eyes.  The fire disappeared but the heat still blew against her face as the wind blew her hair away from her head.  In the next moment, she slapped her hands back together and then thrust them apart as she spun in place.  Jet and Katara felt the heat sweep through the air above them.  Across the river, they all heard a desperate moan as someone hit the ground.  Laia opened her eyes and saw no one standing among the trees.  She smiled slightly at her achievement and breathed heavily as she ran back to Jet and Katara.

“We’ve got to get out of here.  Someone doesn’t want us traveling together.  Katara, can you bend us down the river?” Laia asked quickly.  Katara looked up at Laia’s determined face and saw the bravery in her yellow eyes.  The courage infected Katara’s heart and she let go of Zuko’s hand as she stood up and nodded.  Katara walked up to the river and quickly formed a thick plate of ice with ridges on the ends that shot up.  She walked onto it and stood at the front as Laia and Jet dragged Zuko onto the ice.  Once he laid down on it, Jet nodded to Katara and gave her the cue.

“Okay, hold on tight.  We’re going for a fast ride,” Katara said and then broke the ice away from the land.  She wove her arms in continuous fluid circles.  The water beneath them fell away and rose as the ice tilted up slightly and dashed forward.  Katara’s eyes spotted each turn fiercely and put all of her energy into steering them out of harms way.  Each time she heard Zuko moan she pushed herself harder and didn’t even stop to wipe away the splashing water against her face.  The thunder burst again but Katara didn’t even notice.  After about ten minutes, her arms were growing tired and their speed slowed down.  Jet and Laia looked at Katara’s back nervously.  She was so entranced that she hadn’t noticed that the ice was melting away.  Katara’s eyes blinked a few times and then she saw that the river wasn’t wide enough anymore to let them pass.  She motioned their raft to the left side of the river and she stumbled off of it.  Her knees hit the ground and she held herself up by burrowing her fists into the earth.  Katara’s chest rose and fell rapidly until she heard Jet and Laia dragging Zuko’s body off of the raft.  Her head twisted around and her eyes widened.  His whole forearm was drenched in dry blood.  

“I think we got away from whoever it was,” Laia said seriously.  Jet nodded his head and then leaned back as Katara crawled to Zuko’s side.  He tilted his head towards her as she touched his hand gently again.  His fingers curled and Katara closed her eyes.  Suddenly she jerked them open as Zuko cried out in pain.  She gaped as Jet pulled out the arrow and observed its tip.  He faced Katara and then Laia.  Jet sighed and threw the arrow on the ground.

“Burn it Laia,” he said.

“What?  Why?” she asked incredulously.

“Because,” he said, “it’s toxic.”  

Katara raised a hand to her mouth and Laia nodded.  She shot a blast of fire at it and watched the wood crack underneath the flames.  Zuko moaned again and Katara pulled his sleeve back quickly.  Her fingers reached towards the water without even looking at it and the trail of water came towards her like a zap of lightening.  Thunder boomed above as the water seeped through Zuko’s sleeve, cleaning it of the blood.  His arm weighed down heavily in Katara’s hands but she concentrated to the best of her ability and brushed her fingers above the hole.  Her chest rose as she breathed deeply and let the glowing water sink into his skin.  The glow receded with the water and Katara let his arm drop to the ground.  

“Katara, don’t overdo yourself,” Jet told her gently.  She looked up at him quickly and her vision blurred for a second.  Katara shook her head and held onto herself.

“It could have been me.  I wouldn’t have been able to heal myself Jet,” she said softly, unable to speak the thought truly out loud.  Laia jumped up into a stance and narrowly looked towards the forest.  Katara and Jet realized what the trouble was and they stood up immediately as well, ready to attack at a moment’s notice.  A soft melodious song erupted among the thunder and it came towards them slowly.  Laia shifted nervously and Jet narrowed his eyes while Katara breathed deeply.  The first thing they saw was the silver flute.  Its wooden frame glistened an earthly metallic color.  Then, as the song grew louder, a little boy emerged with the flute at his lips.  His black hair stuck up in odd angles and was surrounded by a yellow scarf.  His kimono was patched up from a wide variety of lavender and brown material.  His hands were large yet his fingers found the holes in the flute flawlessly.  A white knife hung around his neck on a thin string and when he stopped in front of them, he looked up and smiled broadly as the thunder growled obediently.  

“Hi there!” the boy said energetically.  Jet, Katara and Laia dropped their arms in unison and stared in disbelief.  The boy smirked and pointed at Zuko with his flute.

“I think you better get him to a safe spot before the rain comes. Oh! I know the perfect place!  Follow me!”  The boy spun around on one foot and then placed the flute back to his lips as gently as possible.  His fingers rushed quickly through the notes and he started to skip back into the forest.  Katara looked at Jet and Laia with round eyes and Jet just shook his head.

“Do you think we should trust him?” he asked.

Laia suddenly nodded and walked up to Zuko.  “We have to trust him.  The storm is coming and we need shelter.  Help me pick him up,” she said with authority.  Jet gaped at her and then closed his mouth slowly as he watched Laia heave Zuko up into a sitting position.  Jet knelt by her and shared a soft glance with Laia before they picked Zuko up and put his arms around their necks gently.  Katara winced as the sky flashed with light and then she ran after them and the distant song the little boy was playing.  As they walked deeper into the forest, the song became quieter and then Katara’s eyes widened as she approached their destination.  A large cave was in front of her view.  Thick trees and foliage curved in an arch to touch each other at the ends so that they formed a roof.  The crickets chirped quickly around her and then she ran inside when she saw a flame erupt within the shadowy cave.  Laia sat down on the ground with a sigh and laid down against the wall which was a tangled array of vines and branches.  Jet sat down as well, nearer the fire but still across from her.  Katara came in and spotted Zuko’s body lying a few feet next to the fire.  She knelt next to him and took out her pouch of water.  Her fingers in her right hand formed a bud as the thin snake slithered into Zuko’s mouth.  He swallowed in his unconscious state and Katara saw with relief that his arm had already began to heal.  Suddenly, she heard the song come to life again and she turned her head towards the entrance of the cave.  The boy’s eyes were closed and he stood playing without breathing once.  

Her eyes flickered and then a dull pain hit the back of her head.  Katara let go of her pouch and fell gracefully onto Zuko’s chest.  Jet looked up quickly and sprinted to help Katara off of him.  He laid her down against the wall towards the back of the cave, on the opposite side of the fire where Zuko was.  Laia lifted her head and observed how much care he gave Katara.  She bit her lip and then stared into the flickering fire.  Zuko breathed deeply but didn’t open his eyes.  One last echo of thunder rippled through the air above them as the boy’s song came to a high note and then smoothly fell through a scale on the way down.  He took a deep breath and let his flute fall to his side.  Jet looked up at Laia as outside, a soft shower of rain began to fall through the forest.