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mystic-kitten-writer · 4 years

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Limerence [M] ︳33

Pairing: Zuko x OC

Genre: Romance, mainly fluff with future smut, and if you squint hard enough - you’ll find some angst.

Rating: SFW

Words: 18300+

Notes: I’m finally finished! Thank you guys for being so patient with me - I can’t even begin to express my gratitude. I feel horrible for making you guys wait so long - so I’ll cut to the chase and tell you the good news! Due to the corona virus - my summer courses have been cancelled, so I’m no longer graduating this summer (no, this isn’t the good news) - but because of this, that means your beech gets to update more often! So I plan on dropping an update schedule for all my stories, and my goal is to update every week (alternating stories).

Next - I got an Ao3 account! A lot of people asked me to make one, so I did. I’m going to take this week to edit Limerence (the first few chapters min.) before posting my work on there. But now Tumblr and Ao3 will contain all Explicit chapters of Limerence!

The next fun bit of news is the next update you’ll receive will be a double update for Limerence! I was going to end this chapter a bit differently, but my friends pointed out a few things - and they convinced me others wise. Because of that, I’m planning on doing a double update. I can’t go too in-depth with it without spoiling, but at least you guys have that to look forward to!

But regardless, please stay healthy and safe! Love you tons, take care~!

Masterlist ︳32 ︳ 34

❤ Buy me a coffee? ❤

Limerence: (English/n.) the state of being infatuated with another person.

The moment their eyes locked they knew - the flames within him twisted while the water within her turned. It was a connection, a connection that would lead to love, adventure, and drama.

“Eccedentesiast”

(Latin/n.) Someone who fakes or forces a smile when all they want to do is cry, disappear, or die.

~ Ying Yue Jiang ~

There it laid, in my hands, glistening under the sunlight, the black onyx seemingly glowing. The dragon that was painted in gold looked beyond realistic; the red ruby protectively held in its grasp. The golden paint held pink reflections in the scales, each claw wrapped around the gem as if it were a newborn child – protecting it with its life.

My finger trailed down the soulful image, feeling every ridge and divot engraved in the emblem. Anyone could feel the love, the power, in the illustration – how awe-inspiring it was. But I found myself stilling, the words engraved at the very bottom of the heavy seal mocking me.

Imperial Consort of the Fire Lord.

It was like a vice grip; someone squeezing my heart and causing my body to tremble. Since my official debut, and receiving this seal, I hadn’t once touched it. I was keeping it locked in my drawer for safekeeping. This mere chuck of mineral, the symbolism behind it, was beyond royal Fire Nation customs. My truest feelings…

I could remember the butterflies in my stomach, the silly smile I bore as I took my oath that day. Zuko was delicately smudging the red paint on my forehead, the mark of the consort. A weak smile emerged on my face. Gosh, how flushed Zuko, and I was that day. Me unable to contain my nerves as we stood in front of thousands – declaring our devotion to each other.

I already loved Zuko at that point; I was just too shy to tell him. Being near him, seeing Zuko happy and spending time with me was good enough. That day, I may have been nervous, but I was delighted - the happiest I had been in years.

The seal slipped from my grip, falling onto the bed. My shoulder’s slumped, feet dangling over the edge, hands covering my face.

I was selfish.

I could still recall the way Zuko thrashed, his face twisted in pain, eyes teary as he clawed at his throat in desperation. I could feel the pain he was in, the fear, utterly helpless – a look I’ve only seen once, and that was when we were facing Yakone.

Zuko was dying, right before my eyes, and I couldn’t deal with it.

Everything happened so fast, and I could feel my hands starting to tremble. The image was still far too vivid, too fresh. I almost lost Zuko – no.

I did lose him.

“Yue…” a tender voice whispered out, a tone that could only belong to Aang. I swallowed back a sob, letting my hands fall from my face, trying to wipe all evidence that I was crying. Too weak to lift my head, my hands laid on my lap.

Aang’s footsteps were soundless, and I could already visualize the way he was cleverly studying my sitting figure, trying urgently to read my mood. “Katara told me that Zuko is going to be okay; she induced him into a deep slumber to speed up his recovery, but…you saved him.” Aang spoke, and I noticed how clear his voice sounded, he was closer.

“Thank you…” I muffled softly, running an unsteady hand through my tangled locks.

Not even thirty minutes passed since everything went down, I hadn’t had time to change or clean my appearance, besides wiping my blood-stained fingertips. My hair fell in front of my face again, and I used the opportunity to wipe the rogue tear. I’m a complete disaster.

“Yue…” Aang worried, but this time I felt his cool touch.

His fingers caressed my face, tilting my head upwards to meet his sincere gaze. He was kneeling in front of me, the floor cleared of all the shards that once littered the bedroom floor. His face was pale, eyes round as he considered my figure. I saw the way his lips twitched, eyes shifting back and forth, trying to think of the right words.

What to say, what to think, what to do.

But what more could Aang say?

What could be said about everything that managed to transpire in the last half hour that hasn’t been thought of already? My heart fastened in pace, mind spinning with the unknown. Why was the tea poisoned, who poisoned the drink– As if Aang could read my mind, a long exhale escaped him, pressing his forehead against mine.

“I’m so sorry, Yue,” Aang breathed, his voice fragile – defeated.

My bottom lip trembled, hearing the ache in Aang’s voice, his touch moving up my face so his thumbs could rub my temples. My body limped under his tender touches, head falling into his shoulder – a soundless cry leaving my lips.

It was like he let loose to all of my thoughts, everything that tortured my mind manifesting into tears. I’m lost. I clawed at Aang’s mustard coloured robes, desperately seeking air. Every sharp gasp seemed to feed into the shivers, the anxieties and insecurities that haunted my mind, growing and swarming.

Aang embraced my hunched body, bringing me closer to his own. “I-it’s my fault, Aang.” I sniffled, confessing the very thing that seemed to devour me. Aang cooed into my hair, his face pressed against my chaotic locks. “That’s not true, Yue-” he insisted, but I refuted his claim.

“T-that tea was meant for me. If-if I had drunk it, if I had stopped Zuko-”

“That would’ve been worse. You could save Zuko, but the reverse can’t happen.”

“You don’t get it, Aang.” I wept, cowering away in frustration, to face him. His eyes were red and glossy as he stared back at me intently, mirroring the same pained expression that I wore.

“You-you didn’t see the look on Zuko’s face. The moment he realized what I am.” I choked, struggling to string the words together. I wasn’t crying cause Zuko got hurt. Gosh, Zuko’s been through the spirit world and back – he knew pain.

The tears that decorated my rose-coloured cheeks, they were tears of mourning.

I may have saved Zuko, physically – but I lost him emotionally, mentally, symbolically. How could Zuko look at me, let alone love me? I was a monster – the very thing everyone was trying so hard to rid of.

“You’re still you, Yue. Words can’t even begin to describe how much Zuko cares for you. How important you are to him, to us.” Aang blew, bringing me back to his shoulder to snuggle. I could feel his clothes dampening, but he didn’t complain once, preoccupied with easing my choked cries.

I snivelled, pressing my eyes shut to stop the tears from overflowing - if only it were that easy. What about everybody else – Katara, Sokka, Suki, Toph? What are they going to think knowing what kind of monster I am? The words they lashed out the other day, they meant it, each and every word. It was only a matter of time they figured out what happened, what I had done if they hadn’t learned already.

A Bloodbender – that is what I am, and there’s no running away from it anymore.

Aang continued to rock me back and forth, dragging me out of the pits of my darkest thoughts, pulse slowing. He was buzzing softly as we swayed, feeling his lips sweeping my head. I found my body lazing in his embrace, nestling my head deeper in the crook of his neck.

It was nothing like Zuko’s embrace, the sweet tune he often sung during our highs and lows. I bit my tongue to stop the wave of nostalgia from overwhelming me. I want Zuko, that’s all I want.

I want us to be back in bed, laughing at our silly jokes, even if it meant accepting that terrible rate of two kisses per half hour.

I snickered bitterly at the mere thought of our pointless banter from this morning. The banter that always rose whenever Zuko and I were left alone to our own devices. Meaningless talk that always had me bursting from happiness at the way Zuko managed to tease me mercilessly, a constant blush to paint my cheeks. The way he holds me close to his chest, our limbs intertwined – like two puzzle pieces coming together.

Aang leaned back slightly, started by the sudden giggle.

“What’s so funny?” He mumbled, and I drew away, wiping a tear with the back of my hand. Aang watched a tear escape my effort, the drop rolling down my stained cheeks. Without thinking twice, he tugged on his sleeve to dry it. “T-this morning.” I hiccuped, shaking my head with a sad smile, recalling the romantic moment that just took place.

“Zuko said that I owe him two kisses per half-hour every time he keeps me warm.” I snorted, my gaze dropping to my lap, fingers twirling. “I-I told him no way, but now-but now I want nothing more but to give him those two kisses plus more.”

Aang smiled sympathetically, hearing my confession, cupping my hands and bringing them to his chest. It was then I noticed how my hands trembled and the heat that Aang was radiating. It was nothing like the heat from Zuko, his natural, the fire within him.

But regardless, feeling the warmth from Aang’s palms, spreading towards my own, had me mewling in delight. I was freezing, so used to having Zuko by my side, stealing his warmth like how Momo clung onto Appa for dear life. How did I survive in the Southern Water Tribe as long as I did without Zuko to warm me up?

“I know I’m no Zuko…I don’t have the hard rock abs or long hair, or overall cranky attitude.” Aang spoke light-heartedly, testing the waters. And despite the tense mood, I couldn’t help but giggle at Aang’s words, a genuine giggle.

Aang’s small smile shifted to a greater one knowing he enticed a laugh from me, letting his fingers intertwine with mine, placing them over his heart. “I’ll never be Zuko, Yue; no one could replace him. But he did teach me how to conduct heat, just in case, I have to warm you up for him whenever he can’t be beside you. Because trust me, Yue. There’s nowhere else Zuko would rather be than by your side.”

A shy blush rose to my cheeks, hearing Aang say some of the sweetest yet cheesiest lines to date. Lines that only Zuko could manage to make somewhat non-cringe-able. But that was the magic of Aang; he always managed to change the mood in a flash.

Wearing his emotions on his sleeves, Aang was never afraid to put himself in other people’s shoes, experience their pain, and empathize. This is why he’s the Avatar, and Katara is beyond lucky to land someone as sensitive and considerate as Aang.

“Thank you, Aang…I-I-you accepted me the moment you saw me. You gave me a home, friends, a family. I owe you everything.” I said, voice cracking because it was true. If it weren’t for that faithful day, saving Aang, him insisting on a meal – I would've never been where I was now.

But Aang merely shrugged his shoulders, letting my hands drop to my lap. “I lost my family, my Nation…I know how it feels to be alone. If it weren’t for Katara and Sokka, I don’t think I would’ve been able to grow, but now I have a place to call home.”

“…Katara is home for you, isn’t she?” I timidly mumbled, and Aang smiled.

“She’s my world.”

“Zuko…he’s my home…but between you and me, he’s my universe.” I twinkled softly, and Aang chuckled. “You really had to try and one-up me?” he teased, his hand briefly scratching the top of my head.

“I learned that from Sokka.” I peeped, a bit of playfulness arising from within me despite the melancholy that ran through my veins. “Of course, Sokka taught you that, make sure Katara doesn’t find out.” Aang muttered under his breath, trying to sound annoyed, but those were emotions seemingly foreign to Aang. He patted my head once more before dropping his touch.

Our soft laughs died down, Aang letting his fingers trace over my own delicately as we sat in silence. Mimicking the way I usually outlined the natural lines or scars the littered Zuko’s palms and arms. Zuko…

Zuko is okay; he’s in safe hands with Katara…and while I don’t know what was going to happen to us, I could get answers for something else. “Aang…umm…what did-what did the others say about, you know.” I whispered, shifting my gaze back to him.

Aang’s easy-going expression flattered for a moment, letting out a conflicted sigh as he rubbed the back of his head. I spotted the look on his face, the same look when he was unsure as to what to say when he first entered. “It’s a …complicated.” He started, and I rose a brow at his words, not the words I was expecting to hear, let alone from him.

“What does that mean, Aang?” I implored, clenching his hand anxiously. Aang’s mouth opened and closed, another great lament escaping him, fighting with himself. He doesn’t know whether or not he should spill.

“Don’t worry about it, Yue. You have so much on your plate already-.”

“But I do worry, Aang. I need to know. I’m tired of being left in the dark because people think I can’t handle the truth.” I pressured, and the look in my eyes must have spoken wonders because Aang broke.

He pulled from my grip, scratching behind his head once again, a look of shame etched in his face. “I told them the truth. I told them that you used Waterbending to save Zuko.” Aang mumbled under his breath, his words nearly blending at how soft-spoken he was. My eyes narrowed, tilting my head in confusion. Told them…the truth?

And that’s when it clicked.

“You lied to them.” I gasped.

“No, I told them the truth. Bloodbending is a form of Waterbending, is it not?” Aang stubbornly insisted, but even I spotted the doubt in his words. He didn’t even fully believe what he was saying to me. He sounded just like me, lying to himself about the truth – trying to convince himself more than me.

I glowered, shaking my head as I twisted my fingers, “Omitting the truth is just another way of lying,”

“But it keeps you safe.”

I snorted, “They couldn’t possibly believe that, Aang. Waterbending wouldn’t have been enough to save Zuko. Katara should’ve figured that out by now-”

“It’s easy to lie to the people who trust you the most.”

It felt as if someone was twisting my stomach from the inside out – Aang doesn’t lie.

Aang always tells the truth, but for me – he lied to everyone.

My head hung low, biting my lips as I squeezed my eyes shut.“I’m so sorry, Aang-” I whimpered, the heaviness of the situation hitting me like a ton of bricks. He lied to not only his friends but the love of his life for me.

He took advantage of Katara’s trust – all because of me.

I was not only causing pain upon Zuko but now the people who I viewed as family.

Aang cupped my face, forcing our gazes to meet. My amber coloured eyes met with his chocolate ones – a tenderness rooted deep in the stare. I found myself in utter awe, because despite it all, Aang still bore an amiable smile, dismissing my apologies with ease. “Some things must be done, and I know, in the long run, this is for the better.”

I sniffled, “I trust you, Aang.”

“Sokka, Suki, and Toph are working with the guards to figure out who did this to Zuko. We’re going to get through this together.”

“Aang…what if-what if Zuko doesn’t forgive me?” I trembled.

Just the thought of Zuko in the infirmary, hurt and in pain – at the mercy of the nurses and Katara made me feel sick. But the idea of this being the end of us after everything because of my greed. Because of my inability to be honest with Zuko took the cake.

If only I were stronger if only I weren’t broken and a monster-

Aang’s expression softened, ready to coddle me back to his chest, “Zuko loves you, Yue. Please don’t blame yourself-”

A loud knock interpreted Aang’s speech, both us jumping at the noise.

Whoever it was didn’t stop with a single blow, no – they were hasty and non-stop. Someone desperately wanted in. Who could it be? A guard, a maid? Aang tapped my cheeks appreciatively before rising to his feet.

“I’ll get it.” He muttered, but I couldn’t help but notice how it failed to reach his eyes.

There was a stiffness in Aang’s usual airy steps, much like when Toph used her seismic senses to feel. Aang wasn’t expecting anyone…he’s being cautious. I found my back straightening, brushing my hair as I observed the way Aang eased his way to the doors, the knocking lingering.

His hand gripped the handle, leaning towards the entry and jarring it just a crack. My curiosity grew, slanting forward to see or catchword of who was so enthusiastically rapping away. Aang’s head popped out the room, and his body relaxed instantly, a surprised squeak leaving him.

“Ursa-” Aang spoke, and I froze in my spot.

Zuko’s mom?

No-no-no-no- Ursa’s going to hate me, tear me to shreds-

My face paled, eyes unable to stop staring at how Aang stepped back into the room, his lips moving as he spoke. It was as if everything was happening in slow-motion. Aang opening the door wide with a smile, the commotion of outside out of mind.

All I could focus on was the rush of red that entered.

My nails dug into my thighs, wincing at the impending fury Ursa was undoubtedly about to unleash upon me. It’s my fault, my fault-

“Where is she?” Ursa gasped, urgency lingering in her words. Her voice sounded winded like she ran here with all her might. My eyes widen, hearing her, unable to utter a word as I studied Ursa. She looked frightened, her face white, body quivering.

I’ve never seen Ursa look anything less than put-together, the definition of royalty and beauty.

She was a kind woman, with a sassy tongue, two qualities that the people in the kingdom adored. It didn’t take long for me to realize that Ursa was the definition of strongminded, something I revered – and one could easily find such a trait in Zuko. His will was something that both drove me up the wall and admired.

But the look that decorated her face – it wasn’t the typical appearance she maintained. It was different, a sight I’ve never seen before.

Her lavish ruby robes were wrinkled, her raven coloured-hair slipping from the golden pins that kept her hair tidy. She frantically scanned every inch of the bedroom in a matter of seconds, and the moment her vibrant eyes fell over me, her shoulders slumped, a choked sob leaving her lips.

“You’re okay!”

Everything happened so fast.

She threw her arms in the air, tossing herself at me, and the sweet scent of flowers flooded my scenes. My body weakened in her arms, letting myself tumble into her embrace. The overwhelming sense of familiarity had me flushing, something I thought I would never experience again – a mother’s hug.

“You’re okay. My child is okay.” Ursa repeated like a song, hands running up and down my back, making sure I was indeed real and not a figment of her imagination. Her gestures were dramatic, yet without a second thought, my arms enveloped her – how I missed this.

“I’m so sorry, Ursa. It’s my fault; the tea was for me-”

“Don’t blame yourself for the actions of others. You’re safe, and Zuko’s safe, and that’s all that matters.” She happily blubbered, and I could feel my heart flutter.

The cheerfulness in her tone, squeezing the life out of me as she planted kisses all over my forehead. How many times have I seen Ursa do the same with Kiyi? Even with Zuko, much to his dismay. But the feeling of her peppering quick, chaste kisses all over my face had me rosy – a gesture bursting with the purest form of love.

“If Zuko doesn’t propose to you the moment he gets better, I’m going to kill that boy.” She muttered under her breath, and I smiled through tears; tears, I had no clue I was even shedding. “I wish I could’ve been better for Zuko, done more for him, Ursa. I’m sorry-”

“You don’t know, my child…you don’t know how much you’ve changed him. You saved him in more ways than one.” She droned into my ear, feeling her lips tugging upwards the whole time.

I spotted the way Aang beamed from a distance, that signature smile of his painting his face as he shot me a thumbs-up. His mouth was moving the whole time soundlessly, a prideful ‘told you so’ lingering under his breath.

“Lady Ursa, Zuko is currently in the infirmary, you can go visit him with Ying Yue. He’s sleeping, but I know he’ll love your support…” Aang proposed, and Ursa pulled back, nodding eagerly. “Thank you, Avatar Aang. That sounds like a wonderful plan.” she hummed while cleaning up my appearance.

Ursa brushed the black strands of hair that kept falling in front of my face, tugging at a few tangles before straightening out the nightwear I wore. Ursa’s pink lips puckered towards the end, her eyes scanning my body up and down before clasping over my cheeks, “You’re running a fever, my dear.”

I was running a fever?

Aang frowned hearing those words leave Ursa, scratching his beard as he walked forward, “It seems you pushed yourself by bending, Yue. We should get your chi checked by Katara-”

“I’m fine- I promise.” I stammered, fingers twisting. The last thing I wanted was to be a bother when people should prioritize Zuko. I already caused so much trouble- “Oh, I swear, there are many things you can learn from Zuko, but stubbornness will not be one of them.” Ursa grumbled under her breath, and I coloured.

“I promise, Ursa, I feel fine, just tired.” I lied, trying to make my speech chirpy with each word. My body ached the more I focused, head throbbing, and I knew it was because of the bending I just unleashed.

I reached my limit, pushed myself too far…but what choice did I have? Between my bending or Zuko – the answer was clear. It’s just a matter of accepting the consequences.

Bloodbending wasn’t a skill for the weak; it took years of practicing with Mom, healing animals before people. Even Mom got tired at the end of a busy day of treating so many people, Dad sometimes picking her up and tucking her into bed.

“This isn’t up for discussion, Ying Yue. If you’re not the slightest bit well, we’ll never hear the end of it from Zuko when he arises.”

“I promise, Ursa! There’s no need to cause a fuss over me.” I exclaimed, and Ursa simply rolled her eyes with a tongue-in-cheek smile. “Tell that to Zuko.”

“Ursa-” I pouted, but before I could continue, Aang spoke.

“Umm…my apologizes but-uhh-”

Both of us turned to face Aang, whose brows were pinched together, a frown of concentration on his face. His hands were outstretched along the door, focusing. What was he doing? It was like he was trying to pick up on something. What could have Aang so bothered?

“Aang…” I voiced, scared to startle him out of his stance of awareness, “What’s wrong?”

“I don’t know, but I think someone is coming-no; people are coming.” He alleged, uncertainty lingering in his tone.

But boy was Aang right about people.

The ground felt like it was vibrating once he pointed it out, the sound of heavy footsteps moving together, getting louder and louder – like a swarm of bees. How did we not notice before? We were all so caught up in the moment, expressing ourselves that we failed to take in the obvious.

Ursa frowned, my hands slipping from her grasp as she studied the door.

“They’re here-” Aang warned, and once again, the sound of knocking resonated in the bedroom.

Heavy and harsh – three solid knocks. With much hesitance, Aang stretched forward, opening the door wide, and I saw the way his face twisted to that of a stern expression. Could it be who I think-

“Council.”

“Avatar Aang. We’re here to speak with Imperial Consort, Ying Yue if you please.”

Aang moved aside, tilting his head towards me, his eyes narrowing thoughtfully. I gulped, staggered by the hefty sound of their footsteps entering the room – a room that was vast in size, suddenly feeling small with the number of people inside.

Eleven people stood, some young, some old – but I recognized most of their faces from my debut. There were so many people I had met; it was only a matter of time faces began combining, names forgotten, despite Zuko quizzing throughout the day.

And while they were most certainly not dressed as majestic as that day, they maintained an appearance of high-status, hair orderly, hands in front of themselves as their eyes settled upon me. I couldn’t help but feel self-conscious, understanding how I appeared.

Despite Ursa’s effort to clean up my appearance, I knew I was less than presentable. If I felt like poop before, now I feel even worse. But it was the two elders that stood upfront that had me rising from the comforts of my bed, their presence reminding me of Zuko’s.

Both elders had grey hair, the woman’s hair kept in a bun while the man beside her had his partly up, similar to Zuko’s go-to hairstyle for a casual workday. But the look on the man’s face, eyes tapered as he scowled. There was a wave of unspoken anger in his expression, noting that his knuckles were white from his fingers pressing against his skin.

“Imperial Consort Ying Yue.” He said, no, more so hissed.

The way my title slipped from his thin lips – as if it were a struggle for him to utter those words. Zuko said that four people voted against me. I fired one of them, so could this mean-

“H-how may I be of service, council?” I spoke carefully, my voice cracking from bawling minutes ago with Aang and Ursa.

The man merely huffed, chest-puffing hearing my voice. The display of discontentment caused the shiny emblem that decorated his arm to glisten under the sunlight that seeped into the room. Reluctantly, he cleared his throat, getting to the point of their visit.

“As per Fire Lord Zuko’s wish and via Fire Nation customs, should he be unable to rule, power shall temporarily fall into your hands until he is well enough to assume his role. This ruling applies immediately.”

Shit. How did I let such a fact slip my mind-

“You are expected to be in a meeting within the hour. I hope you are well-versed and educated in such political matters. It would be a shame for you to make a fool of yourself during a time like this.” He snickered. Embarrass myself? He thinks that because Zuko isn’t with me that he can just walk all over me-

“My son is hurt. My future daughter in law, the future Queen, should be spending her time with him, not in some meeting that can be postponed-” Ursa voiced furiously, but the man rose his hand, shutting her up completely.

“With all due respect, you have no authority here, Lady Ursa.”

“But I do, and I expect you to treat Fire Lord Zuko’s mother with as much respect as you do towards him.” I demanded, channelling my inner Toph as I marched forward. My arm outstretched before Ursa as if it could protect her from the complete and utter disrespect this man was demonstrating.

I saw Aang’s breath hitch, sensing the pressure rising in the room, moving towards our side. The man’s eyes narrowed before bitterly kissing his teeth, forcing the fakest smile I have seen to date, and at that moment, it hit me.

I do know him; he was with the man from the other day. He was one of the people who greeted us, although greet would be a bit of a stretch, when we arrived from Ember Island. He was there when I dismissed the councilmember; he’s one of the people who voted against me.

“My apologies, Lady Ursa.” He spat, and I glared, my guard, rising. I can’t trust him.

“I’ll be ready in an hour. See you at said meeting.”

He merely nodded.

Not bothering to show any more respect than necessary, he gave me a poor excuse of a bow, before twisting his body. Parading his way out, the others followed suit, an uncomfortable silence falling over them as they shared conflicting glances amongst each other.

Yet as everyone trailed behind, one by one, the room growing spacious, the older woman who stayed by his side the whole time stood still. She bore a soft smile, a smile of comfort. The wrinkles that decorated her face were prominent, her eyes glistening under the lighting.

“I wish for a speedy recovery for Fire Lord Zuko, Imperial Consort.” She sang as the room emptied to no one else but us. Her tone was light, reminding me of Aang in many ways. I saw Ursa’s body lax from behind me, shooting the lady a smile – they knew each other.

“Thank you, umm…” I drew, pitch dropping, realizing I was ignorant of her name.

“Ming. I never got a chance to introduce myself during your party.” She voiced gently, but the way she gazed at me. It was like she was reminiscing. As if she saw something that I didn’t - knew something about me, but not something necessarily bad.

Who was she really? Why do I feel like I should know her?

“Councilmember, Ming. I’ll see you soon; it’s a pleasure to meet you.” I spoke cautiously, unable to push the feeling away that she was important somehow. I wonder if she was on proper terms with Zuko? Her aura, it was unlike the man who was speaking before. It was like she was happy to see me.

“The pleasure is all mine, Imperial Consort. Until soon.”

She slowly left the room, and Ursa huffed inwardly as soon as we heard the delicate clicking sound of the door shutting.

“I can’t believe the audacity of some of these councilmembers, insisting on meetings at a time like this.” Ursa fumed, patting down her dress in tune with her rant. The slaps against her dress were rough, slapping the wrinkles out of her gown – but also her growing frustrations.

I saw the way her lips pressed tight, eyes watery as she raged, “We should be more concerned about who tried to hurt Zuko and you, not this.”

Every word she spoke, her hands were starting to shake; it was like the reality that her son was currently unconscious was hitting her. Aang glowered, sensing the crabbiness coursing through Ursa. She’s worried about Zuko, the genuine fear of a mother unable to protect her son.

She felt helpless, and I couldn’t help but relate to her on so many levels. Helplessness, uselessness – feelings that kept bubbling up from time to time, especially now.

“We have people looking into the case, Lady Ursa. We’re going to get to the bottom of this.” Aang reassured, talking to her as evenly as possible. Ursa sighed in defeat, nodding along because while she knew Aang was right, that didn’t change the fact that she was facing a whirlwind of emotions.

“I just don’t understand why Iroh can’t take Ying Yue’s position. This must be such a difficult time for you, and they were completely unsympathetic to the whole situation.” Ursa puffed, and I didn’t even realize what I was doing until I saw Ursa’s expression change.

My hand fell over her shoulder, shooting her a small smile as I squeezed her shoulder. “I’m fine, Ursa. I made a vow to this nation, to Zuko, and I don’t plan on breaking that. It’s the least I could do for him…”

“Yue…” Aang whispered, knowing very well what I meant by my works.

The truth was that Zuko was unconscious because of me.

I was beyond selfish to think that I deserved him; that someone like me, a low-life Bloodbender, deserved the happiness that I experienced from these past months with him.

Zuko almost died because of me, because of my inability to accept the fact that I didn’t deserve him – that he deserved better. I can’t sit around and do nothing anymore. The least I could do is make Zuko proud, be the Queen he always thought I could be – even for a moment.

“I can do this…I have to do this.” I mumbled under my breath, pushing back my self-destructive thoughts.

Now was not the time to cry, nor to worry about the what-ifs of us. There were thousands upon thousands of people depending on me at the moment until Zuko can get back on his feet. I didn’t spend countless hours reading and studying for fun.

Ursa smiled, her hand raising to caress my cheek. “I think I know what Zuko means when he says you have the spirit of a Firebender,” Ursa whispered, and I let out a small laugh.

“I’m no Firebender, Ursa.”

“You’re right; you’re even better. You’re a Queen, Ying Yue, Zuko’s Queen.”

I can only try.

“Are you sure, Yue? I can go into that meeting with you.” Aang insisted, matching my haste pace as we travelled through the long corridors.

The sound of my heels clicking against the marble flooring, high-pitch ticks bouncing off the walls were crystal clear. A considerable contrast to Aang’s feather-like footsteps. Our pace was in sync with my pounding heart, head in pain as I struggled to focus on my steps. My trembling hands, fidgeting with the pins that decorated my hair, didn’t help.

All the things that could go wrong in this meeting – where do I even start? I’ve never done a meeting this grand with Zuko by my side, let alone by myself. I wasn’t ready for something like this, not to this scale.

Sure, I did meetings back at the Southern Water Tribe, but this was completely different. The sessions there were calm and lax – jokes and smiles present at all times. And Zuko never got a chance to teach me the current plans or developments he was working on because I was sick, I’m out of the loop entirely.

My breathing quickened.

Chest tightening, each breath a struggle.

I can’t do this; I’m not ready. What was I thinking-

‘Just breathe, follow my lead’ I recalled Zuko whispering in my ear, his voice like dark chocolate. There was always a huskiness in Zuko’s tone, a raspiness that had me swooning, or in this case, giving me a sense of security. ‘That’s it, babe, slow and steady’ – I found my eyes fluttering shut, hands falling over my chest.

The memory was vivid, his arms wrapped around my waist, chin resting on my shoulder. The way his chest rises and falls on my back whenever we embrace, greedily trying to recall every single moment in time where he hugged me. Completely engulfed by his presence, his firewood scent, warm touch.

You always know what to say, Zuko, I want you here so bad.

“Yue?” Aang worried, his hand resting over my shoulder, and I froze. We stopped walking, and I reddened realizing what I was doing. “S-sorry, Aang-”

“Yue, you’re flushed. Ursa was right about your fever; you're burning up.” Aang sighed, letting his touch drop back to his side. I pressed a smile, fingers coiling in front of me as I tried to even out my breathing. “I don’t have a choice, Aang; I have to do this.”

“No, you don’t. This isn’t right, Yue- we both know that. You’re not well, you pushed yourself, and the last thing we need is you passing out.”

“Aang, this is my duty. I made a vow to Zuko. This is the least I could do for him. He depends on me for this.”

Aang blew out exasperated, and for the first time in a while, I saw a look of pure fatigue sweeping. His shoulders were tense, gripping onto his staff, his hands turning white. He’s frustrated, not with me – but with everything.

“Aang…” I whispered, letting my hand rest over his suffocating clutch. It was like he realized then how passionately he was grasping onto his staff, almost stopping his blood flow completely. “It’s only until Zuko gets better. After that, I’ll rest, I promise. But I need to do this.”

“This isn’t fair, Yue. Why can’t you just be happy?”

Happy. I shrugged my shoulders, “Because monsters don’t deserve to be happy, Aang.”

“Yue-”

“Imperial Consort Ying Yue! We wish Fire Lord Zuko a speedy recovery from his cold.” A bunch of maids chirped, causing me to pull back from Aang.

My head whipped to the sound of their cheery voices, noticing all the huge smiles on their faces, the sunlight from the windows casting a heavenly glow around them. Cold- “T-thank you for your support.” I stuttered.

Am I missing something?

The maids giggled, nodding before bowing, “Take care of yourself as well, Imperial Consort, good day!” My mouth opened, to wish them a great day as well, but no sound left. What just happened…?

“I forgot to tell you,” Aang muttered from behind, causing me to turn on my heel.

I rose a brow, crossing my arms as I leaned forward. “Forgot to tell me what, Aang?” I asked, and I saw the way Aang’s gaze shifted back and forth as if he was fearful of other people eavesdropping. He linked his arm with mine, strolling towards the throne room up ahead.

“Sokka said it would be better if we keep this assassination attempt under wraps.” Aang hushed, leaning towards my figure unsuspiciously. I tried to control my expression, hiding my look of surprise. That was not what I was expecting to hear.

“You mean lie to the kingdom?”

“We have to, Yue. If the kingdom finds out that someone tried to poison either you or Zuko, it’ll cause chaos. We need answers, and we can get those if the people who tried the assassination think they failed, which they did.”

“So, everyone thinks Zuko has a cold.”

“And I brought Katara here as a healer-”

Brilliant, absolutely brilliant. Sokka, you genius.

I shook my head, noticing the grand doors at the end of the hallway as clear as day. Two guards stood at their post, holding on to their weapons, still as a statue. The throne room. My teeth dug into my lips, fighting to urge to turn on my heel and run back into the securities of my bed.

But a dry cough that echoed down the hallway had me squinting. The same grumpy councilmember from this morning was standing in front of the throne room, near the doors and just out of sight.

His arms were crossed, a bitter smile on his face as he stared down at us.

A cold chill ran up my spine, watching the way he held his head high.

But, just like that, he turned on his heel, entering the room. Why does it feel like everyone hates me in this kingdom?

“I can go into that meeting with you, Yue.” Aang mumbled into my ear, and I sighed. “I’m fine, Aang. It’s just a meeting, what’s the worse that can happen?”

Aang frowned, leaning against his staff with a raised brow – as if I was really asking such a stupid question. “A lot. There’s a reason why Zuko didn’t want you to get involved. Even with most of the councilmembers hand-picked by him, there are still a few who he’s itching to dismiss; he just can’t without a proper reason. You managed to get rid of one.”

“Only three more to go.”

“Be careful, Yue. That’s all I ask.” I nodded, sharing a soundless stare. Aang bowed his head, and I took a deep breath – a mutual understanding.

Let’s do this.

I patted my dress down, shaking out any creases in the gown I wore. I didn’t even have time to admire the beauty of the fabric, too anxious to appreciate the exquisiteness. With much reluctance, I turned my back to Aang, slowly inching my way to the throne room.

Straight into the lion’s den.

The doors appeared grander as I walked down the empty hallways alone – taking in the deep coloured wood, floor to ceiling in height, an entrance fit for giants.

Through the light that shined through the windows, I spotted the stunning decals carved into the doors. Swirls, mimicking those of flames, etched with unbelievable accuracy. They reminded me of Zuko’s flames; controlled and restrained.

But whenever Zuko did let loose, letting his flames run wild like that one time during the rainstorm, it was breathtaking. My hand began delicately falling over the woodwork, the closest I would get to touching Zuko’s flames without burning myself ironically.

“Do you wish to enter?” A guard from the side spoke.

Taking a deep breath, I nodded, unable to delay the inevitable any longer.

The doors moaned loudly as the guards pushed the doors, allowing me to step into the great abyss. I found myself speechless, realizing that this was the first time I ever entered the Throne room. The last time this room was used was during Kayto’s visit.

Gosh, what a sight.

Long, endless lines of pillars adorned the space, reaching the ceiling, and it felt like beyond.

Each post was decorated to the spirits, carved dragons flying up the posts in a spectacular dance. It felt mystical, like a depiction straight from a children's tale. The amount of time and effort that must have been given to creating such masterpieces was unfathomable. How long did it take to build this room?

Candles lit up the space through low-hung chandeliers and candle stands, the room omitting a dark-yellow hue. The fact that this was practically a fire hazard in the making out of mind by the utter beauty of the place. But my attention fell over the sizeable dark-coloured table positioned in the center of the room.

There sat eleven councilmembers, their eyes glued to me as I unhurriedly entered. All their faces were stern, the flickering candles casting eerie shadows over their features. And suddenly, the magic of the room started fading, the sick feeling in my stomach returning.

“You’re late, Imperial Consort Ying Yue.” A voice boomed, a man standing from his seat at the table.

I frowned, tilting my head at the sound of his voice, realizing who it was – this grump again.

“Due pardon, but if I do recall, the meeting starts in an hour. I am early, fifteen minutes, in fact.” I clarified, and the councilmembers all stripped their gazes from me, staring at the table at which they sat.

“Did you not receive the notice of time change? The meeting was due to start fifteen minutes ago.” The man shot back, and I found myself trembling. The way the room was designed seemed to draw out every single noise – his cantankerous tone hitting me from all sides.

He set me up – he wanted me to look bad for coming late. There wasn’t a single maid looking for me, telling me about the change of time. My mouth opened and closed before swallowing my pride.

Don’t argue with him, Yue.

He wants you to mess up – reasons as to why you shouldn’t be with Zuko.

“Apologizes, it seems the message failed to be relayed to me,” I spoke, each word forced because I knew the truth. The rest of the councilmember’s eyes narrowed, hearing my apology, but not in reaction to me, but to the man who spoke. They didn’t like him either; it seems.

“No need to apologize, Imperial Consort Ying Yue. Please, take a seat at the head table.” A honied voice spoke, Ming. She stood from her seat, her back straight while bowing her head. I followed her gesture, her small hands pointing to the space at the far end of the table.

How did I not notice that before?

Unlike the others who sat in their seat at the table, this was a platform. Three steps above the ground, at the head of the table, a golden throne lined with luxurious rogue fabric. Hesitatingly, I walked forward, eyeing the set-up.

The Fire Lord’s seat – Zuko’s throne.

The style alone was undoubtedly not Zuko’s, much too gaudy, but this must have been passed down from generation to generation. Could I even sit in this place? Is this appropriate? Sure, I’m in power at the moment, but I’m not the official ruler, just a placeholder.

“Is there an issue, Imperial Consort?” Ming questioned, her voice sounding distant. How big is this table, this room? I let out a timid smile, shaking my head. “Nothing at all, it’s perfect.” Ming smiled at my words, urging me to take a seat. As if she was letting me know that it was okay.

I tried to lax my body, hands balling up the fabric of my dress before collapsing into the throne. It felt like clouds, the chair beyond comfy, and it gave me a clear view of everyone before me, too clear.

The sensation of being high-up, towering above all, felt foreign, not settling well in the slightest. Towering above everyone else like I was some godly figure, all alone. Is this why Zuko doesn’t conduct meetings here? It felt isolating, almost dictating.

Zuko was confident, too confident; he didn’t need to sit high up in a throne to command power. People just had to hear Zuko speak; his actions and work ethic alone were enough to secure his right as Fire Lord.

Having everyone's eyes looking up at me had me feeling self-conscious, fingers playing with my dress, and that’s when I noticed the tidy pile of documents off to the side, ‘Fire Lord.’

“The documents you see there will assist you in today’s meeting.” Ming smiled, already taking her seat once again. I nodded, reaching forward.

I opened the folder, eyes briefly scanning its contents - schooling.

My brows pinched together, flipping through the papers swiftly, not at all expecting to see this topic come in play today. It was all about budgets and funding for upcoming schools around the Fire Nation. The possibility of new educational institutions, finances, job increases for the general public.

Zuko was trying to build more schools for children. Decrease the student to teacher ratio to provide a more personalized education. I had no clue Zuko was working on this-

“Let us get straight to the point.” A councilmember coughed, my head snapping upwards to gaze over them all. My new found enemy let his hands rest on the table, palms down as if he were trying to control his composure.

“We’re here to discuss the funding for the new schools set to be built within the year.” A councilmember rose their hand, gazing at me before speaking, “For what reasons? We have already established and approved all their placements.”

The man merely rolled his eyes, tapping the table impatiently, “We discussed placement, but not funding. The funding that we have discussed is not enough for certain zones. Let us examine Ember Island – the funding for schooling should not be less than that of Black Cliffs.”

I frowned, eyes darting back to the front of the document.

A simple map was drawn, and sure enough, all the schools that had been approved were drawn on the map in red. Black Cliffs…its in the middle of nowhere…why would he want less funding if that funding is critical-

“I disagree. Black Cliffs is in a remote area; they require more funding and a larger space since it is expected that these two villages will use this school until another one is built in the future. Ember Island already has three established schools, the new school being built is merely an expansion.” I reasoned.

Thank you, Zuko.

It was moments like these; I was thankful for Zuko’s complete and utter control-freak tendencies. His pretty handwriting was clear to read, the tiny notes he made off to the sides of each document helpful. I never got a chance to look at these papers beforehand like I had planned originally. He had to go and change the time of this damn meeting.

“Nonsense. Ember Island and other cities need an increase in funding.” He insisted.

“And why’s that?” I huffed.

His eyes met mine, shooting me a glare. “If it was not clear in the notes in your pile, it is not unusual for high-status locations to have greater funding compared to low-class villages.”

The language of this man. “I highly doubt that.” I started, but he pointed at the papers in my hands, “Look, Imperial Consort.” My eyes fell back onto the documents, rapidly flipping through papers.

Contract approvals, estimated government costs for building, funding- what?

My mouth dropped, fingers running along with the black ink, Zuko’s signature.

The documents were older; previous educational establishments built within two years. Each city that was known to cater to high-ranking socialites gained more money for their public schools. But Zuko wouldn’t do something like that; he would never give more money to the rich.

Yet the handwriting at the bottom, his seal of approval. Zuko agreed to this. He gave more funding to already prosperous areas in previous years.

Why would you do that-

“Well, Imperial Consort – did you find your proof?” The man snickered, a sinister grin on his face the whole time. He knew that I found what he wanted me to see, leaning back in his chair smugly with raised brows.

I swallowed, nodding as I studied the paperwork.

The gut feeling in my stomach, my mind screaming at me that this was wrong, wouldn’t go away. Zuko wouldn’t do that- he wouldn’t do this.

“Good. We can end this meeting swiftly then. Just sign this paper here – you approving an increase of funding for these cities, and we can be dismissed.” The man smirked, waving the ivory coloured paper in the air. The other councilmembers gazed at each other in horror, shaking their heads.

“Impossible. Fire Lord Zuko never approved of such means; he overruled Fire Lord Ozai’s school curriculum and funding process for reasons.” A woman shouted, slamming her hands.

The man sneered at her, chinning towards me, “It seems like Fire Lord Zuko had a change of heart after all. He understands the importance of the high-ranking people of this Nation, not these filthy low-lives.”

My hands started getting sweaty, watching the way the councilmembers began bickering with each other. They were at the edge of their seats, dropping formalities as they rose their voices. Zuko wouldn’t do that to children, gosh he had a hard exterior, but he wasn’t heartless.

“I wish to see these documents! He would never approve!”

“But if Imperial Consort found his signature approving of the funding in previous years…”

“There will be an uproar from these villages. They are important, our main source of food. If they learn that we cut their funding and gave it to developed cities-”

“Nonsense, they should know better than to revolt. Now hurry up and sign the papers!” The man shouted, slamming his hand against the table, the paper wrinkling under his grasp. The slamming of the documents reverberated in the room – bouncing off the walls and had everyone shutting up.

His face was red, his eyes not wavering from my own, “Sign. The. Document.”

“This needs to be deliberated in more depth-” I insisted. Gosh, Zuko wouldn’t do this, he wouldn’t approve of this. He wouldn’t do this-

“Nothing more has to be discussed, just approve it already. If these children do not have a school to attend to by the end of this year, the blame will fall over you for delaying the process, Imperial Consort. Can you live with yourself knowing that you are the reason children will not attend school this year because you could not make a decision?”

Just sign it Yue – you have your proof. Clearly, Zuko is okay with this.

But I’m not okay with this.

But the proof- My fingers fell over the black ink again, where Zuko’s signature laid.

It was his, I knew his handwriting, down to the way he flicked his wrist or dipped his pen for ink. These papers were proof that he was okay with this, and if he’s okay with this, this leaves me with only one choice-

“I refuse to approve the funding. I will review the documents, and we can continue this meeting this evening with my final decision.” I spoke, trying to make my voice sound solid. A wave of relief washed over the majority of the council, and I could spot the three individuals who had the opposite reaction, furry etched in their faces.

“You are wasting time.” The man grumbled, and I heaved a sigh. “Maybe so, but regardless if Fire Lord Zuko approved of this beforehand, I need time to review this information.”

“You may be Imperial Consort, but you will never earn the respect of a Queen – you are nothing more but a Waterbender playing dress-up.”

An eerie silence overcame us, and for the tenth time today; I could feel my heart shatter because he was right.

I don’t deserve to be Queen, nor Zuko’s partner.

Nothing was going right.

It was as if the spirits decided that today wasn’t going wrong enough – let’s add more to my plate for their sick amusement.

My hands ran through my hair in frustration, not caring in the slightest at the fact that the beautifully placed pins tumbled onto the rug underneath me. A string of curse words that would even have Zuko proud flew from my lips.

Not even Zuko’s level of foul language would match my current state of self-destruction.

The black ink pooled on the tabletop, some dripping on the red of my dress, like droplets of black blood. “Gosh, just my luck.” I fumed to myself, on the verge of just throwing every single bloody document on this table out the window. How does Zuko do this every day?

Seeing the piles upon piles of paperwork that littered the floor, the words mashing together like a giant blob. My mind was spinning, face rosy from the stress and this fever that refused to back off for a second.

I blew loudly, brushing my hair behind my ears before leaning over the study. My arm outstretched, fingers stretching to grasp the bundle of napkins placed off to the side.

Utterly lost in my thoughts, I failed to take into account the vial of ink I had placed right in front of me, the draping of my sleeves knocking it over.

My eyes widen, shoulders slumping in utter despair at the clacking sound of the glass vial hitting the wooden table, yet again – spilling the remaining ink.

“Are you KIDDING ME RIGHT NOW!?” I cried, pulling back hastily, my long-sleeves dragging the ink with it. My voice cracked slightly, raising my tone as high as I did, not expressing such defeat in spirits knows how long.

I watched helplessly as the ink settled into the natural indents of the wood, thankfully nowhere near the documents from the meeting this morning. And at that exact moment, a knock caught my attention, and I swallowed.

Who could it possibly be now- Shutting my eyes before taking a deep breath, I bite my lip anxiously. Calm down, Yue. Count to ten.

One…two…

five…seven…

nine…ten.

“Yes?” I squealed, trying desperately to mask my frustration. The poor soul, on the other end of the door, didn’t need to experience my wrath when they did nothing wrong. I’m just an absolute idiot, that’s the problem.

The study door jarred slightly at the sound of my voice, and to my shock, a guard popped his head in, free of his helmet. His long wavy hair swayed side to side as he bent over from his waist, up, a worried look on his face.

“Is everything alright, Imperial Consort-oh, did you spill the ink, again?” He mused, a silly smile popping on the guard’s face almost instantly.

My face flushed, “…Maybe.”

The guard didn’t even have to step back outside. He lifted his arm from behind his back, a perfectly folded set of napkins in his grasp. “Fire Lord Zuko always asks me to keep some on hand; he says his Consort is a bit of clutz.” He chuckled, leaving me stunned.

My mouth opened, ready to protest, but the current flood on the desk, my lap and sleeve filthy had me thinking twice.

Why do you always have to be right, Zuko?

“I’m sorry for causing so much trouble,” I whined, my shoulders dropping in fatigue as my hand fell over my face. I rubbed my eyes, fighting back the tears of frustration, before exhaling.

It was embarrassing.

Here I am, pretending to act like I have the slightest idea as to what I was doing.

Acting as if I was totally fit for this role, which I wasn’t.

The guard let himself in, kicking the door shut behind him with his heel. He walked forward with ease, his boots clicking louder the closer he got. The guard seemed at complete ease as if he has walked inside this room countless times over the years to help clean up ink spills.

“Don’t be sorry, Imperial Consort. Everyone has those days, even Fire Lord Zuko.”

I perked up at the mention of Zuko, the guard starting to section out the napkins to clean up the mess. “Fire Lord Zuko wouldn’t spill his ink two times in a row, in less than an hour time,” I mumbled under my breath, and the guard snorted at my statement.

“Permission to speak freely?” The guard requested, and I tilted my head in surprise, nodding.

“Please, do not tell him I told you this, but Fire Lord Zuko used to go through six vials a day after his coronation because he kept knocking it over. Six times a day, I would go to the supply room, and bring them to him. I learned after day two to just keep them on me at all times.”

I laughed under my breath at the story, the guard laughing with me, his armour rumbling with joy recalling those times. He outstretched some napkins towards me, which I grabbed with a smile, the tension in my body easing.

I could already picture it. Zuko getting all flustered, just like me, trying to clean up his mess just to do the whole process all over again. Six times exact.

“Thank you…I needed to hear that.” I hummed, letting a towel soak up some of the ink I had just spilled. The guard nodded his head, shooting me a smile, “No problem, you know, Fire Lord Zuko would be proud of how much work you got done. It must be nice for him to know he can take a day off when he’s sick because he has you to trust.”

I froze, looking at the pile the guard was referring to.

A few papers were completed, my signature at the bottom of each document with the Fire Nation seal beside. But the papers weren’t anything grand in nature – simple stuff. Stuff I used to do all the time back at the Southern Water Tribe.

The only difference was over here, there was a lot of more pointless rules and ‘expectations,’ down to the way you cross your t’s and dot your I’s.

“I highly doubt that…Zuko would’ve finished all this way before lunchtime, and I’m not even close.” I huffed, and the guard shook his head. “You don’t give yourself enough credit, Imperial Consort. He talks about you all the time to me. Says he trust you with his life.”

“He does?” I shyly questioned, accidentally dropping the napkin into a small puddle of ink, causing little droplets to fly over us. I apologized under my breath, but the guard looked entertained, not bothered in the slightest that black ink now stained his uniform.

“Of course, in fact…I am a little guilty of taking advantage of it. Whenever he is in a sour mood, I point at you through the window, and he’s back to it.”

I coloured, recalling Zuko admitting to me he sometimes catches my morning walks with Ursa and Kiyi in the gardens. But if he can see my morning walks, that means he also sees all the times I play with Kiyi out in the gardens, or when I read books to her beneath the cherry blossom trees. Yet he still asks me what I did during the day, listening as I rambled on and on…

“Imperial Consort, do you wish for me to put these documents away in the reject folder?” The guard interjected, cutting my thoughts in half.

My eyes narrowed, staring at the paperwork in question. I found myself jumbled. “The-the reject pile?” I repeated, making sure of the words the guards just spoke. He nodded his head, and I found myself stunned, “These papers were from this morning meeting, I need them still.” I spoke, and I noticed the way the guards face twisted in confusion, a look matching mine.

He opened his mouth, almost afraid to talk, and I stopped wiping the table eagerly, more interested in the thoughts running through his mind

“You may speak, don’t hold your tongue around me. I don’t bite.” I insisted, and the guard’s shoulders visibly eased, scratching his chin like Sokka or Aang.

“It’s just that…I don’t see why you have these papers or how you got these. These are all rejected proposals; Fire Lord Zuko just keeps them for reference.”

Rejects-

“So, what you are saying is these papers, this funding – was never approved?” I gasped, running around the study to the guards’ side.

The guard’s eyes widen in surprise, a pink blush coating his cheeks. Undoubtedly, taken aback by the way my hands fell over his arms. I didn’t even notice I did such an action, so caught up in the moment, it was a reflex.

“N-no, Fire Lord Zuko would never approve of these figures. Taking money from smaller villages, he didn’t spend years fighting with the council to change those policies, just to go back on his promises.”

That man- he set me up.

“He-he tricked me. He wanted me to sign those papers.” I whispered under my breath, falling against the study in a state of shock.

Zuko’s signature on these papers wasn’t for approvals, but his mark of denial.

I knew Zuko would never approve of this, but the council didn’t think I knew Zuko well enough to know that. They think all I am to Zuko is a royal bedwarmer, that I don't know anything about him – the very thing Mai accused me of.

“Imperial Consort, did I say something wrong?” the guard worried, his hands hovering over my body, unsure whether to support my resting figure. The poor guy thinks I almost passed out or something from this never-ending fever.

I laughed under my breath, a wave of relief washing over me, “How can I be mad at someone who just saved me!” I enthused, and the guard looked more confused than ever. He looked around the room, scratching his chin as a low string of ‘uh’ and ‘oh’ left him.

“I didn’t know you needed saving…I just offered to put away these documents.” The guard awkwardly said, and I rolled my eyes.

“You don’t get it, this morning, a few members of the council wanted me to increase the funding for certain cities – and they fed me these papers. They tried to convince me that Zuko said okay to this in the past!”

It was like someone lit a candle in the guard’s head, his eyes widening before he swore under his breath. “I can’t believe it- for years those greedy councilmembers tried to steal money. I’ve heard Fire Lord Zuko complain about this for months. They have this weird philosophy about the survival of the fittest – oppressing the weak and living off their ill-being.” The guard spat, huffing to himself in disgust.

“They planted false papers to get their way, tried to take advantage of you. I can’t believe it- no wonder Ming told me to keep an eye out for you.”

“Ming?” I repeated— the older woman from this morning and the meeting, the one with a warm smile. The guard nodded, walking back and forth in the office.

“Yes, she told me this morning to keep an eye out. That she doesn’t trust some of the councilmembers. She can’t come here herself to help you – it’ll look suspicious on her end. I’ve known her for years; she’s a good woman. She spoke with Fire Lord Zuko a few days ago before he caught this cold, offered her help as well.”

The warmth that enveloped in my heart, my hands falling over my chest in bliss.

I knew it-

I knew Zuko would never do such a thing. He may be a tough cookie, but he was still sweet, and his heart was in the right place. He didn’t spend every waking second in his life to turn against his Nation – his work was his source of pride and honour.

“I don’t know how they got these papers, Imperial Consort, but you can’t approve of this funding. It goes against Fire Lord Zuko’s whole goal.” The guard pleaded, and I smiled, clasping my hands with his. “Don’t you worry, I never was going to approve of it. But knowing that I was right all along makes things a lot easier for me. Thank you for everything.” I gushed, and the guard nodded, before stifling in a laugh.

“We still have a mess to clean.”

“Gosh, I forgot about that…” I muttered under my breath, but a smile still sat on my face.

A victory.

Even if small, it was still a win in my books.

For the first time today, I felt like I could breathe. Actually, enjoy the fresh air that came from the window and appreciate the sun that danced along my skin. I was no longer in a weird trance, entirely out of touch with the world around me.

“I’ll be back; we let the ink settle into the wood. I think we need some heavy-duty cleaning stuff to help us.” The guard chuckled, and I bashfully nodded, realizing just how grand of a mess I made.

I let my fingers dab and soak up the excess ink with whatever clean towels were left, the guard letting his used rags rest on the table. His suit jiggled as he lightly jogged towards the office door. He swung it open, but just as he stepped through the doorframe, I noticed the way he jumped back slightly, bowing deeply.

I pouted, opening my mouth to speak up, but a rush a blue and green caught my eyes.

“Yue!” The voices cried into my ears, their arms wrapping around my body, squeezing me between them. It took a few seconds to process the embrace, but more importantly, who it was.

“S-Suki, Katara?” I gasped out in surprise, struggling to breathe between their hug.

Katara pulled back, running her hands down my face with a large frown. “Ursa was right; you’re heating up. Aang, you should’ve dragged her to me!” She nagged, and right away, a voice of protest popped up from behind her. “I wanted to, but she insisted on working.”

“Just as stubborn as Zuko.” I heard Toph grumble under her breath, although I failed to spot her, Katara and Suki taking up much of my view.

“How are you feeling, Yue? You look like shit, no offence.” Suki proclaimed, poking my nose good-humouredly. Even though she wore her thick makeup, I spotted the way her eyes lit up, wrinkles forming around her eyes. That’s right, Aang lied to them. None of them have a single clue as to what I did.

I swallowed hard, looking back and forth around the room, seeing Sokka and Aang sneak into the room. The door shut behind them, and while they talked and asked questions about my well-being, I couldn’t help but focus on their appearance.

They all looked drained as if they were put through the wringer. But the look on Katara’s and Sokka’s face took the cake. I hadn’t seen any of them all day, only Katara in the morning when she rushed to Zuko’s side. Dark circles painted their tanned skin, their bright blue eyes not shining as bright as usual.

I frowned, raising my hand to cup Katara’s face.

She must have been healing this whole time, trying to help Zuko. If only I could be as great of a healer as Katara- “You look tired, Katara. Are you resting?” I whispered, and she scoffed.

Her hand gripped mine, pushing it away as she once again pressed the back of her palm against my forehead. “I’m fine, Yue, we’re all fine. But you, not so much. Have you eaten lunch today?” I flushed under her gaze, shaking my head with a silent ‘no.’

Sokka kissed his teeth, noticing he wandered from behind me, resting his hands on my shoulders. His touch had me wobbling, the weight of his hands on my shoulders feeling heavy. I felt weak – and I realized I was still leaning against the study as a form of support.

“Princess, you look ill. We can talk later; I think you need to call it quits for today.”

“Talk to me about what?” I asked, facing Sokka, Katara’s hand dropping from my face. He sighed, looking at the others for approval of some sort. “Sokka, let’s not do this now...” Katara warned, but Toph’s unamused tone triumphed them.

“It’s about Zuko, Princess.”

Katara twisted on her heel – anger flashing in her eyes at Toph’s nonchalant talking, but she wasn’t fazed at all. Toph’s blindness proved to work in her favour, already lounging on the office floor, resting her head on her palm, elbow on her knee.

My heart started pounding, seeing the dark looks on everyone’s faces, “Is Zuko going to be okay? Aang told me he was going to be okay-” I panicked, and Suki quickly wrapped her arms around my shaking body, hushing into my ear.

“Hey, he’s going to be just fine. It’s nothing bad, we promise.”

A deep exhale left me, my eyes fluttering shut as I fell against Suki. “I just want him to be okay. That’s it.” I whimpered into her arms, and I felt Sokka rest his hand on my head, petting my hair. “Don’t worry, Princess, we got this. We just wanted to bring you up to speed.”

“Did you learn anything new?” I questioned, pulling back from Suki’s embrace slightly. She still held me close to her frame, and Katara nodded. “Yue…did you know that Firebenders are resistant to poison?”

My eyes narrowed, unable to form words. Resistant to poisons? How is that possible? “I-I had no clue-”

“Me neither, I learned that today with the nurses. But that’s the thing, why try to kill the Fire Lord with poison, the very thing that Firebenders are immune? Sounds counter-intuitive, don’t you think?” I stared, trying to under what they were trying to get at.

I saw the way Zuko struggled to breathe; he didn’t resist the poison at all. He was dying; I felt him slipping from right beneath my fingers. “I don’t get your point….”

“Whoever did this was trying to target you, Princess,” Sokka said, and I faced him. “We know that already, Sokka. The tea was meant for me. But what does that have to do with Firebenders and poison? Zuko didn’t look like he was resisting the poison at all. He was gasping and struggling and-”

Suki gripped my hands, noticing I was shaking, just picturing Zuko again. The mental image of Zuko in pain forever etched into my mind.

“Exactly, Yue. Zuko wasn’t resisting the poison at first, and that got me curious.” Katara budded in, turning to face Aang. He walked forward, searching into his robe, before pulling out a tiny red pouch.

“How is it possible, that Zuko, a powerful Firebender, almost died from poison, when Firebenders are supposedly resistant?” Katara spoke, taking the bag and tugging the strings. The contents of the pack fell into her palm, grounded bits of herbs, scattering her palm.

I remember those herbs-

“That was what was in the tea…” I gasped, and Katara nodded.

“Zuko’s mom is a master botanist, a fact not too well-known in the kingdom. We asked her to look at these herbs and tell us what it was. And you know what she told us, Yue?” Aang spoke, and I shook my head.

I loved plants, always wanted to be florist back when I lived in Earth Nation. Have my little flower garden with a family. But I lacked the resources to learn the technicalities of the field, let alone botany. “I-I don’t know…”

“Ursa said the same thing.” Aang started, poking at the herbs with his pointer finger. “This – isn’t something we know. Someone created this herb, Ursa said it’s called cross-pollination. It’s an advanced technique; not even Ursa is comfortable with it anymore. But whoever did this, did so with the sole purpose of creating a poison so potent that it could kill a person in seconds, or disable a Firebender.”

“Someone wanted you to die, Princess, and if given a chance, kill Zuko too. A two for one combo.” Toph snorted, blowing upwards and causing her bangs to fly upwards.

Katara dumped the contents inside the pouch again, passing it back to Aang. “You were their main target, Zuko was just an after-thought.”

“So, what you’re trying to tell me is the person in question is a botanist?”

“It seems so, but when we interviewed the gardeners and florists, everyone came back clean. They don’t fit the bill.” Sokka exclaimed, “Suki and I went through every registered gardener and florist assigned to the kingdom, everyone had an alibi.”

“Does this…does this have something to do with Yakone and Azula?” I whispered. Everyone’s looks darkened, Aang meeting my gaze. “We don’t know for certain...we don’t even know what their goal is besides destroying the United Nations. But if that was the case, wouldn’t it be easier to attack me?”

Katara visibly tensed, looking back at Aang with a frown, “Don’t say that…”

“But it’s true; their motives are unclear and-”

“Sokka.” I budded, cutting off Aang. Everyone perked up at my voice, stepping forward as I paced back and forth. “You said you checked every gardener and florist registered with the kingdom, right,” I questioned, looking straight at Sokka.

He nodded, watching how I stomped up and down the room. Katara sighed trying to reach forward, “Yue, you need to sit down, you look like you’re going to pass out-”

“What about Mai?” I blurted.

The looks on everyone’s faces dropped.

I stopped pacing, a hand falling over my head the more and more I thought about it. “Mai’s sister, owns a flower shop, right? Zuko said she works for her sister, not for the kingdom. She isn’t a botanist, but she could’ve easily tricked her sister into creating something this deadly.”

“Yue. I know Mai is Zuko’s ex-girlfriend, and you already think she’s guilty beforehand-” Sokka spoke, and my face turned red.

“I’m not accusing her of something because she’s Zuko’s ex, Sokka! I’m saying it because we know she’s the snitch, and if we know she’s working with Azula, why would she be innocent of this?”

Aang took a deep breath, shaking his head as he took a step back. The room was growing in tension, and I didn’t even notice the way Toph stood. “Princess is right. You guys let your personal feelings get in the way – yet again. She’s a prime suspect first, before a friend. She has all the tools, easy access in and out of the kingdom. She would’ve known that Princess gave Kima and Lia the morning off.”

My face twisted to confusion, stepping forward, “Give Kima and Lia the morning off?” I repeated, and this time they all gazed at me like I was crazy. “I was told that Kima and Lia took the day off because something came up.” I blurted.

“No…we have paperwork saying you gave them the morning off. You sent a guard with a note; we just asked Kima and Lia a few minutes ago when they arrived-”

“Imperial Consort Ying Yue did not send me to deliver such a letter.” A voice spoke up, causing us all to jump.

The guard who was helping me from before was holding some cleaning supplies, his Adam’s apple bobbing as he swallowed deeply. “S-sorry for interrupting, but Imperial Consort Ying Yue did not request me to send the letter.”

“You sent the letter?” I asked, and the guard nodded.

“Yes, last night, before they left. Countess Mai asked me to deliver that letter to your maids in your place.” His cheeks flushed slightly, uncomfortable by the number of stares he was receiving, but he maintained eye contact with myself.

“I-I knew about the rumours about you and Countess Mai, b-budding heads, so I was surprised. But she said you two had some afternoon tea and worked your differences. That she will be your aid, as a symbol of goodwill. I’m sorry, what is this all about-”

“Goodwill, my fucking ass.” I snarled, and just like that, I bolted.

“Yue~!” Aang shouted, “Where are you going!?”

“Nobody hurts Zuko and gets away with it.”

I ignored their cries, shoving past the guard, the cleaning supplies spilling onto the ground. My hand gripped the door handle, swinging the door wide.

Red, all I saw was red.

My hands turned into fists, not caring about the stares I was receiving from the guards and servants. My hair was a mess, dress dirty from the ink stains from earlier today. I wasn’t even wearing my heels anymore, opting for a more comfortable footwear the moment I went into the study – proving useful at the moment.

The gang’s voices seemed distant, as I ran down the red-coloured hallways. The sun was starting to set, blood pumping loudly in my ears.

Mai.

How I tried to be friends with you.

How I tried to think well of you despite all the trash you spoke about me.

You can hurt me as much as you like, but don’t you dare hurt the people I love.

I turned the corner, noticing that the rooms of the kingdom were changing. The artwork was less grand, the doors no longer as tall – I’m in the noble’s quarters. A few people dressed in regal clothing stared at me, eyes narrowing in confusion as they saw the way I scanned the area like a madwoman.

“Is there something you need, Imperial Consort Ying Yue?” a woman asked prudently, her eyes judging my appearance.

I glared, stepping forward, “Where is Countess Mai.” I hissed.

Her eyes widened, the people around her looking panicked, hearing my manic tone. She took a step back, her body trembling with fear as she watched the way my fingers twitched with anger. “I-I’ll call for her, um- MAI!”

A scene started to unfold, more and more people leaving the comforts of their quarters to look at the commotion happening outside. But it was that sound. That bored, mono-toned voice that had chills running up my spine

“What do you want?” Mai hissed, turning the corner of the hallway, a look of displeasure written on her face. Her cat-like eyes met mine, her figure stilling, and I forced a smile.

“Your nose healed nicely.” I spat, and without a moment to spare, she ran.

My knees bent, chasing at full speed.

The way Mai moved with ease, turning the corner she just came from as I hastily struggled to catch up. The long gown I wore kept slowing me down, the guards reaching out for me hearing my heavy footsteps.

“Imperial Consort, what are you doing-”

“Give me this,” I shouted, grabbing the dagger attached to their hips as I ran past them.

They couldn’t react fast enough, slipping through them like water in a desperate effort to not lose track of Mai. She knew the kingdom better than me, and she was taking full advantage of it.

Her light-weight but fitted clothing gave her an edge, looking over her shoulder with a glare as she saw I was on her tail. Mai wasn’t stupid; she was a trained fighter – her lean physique and quick steps were the proof.

I reached down hurriedly, yanking a large chunk of my dress in my hands, slicing the extra material off. The sound of expensive fabric being ripped to shreds would’ve had the royals crying. But the dead fabric dropping from my hands had me sighing in relief.

My legs felt free, no longer under the tight constraints, or weighted down. Now I can fight. My pace quickened, pushing myself off the wall as she turned another sharp corner.

“Give up; already, you think you can catch me?” Mai snarled, and my eyes widened. Her hands snuck up her sleeves for a brief moment, before flicking her wrist towards me.

I gasped, the glistening look of the setting sun reflecting off metal had me darting to the side. I twisted my body and bumped ungracefully against the hallway wall. The feeling of a sharp piece of metal cutting my cheek had me flinching, noticing that Mai stood still for a moment with a broad grin.

“You don’t know how good that felt.”

“You poisoned the tea, didn’t you?” I shouted. Mai shrugged her shoulders, “I didn’t do anything. I just gave the tools necessary. That’s all.”

“You almost killed Zuko.”

Her eyes narrowed at my words, snickering under her breath, “If he died, it would’ve been your fault. I told you the moment you came here. You made a mistake.” She turned on her heel, picking up the pace, and I huffed.

I flung myself forward, disregarding the pain that radiated up my body. I can’t go on for much longer; I’m too weak from this morning. But I have to do this- A large red door was at the end of the hallway, and I spotted the way Mai’s hand stretched forward.

Oh no, you don’t- I twirled the small dagger in my hand, and with a grunt, rocked my arm forward.

Mai’s fingers grazed the knob before the sound of metal slicing through wood had her swearing. Pieces of timber sparked, splinters flying in the air at the sheer impact of the dagger piercing the exit. Mai flinched, realizing what I had done – the door was jammed.

“Fuck,” Mai swore under her breath, before jumping on her toes, the look of absolute anger evident. She looked to her side, and with an irritated grunt, dashed towards the only hallway available.

It’s a dead-end, she’s going to have nowhere to go.

My pace slowed, almost running into the blocked door, praying that no one was on the other side, because they were going to be stuck in there for a bit. I looked towards the hallway Mai ran down, half expecting her to be throwing a temper tantrum, realizing she has nowhere to go, another part anticipating her to put up a fight.

But to my absolute horror and confusion - Mai was still running at full speed. My mouth dropped, face paling. It’s a dead-end besides a window, we’re on the second floor; she couldn’t possibly be thinking-

The sound of glass shattering had people screaming in their rooms.

It bounced off the wooden floors, tiny pieces flying in the hallway – some even cutting the paintings that hung nearby. The small shards created streams of rainbows throughout the corridor- as I watched in utter awe.

Mai’s crazy.

And if Mai weren’t the reason that Zuko was currently in the nurses' station, unconscious, I would’ve saluted her. A part of me had to scoff at the idea of Zuko and her in a relationship. No wonder they didn’t work out – you had two ruthless, stubborn warriors, neither of them willing to submit or show weakness no matter what.

‘Too many cooks in the kitchen’ – wise words Iroh.

I groaned under my breath, forcing my legs to trek forward, flinching as my feet were still sore from the small cuts I received from early in the day. My hands reached out, leaning out the window, the smell of fresh air filling my nostrils.

Where the fuck could she have gone?

My eyes desperately scanned the area, the waterfall that Toph just fixed in full view. Glass littered the grass below, servants causing a ruckus about the mess, but I pushed back the random shrieks of shock because I couldn’t find the very thing I wanted.

Where is she? I turned my head to the side, only to have my body lax for a moment, a sarcastic laugh leaving my lips.

This sneaky bitch.

Mai smirked, realizing that I spotted her, running along the roof before sliding her way down to the garden below. The red shingles on the rooftop shook and dislodged with every step she took, despite her light actions, landing onto the soft grass with ease.

I looked at the distance between me and the roof. I don’t have the momentum; I won’t make the jump. But…I do have this-

Taking a deep breath, I raised my hands, feeling the movement of the water from the waterfall.

The servants quickly adverted their attention from the glass to the low rumbling coming from the waterfall, realizing that the waterfall was no long sprouting water – but coming at full speed towards me. They moved to the side in fear, and I found myself stepping off the window sill, flinging myself over the edge.

The feeling of weightlessness hit me, still very much swinging my arms above my head in a frantic effort for the water to come to me. Black spots started filling my vision at a higher intensity than ever before, a cold numbness overcoming my senses as my body begged for rest – even for a second.

I’m using too much chi, but I don’t have much choice at the moment.

My gestures became more agitated, and right before I hit the ground, my body was immersed by water. Shielding me from the fall, I tightened my hands into fists, the water around me conforming around my body as a thin sheet of ice, rolling along the grass.

Mai’s eyes widened in astonishment, seeing me jump back to my feet, before making a mad break through the unmarked zone of the gardens. That zone was supposed to be blocked entirely - Zuko saying it was still under renovation at the moment, a summer project of his.

I swallowed deeply, taking note of how substantial my breathing has gotten. No matter how profound I inhaled, I could feel my lungs screaming for air. I need a breather; I can’t go on for much longer. Hot sweat layered over my skin, body clammy from over-exhaustion, the beating sun not making matters any better. But I need to catch her – I can’t stop now.

With a deep gulp, I willed myself to push forward through the greenery in search of Mai.

The sound of grass crunching under our feet, our hands hysterically pushing the overgrown tree branches and bushes to the side as we struggled to see in front of us. The area was dark, the sunlight barely making it past the greenery, the air crisp.

“Stop running, Mai!” I shouted in a pathetic attempt to stop this mad chase. Just maybe, maybe, she would listen. Spots started to fill my vision once again, the gaps between what was in front of me and the dark spots making it difficult to focus. I bit my lip as a means to center myself.

I’m running out of time-

My arm raised in front of me, the sound of metal lodging itself into my ice, stopping dead in my tracks. Ice shreds flattered off my arm at the impact, and I let out a sigh of relief, realizing I got her weapon in time. Her daggers can’t pierce my ice-

I gasped out in pain, her long fingers yanking my hair from the side and jerking me towards her. It all happened so fast, not even realizing that she was already beside me in seconds, my hair in her grip.

She pivoted on her heel, using all her force to raise her knee straight into my stomach. My eyes widened, ice melting temporarily at the sheer disbelief of the attack. The pain was unbelievable, a dry heave escaping me as I cried.

The way Mai moved – it reminds me of Azula so much. And if that’s the case-

I shrieked in agony as the grip on my locks didn’t loosen, feeling each strand pulling from my scalp, using it as a leash to pull me back towards her for another attack. My feet stumbled forward as I doubled over in pain, watching as she rose her free hand into the air with a dagger in hand.

“This is your fault.” Mai hissed, and at that moment, I dug my shoulder into her stomach.

I grabbed her hips with a low grunt, lifting her off her feet and throwing onto the ground. The hold on my hair loosened, the dagger Mai held in her hand, falling onto the grass beside us.

Her head hit the dirt, with a loud thud, and I swirled my hands around me, sitting on her waist as I pinned her wrists. The water slithered onto her skin, freezing over her hands and solidifying itself with the dirt. Her eyes widen, trying to kick upwards, but the water caught her feet, forcing her back to the ground.

“I caught you.” I panted in pain, sweat dripping off my forehead as a cold shiver ran up my body.

My body was shaking, losing focus rapidly as I forced myself to continue bending. The need to have Mai pinned underneath me, unable to move an inch, was the only motivation keeping me alive.

Mai’s face twisted in anger, struggling against her bonds, “You’re a fucking fool.”

“Says the one who almost killed her ex-boyfriend after proclaiming that you love him.” I breathlessly criticized, causing her to roll those dark eyes.

“You don’t get it, do you? The only reason Zuko almost died was because of you.” I narrowed my eyes at her words. Let it go, Yue, don’t entertain her.

But-

“What does that mean, Mai.”

“It means if you want Zuko to be happy, to be safe, you’ll pack up your things and leave.”

“You just want me out of the picture.”

“Think whatever you want to. All this started the moment you arrived here. Zuko’s life wasn’t in danger until you showed up.”

I froze at her words, and Mai laughed bitterly, seeing the expression on my face. Because despite all the bullshit she put me through, she was right. Zuko was safe before I entered the picture – everything seemingly ties back to me somehow.

Could she-could Mai be telling me the truth?

“Think about it. All this drama happened because of you. Everything ties back to you being a Bloodbender.” She spat.

My eyes widened, fingers digging into her skin under the cast of ice wrapped around her joints. But she didn’t seem the slightest bit fazed by the pain.

“You know nothing, Mai.” I heaved, struggling to keep myself up at this point. My body was screaming in pain, my eyes shutting close as I tried to keep awake. “But I do. That poison, the only way to save him would be through Bloodbending. Aren’t you the tiniest bit curious who Yakone is? Why he’s so interested in you – why he reminds you of your precious Mom?”

“Shut up.” I cracked, fighting back the tears of frustration. Don’t let her get to you, Yue. She’s trying to mess you up, keep it together. A few more seconds before the gang finds you-

“Admit it. It all comes down to you. If anyone gets hurt, it’s all your fault.”

“N-no, I would never hurt the people I love-” I gulped.

“But you already did. You almost killed Zuko- he would never love you.”

“Zuko loves me-”

“Loved you. Zuko would never love a monster like yourself. Not after everything you’ve done.”

The sound of crackling made my eyes open wide and head twist to the side.

A blue flash caught my attention, energy sizzling and buzzing loudly through the empty garden space. I saw the movement of fingers through the low-rise tree branches, amber eyes staring back at me. Shit-

I melted the ice instantly, much to my relief, jumping off Mai as I dodged for cover. The wicked sound of electricity cutting through the air, hitting the trees behind me, setting them ablaze. The heat that emitted from the foliage was intense, my skin feeling sunburned even through my dress.

“A-Azula.” I gasped in pain, unable to get off the ground.

Mai effortlessly rolled her body, skipping back onto her feet as she breezed towards Azula. “I’m wet.” She grumbled under her breath, waving her long sleeves to emphasize her point. Azula snorted, at her friends' gesture, flicking her long black hair behind her shoulder.

“You’re lucky I came to save you. It seemed that this wrench overpowered you.”

“She got lucky,” Mai groused back, kicking her feet into the dirt in front of her. Her dagger flew into the air, her hand reaching forward and snapping it up effortlessly. “Well, might as well leave then. No point causing any more of a scene than we already have.”

Mai nodded at Azula’s words.

I tried to stand up, forcing my feet to move, but my body refused to listen. I can’t let them leave; I need to stop them.

“Wait-” I whimpered under my breath, trying to reach out. My hands dug into the dirt, driving myself to stand on my feet once again, but my knees buckled, crashing back onto the ground. Azula didn’t bat an eye to my cry, ignoring my weak protest as she twisted on her heel and blended in with her surroundings.

But I saw the way Mai stilled for a second.

She gazed over her shoulder with a look that had me holding my breath. For the first time since I met her, she let down her tough exterior, her eyes no longer containing that spark of feistiness. All that was left was a look of sadness, hurt…and pain.

So much pain.

I tilted my head to the side, unable to utter a word seeing the expression on her face – and as if Mai realized that she revealing too much of herself to me, a scowl painted her pretty face.

“Remember, Yue,” Mai whispered breathlessly. “If you really love Zuko – want the best for him. You know what to do.”

She whipped her gaze away from mine, sprinting off into the greenery around us – and there I sat – forced to bask in Mai’s words in a pile of mud.

Sitting alone, with nothing but the sounds of trees rustling, birds chirping, flames crackling I found my eyes fluttering shut. An endless pit of loneliness emerging from deep within.

My fingers dug into the filth as I cried because I knew what I have to do.

“Does my baby want some attention?”

“Maybe…” I giggled, smiling naughtily as I let my hands play with the ends of Zuko’s hair. My legs were wrapped perfectly around Zuko’s waist, currently straddling him as he rested on the couch in our bedroom – in his reading corner.

I could hear the book he was reading shut with a soft thud from behind me, tossing the novel onto the coffee table with all the other stories I stocked. Stories I knew Zuko would love to read during his spare time.

Feeling his warm hands caress my hips, running up my back before finally falling on my jaw had my skin tingling. Butterflies in my stomach as I enjoyed his tender touches. The whole time Zuko bore a soft smile, his eyes in a dreamy daze as he studied my figure up and down.

“You’re beautiful, you know that…” he mumbled under his breath, and I blushed at his words.

He continued letting his fingers roam, thumb brushing my lips, rubbing my cheeks, and I couldn’t help but purr like a kitten. How I loved this. Zuko always took his time, never rushing, each touch, each caress, done with a particular intent.

I didn’t even notice my eyes had fluttered shut until I heard Zuko’s deep chuckle once again, cheeks turning a dark hue of red. “S-sorry.” I blurted, realizing I was practically leaned into Zuko, our noses touching. But Zuko merely grinned, shaking his head, “You're needy.”

“Just one kiss?” I pouted, and I saw the way Zuko rolled his eyes – trying his hardest to seem indifferent to the idea. But I still saw the way he licked his lips in delight, his eyes settling over my own.

“What if I want two kisses, love?” Zuko teased, and I smiled, “Then I’ll give you three.”

“And if I want four?”

“Then you’ll get five.”

“How about…a hundred kisses?”

“Then you’ll get a hundred and one kisses.” I smugly retorted, and Zuko laughed.

His chest rumbled underneath me, eyes squinting in delight at my silliness. His laugh was contagious, unable to stop my giggles from tumbling, our cheerfulness mixing.

I’m so happy-

“Yue, let me put a bandage on your cheek. It should heal within a day or two.” Katara hummed softly, leaning over my figure with outstretched fingers – pulling me out of my fantasy.

Her touch was gentle, the stickiness of the bandage causing a slight itch on my skin where it stuck, reminding me of the dressing I had to wear on my jaw for a bit. “Thank you…” I muttered out tiredly, running a hand through my chaotic hair.

I could hear the ruckus happening outside in the gardens through the opened window, already imagining everyone turning over every single pebble in that garden for any traces or clues. ‘Mai had all her shit packed, she was going to leave tonight,’ Sokka said before leaving Zuko’s study to help the others.

A tired groan left my lips, rolling my head side to side to ease the tension in my shoulders. My eyes struggled to stay open, wanting nothing more but to slide into my warm bed, Zuko hugging me from behind-

“Hey, did you ever find out what the Earth King wrote that was so important for Zuko to read?” Katara asked, catching my attention.

My tired eyes opened a bit more, trying to appear alert as I saw the olive-green document in Katara’s hands. I shook my head, leaning over to take the neatly pre-opened envelope from her touch. Zuko never finished reading this letter; he decided to take me out for dinner instead.

“I figured you would’ve read it; it seemed urgent,” Katara added.

“You’re right; I should probably give it a read…” I whispered, letting the paper fall on my lap as I propped against the desk. A silence fell over us, both us trying to wrap our heads around what was happening.

Mai set up the whole thing, and I saw the way the news hurt the team.

They all looked wounded, their greatest fears coming alive. They knew Mai was the snitch, but seeing her running away, actually admitting guilt, was rubbing salt in the wound at this point. Why would you do this, Mai?

Everyone says this is unlike you, yet here you are, doing exactly what you wouldn’t ever do.

“Um, do you want to visit Zuko?” Katara said again, almost rushed, trying to fill the void with some sound. My body stiffened at the mention of Zuko, looking up at Katara like a lost child.

“I-I-”

“You haven’t seen him all day. I know it must be hard for you.”

“I-It’s fine; I’ll-I’ll visit him tomorrow.” I blurted, shaking my head as I pushed myself off the table. I let my fingers play with the edges of the envelope in my hands, trying to look busy and distract myself from Mai’s haunting words.

Zuko doesn’t love me anymore…

She’s just trying to mess with you, Yue.

But Mai has known Zuko her whole life. She probably knows Zuko better than I will ever. I’m an idiot for thinking that I was actually important-

“You can visit Zuko now, Yue. I know you want to-”

“I’m fine, Katara. I-” I stilled, no longer playing with the green folder in my hands to distract myself from my dark thoughts. Feeling the paper slide between my hands, grazing the Earth Nation wax seal jogged a whole new can of worms into my mind.

My eyes widened, feeling my skin crawl- “Shit, I forgot! I have a meeting!” I gasped.

My gut dropped, letting out a worn-out whine as I ran a hand through my hair.

I looked out the window, noticing that the sun was starting to hide behind the tree-line, the moon ready to make an appearance in due time. But that means it must have started already, and now I’m going to be late, again.

And that grumpy man is going to use that against me and say how useless I am and-

“Yue. You can’t be serious?” Katara exclaimed, watching me bolt upwards and towards the study. I gave a mental thanks to the guard from early in the day, realizing he cleaned the desk despite me leaving the way I did. I need to thank him-

“Ying Yue,” Katara growled, her hand yanking my shoulder back.

I jumped at the aggressive shove, forcing me to face Katara. Her face was warped with fury, watching me as if I had eight heads. “What about Zuko?” Katara breathed, emphasizing each word.

“What about him, Katara?” I snapped, swinging the documents in my hands into the air. “He’s out cold, because of me. Everything that happened today is because of me. Everything. The reason why Zuko almost died, the reason all this drama is happening, the reason why Zuko is drowning with all this council bullshit every day - it all leads back to me!” I cried in frustration.

Katara’s face softened immediately, trying to reach forward to cradle me, but I stepped back. “You’re punishing yourself-” Katara realized, and I swallowed back a sob. “No, I’m doing Zuko a favour. He doesn’t want to see me, Katara. How could he after everything I’ve done?” I cried, pushing the folder tightly to my chest.

Katara shook her head, her own eyes tearing, “Yue, Zuko loves you-”

“Zuko loved me. Just-just drop it; I need to go.”

“Yue, forget about the meeting-”

“I can’t, Katara! It’s the only thing going somewhat right – the only thing I can give to Zuko when he wakes up. The least I could do for him.”

“Yue-” I walked forward, the office door opening wide as I dashed out of the room.

I ignored the cries of Katara behind me, blood rushing in my ears as I stormed down the hallway. The documents in my hands were crumbling under my death grip, furiously wiping the tears on my cheeks.

This is the only thing I could do for Zuko – the only thing I managed to get right.

The guards up ahead, safeguarding the throne room, saw my approaching figure, looks of disbelief etched into their faces. “Imperial Consort – the meeting was set almost an hour ago-”

“Are they still in there, waiting?” I asked, and I saw the way the guard took in my appearance, mud stuck in my hair.

“Y-yes-” they stuttered, and I nodded, “Good.”

Not bothering to wait for the guards to open the door for me, I stormed inside.

The doors swung open, slamming against the walls and catching the attention of the council in seconds. They all stood tall, eyes wide as they took in my appearance. “Oh my- Imperial Consort, are you alright?” A councilmember gulped in shock, and I ignored their inquiry, my eyes meeting that asshole.

His face was stern, kissing his teeth as he studied my figure up and down in disgust. “You’re almost an hour late – and you come in looking like that.” He laughed bitterly; his two stupid minions amused by his joke. The councilmembers all shut their mouths, noticing the annoyance in my posture.

“How about you take a seat, Imperial Consort?” A member politely suggested, and I shook my head, forcing myself to smile at them.

“I’m perfectly fine because I plan on making this meeting short. Increase of funding – denied.”

The man's eyes widen at my statement, crashing his hands on the table. For a moment, I thought he was going to jump over the counter, lunging at my throat. “Bullshit. Why is it denied, you know Fire Lord Zuko approved of the documents previous years, you saw his signature-”

“No. What I saw was three councilmembers manipulating and falsifying classified documents to trick myself, and the council, to believing that Fire Lord Zuko approved of such funding.”

The colour drained from their faces, but more importantly, the grumpy man who started all of this.

His mouth opened and closed, unable to utter a word in response, and the rest of the members looked at them in horror. I raised the papers in the air, tossing them onto the table, seeing the documents glide into messy piles.

“What’s wrong, you thought that because I’m Imperial Consort that I just have to sleep with Fire Lord Zuko, like some glorified concubine? That I don’t have a backbone? A mind of my own?” I spat, and I saw the bead of sweat build on his brow.

“Only a concubine would speak with such vulgar language.” He scowled.

“Maybe so, but it seems to be the only way for your small brain to understand. Which leads me to my next point - you, and your accomplices, will be charged with treason.”

“Y-you have no evidence-” I rolled my eyes, hands falling over my hips, “You sure about that? Because I currently have eight others who can vouch for me. So, let the real joy of this situation come to light.”

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw smug smiles on everyone's faces, hearing me put these fools in their place. But more importantly, I noticed that warm smile on Ming’s face, a smile filled with pride.

My back straightened, holding the Earth Nation document to my chest, “You were so eager to get rid of me. But you will not lose your roles as councilmembers until Fire Lord Zuko comes in power once again. So rather than waking up tomorrow, eager for Fire Lord Zuko to awake – you’re going to wish he doesn’t. Because as long as I’m in this position, you still have your job – you’re going to want me to be in charge from this point on.”

All the didn’t bother trying to hide their growing grins, watching as three of the most hated members get scolded like school children – stripped of all power and authority.

I raised my head high, clearing my throat, “Now that’s settled, meetings dismissed.”

Turning on my heel, trying to look as confident as I possibly could with twigs in my hair, dress ripped in half and covered in mud and ink, I walked out of that room with my chin up. I could hear chairs being pushed back at my words, my lips tugging upwards.

A few claps could be heard from behind me as I made my way out, and a tired laugh left me. The guards before me amusingly opened the door, sporting prideful grins as the light from the grand hallway flooded my vision.

And the moment I stepped outside, ready to celebrate my victory – tears streamed down my face.

I kept on marching forward, my sobs growing in intensity, eyes blood-shot as my shoulders shook every time I tried to hold back another cry. I couldn’t stop it, the way my legs wobbled, a hand covering my mouth to muffle the small whimpers that left my lips as I ran towards my bedroom.

I hope I made Zuko proud for once.

I hope that when Zuko wakes up, he smiles at me. I want him to hug me, pepper kisses all over my face, saying how well I did.

But no matter what.

Above all things - “I just want to keep you safe, make you happy.” I cried into my hands, “even if its not with me.”

Disclaimer: I do not own any Avatar characters portrayed in this story besides Ying Yue Jiang, Lia, Kima, and any future creations.

❤ Buy me a coffee? ❤

#Zuko #atla #Avatar The Last Airbender #atla Zuko #prince zuko #zuko x oc #limerence #series #masterlist #fire lord zuko #love story #Thanks for reading!

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silentfcknhill · 4 years

Note

Are there any ships in ATLA (canon or not) that you like?

Oh boy, you just opened a whole can of worms xD I'll try not to ramble too much here but asfjgfgkj yes. Yes I do.

Originally I was really happy that AtLA was making a comeback because it's on American Netlfix now and available for a new audience of mostly Gen Z and I was hopeful that maybe I'd see some good ships become popular because when I was growing up everyone like Zutara or Tokka or Jetara (not against them but they weren't my thing).

....But then I realized that all of the new popular ships are also ships that I don't really care about like Zukka (don't hate it either, just not my cup of tea). So I guess I'll just be over here with my unpopular ships until the end of time. xD Apparently I like villain ships the best.

Also I don't know if you meant just AtLA or the whole Avatarverse, but I included tLoK too because it's all one shared universe with some of the same characters.

This is probably deeply cursed and random so I'm sorry in advance. |D Lists in alphabetical order because I'm OCD:

Characters I pair together but I'm not actively invested in (mainly canon ships tbh):

~Aang x Katara (so sue me xD) ~Bolin x Opal Beifong (she’s a good match for him finally) ~Kai x Jinora (kinda cute) ~Sokka x Suki (prefer her over yue with him because they got more screentime) ~Tenzin x Pema (she didn’t ‘steal’ him, they’re just more compatible) ~Tonraq + Senna (they’re great parents together) ~President Raiko x Buttercup Raiko (background af but still canon)

Pairings I actively ship:

~Azula x Ty Lee (that Grey DeLisle also likes it makes me happy) ~Bumi (Aang's son) x Lin Beifong (opposites attract xD) ~Ghazan x Ming-Hua (it was sort of hinted at in canon) ~Hakoda x Bato (domestic warrior husbands) ~Huan Beifong x Eska (these two emos belong together xD) ~Firelord Sozin x Avatar Roku (so. much. angst) ~Tahno x Desna (okay but tell me this wouldn’t work) ~Uncle Iroh x June (this is just too cute ^.^) ~Xin-Fu x Master Yu (the crackship potential is too strong) ~Yakone x His wife (I named her Ila just because) ~Zaheer x P'Li (canon and actually pretty healthy for a villainship) ~Prince Zuko x Mai (everyone hates Mai and I don’t get it :c)

Top tier pairings:

~Aiwei x Suyin Beifong (an affair that ends in betrayal) ~Bataar Jr. Beifong x Kuvira (canon and delicious) ~Earth Queen Hou-Ting x Gun (i’m sorry to gun but i had to do it to em) ~Korra x Asami Sato (unexpected in a good way) ~Mako x Prince Wu (was this not canon? it seemed canon xD) ~Firelord Ozai x Princess Ursa (he’s not very nice to her though so it’s onesided) ~Vaatu x Raava (the ultimate enemies to lovers dichotomy >:D) ~Varrick x Zhu Li (you can pry them from my cold dead hands)

OTPs:

~Amon x Councilman Tarrlok (codependent in the worst and best way) ~Long Feng x Earth King Kuei (he kept kuei under his influence too well) ~Wan Shi Tong x Unalaq (there is no heterosexual explanation for their bond) ~Admiral Zhao x Princess Ursa (she's married to his boss but he’s in love with her)

Oh and I also have a crossover ship for Koh the Face Stealer but I'm not sure where to put it so I'll mention it here:

~Koh x No Face (from Spirited Away. the face-spirit theme just fits)

#proxissima #asks #tldr tbh

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kristallioness · 5 years

Note

Ooooh. For the language day thing how about "Stay safe"? I love seeing other languages and cultures so thank you for this opportunity! 💛

Stay safe (English) - Püsi ohutuna (Estonian)

“If what those witnesses say is true, you need to be careful. We don’t know what Yakone is capable of.”

Twisting your limbs backwards, stopping the blood flow to your heart and killing you on the spot.. Katara didn’t wanna name these atrocities out loud as she unfolded the lonely wrinkles on the red cloak covering his chest. Aang averted his gaze to the floor and let out a heavy sigh.

“I know, that’s why I’m on edge. What if he escapes and comes to the island to take revenge on you? Or the kids?”

“You don’t know what I’m capable of if someone tried to hurt our children,” she practically snarled, almost forcing her husband to take a step back. Instead, he grabbed her by the shoulders and rubbed them gently.

“You’re not the only one,” he said, determined. Katara swallowed a lump in her throat.

“And he’s certainly not the only bloodbender around here. Yakone should really think twice before he dares to come here.”

That was coming from the same person who worked so hard for months to outlaw that harmful form of bending. The person who felt disgusted and traumatized the first time she was forced to use it in an impossible situation, in order to save her future husband from being stabbed by the sword of her brother.

“Yeah, I don’t think that’s gonna be of much help to you right now. It’s not a full moon today. And if Yakone can control your body without the help of a full moon, well.. I’m sorry to say, but you’re completely defenseless.”

Katara scowled and looked away for a second. She knew Aang was right.

“Then don’t let it get that far! Don’t let him escape.”

“I won’t. I’ll do everything I can to make sure that the trial will be held and he will be sentenced to prison. But I need you to be ready, in case anything goes wrong. If something happens, I want you to take Appa and fly to Omashu-”

“I’m not running away without you!” she stated, her plea sounding rather desperate. Aang stepped closer and cupped her cheek with one hand, the other one snaked around her waist to invite her into his protective embrace.

“I need to know that you and the kids are somewhere safe. Somewhere I can come looking for you once the imminent danger is over.”

She hated this plan, but it was the only plan they had and she hoped they wouldn’t have to resort to this. Katara squeezed her eyes shut and locked her arms around his neck, holding onto her husband for dear life. She nuzzled her nose into his shoulder and simply hugged him in silence for a minute.

“..And if he dares to bloodbend you, I swear to the spirits that I’ll hunt him down like the monster he is!” she muttered into his robes, but Aang heard every word.

“Don’t worry, I won’t let that happen to anyone.”

Katara blinked away her tears and looked him in the eyes before she raised a hand to the nape of his neck and beckoned him downwards, their lips meeting for a long goodbye kiss.

“Stay safe,” she murmured once she pulled away. Aang continued to rub their noses together fondly.

“You too.”

“I love you so much, Aang.”

“I know. I love you too, Katara. And I’ll see you soon,” he assured her, planting another kiss on her temple.

———-x———-

“Kui see, mida need tunnistajad räägivad, on tõsi, siis sa pead olema ettevaatlik. Me ei tea, milleks Yakone on võimeline.”

Väänama sinu jäsemeid tagurpidi, peatama vereringe sinu südamesse ja kohapeal sind tapma.. Katara ei tahtnud neid jõledusi kõva häälega välja öelda, kui ta voltis lahti üksikuid kortse punasel keebil, mis tema rinda kattis. Aang pööras pilgu põrandale ja ohkas raskelt.

“Ma tean, sellepärast ma olengi ärevil. Mis siis, kui ta põgeneb ja tuleb saarele, et sinu peal kätte maksta? Või laste peal?”

“Sa ei tea, milleks ma võimeline olen, kui keegi üritab meie lastele haiget teha,” naine praktiliselt lõrises, sundides oma abikaasa peaaegu sammu võrra tagasi astuma. Selle asemel võttis ta tema õlgadest kinni ja hõõrus neid õrnalt.

“Sa pole ainus,” ütles mees otsusekindlalt. Katara neelas alla klombi kurgus.

“Ja tema pole kindlasti ainus veretaltsutaja siin kandis. Yakone peaks tõsiselt kaks korda mõtlema, enne kui ta siia julgeb tulla.”

See tuli samalt inimeselt, kes nägi kuid nii palju vaeva, et seda kahjulikku taltsutamise vormi seadusega keelustada. Inimeselt, kes tundis tülgastust ja oli traumeeritud pärast seda, kui ta oli võimatus situatsioonis sunnitud seda esimest korda kasutama selleks, et päästa oma tulevane abikaasa pussitamisest oma venna mõõga läbi.

“Jaa, ma ei arva, et sellest oleks sulle praegu palju abi. Täna ei ole täiskuu. Ning kui Yakone suudab kontrollida sinu keha ilma täiskuu abita, noh.. Mul on kahju tõdeda, aga sa oled täiesti kaitsetu.”

Katara kortsutas kulmu ja vaatas sekundiks eemale. Ta teadis, et Aang'il on õigus.

“Siis ära lase sellel nii kaugele minna! Ära lase tal põgeneda.”

“Ma ei lase. Ma teen kõik, mida ma suudan, et kohtuprotsess toimuks ja ta mõistetaks vangi. Aga mul on vaja, et sa oleksid valmis, juhul kui midagi valesti läheb. Kui midagi juhtub, siis ma tahan, et sa võtaksid Appa ja lendaksid Omashu'sse-”

“Ma ei põgene ilma sinuta!” väitis naine, tema palve kõlas üsna meeleheitlikult. Aang astus sammu võrra lähemale ja asetas ühe käe tema põsele, teine vingerdas ümber tema pihi, et kutsuda teda oma kaitsvasse embusesse.

“Ma pean teadma, et sina ja lapsed olete kusagil ohutus kohas. Kusagil, kust ma saan teid otsima tulla, kui otsene oht on möödas.”

Naine vihkas seda plaani, aga see oli ainus plaan, mis neil oli, ja ta lootis, et nad ei pea seda käiku laskma. Katara pigistas silmad kinni ning pani käed ümber ta kaela, hoides oma abikaasast elu eest kinni. Ta hõõrus oma nina vastu tema õlga ja lihtsalt kallistas teda minut aega vaikuses.

“..Ja kui ta söandab sind veretaltsutada, siis ma vannun hingedele, et ma jahin ning püüan ta kinni nagu koletise, kes ta on!” ta pomises mehe riietesse, aga Aang kuulis igat sõna.

“Ära muretse, ma ei lase sel mitte kellegagi juhtuda.”

Katara pilgutas oma pisarad minema ja vaatas oma abikaasa silmadesse, enne kui tõstis käe tema kuklale ja kutsus teda allapoole, nii et nende huuled kohtusid pikaks hüvastijätu suudluseks.

“Püsi ohutuna,” ümises ta, kui oli eemale tõmmanud. Aang hõõrus jätkuvalt nende ninasid kiindunult üksteise vastu.

“Sina ka.”

“Ma armastan sind nii väga, Aang.”

“Ma tean. Ma armastan sind ka, Katara. Ja ma näen sind peagi,” kinnitas ta, istutades veel ühe suudluse naise meelekohale.

Author’s note: Oh my gosh, Bee, you have no idea how happy I was when I read that you sent me this particular phrase! The moment I read it (+ seeing this gifset earlier), it clicked with this old idea of mine that I’ve had for ages, where I wanted to write about the conversation Aang and Katara might have before he goes to attend Yakone’s trial. The dialogue would’ve never been long enough to become a full-length fanfic. But this was the perfect opportunity to finally publish it as a ficlet with the pieces of dialogue I’d written down a couple of years ago. Thank you so much for giving me this opportunity!Also, why did the translated version of Katara’s last line make me cry? I’m not kidding, I teared up when I read the whole thing in my mother tongue and got to that line in the end. It sounds so.. emotional when I say it in Estonian (like it’s the last time she’s ever gonna get to say it and she wants him to know that). This whole story is rather intense and emotional.

#uyld #ask #ha-tep #shards of Kristal

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avatarsymbolism · 6 years

Text

Character Parallel Tags: Km - Kz

Parallel Tags Search | Misc. Parallels Search

Aa - Am | An - Az | B | C | D | E | F | G | H | I | J | Ka - Kn Km - Kz | L | M | N | O | P | Q | R | S | T | U | V | W | X | Y | Z

Note: This list is a constant work in progress and will be updated every few months. Furthermore, names in the header lead to parallels that involve that character only (assuming I have a parallel up for them), and empty tags underneath the character headings (denoting a parallel between two characters) means that I have a post that involves that parallel in the queue.

Korra and…

Aang, Admiral Zhao, Ahnah, Amon, Asami, Azula, Avatar Kuruk, Avatar Kyoshi, Avatar Roku, Avatar Yangchen, Avatar Wan, Bolin, Bumi II, Colonel Shinu, Daw, Desna, Eska, Ghazan, Hakoda, Hiroshi Sato, Hou-Ting, Ikki, Iroh, Iroh II, Jin, Jinora, Jun, Kai, Katara, Kuvira, Kya II, Lightning Bolt Zolt, Lin Beifong, Lion Turtle, Mai, Mako, Meelo, Ming-Hua, Naga, Opal Beifong, Ozai, Pema, President Raiko, Prince Wu, Princess Yue, Raava, Senna, Sokka, Sozin, Suki, Suyin, Tahno, Tarrlok, Tenzin, Tonraq, Toph, Unalaq, Unknown, Varrick, Xin Fu, Yakone, Zaheer, Zuko

Kuvira and…

Aang, Admiral Zhao, Aiwei, Amon, Asami, Azula, Avatar Roku, Baatar Jr., Bumi II, Chin the Conqueror, Chou, General How, Huu, Katara, Kai, Korra, Lin Beifong, Ming-Hua, Mako, Opal Beifong, Ozai, P’Li, Shady Shin, Sozin, Suyin, Tarrlok, Toph, Unalaq, Unknown, Varrick, Yasuko Sato, Yakone, Zaheer, Zuko

Kya and…

Aang, Hama, Katara, Monk Gyatso, Princess Yue, Toph, Ursa, Zuko

Kya II and…

Azula, Bumi II, Firelord Izumi, Katara, Korra, Lin Beifong, Ming-Hua, Sokka, Suyin, Tenzin, Toph, Unknown

#parallel tag search #tag search

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mystic-kitten-writer · 5 years

Text

Limerence [M] ︳32

Pairing: Zuko x OC

Genre: Romance, mainly fluff with future smut, and if you squint hard enough - you’ll find some angst.

Rating: SFW

Words: 14300+

Notes: It’s here! Get ready for the flood of emotions, sorry not sorry. But it's also crazy to see how far the story has gotten now. Did you know that I passed my one-year anniversary for this story (silently cries by myself in the corner). I'm so emotionally attached to this story it's stupid. But I hope you enjoy the story, and thank you for the awesome love and support!

Please stay healthy and safe, take care~!

Masterlist ︳Bonus pt. 2 [M] ︳ 33

❤ Buy me a coffee? ❤

Limerence: (English/n.) the state of being infatuated with another person.

The moment their eyes locked they knew - the flames within him twisted while the water within her turned. It was a connection, a connection that would lead to love, adventure, and drama.

Tacenda

(Latin/n.) Things better left unsaid; not to be mentioned to the public.

~ Ying Yue Jiang ~

“You know…you have beautiful eyes, Princess.”

“Awe, thanks, Sokka.”

“Too bad your face is ugly.”

“I swear-”

The immature hoots that erupted from Sokka were loud and clear. His belly rumbled in amusement, entertained at my exasperated expression as I rested over his stomach.

We were lounging in Zuko’s and I bedroom, munching on cookies on our bed, despite it being early in the morning. Zuko already rose and went for a morning jog – and I would be lying if I said I didn’t use the excuse of me being under the weather to avoid that run.

It was as Zuko was leaving that Sokka busted through the grand doors, still in his polar bear pyjamas, with a plate of cookies in hand – “I wanted to check up on Princess, see how she’s feeling.”

And that leads us to where we were now.

I grumbled under my breath, stuffing another fresh-baked chocolate-chip cookie into my mouth as Sokka beamed down at me. Despite the pointless banter and teasing, Sokka and I were venting to each other; I was beyond happy. I never realized how much I missed spending time with him – he was my partner in crime, the person who helped me learn to laugh again.

And while Sokka has been by my side from the beginning – we never got a chance to hang out as much as I would’ve wanted. Appreciate the presence of each other, even though ‘sibling time’ means tons of teasing and humiliation.

A hand rested behind his head as he leaned against the bedframe, stuffing another cookie in his mouth. His hair has grown so much already.

Usually, it was up in a messy top knot, but today, he let his hair down. Zuko still had the lengthiest hair out of the guys, but Sokka was starting to prove himself to be a worthy competitor. I was always jealous of how attractive Katara’s and Sokka’s brown hair was. There were natural blond highlights, and it complimented their baby blue eyes.

“Hey…did Aang bring Momo?” I pondered out loud; brows pinched as I tried to recall the last time I saw that mischievous creature. He was already so infuriatingly elusive, but now that we were in the Kingdom, it was like he vanished.

“Yeah, but you know how Momo is…” Sokka mumbled under his breath, more focused on chewing the cookie stuffed in his mouth than answering my question.

“I haven’t seen him once!” I exclaimed, and Sokka snorted, “Join the club. I asked Aang the other day, told me Momo is hiding out in the kitchen.” I couldn’t help but roll my eyes hearing that – of course, Momo is there. Appa would’ve joined Momo if he were here and could fit.

“Explains why the kitchen staff is panicking. They keep complaining that the food keeps disappearing – scared it could be a ghost.”

“You know what would be really funny…” Sokka considered, and based off the tone alone – I knew he was thinking of something evil. My mouth opened and closed, fighting the temptation to ask because I knew better. There was a reason why Sokka and I got along; we were the definition of dumb and dumber.

My lips puckered, and the next thing I knew, I turned on my side, facing Sokka eagerly –“What’s your plan?” Sokka grinned, sitting upright. I yelped, body rolling onto his lap, and in a bold move – he put down the plate of sweets on the bed. He means business.

“What if we covered Momo in flour – make him look like a ghost? The kitchen staff would lose their minds.”

“Sokka~! I can already imagine the mess.”

“And I can already imagine the looks on their faces when they see a ghost.” I huffed, crossing my arms. “No, Zuko will kill me if he finds out it was us.”

“Keyword, if.”

“Where is Katara when you need her?!” I groaned to myself. If Katara were here, she would’ve shut down this plan before Sokka could even think of it. She was the mother of the group for a reason – she kept us all in check.

I grabbed a cookie from the plate that Sokka set aside, shoving it against Sokka’s lips. “Lie back down and eat a cookie.” I pestered, the only way I knew how to distract him. Sokka laughed against the cookie I practically stuffed, trying to chew the whole thing in one go.

“Aren’t you excited? She’s arriving tonight.” He mumbled between chomps. An enormous smile appeared on my lips, brushing my bedhead hair away from my face. “I can’t wait!” I gushed, body sprawling across the bed as I hugged my teddy bear close to my chest.

My gaze shifted upwards, staring at the wooden lined ceiling above us, with a silly look. It’s been how long since I’ve last seen Katara? It felt like forever, but I knew it was only a few months. Woah…me and Zuko haven’t been dating for that long, have we?

It felt like Zuko, and I have been together for years – but not in a bad way. I just felt so comfortable with him. Our routines, how open we are with each other, it was surprising to think that we haven’t been together for that long. But also look at everything that happened, everything we have gone through together…

It’s no surprise we’re as close as we are. We practically went through everything a couple may experience over their lifetime in a span of a few months. Add in the fact that he’s the ruler of a nation – things get a bit complicated.

“She’s going to freak out when she hears everything that is going on.

I pouted, snapping my head towards Sokka, “She doesn’t know?” Sokka grimaced, his silliness gone and face stern, “No. We didn’t want to give too much information via messenger bird or attached to Appa. It could get intercepted. It’s not worth the risk.”

A blue silence fell between us; my gaze returned to the ceiling, lost in my thoughts. Despite all the smiles, the giggles, the sweet moments of bliss – that didn’t change the current chaos around us. Mai is a traitor, Azula is back, and Yakone-

It was like someone punched me.

The mere mention of Yakone had a shiver running up my spine, the hairs on my arms rising in terror. Zuko didn’t mention his name once around me, and I wonder if it was because he knew how shaken up I was after the incident. The worst part of it all was I still had the handkerchief Yakone gave me that night when he comforted me, hidden away in my vanity. Gosh, I should’ve thrown it out, burnt it –anything, but keeping it.

I didn’t know why I even kept the stupid thing. Maybe it was to remind me that Yakone wasn’t that evil as a man? That there was still a little bit of good left in him. Yakone knew my family’s crane story.

Dumb luck?

He’s also a Bloodbender.

But Aang told me that-

“Princess…how is your ‘Fire Nation Politics’ lessons going?” Sokka asked, his voice cutting my thoughts in half. I couldn’t help but jump slightly in surprise, and Sokka’s hand fell over my forehead, a soothing gesture spotting my uneasiness.

“Hmm? S-sorry, I didn’t hear properly.” I mumbled quickly, looking up at Sokka. He rolled his eyes at my aloofness, flicking my head before speaking again, “You’re lessons involving politics. Zuko told me you’ve been learning a few things.”

I groaned loudly.

Gosh, bloody Fire Nation politics.

The moment I accepted that stupid Imperial Consort seal, I’ve had to brush up on my Fire Nation knowledge. From previous Fire Lords, customs, family trees, and laws – I wanted to cry. It wasn’t that it wasn’t interesting, it was just so much information thrown at me at once.

My hands fell over my face as I internally sobbed.

“It’s so difficult. I understand the basics, but the system here seems so backwards at times.” I whined into my hands, venting all the annoyance I had bottled up. There were so many things going on; at this point, I felt like I was memorizing words rather than understanding.

But knowing the rules did help out and gave me the chance to fire that meanie of a councilmember…Maybe I did understand more than I was giving myself credit for. But with everything else going on at the moment, my head hurt tons.

“Why don’t you ask Zuko to help you out, Princess? He is kind of like, the Fire Lord.” My hands dropped from my face, opting to throw my arms into the air in defeat. “I don’t want to bother Zuko. He has so much on his plate. I want to do this on my own.”

“But Princess, this is his job. He’ll help if you ask– he wants to help.”

I huffed to myself, biting my lips in frustration, “I know, but...I-uhh-I don’t know. I don’t want to. Have you seen the book I had to read for this week?”

Sokka shook his head, and I grumbled to myself, “On my nightstand. See that ridiculously thick book? Yeah, try reading a page and not fall asleep.” Sokka laughed at the evident disgust in my voice, grinning madly as he reached to his side. Just thinking about the book had me shivering in fear.

But I was trying.

Watching the way Zuko worked on a daily, it made me want to work just as hard. I wanted the prove everyone wrong – that I wasn’t some arm candy for Zuko. That I knew what I was doing… Sometimes, it felt like Zuko was the only one who believed in me in this kingdom. I won the people’s hearts – now I had to prove to the council that I can do this.

I closed my eyes, letting my arm rest over my eyes, the migraine that I’ve had still dully throbbing.

It was strange, for the past five or so days, I kept fluctuating from feeling better to isolating myself in bed. My body was hurting; my head felt like a hot mix of heavy and aching. Was having a cold always this annoying? I usually had Katara heal me; I haven’t experienced a full-blown illness in years.

“I’m gonna read where you have your bookmark,” Sokka spoke, and I merely nodded.

Although…I don’t remember leaving a bookmark in my book…I didn’t make it far enough to bother putting one. I could hear Sokka snort as if he was trying to sniffle in a laugh-

“Yesterday, Zuko used the lounging area after our bath, and I couldn’t be happier! He looked sooooo cute sitting there, reading. He almost fell asleep-”

“OH MY GOSH SOKKA STOP!” I screamed. This asshole was reading my bloody journal!

Sokka jumped out of bed, the fastest I’ve ever seen him move. I don’t even think he’s moved this fast or much during his times in battles. His bare feet hit the ground with a loud thud, laughing obnoxiously loud as he watched my expression of pure humiliation.

My eyes were bulging, cheeks a flaming hot red as I jumped in the bed, frantically trying to grab the notebook from his grasp.

“I love how when Zuko thinks he pouts like a child and-”

“Sokka STOP – give it back!” I moaned loudly, embarrassment about to eat me alive and be my cause of death. But my cries fell upon deaf ears, Sokka smiling like the cat that got the cream and sliding away from me. I huffed stridently, flying off the bed and flailing my arms stupidly.

Toph and I were the same height, which meant that everyone was outlandishly taller than us by two heads, minimum. I hopped up and down, trying my hardest to get Sokka to shut up – oh my gosh, I’m going to strangle him. But he just rose his arms high above him, reading the damn diary loud and proud. Please don’t read more, or else he’s going to-

“It’s crazy to think that it’s those same pouty lips that left these hickies- OH NO. I’m GOING TO KILL HIM!” Sokka raged, his face matching my red face.

I lunged forward, digging my shoulder into Sokka’s stomach.

Both of us went tumbling down on the floor, sounding like thunder during a rainstorm. One would have thought we were doing some training exercise at the amount of effort and roughhousing we were currently engaging in. Who needs a morning run when you have a dumbass older brother reading your diary?

“Give it back to me!”

“NEVER. I swear, what else has that asshole done? I’m bringing you back home after we figure this stuff out!”

“OH shut up, Sokka. I’m staying here!”

“No, you aren’t! HOLY SHIT – you guys did WHAT in his office!?”

“Sokka, stop reading!” I shrieked, trying to rip the damn book from his hands. I was puffing brashly, Sokka swinging his arms above him, despite me sitting on his chest, trying to catch his hands.

“No! I do work on that damn desk sometimes. I’ve drunken TEA on top of there!” Oh, screw this, “I swear Sokka, I’ll choke you out if you don’t give me my diary!”

“You wouldn’t dare.” He hissed under his breath; blue eyes narrowed – the glare of a warrior. I shot back the same look he gave me – I could be just as scary as him if I tried really-really hard. Sorry, Suki – find yourself a new man-

“Should I even ask?”

Sokka and I froze, heads snapping upwards, hearing the gruff voice echoing above us.

Zuko stood at the end of the bed, his arms across his broad chest, as he watched us with a mixture of confusion and amusement. His face was rosy from running, a few beads of sweat running down his temple and neck. I could see the way his chest rose with every breath, still winded from his workout.

My cheeks flushed at the sight of Zuko’s sweaty body, and at how silly Sokka and I looked. But Sokka seemed just as startled as me. Taking advantage of the opportunity, I snatched the notebook away from his hands, “HA~!”

Sokka’s eyes widen, stunned at how fast I stole the book, sticking my tongue at him.

It was like Zuko never entered the room.

Sokka and I bickered back and forth like toddlers unable to share a damn toy. Our faces were pink, not taking the time to breathe between words, let alone sentences.

“For fucks sakes, it’s way too early in the morning to deal with this,” Zuko grumbled under his breath, and I turned my gaze back to my handsome man.

He strolled over to the closet, patting down his face with the towel dangling over his shoulders. I fought the urge to drool over the sight – let’s not check out Zuko with Sokka in the room. Just as fast as Zuko entered the closet, he walked out, grabbing a set of clothing– those are some extravagant clothing he picked.

Every piece of clothing Zuko owned was stunning, made of the most delicate fabrics. But as he threw a new outfit onto the bed indolently, I saw the golden shimmers that illuminated under the morning sun and the beautifully sewed dragons.

Sokka opened his mouth to argue, and I just slapped his head with my notebook, muffling his cries. “Zuko, why are you dressing up? Is there a meeting?” I asked, raising my voice so Zuko could hear me over Sokka’s squeals. He perked up, shooting me a look of disbelief.

“Wow, won’t you look at that. Now my Imperial Consort acknowledges my existence.” He sarcastically spoke. I rolled my eyes at Zuko, bouncing off Sokka’s chest. Ignoring Sokka and his angry rant, I skipped towards Zuko, “You know I love you, Zuko~.”

“Mhmm – it seems you love me the most during the night when you need a heater.”

“…I’m not going to deny that.” I giggled, and right away, Zuko shot me a glare. A harmless glare, because I saw the grin that fought to emerge.

“I advise you, and Sokka, change soon. I don’t think you want to be dressed in your nightclothes when she arrives.”

Huh? She?

“You’re talking about Katara? Isn’t she arriving tonight-” Sokka budded in, and I noticed he had the plate of leftover cookies in hand, chewing away. Zuko nodded his head, his amber eyes settling over me, “I got word they’re at Ember Island at the moment, taking a little break. They should arrive in the next hour or two.”

My face flushed, clapping excitedly.

“She’s almost here!” I gushed, turning on my heel to face Sokka. For the moment, the fact that he was reading my diary, and was about to kill Zuko was lost to the wind – both us animated at the thought of seeing Katara again.

“Sokka, get out so I can change! I need to take a bath.”

“I know you do, you stink.”

“I swear Sokka-” I hissed under my breath, and just as quick as Sokka was to tease, he stepped forward, his playful grin shifting to a tender smile. His fingers brushed through the tangled strands of hair that fell over my face, combing them out of the way. My body relaxed and a lax smile of my own emerging at the gentle gesture.

“I’m glad you’re feeling better, Princess.” He whispered under his breath, and I couldn’t help but let out a soft laugh. “Thanks for checking up on me, and the cookies…I missed you…even if you annoy me.”

Sokka grinned, flicking my forehead, “I’m always here, Princess...and…I’m taking the cookies with me.” He turned on his heel, shouting his goodbyes to Zuko before I could fight for my right to indulge in those tempting sweets. The pace at which he bee-lined for the exit, the door shutting behind him in one fluid motion, was unmatchable – leaving Zuko and me alone.

My shoulders dropped, a content sigh escaping me – I’m happy.

“Love?”

My eyes widen, turning to see Zuko with those enticing eyes. He titled his head to the side, nudging towards the bathroom. An innocent giggle escaped me, already knowing what my dear Zuko was asking.

“Give me a minute to grab some clothes-”

“Already picked a dress for you.” I couldn’t hide my surprised expression even if I tried. “You did? I didn’t see you grab anything-”

“I will after our bath. Although naked sounds like a tempting option, I must say.” Zuko sheepishly spoke, laughing under his breath as he waltzed towards me. His arms wrapped around my waist, gazing down at me with a broad smile. My hands fell over his chest, feeling his pulse under my touch.

“Sokka says I stink…clearly; he didn’t smell you.” I teased, and Zuko leaned in, playfully biting my nose. His teeth grazed my skin, and I giggled at his childish behaviour. It will repeatedly take me off guard how utterly spiritedly Zuko could be – a trait that didn’t seem to pop up often, even with the others.

“Mmm, stinky and stinky.” He muttered under his breath, “We make a good pair.”

“Soon, we’ll be clean and clean.” I bantered back, enjoying the dimpled smile that shined brightly on Zuko’s face.

“What were you and Sokka fighting about?” Zuko asked, his lips pecking my forehead, still holding me close to his body – making no move to head to the bathroom. I groaned to myself, letting my head plop onto his chest with a thud, recalling what had happened.

“That bum read my diary! It was so embarrassing!” I blew.

“You know…” Zuko spoke, and I heard the dip in his voice.

My head snapped upwards, and I wasn’t astounded to see that shit-eating smirk flicker upon those sinful lips. The way my heart pounded, expression naïve hearing and seeing the way Zuko licked his lips mischievously, leaning too close for comfort.

“I must say – my favourite part is when you write about how much you adore my voice.” Zuko mused, and at that moment – my cheeks turned a red that not even Zuko’s flames could match.

My mouth dropped, babbling nonsense as I slapped Zuko’s chest hard – as if I could slap the awkwardness out of me. But Zuko didn’t seem the slightest bit flustered; instead, he looked down at me with a glowing grin. I can’t believe this asshole-

“Does NO ONE understand the concept of PRIVACY!?” I squealed, puffing as I grumbled under my breath. “I can’t believe you read my diary! You’re just as annoying as Sokka!”

“Who said I read your diary, love?” I frowned, staring at Zuko with confusion, “You-you just said that you knew-” Zuko grinned mischievously, the tips of his fingers tickling my jaw, shutting me up.

“Oh, my sweet love. I didn’t read your diary. Just a lucky guess.”

“You were bluffing-”

“Nice to know what you think of my voice, although-” Zuko smirked, planting a deceitfully sweet kiss on my nose, “I can’t say that I am surprised.” I stood there, rattled, cheeks a flaming red - Zuko always seemed to know.

That prideful smirk of his didn’t vanish, his delicate fingers leaving my face, arm no longer hugging me close. His welcomed warmth left my body, smugly stepping back, taking in my flustered appearance to the fullest.

“Shall we get into our bath, love?” he spoke calmly, it was maddening.

“I’m going to drown you,” I complained under my breath, watching the way Zuko confidently strolled towards the bathroom. But being the oh-so-famous man he was, Zuko shrugged off the threat with ease.

His long fingers untied his loose bun, looking over his shoulder with a playful grin, “I can think of ten other things I would rather do in that tub than drown.”

“Zuko~!”

“And that’s exactly what I indeed to hear from those pretty lips of yours, baby.”

“Everything is set for Katara’s arrival, Fire Lord Zuko.”

“Including the extra guard?”

“Yes, Fire Lord. They are at their post.”

Zuko huffed under his breath, nodding at the servants' words, although I couldn’t help but notice how empty his tone sounded. My eyes shifted from the chaos before me, feeling the way Zuko was moving his arm, which I tightly hugged. The moment I tilted my head upwards, an amused smile painted my lips. What a manchild-

The golden stings that decorated Zuko’s sleeves seemed to have unravelled.

I watched as he puckered, failing miserably at tying the adornment with one hand. The fabric slipped from between his fingers, and it may have been the first time, I dare say, that Zuko was unelegant. For a man with such a soft touch and long delicate fingers – you would have thought he had tree stumps as digits at the way he wriggled.

“Fire Lord Zuko – let me.” I hummed.

I grasped his arm, tugging him closer to myself as I tied the flimsy strings together. No wonder he was struggling – it was silk. A small huff, and a tongue biting moment later – I quickly began tying.

Our pace of walking slowed without me realizing, and I couldn’t help but smile pridefully at how adorable my little knot was. While cute was not synonymous with Zuko for the majority of the population – it was in my books. What was there not to label cute about Zuko?

“Mmm, what would I do without my lovely Imperial Consort?” Zuko droned into my ear, a deep huskiness causing my cheeks to flush. I could hear the teasing tone with every word, but that didn’t change the touch of truth in his statement. The guards and servants around us giggled softly, overhearing the teasing banter, causing my cheeks to deepen in colour.

I looked upwards, not expecting to see Zuko as close as he was. It reminded me of the events that happened just a few days ago, us laughing like children down the hallway, close and snuggled. That’s right, Izumi was the name we settled on…

The way his eyes smiled at me, inspecting the way my touch left his sleeves, opting to embrace his arm close to my body. For a moment in time, I found myself speechless. Zuko looked handsome today, breathtaking. Was that unusual? Not at all – but Zuko made my skin tingle, butterflies fluttering, and breath gone.

“You would be lost – that’s what you would be.” I chirped back, biting my lips with a tone to match his. The way Zuko’s eyes lit up, surprised that I decided to amuse him. His lips began to move, ready to spit out some witty retort, but the sound of a servant clearing his throat beat him to it.

“Fire Lord Zuko, you have a lunch date planned today with your mother, in the gardens. I assume you wish to cancel?”

A lunch date? How sweet! It’s been a while since Zuko and Ursa have spent some time together. But rather than lighting up the way Zuko usually does at the mere mention of Ursa, he pinched the bridge of his nose in irritation. I pouted, observing his evident annoyance, not seeming as content to hear of such a plan like me.

“She’s going to kill me for canceling again- Yes, please cancel-” Zuko hissed under his breath. He can’t be serious-

“Zuko.” I huffed, tugging on his arm without thinking. In a flash, everyone turned their attention to me – and I mentally slapped myself for doing such an act in public. But I pushed aside the regret, focusing on the matter at hand.

“You aren’t really going to cancel your afternoon plans with Ursa, are you?” I whisper shouted, looking at Zuko with wide eyes. His lips puckered at my words, shooting me a look that screamed, ‘what else am I suppose to do?’

I swear- this man really is lost without me at times.

“We arrived here almost a week ago, and you’ve haven’t seen your family once. They’re worried.” I reasoned, and Zuko sighed, gazing around us in frustration. The guards got the hint. They awkwardly turned their looks away, walking briskly in front of us, giving us plenty of space to talk without anyone overhearing.

“I know that Yue, but when Katara lands, we need to discuss-” Zuko hissed under his breath, lips pressed as he tried to hush his tone. “Zuko.” I pleaded, shaking my head, tightening my hold.

The large doors that lead outside, where we landed with Appa, was coming into view. I spotted a dash of green running through the doors, most likely Suki. That means everyone is already there, waiting for Katara’s arrival.

“I’ve been here for how long, and I only got to share one moment with you in those gardens. One walk – don’t do the same thing with your mom. She misses you.” I begged, and right away, Zuko’s stern look shifted to that of genuine regret. His cheeks flushed, stripping his gaze away from mine, his lips twisted to a frown.

“You know how to make a man feel guilty,” Zuko grumbled under his breath as he strode forward, but I tugged on his arm harshly. He’s trying to run away from his feelings. We abruptly stopped dead in our tracks, turning on his heel to look down at me with narrowed eyes. Zuko wasn’t upset with me – he just sucks at expressing himself.

Zuko was more of a family man than he let on. He would do anything for them, but it was like he was afraid to admit how much he cared. How much he thought about them and enjoyed their presence. I wasn’t a fool; I caught the sweet stares he sent to his mom or Uncle Iroh, enjoying their company, even if it was just for a few seconds.

“What I’m trying to say is this-” I muttered softly, upset that I caused that frown to rise. “We’ve survived this long without someone attacking us. I think the gang would understand and can wait a few more hours before our meeting. Katara is probably exhausted as well; she could use some rest…” I hummed.

Out of the corner of my eyes, I could spot the servants studying us, curious as to why we halted. I let my hands rest over Zuko’s forearms, squeezing as I smiled up at him, “You’re a man of work, Zuko. And I love that, but don’t forget that you have a family too...”

�� “I knew it was a bad idea to let Uncle Iroh and mom keep you company…they taught you their ways of getting to my mind.” Zuko mumbled under his breath, but I spotted that gentle smile of his starting to shine through – my sun.

“When are you going to learn that I’m always the one in control?” I teased, and in a flash, Zuko gripped my hands tightly. My heart pounded loudly, blood pumping as I watched as Zuko brought my hands to his lips, placing sweet pecks all over my palms.

“Mmm, I don’t deny such a truth, I pride myself in it.” he snickered, before stealing one last caress. “Let’s go, baby. Based on the ruckus outside, and dirt flying everywhere, it seems like Katara has arrived.”

“I’m so excited, Zuko. I missed her-”

“Oh, I’m very much aware of how excited you are. All night you were squirming around in your sleep. It felt like I was cuddling a worm.” Zuko laughed, and I blushed. This tease- I pulled my grip away, playfully punching his chest, not at all caring that we were not in the private confines of our bedroom.

“Watch yourself, love – you wouldn’t want to get arrested now.” Zuko grinned, and I scoffed.

“We both know that the guards love me more than you. So if you, Sir, don’t want to get put into cuffs, I advise you be careful.” I smugly retorted, and it was then and there I knew I was treading in dangerous waters.

The large gap between us felt far too small, watching the way Zuko’s lips twisted to a naughty smirk that had my stomach in knots.

He leaned forward, his lips grazing my jaw, his hot breath tickling the skin at the base of my neck. That alone had my breath hitching, and the incontrollable response had Zuko clicking his tongue in amusement. His alluring scent had my head spinning, knees on the verge of buckling at his mere presence. But it was Zuko’s damn voice that had me teetering on edge. Fuck him-

“Mhmm, we both know that you would look delicious in a pair of cuffs, baby. And while I would never think of using such means, ‘cause you’re such a good girl, I’m not against the idea.”

“Zuko-” I gulped, my hands bunching the fabric of my dress in my hands. I could feel my palms getting sweaty, realizing I’ve been holding my breath the whole time. And at the mere sound of my voice, Zuko let out a low groan in my ear, tilting his head back as he licked his lips. The way his eyes fluttered closed for a moment, rolling back – was it because of me?

“There you go again, love. Saying my name in that needy tone of yours – it drives me mad.” He purred, and my eyes widened. Does no one see this, hear this? I anxiously shifted my gaze around us, scared that someone would see what was happening. I can’t continue breaking royal rules. I need just one day. One day where I go without breaking a damn rule.

But my resolved cracked.

The guards and servants were far more interested in watching the arrival of Appa through the windows, talking amongst themselves than what was going on between us. They have no clue; they’re completely oblivious-

“Come on, baby, let me hear the sweet voice of yours again.” Zuko toyed, catching my attention. His lips brushed against my jaw once again, a hand falling on the dip of my back. I couldn’t help it – his lips are so close to mine, and no one is watching.

One kiss. One kiss is all I want-

“THANK THE FUCKING GODS I AIN’T THE ONLY ONE LATE.”

If Zuko wasn’t holding on my waist the way he was now, I would’ve fallen on my face.

We pushed off each other, the looks of two people who got caught painted on our faces. But just like that, Zuko collected himself. His touch left me, crossing his arms with a scowl on his face as he watched Sokka dash towards us in a mad sprint.

Why is Sokka-

Sokka’s thick brown hair reflected off the sunlight, droplets of water flying as he ran like a sprinkler. His hands were desperately working on the white buttons that decorated his navy blue top, flaunting his exposed torso to us. Are his shoes on the opposite feet?

“Sokka? Why are you-” I whispered, but Zuko blew loudly, finishing off my train of thought. “A bloody mess? Come on, man, you’re leaving a fucking trail of water, and you aren’t even a Waterbender.” I stifled in a laugh because Zuko was totally right. There was a damn pond now in the kingdom, courtesy of Sokka.

But Sokka grinned largely, not at all bothered by Zuko’s expression of disappointment. Aang and Sokka, I think the only two people who are immune to Zuko’s glares. Even I would cower away from such a stare.

“I had to shower, and Suki had to shower too, and one thing led to another-”

My cheeks flushed, and before I knew it, my hands fell over my ears, shutting my eyes and trying to push the mental image away. “Too much details Sokka!” I shouted, twisting on my heels, and Sokka let out a petty laugh.

“HA. Oh yeah, cause that diary didn’t have too much information, Princess.” I frowned, hands falling on my hips as Sokka came to a halt beside us, closing the last button of his top. Oh, I swear, I’m going to kill Sokka-

“You didn’t have to read my diary, dummy!” I shouted, and I could hear Zuko sigh beside us.“Why is my best friend, a fucking idiot?” Zuko mumbled, his arm snaking around my waist.

“AWW MAN, I’m you’re best friend?” Sokka spoke, beaming like a child towards Zuko, and I found my jaw-dropping. Out of everything Zuko said, all he got was ‘friend’?

“You’re an idiot,” Zuko spoke, a touch of genuine fear in his voice. I couldn’t help but snort, shaking my head as I brushed my hair behind my ears, looking forward. But it still doesn’t explain why Sokka is late.

“We just saw Suki a few moments ago, Sokka,” I spoke, observing him. He had an elastic between his teeth, his hands frantically brushing his hair to a messy bun.

“Yeah, well, as I said, we had to shower. I was just getting in, and she was just finishing.” Sokka mumbled between clenched teeth. With a free hand, he grabbed the hair tie, wrapping his hair in a somewhat presentable hair-do. “I still think I have shampoo in my hair…” Sokka grumbled under his breath.

Who needs a damn child when you can have Sokka? I rolled my eyes, reaching forward as I watched the way Sokka struggled to put on the coat that he had swung over his shoulder. I’m surprised it didn’t fall off during his mad sprint towards us. I reached forward, fingers grazing the rough material, only for an animated shout to catch our attention.

“Come on, slow-pokes! She’s here!”

My eyes widen, looking in front of us. Suki’s head was popping through the grand doors. She was free of her Kyoshi warrior outfit, opting for a natural look. Her eyes matched the sweet smile of hers, her green dress flowing in the light breeze outside. Her brown hair bobbed back and forth as she eagerly bounced in her spot in excitement.

“Some siblings you are – both of you guys are late.” She laughed before shutting the door behind her. Katara is here! In a flash, I gazed up to Zuko with doe eyes, ready to babble in anticipation, but I found myself stopping. The smile on Zuko’s face – it didn’t reach his eyes.

I’m an idiot.

“Come on; Katara’s going to give us a damn lecture if she doesn’t see us in the next ten seconds.” Sokka huffed, striding ahead of us. Zuko merely nodded, the arm wrapped around my waist thrusting me forward to match Sokka’s pace.

Zuko didn’t utter a word; he just kept his gaze forward as we walked towards the doors. His lips were pressed tight despite the smile on his face. It was those fake smiles of his, I’ve seen them before whenever he was tired, or annoyed but had to show face in the name of politics.

Zuko and Katara.

I never did ask, but did they ever talk about what happened in the Southern Water Tribe? Things just happened so fast, and as reasonable as Zuko was, he was as stubborn as Katara could be petty.

Did they make-up, did Katara apologize to Zuko? Zuko flat out admitted he wanted Katara to help heal me, but was it because he trusted her, or because he was desperate to see me better?

The servants in front of us quickly opened the door for us, and for a split moment, I saw the slight scowl on Zuko’s face.

Zuko…

Awkward was a word I would have never used to describe Katara’s and my relationship.

We were many things – but above all, we were sisters despite not sharing the same blood. It was funny; she was born in November, me in July, the same year, but she was more of a big sister to me than I was to her. She just had this motherly aura about her, even making Zuko seem like a child to us all.

A silence fell over us as we stood side by side.

My fingers twirled around each other as we walked along the hallway, me admiring the view of the gardens before us. It was a beautiful day, the sunlight shining, the flowers seemingly reaching their peak in beauty. I could only imagine the sweet scents the flowers were producing should we have been walking outside instead.

Awkward.

The others were busy working on their tasks, Aang with his new Nation, Sokka, Toph, and Suki regarding a battle plan. And Zuko- I smiled. I could see him and Ursa, sitting under the large cherry blossom tree that towered above all. The pink blossoms created a blanket-like cover for Zuko and Ursa to sit on, something straight out of a fairytale.

Even from here, I could see the contentment on Ursa’s face as Zuko poured her some tea. But the same emotion was evident on his, and while I couldn’t prove it, I was certain that those heart-throbbing dimples of his were most likely present on his face.

Katara carefully brushed a brown braid behind her ear, her fingers playing with the flimsy envelope in her arms. I figured she would’ve used the time Zuko is spending with his mother to rest, but instead, she said she wanted to spend some time with me. I was beyond delighted to hear her say that, but now that she was here-

Awkward.

Why were things so awkward between us right now?

The sound of Zuko’s laughter caught my attention, a tinge of pink dusting my cheeks. His smile was wide as he shook his head in amusement, his mother nodding eagerly as she spoke. The way Zuko studied his mom, listening to her every word like it was gold. He loved his mother to the moon and back; there wasn’t a doubt about it.

“You and Zuko…you two seem happy.” Katara hummed softly, the first one to speak in the awkward silence that somehow managed to fall between us. I froze, unable to move my feet as I sharply turned to stare at Katara.

Her blue eyes were round and filled with admiration, a genuine smile on her face. “Suki was right; you do stare at him a lot.” My mouth dropped, cheeks flaring up as I found myself speechless. Katara’s smile soon turned to an almighty grin, laughing at the reaction she got out of me, “Has Sokka declared himself as the ‘almighty cockblock’ yet?”

I snorted, “The first week.”

“He’s so overprotective.”

“Tell me about it, that dummy read my diary today!”

“He did not.” Katara huffed, her cheeks matching my red ones once I told her the news. But as the words left her mouth, I noticed how close we had gotten. Both of our bodies were leaned towards each other, eagerly talking as if the awkward silence that was consuming us never happened.

The awkwardness…

“Yue…?”

“Katara…”

“I missed you.”

At her final words, I found my arms quickly flying over her shoulders, a happy smile painting my face. “I missed you, too, Katara,” I whispered, not at all caring that I was wrinkling the important paper pressed against her chest. Katara let out a giggle as she snuggled her head into my neck, cuddling me back to the best of her abilities without dropping the letter.

The awkwardness was not because of some ill feelings, but because we didn’t know where to start.

I’ve never been away from Katara and Sokka before; it was usually them leaving me for work. But now…it was different. This wasn’t a matter or us leaving for a few weeks or months and coming back. I lived here now, forever, this was my new home.

My new life with Zuko.

“It’s been so long; I don’t even know where to start.” I gushed as we pulled away. Having her in my arms briefly, I noticed that not much had changed between us despite the time. The only reason difference is that while she wore blue, I wore red.

But she’s still my exasperating sister.

“Well, you can start with, you know.” Katara laughed, wiggling her eyebrows towards the window. I blushed, looking over my shoulder, and at that moment, Zuko’s eyes locked with mine.

It didn’t matter that we were a distance away from each other. The fire that ignited in me the moment Zuko’s gaze settled over mine was undeniable. He shot me a devilish smile as he tilted his head cockily. The way his ember eyes studied me, it was like he was looking into my soul – leaving me gasping and knees shaky. And just like that, he turned back to his mom, resuming his conversation.

Oh, this man, the definition of sin itself.

“Where do I even start?” I breathed, hands falling over my chest to get my heartbeat under wraps. But despite the flustered state, Zuko seemed always to leave me in; I couldn’t pull my eyes away. Gosh, Yue. You’re literally creeping him through the damn window.

Have you really stooped that low? Yes, yes, I have, and I have no regrets.

The confidence that seemed to ooze from him without a single effort, how did Ursa manage to give birth to such a fine specimen like him? Those pouty lips, long fingers, his hot breath along my neck-

“Yue, do you love Zuko?” Katara blurted, cutting my thoughts in half.

I jumped in my spot, my whole body heating up in embarrassment. Not only did Katara just catch me gawking at Zuko within minutes of her arriving here, but she also didn’t know. Everything that has happened between us; the kisses, sweet confessions, she didn’t know a single thing.

“The way you’re staring at Zuko, the way he looks at you…it’s just like Aang and me; it’s …love.”

“I-”

“Do you-do you love him, Yue?” Katara sternly spoke, stepping forward. Her hands fell over my shoulders, her fingers digging into my dress with a serious expression. I nervously bit my lip, trying to understand her sudden outburst, but the expression she wore was serious. I swallowed hard, nodding my head.

“I love him, Katara. More than anything in the world.”

“I can’t believe it…” She whispered under her breath.

I pouted, tilting my head to try to comprehend her words. Was she…was she mad? But Katara just snickered, her shoulders slumping in ease as she shook her head. “Zuko didn’t need someone to break down his walls; he needed someone to help him rebuild.” She muttered to herself. What is she talking about-

“I’m so happy, Yue; I’m so happy you found each other.” She exclaimed. “Dad has been worried sick about you; I can’t wait till I tell him how happy you are.”

Hakoda-

“How is dad, Katara?” I questioned, and Katara shot me a sad smile. It was something that ate away at me. I still remember the look on his face when I told him I was leaving with Zuko. He tried to play it off cool, saying how he was happy that I was leaving the nest, spreading my wings again. But I could still remember the small sniffle that I heard the moment I shut the door behind me to leave.

“He’s good, but sad…he misses you. Keeps on saying how his daughters are being swept off their feet.” Katara spoke as I let my gaze wander back to the window. Ursa was standing tall, dusting off her dress with a happy smile that reached her eyes. But Zuko was nowhere in sight.

“But, he has you at home, at least,” I replied.

“About that…” I frowned at her tone, pulling my gaze away from the gardens and back to Katara. She let out a heavy sigh, shuffling back and forth between her feet. “Dad has been acting weird lately,”

Dad was always weird; that was a fact, but for Katara to say it spoke plenty. He was a serious man, for the most part, but Sokka got his playfulness from someone. And it didn’t take long to learn from who it was.

“Dad has been pushing at the thought of Aang and me finding a home for ourselves.”

“He’s thinking about your future.” I tried to reason, but Katara shook her head. “That’s what I thought, but since you left, he’s been insistent. Keeps saying that I’m an adult now, that I have to think of the bigger picture. And…”

“And?” I pushed, and I spotted the way Katara’s cheeks flushed.

Katara was blushing.

She hugged her body, eyes darting side to side before she finally found her voice. Katara and Aang have been together for years – it took a lot to make Katara blush. This is going to be good.

“A few months ago, I saw Aang talking to Dad in his office. But whenever I bring it up, Aang says he wasn’t there – when I saw him. I even confronted Dad about it, but he denies everything.” I rose a brow, trying to piece together what Katara was telling me.

Why Would Dad lie about that, better yet – Aang doesn’t lie. Aang is the definition of purity, never uttering a lie or harming a soul. For Aang to lie to Katara…

“I think…I think Aang may propose to me, Yue.”

“Oh my gosh, Katara-”

“And I wanna say yes!” She blurted, her hands falling over her mouth at her honest confession. I couldn’t stop the squeals, jumping in my spot at the thought of Katara and Aang tying the knot. The first marriage in the gang!

“Katara, I’m so HAPPY!” I chirped, clapping like a fool at the thought, and that just seemed to worsen Katara’s blush. “I love him, Yue. We won’t have kids for a few years, we agreed on that, we’re both too busy with our jobs. But we’ve always wanted to be married. But maybe I’m overthinking things?”

“Overthinking? KATARA. He went to Dad, and now Dad is trying to find a house for you~! He’s going to propose!”

“Have you heard anything funny from Sokka, or maybe Zuko? Maybe Zuko would know what Aang is thinking. Aang always says how Zuko is his best friend; he would know something, right?” Katara insisted, and I thought.

She had a point.

Just like how I spilled my guts to Suki or Kima, the guys would do the same with each other. But I never heard anything from Zuko…but he’s good at keeping secrets, Yue. I huffed, that’s right. Which means…if I want to find something I have to do a little bit of snooping.

I grinned, “Leave it to me. Sokka doesn’t call me a curious cat for nothing!” Katara frowned, shaking her finger at me, “Don’t go doing anything stupid, Yue. I don’t want you to get in trouble with Zuko because of me.”

I rolled my eyes, crossing my arms, “Zuko wouldn’t dare, I have him wrapped around my finger.”

“I can’t believe it, Yue. You really tamed the untamable.” Katara spoke in amazement, shaking her head as she watched over me. I smiled proudly, shifting my attention back outside. Ursa was calmly sitting under the tree again, a book in her lap as her eyes scanned back and forth. Smart woman, enjoying the warmth to the fullest.

But Zuko still wasn’t there. Where did he go? He was just there a moment ago-

“Looking for someone, love?”

I jumped, a pair of arms snaking their way around my body. The heat emitted from his touch had me purring, snuggling against the hard torso pressed against my back. Zuko nuzzled his face into my neck, his hands firmly planting themselves on my waist as he hummed pleasantly in my ear. “Mm, how is my baby?” he droned, his lips nibbling my skin before stopping abruptly.

His body tensed, and I saw the way Katara’s eyes widen in surprise. Zuko pulled his face away from me, standing tall, fingers digging into my skin.

“Katara.” He spoke bluntly, but I could feel the coldness in his tone. I’m right. He was upset with her still, and Katara seemed to notice it too. Katara’s lips pressed tight, taking a deep breath as she nodded her head, “Zuko.”

Awkward – this was what real awkwardness feels like.

The tension in the room was thick, Katara’s blue eyes locked with Zuko’s golden ones. “How was your lunch with Ursa, Zuko?” I blurted, trying to ease the tension, it was unbearable.

“Great.” He hissed, and I stiffened. This is bad, really bad.

Do something, Yue.

Do something-

“I forgot to give these papers to you earlier, Zuko. These are from the Earth Nation.” Katara spoke, and Zuko’s eyes narrowed.

“How did you receive it?” He asked, and Katara cleared her throat before answering. “Ember Island. The Earth King sent this there, thinking you were still residing in your vacation home. But I was told it was urgent and they sent it with me. Faster with Appa. It’s to be opened as soon as possible.”

Zuko merely nodded, not saying anything else. Zuko not speaking was scarier than him yelling. Katara outstretched her arm, Zuko meeting halfway as he touched the envelope. The flimsy document looked small in Zuko’s hands, but as his fingers curled, ready to take it, Katara's voice stopped him.

“Actually, I thought Yue could take it to your study.”

“Why? I can do it myself; we’re on our way there now-”

“I-I want to talk, just us, for a minute, Zuko,” Katara exclaimed, and I noticed the way her voice wavered. Her eyes met mine, almost pleading with me to go along, and I nodded. Before Zuko would say anything else, I reached forward, taking the paper from their grasps. I looked upwards, shooting Zuko a sweet smile, “I’ll meet you at the study with the gang. Be quick!”

I could hear Zuko click his tongue, and like water, I slipped from his grasp.

Temptation ate away at me, swiftly gazing over my shoulder at the two, and they were exactly where I left them seconds ago. They stood across each other, a large frown on Zuko’s face as Katara took a deep breath. And as I turned the corner, I found myself stopping for a moment.

“What do you want, Katara? We have stuff we need to discuss-” Zuko grumbled under his breath, undoubtedly pinching the bridge of his nose.

I knew it was wrong.

I knew I shouldn’t listen, eavesdrop. But it was like no matter how hard I tried; I couldn’t move. I wanted to know what Katara wanted to talk so desperately to Zuko about. I wanted to know what Katara wanted with Zuko. Was she going to ask Zuko about the marriage thing? But the words that flew from Katara’s mouth had me holding my breath.

“I want to say I’m sorry.”

Silence.

I bolted as fast as I could, a goofy smile on my face.

Katara had guts.

And while Katara was undoubtedly hard-headed like Zuko, the friendship between Zuko and her was far more important than her ego. Thank you Katara, Zuko really needed to hear that.

“What’s taking them so loooonnngggggg~.” Toph complained under her breath, lounging on the rug that covered the floor of Zuko’s office. Her hands were comfortably tucked behind her head; legs crossed over each other as she impatiently blew. Should she have been a Firebender, I was certain there would have been flickers of fire leaving her lips, much like Zuko.

I giggled, shrugging my shoulders as I happily sat in Zuko’s grand chair. It was super comfy, might I add. The padding was making it feel like I was sitting on a cloud. No wonder Zuko didn’t mind doing paperwork, I would to if it meant sitting on a comfy chair like this.

My curious eyes wandered about, scanning the array of documents that decorated his study. There were so many projects happening under Zuko’s care, notes filled with his scribbles containing details. But as interesting as everything was, I was more fascinated by the green document that I brought here.

While it was light, the envelope was thick; the Earth Nation seal prettily stamped in the center with ivory coloured wax. A letter from the Earth King…I wonder what it is about? As if the emerald green hypnotized me, I found my mind wandering.

I wonder how Kayto was?

No matter how hard I tried, I couldn’t wipe the image of the happy smile on his face as he walked away from me. The cherry blossoms falling around him in the sweet breeze, how clear his eyes seemed that day. Even his steps seemed lighter than air, practically hovering along the ground.

It was like he was a changed man…but despite the delighted smile on his face, my heart swelled with sorrow. There was something about that moment that had my eyes teary, something that made my stomach rise to my throat.

“I gotta say, Princess. You look good, sitting there. You look like a real Queen.” Sokka mused. I blushed at his words, pushing myself back in the chair. My gaze snapped forward, watching the way Sokka lounged in a chair that was placed in front of the desk we were currently huddled around.

“You really do, for someone as cute as you – you can look pretty scary when you focus.” Suki giggled in Sokka’s lap. I whined under my breath, shyly combing my hair in front of my chest, twirling the strands around. Me ruling a whole Nation? I could feel my whole body shaking.

The thought alone was beyond terrifying. How does Zuko do it? Thousands and thousands of people looking up to you for guidance. You’re the face of the Nation. The person people praise or curse. Overnight you can be the publics' favourite person, their beacon of hope, or their worst enemy.

“Sorry we’re late.”

Zuko busted through the door hastily, and I couldn’t help but smile. The tension in his shoulders was gone, his feet light as he beelined towards his study. He looked like a man on a mission – ready to get down to business. Katara coolly walked towards Aang, but even I could tell she seemed more at peace, her breathing calm.

They’re okay; they talked it out.

“FINALLY. Can we get this done and over with already?” Toph groused, sitting upright in a flash as she crossed her arms. Zuko rolled his eyes at Toph, merely walking where I sat. He placed a small peck on my forehead, earning a bashful smile from myself, before spotting the green document on his desk.

“Where do we even start?” I pondered under my breath as I watched Zuko. He leaned against his study, a hand combing through my locks as if to soothe himself, as he swore under his breath. The letter from the Earth King was dense – he’s going to have a fun read.

“Maybe with Kayto and the Earth King?” Suki proposed, but Toph gave her two cents. “Further. The waterfall. That’s where Yue first saw Azula and Yakone.”

“Azula? Yakone?” Katara gasped, Aang nodding his head as he ran his hands up and down her, comforting. “You’re all wrong,” I announced before realizing what I had said. Right away, Zuko’s attention shifted to me, eyes narrowed as the grip he had on the paper tightened.

“What do you mean that we’re wrong? You said you saw Azula at the waterfall.” Zuko spoke, a certain edge in his voice. I puffed, “You’re right, but that’s not the first time I saw her.”

“You lied? Why would you lie about that-”

I frowned at Zuko, realizing that he thought I was hiding information. “Yeah, Princess. Why would not tell Zuko you saw Azula?” Sokka butted, leaning forward, nearly pushing Suki off him. Her hands fell against the study, catching herself, shooting Sokka a glare.

“Because I didn’t know it was her!” I puffed, throwing my arms up in the air frustratingly. As much as I was part of the gang now, they seemed to forget that I wasn’t friends with them as long as they have been. “I didn’t know it was her! You don’t think if I knew, I would’ve said something? She disguised herself as a maid. I didn’t know better.”

“Did you not tell Yue about Azula, Zuko?” Aang asked gently, and I saw the flustered look on Zuko’s face. His gaze shifted back to the fancy writing of Earth King, grumbling under his breath. “N-no.”

“It’s not Zuko’s fault; he doesn’t have to tell me about that.” I started, but Zuko slammed the paper on the desk. I was startled, not at all expecting the outburst of anger. His forehead was scrunched together, a scowl on his face as he stared the crimpled paper.

“It is my fault; I should’ve been smarter; I let my guard down. I figured Azula was no longer an issue – stupid wishful thinking.” Zuko hissed under his breath.

“Zuko…” I hummed softly. My hand fell over his forearm, giving him a gentle squeeze. “I should’ve told you about the maid. I was stupid…I didn’t want to worry you.”

“But I already worry.” He ranted.

“Oh, for fucks sakes, talk about your damn feelings another time!” Toph swore loudly, standing upright as she stomped her feet on the ground. She swiftly shifted her posture, her head in the direction of Katara.

“Look here, Sugar Queen, this is what is going to happen. I’m going to tell the damn details, and everyone can keep their mouths shut till the end. Got it?”

I found myself zipping my mouth shut, Sokka nodding his head frantically, hearing Toph’s stern voice. Aang straightened up his posture, Zuko shooting Toph an amused look, seeing her take charge. “Please go on, Toph. Saves my breath.” Zuko muttered, before raising the documents back to view.

And boy, did Toph tell the story, alright.

It was an experience I didn’t know I needed to experience until today. I figured Toph would gloss over everything, cutting corners due to her unsurprisingly impatient nature, but I was pleasantly surprised.

Despite her blunt and quick to the point, attitude, she hit the nail in every aspect. She didn’t leave behind a single detail, Katara’s eyes growing wider and wider by the second. In fact, even though most of us were there to experience the whole ordeal, we found ourselves silent. Who knew Toph could be a fantastic public speaker when she wanted to be? She would make an amazing investigator.

Zuko’s hand went back to petting my hair, reading the documents sent from the Earth King, as Toph ranted. But his attention wavered when Katara spoke up.

“Azula burnt Aang?” Katara repeated, her hand softly caressing Aang’s arms. Aang shot her a caring smile, catching her hand with his, “Don’t worry about it, Sweetheart. I’m all healed.” I could tell Aang was trying his best to ease any concern of Katara, but I couldn’t blame her.

She was thrown into a pit of lions. Everything that happened, we’ve gotten to process one way or another over time, but Katara was learning about everything now. It was a shock, but Katara just huffed furiously at Aang, shaking her head in annoyance.

“And you- are you crazy?” She shouted; a slender finger pointed towards me. My jaw dropped, face going white as I saw the way her eyes narrowed heatedly. It reminded me of the times she would lecture Sokka and me whenever we got into trouble. “You fought Azula like in that state, you fought Yakone. You could’ve died Yue; your chi is all messed up. This is dangerous!” Katara lectured.

“I had to save them-”

“Aang could have gone in the Avatar state.” Katara retorted.

“He was tired.” I fought back, pushing myself off the chair. I knew Katara had a point. It was stupid of me, and this ‘flu’ I had, which was evidently something else, was worrying. It was dangerous for me to bend, but the thought of any of them getting hurt was scarier. “I had to save them. Yakone was going to kill them.”

“And this is why Bloodbenders are disgusting.” Katara spat, running a hand angrily through her locks. The outright hatred in her voice had my breathing hitching, not at all expecting those words to leave her mouth. But the way she spoke, it came naturally, like the fact that Bloodbenders were some vial creatures was a truth, not an opinion. Disgusting-

“Those are some strong words, Katara,” Aang said speedily, and Katara pursed her lips.

“You know how dangerous Bloodbending is. You can control someone without their consent. Kill them from the inside out.”

“That’s not true, Katara.” I blurted without much thought. Aang’s eyes widen at my comment, shooting me a warning glance, but Sokka spoke up before Katara could. “No offence, Princess, but as much as you are a lover, you have to admit. Bloodbending, that’s some next-level human shit right there.”

“If you can even call them human,” Katara grumbled under her breath. Sokka frowned at her comment, but regardless, he nodded his head in agreeance to her words.

“Honestly, they’re more like monsters to me. Manipulating blood? That’s disgusting and dark.” Suki added, shaking her head as she looked at Sokka. Suki was a warrior, but even I noticed the way her voice wavered at the thought of Bloodbending.

“Well, once we get rid of Yakone, no more Bloodbenders to worry about. Problem solved.” Toph grumbled, falling back onto the floor with a thud. She crossed her legs, resting her chin on her elbow as she listened to everyone trash talk.

“We shouldn’t speak ill about Bloodbending; we don’t know much about it…maybe it can be used for some good?” I reasoned, trying to add some positivity to the conversation, but Katara snuffed. “What good could Bloodbending possibility have?”

“M-maybe you can heal? Right, Yue? Maybe you can do some more powerful healing, better than regular Waterbending?” Aang proposed eagerly. His eyes were light, scanning the room desperately, wishing for someone to work with him. But Sokka shrugged his shoulders, “I don’t know Aang. When you have that much power…it's tempting to do more evil than good, in my opinion.”

“But Aang is strong; he isn’t evil!” I retorted, hands falling on the study before me harder than I intended. Everyone jumped slightly at the sudden noise, but the beating of my heart in my chest was louder. “That’s like- that’s like saying that everyone with power is evil. That’s not true; there are plenty of good people with power.” I panicked, desperately trying to defuse the situation.

“Why do you care so much, Princess? Why are you trying to defend Bloodbenders? It’s like you feel bad for Yakone or something.” Toph huffed.

“That’s not what I’m trying to say.” I whimpered under my breath. What was I trying to say? It did sound like I was trying to defend Yakone. But that wasn’t it – hearing the way they disregarded a whole sub-bending skill because of a bad-bunch? What about all the good that came from Bloodbending during-

“The next thing you know, Princess over here is going to go give a hug to Yakone, maybe offer him some cookies.” Toph mocked under her breath. My lips puckered, eyes wide hearing the taunting tone in Toph’s voice.

“Watch it.”

For the first time, I heard Zuko speak. His voice was low, a deadly tone laced with his simple warning as his hand fell over my shoulder. I could feel the heat radiating from his palms. Zuko didn’t say a damn word during the whole conversation. Did he think Bloodbenders were monsters too? Despicable and less than human?

“It was a joke, Zuko. Relax.” Toph huffed, her bangs flying upwards for a moment before falling back over her eyes. “This isn’t a time for jokes. We have two wanted criminals, and damn spy inside the kingdom.” Zuko lectured, and Katara stepped forward.

“We’re just talking about Bloodbenders-”

“But why? Whether or not Bloodbenders are evil is beside the fucking point. We need to focus on the important things. Healing Yue, so her chi doesn’t kill her, and capturing Yakone to ensure the prosperity of the United Nations.”

“Zuko is right; we’re falling off track here,” Aang spoke, his voice sounding calmer. Zuko ran his hands through his bun, causing hairs to fall and frame his face. “We can pick up the rest tomorrow; we’re getting nowhere for today,” Zuko muttered under his breath.

Suki let out a sigh, standing off Sokka and outstretching a hand. He grabbed it, letting her pull his body upwards before wrapping an arm around her shoulders, “Fine. Let’s call it a day then. We can pick everything back up tomorrow in the morning.”

“Fine with me…” Toph grumbled before abruptly standing up. She kicked the air underneath her before storming out of the room without another word. Aang nodded meekly, bowing quickly towards Zuko and I. I saw the way he smiled at me sympathetically before linking arms with Katara. Pity.

The sound of their soft voices and feet pattering against the room was the last sound heard before the door shut behind them, leaving Zuko and me alone. The room suddenly felt far too large and lonely, missing the company of everyone, despite them being the cause of anxiousness.

I let out a shaky breath, hands rubbing my face roughly. Why did I have to say anything? I should have just agreed; I should have kept my mouth shut. They’re right-

Bloodbenders are monsters.

Disgusting creatures – less than humans.

I’m a mon-

“Love?” Zuko hummed softly, squeezing my shoulder and catching my attention. I jumped, hands falling onto my lap as I looked up at Zuko. I felt so jumpy today, uneasy, even around Zuko. But why? It was like darkness was looming over my head.

“S-sorry. I’ll go now so you can work. See you for dinner-”

“Wait.” Zuko breathed, and I noticed how soft his amber eyes appeared. The furious leader that called off the meeting was gone; only Zuko was here, no Fire Lord. “Let’s get out of here, love,” Zuko spoke tenderly, brushing my hair behind my ears as his fingers carefully traced my jaw. His touch had my body easing, breathing relaxing as I weakened under his touch.

“But your work-”

“Mother told me some interesting advice today during lunch.”

I bite my lips. That was random, even for my standards. But the look on Zuko’s face, he was serious. I opened my mouth before shutting it, unsure how to respond to his unexpected statement. “What…did she say” I clumsily questioned.

The way Zuko leaned into me, I could see my reflection in his eyes. He had such long eyelashes; I never did notice. I figured that the burn would’ve prevented much growth, much like his eyebrow, but that didn’t seem to be the case. His eyes were like endless pools of gold, flickers of sparks scattered randomly. The longer we stared into each other eyes, the larger his pupils dilated.

His thumb traced my bottom lip, Zuko biting his lips, “She told me to be selfish more often.”

I rose a brow at his words. “Selfish?”

“Mhmm…and I think…today I’m going to listen.”

“Which means…?” I pushed, and Zuko chuckled. “So impatient, curious.”

A flush coated my cheeks, but I couldn’t pull away from his grasp. Hypothesized by the intense stare, the way he rolled his bottom lip under his teeth as he cheekily studied me up and down. “I’m spoiling you rotten today. Care to go on a date with me? Ice cream for dinner?”

“Really? You aren’t playing around with me, are you?” I wisely asked, not trusting Zuko completely. He was not only a tease but a high-key sadist. Zuko sniggered, pinching my nose before planting a sweet kiss on my lips, “Of course, beautiful.”

Beautiful.

Zuko felt the way my body tensed at the word, and he pulled away. A painful frown suddenly emerged on his face, eyes watching over me, “What’s wrong, love?”

“Can a monster be beautiful?”

Zuko’s snorted, rolling his eyes at my unexpected remark. “You think I’m attractive, and I was called a monster my whole life…so I guess so. A monster can be beautiful.”

But Zuko was handsome – whoever called him a monster, they were wrong. He was a product of misfortune, who rebuilt themself, became something better. Zuko eyed my expression as I absentmindedly nodded at his words, but I wasn’t satisfied. Because that wasn’t the question, I really wanted to ask.

“Ask it, love. You’re itching to ask.” Zuko mused, seeing right through my act. And I did just that, asked him the question I wanted so desperately to know his answer for.

“Can you love a monster?”

“…the better question is, do you think a monster is worthy of love?”

Is it selfish for me to say yes?

Waking up to the beautiful smile of Zuko’s was the best way to start the day.

Our limbs were messily intertwined with each other; Zuko’s arms were hugging me close to his body. My face was flush against his chest; his hands combed through my locks. He was always so careful, not wanting to yank at a tangle, relishing the way the silky strands slid between his fingers.

“Mm, good morning, love,” Zuko whispered between hushed lips, pressing the top of my head with chaste kisses.

There was a certain raspiness in his voice that had me mewling, purring as I snuggled against his pec, hearing his steady heartbeat. His voice was low, almost drunk-like, as he let his lips brush by my temple for one last peck. “How did my baby sleep? Feeling better?” He hummed. I felt the way his hand trailed down my hair, following my spine, stopping at the hem of panties.

“Perfect, warm.”

“I should start charging you.” Zuko pestered, and I gazed upwards, a grin on his face. “A kiss per half hour?”

“That’s a pretty steep rate.” I bothered, and Zuko laughed.

“You’re right, just for you, I’ll give you a better rate.”

“So, there are others you warm like this?” I pouted, failing miserably to mask the bubble of jealousy that suddenly emerged. I knew that my statement was false; the thought of Zuko sneaking off and having some side affair was more of a joke than a possibility. He was far too devoted, too loyal to be the type to cheat.

But despite the obvious, Zuko smirked, “Of course not, baby, that’s why I’m giving you the best rate. For my one and only customer.”

“And what would that be?”

“Two kisses per half an hour.”

“Zuko, that’s even worse than the last rate you gave me!” I laughed noisily, snorting at Zuko’s logic. He chuckled, chest rumbling underneath me as he stole another kiss on my head. “You caught me red-handed, love.”

“I swear, one day I’m going to freeze you,” I grumbled under my breath, trying to hide the fact that I was enjoying this way too much. “Temperature play? You really are a kinky one.” Zuko teased, and I blushed.

“T-that’s not what I meant, Zuko!” I shrieked, infuriated that I let Zuko get a rise out of me this early in the morning. But the smile on Zuko’s face grew the more flustered I got, cheeks a baby pink as I blew. How can I stay mad at him when he looked so damn cute?

A knock on the door caught our attention, stopping our tantalizing banter short. Zuko shuffled, and I rolled over, letting him sit up. “Come in,” Zuko spoke loudly, the door creaking open just a bit. I pushed the heavy blankets off me, reaching for my robe and letting my arms slip through before standing up.

“Good morning Kim-oh.”

“My apologies, Fire Lord Zuko, Imperial Consort Ying Yue. Kima and Lia took the day off today; it seems they are tied up at the moment.” A lady spoke. My breath caught in my throat, staring blankly at the lady before us.

Her hair was short, highlighting her sharp angular facial features. Her eyes were tapered, a stunning violet colour, pupils like slits. A tea tray was carefully balanced in her grasp, as she thoughtfully walked forward. The whole time her eyes were locked with mine, a sinister smile on her face.

“I bring you your morning tea. To help with your illness, Imperial Consort, doctors' orders.” The lady spoke, a deliberate hiss towards the end. I felt myself on edge, unable to finish slipping my arm through my robe as I just stared.

“Thank you; you can leave it on my side,” Zuko spoke, snapping me out of my haze.

His coarse voice seemed to catch the lady’s attention, too, shifting her eyes to him, licking her lips without a care in the world. “As you wish, Fire Lord Zuko.” The way she purred out his name, the seductive tone, it had my skin crawling.

She shuffled forward, letting the tray fall on his nightstand with a loud clank. Hastily, I put on my robe, tying it to my body as if it was a layer of armour. “I’ll take my leave. Enjoy the tea.” She spoke, forcing a crazy smile on her face wicked, matching her eyes.

I observed her every step. She was light on her feet, and I noticed how ill-fitting her maid's clothes were. They were far too tight, highlighting her toned physic. With one last crooked smile, the door shut behind her, the air filling my lungs.

“Fucking weirdo,” Zuko muttered under his breath before reaching over his nightstand. He grabbed the ceramic teapot, pouring the hot liquid into a teacup. The steam filled the air, and his large hand cupped the small teacup before eyeing me, “Here, love.”

“Give me a minute; I’m going to brush my teeth. I feel yucky.” I glowered, and Zuko rolled his eyes. “Come on; I like your morning breath.” He teased cheekily, pulling the teacup back to his chest.

“Eww, you’re so gross, Zuko.” I giggled; the uneasiness of that maid’s presence long forgotten.

“Some would call that romantic,” Zuko shouted as I waltzed my way to the bathroom. I look over my shoulder, shooting him a look of disbelief. “The Almighty Fire Lord Zuko a romantic?” I said, biting my lips as I rose my brows.

Zuko hummed, bringing the teacup that he had originally poured for me to his lips. The way he looked over at me while taking a slow sip, “Mmmm, are you trying to say I’m not?” He challenged. But I saw the way his nose scrunched up for a moment, taking a whiff of the tea.

“This smells gross…and tastes just as bad.” Zuko muttered under his breath, and I rolled my eyes. “It’s medicine Zuko, my medicine, not some breakfast tea.”

“Tea is tea, but fuck – this is really gross.” Zuko groused, and I laughed at the way Zuko complained under his breath. Yet to my amazement, he took another swing. “You just said you don’t like it!” I snickered, shaking my head.

My hands pushed the bathroom door open, letting the natural light from the windows light the space. I winced slightly, feeling the cold tiles against my feet, wishing I made Zuko get ready first. His natural warmth always managed to heat the cold tiles.

“Yeah, but I don’t want it to go to waste.” I heard Zuko grumble loudly, voice sounding rougher than usual. “Zuko, don’t worry. I’ll drink it all.” I reasoned, searching for the toothpaste. Where was it? My eyes frantically scanned the marble counter, spotting our toothbrushes, face towels, cleansers.

“Hey, Zuko. Did we finish the toothpaste?” I asked, my gaze darting all over the place. He must have forgotten to tell me we ran out last night. A small pout fell over my lips, hands falling over my hips as I stood tall.

“Zuko? Hey Zuko-”

The sound of glass hitting the ground had my blood running cold.

My feet moved without me thinking, dashing into our bedroom frantically, “Zuko? Are you ok-”

Zuko’s face was red, hands desperately clawing at his throat. He was heaving, sweating, veins popping as he was hunched over, coughing. I could see the deep red marks etched into his skin as he tore at his throat, “Zuko!” I cried, and at the sound of my voice, his head snapped upwards.

My heart stopped, seeing how wide his golden eyes were.

They were bloodshot, tears bubbling up as he wheezed.

“Help.”

He’s choking. He can’t breathe- I ran.

“Zuko, I’m here, Zuko, relax! You need to try to breathe.” I panicked, running to his side. My feet slipped against the wooden floors as I dashed, but I found myself stopping abruptly. Ceramic littered the floor. The teacup was shattered into a dozen pieces, small fragments of herbs littering the floor-

The tea.

“Guards!” I screamed, jumping into the bed as I hastily crawled to Zuko. His chest rose and fell frantically, shoving him back as my fingers trailed to his neck. The bedroom doors flung open, the sound of heavy footsteps entering the room, “Imperial Consort- What happened?!”

“Call the doctors, Zuko is poisoned. He needs help!” I cried, not bothering to turn to face them. I shut my eyes, trying to find his pulse, hands shaking. His heart was pumping, throbbing piercingly as he struggled to breathe.

He’s dying.

Something abruptly grabbed my wrist, my eyes snapping open, and I couldn’t stop the sob that erupted from me. Zuko’s eyes met mine, and I could see it.

“I-I love you.”

“N-no-no Zuko. You’re not going anywhere.” I sobbed, hands frantically touching his throat. His pulse was dying. I need to do something. I need to do something-

That’s it.

If it’s the tea, it’s a liquid. I can bend the tea from his skin like sweat. I yanked my hand away from Zuko’s, grasping his chest and pushing my arms against his heating skin. My eyes shut closed, tears overflowing as I focused.

I can’t feel it.

I can’t feel the fucking tea.

“I can’t bend it!” I shouted in frustration, moving my hands up and down his body, trying to find a fucking drop of it in his system. His body can’t have ingested the tea into his bloodstream. For something like that to happen, a few hours would have had to pass. It’s impossible – unless.

My arms stiffened, freezing in my spot, hands no longer frantically searching his body.

The tea wasn’t tea.

I dug my fingers into his skin, breathless as I realized what was happening. I could feel it, it was there, in Zuko’s body, in his blood.

If the tea was mixed with someone’s else blood – poisoned, then it’s possible- the poison is already in Zuko’s bloodstream.

He’s going to die.

I can’t save him.

I can’t bend that; I can’t- My heart pounded loudly in my ears, pulling myself away from Zuko’s body. I couldn’t stop the tears that fell down my face.

I can’t; I shouldn’t-

My feet wobbled as I crawled off the bed, steps stomping against the hardwood floor as I dashed to the array of dual swords that decorated the wall. A weak sob left my lips as I pulled the guard off the sharp blade, throwing it across the room.

A quick twist of my feet, I felt my heart shatter, watching the way Zuko withered in our bed. His face was purple, hands desperately clenching the blankets underneath him as he wheezed painfully.

I shouldn’t-

My hands were shaking as I slowly inched towards Zuko.

His golden eyes lined with mine, seeing as I eased my way to him with a sword in hand. “I’m sorry, Zuko- I’m sorry.” I cried, pulling my gaze away from his. I couldn’t face him; I couldn’t look into those sweet eyes. I didn’t deserve it, not a single part of him.

I winced as I stepped on the shattered teacup, cutting the soles of my feet as I leaned over Zuko’s dying figure. The sharp blade pressed against Zuko’s throat, sniffling as I shook my head.

“I wanted to tell you, Zuko. I really did. But-but-”

I pressed, Zuko wincing as the blade easily sliced his soft skin, droplets of scarlet tainting his neck. I threw the knife away, jamming my fingers into the open wound. I sobbed, feeling the pain that Zuko was in, “I wanted to tell you the truth Zuko, I wanted to. But I was selfish.” I cried.

I shut my eyes, and I could feel it.

The poison, it was mixing with his blood, and I panted heavily. It was starting to fuse; if I don’t do this now, it’ll be too late.

I reached the point of no return.

Fingers jammed into Zuko’s wound, feeling his veins pulsing, blood pumping frantically in the pace of his struggling heart. Zuko’s life was far more important than the consequences I would face.

I can do this.

I will save Zuko.

My fingers twisted, earning a painful groan from Zuko. “Bare with it Zuko, I’m sorry!” I cried. Just a little bit more-almost- got it.

I yanked my body back, wrist snapping and Zuko inhaled loudly.

Relief.

I twirled my hand, panting heavily as black spots flooded my vision. I was pushing myself too much, just a little bit more- I felt the way Zuko’s blood separated from the foreign blood, tainted with poison.

My eyes widen, taking in the disgusting sight.

Dark liquid, almost black, floated in the air as I bent. My other hand weaved back and forth, trying to separate Zuko’s blood from the poison. The muscles in his body eased instantaneously, and with one giant huff, I balled my hands, the poison collapsing in itself, freezing into a ball in the air.

Zuko sat upright, his hands falling over his chest as he dry heaved. Spit fell from his lips as his body shook with each cough, air squeezing past his sore throat and filling his lungs.

He’s breathing.

I saved him, and at that moment, I made the fatal mistake of looking at him.

His eyes met mine between forced pants.

“You’re- you’re a- Bloodbender.”

His hand lunched forward as if he was trying to grab me, and I stepped back. With whatever power I had left in my body, I swung my hand forward. His eyes widen, I could feel the way he tried desperately to fight against me, but it was useless. He let out a tired groan, and his body fell limp.

Letting gravity take over, Zuko’s body fell into the bed with a thud.

“Yue!”

The doors burst open, a pair of arms wrapped around me as doctors and nurses flooded the room. A numbness filled my body. Arms falling limp to my side, only noticing then I had Zuko’s blood on the tips of my fingers still.

Blood…

“Yue.” Aang breathed heavily in my ear, and I fell to the floor, on my knees. I watched as Katara checked over Zuko’s body, “He’s okay, he passed out, but he’s breathing, he’s okay!” she shouted.

Aang shuffled in front of me, dropping to his knees with me on the floor as he cupped my face. His fingers brushed the tears that fell down my face before pressing his forehead against mine. “He knows…doesn’t he?” Aang whispered, voice pained.

“It was the only way to save him, Aang.”

“He loves you, Yue-”

“You can’t love a monster.”

Disclaimer: I do not own any Avatar characters portrayed in this story besides Ying Yue Jiang, Lia, Kima, and any future creations.

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#Zuko x oc #zuko x reader #atla: Zuko #Fire Lord Zuko #Prince Zuko #Zuko love story #Avatar The Last Airbender #limerence #Love #Series #Masterlist #Story #Waterbender #Firebender #Atla #Thanks for reading everyone!#smut

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kristallioness · 7 years

Text

Call the midwife

Summary: It was going to be another regular day working as a paramedic in the emergency room for Katara, until she stumbled upon a sick child.

Word count: 29,040

Author's note: Happy (late) winter solstice! I think it's pretty obvious which series inspired me to write this fic. The italicized monologue at the beginning and ending of the story is elderly Katara talking to the audience, exactly like Jenny does in each episode. I tried to stay true to that format (also by having 2-3 major plot lines). But during the events, Katara is 34-35, exactly the same age as in their family photo. @avatarwindboy - here it is, I hope you like it! The events start in the morning, hence the first character is named Chen, which means morning in Chinese. Mamoun means trustworthy in Arabic, because he's Katara's "trusty steed". Othmar means wealth and fortune in German, since I figured that a shopkeeper would be rather well off. The young man who found Katara and asked for her help is Azor, which is Israeli for helper, and he's of Fire Nation origin. Doctor Rima's name means white antelope in Arabic, indicating that she's light-skinned. Ilo's name is actually a Finnish word meaning joy and delight (+ it's very close to the Estonian word "ilu", which means beauty). Iniko is an African name and it means "born during troubled times" (read and you'll find out why). The final scene was inspired by a heartwarming scene from the series, where doctor Turner's son said something funny to his adopted baby sister when his father Patrick and stepmother Shelagh kissed each other. They were one of my favourite couples on the show. I based the ostrich horse (ambulance) carriage idea on the fact that it was the most common vehicle during that time (as seen when Yakone escaped his trial). When working as a paramedic/in the emergency room, Katara wears the same uniform as seen on the healer who healed councilman Tarrlok's self-inflicted burn. I even drew two sketches - the first one being with her and Mamoun, the second one with her and Niyok - to show what I had in mind (+ a third one where she's in her regular clothes and yes, her parka is the same one she wears throughout Book 1). One of her patients has the Avatar world's version of measles (same disease, different name), which I made up. There's a reference to one of my recent fics called "Bring your daughter to work day". I teared up a few times when writing out some of the more emotional scenes. I started writing this in the middle of November and now my (new) longest fanfic ever is FINALLY FINISHED! Enjoy!

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"The solstices were always the time of year when both spirits and humans would become closer than ever. If ordinary people, who were just minding their own business, ever came across one, they'd usually be frightened and later tell stories of their encounter with a ghost to their friends, who often didn't believe them.

I came across quite a few spirits during my time travelling the world with my husband. He believed that most spirits were good-hearted beings who were watching over us. I liked to think so, too. Especially when it concerned being a mother to our three wonderful children, or helping other mothers. I liked to think that my own mother's spirit was watching over me, guiding me on that joyous journey with her compassion, courage and love - all the qualities she'd passed down to me, which I'd been carrying along with me in my heart."

"There we go.. all done, Mr. Chen!"

Katara rolled up the unused bandage and put it away in her shoulder bag. She was finishing her morning rounds by doing home visits to a few of her eldest patients, who lived in the northeastern borough, which was known to be a poorer part of the town. Mr. Chen lived very near the border and he was the last patient that morning.

"Thank you so much, dear! Here, take these biscuits with you to share with your colleagues. You hardworking young healers need your daily dose of sugar to have enough energy for the rest of the day."

Katara chuckled as the old man dropped a handful of those leftover sweets into a paper bag and handed it to her.

"And thank you, Mr. Chen! You're really spoiling me and my employees."

He liked to glaze the biscuits with powdered sugar, which made them extra sweet. He'd snack on those and drink some jasmine tea while his healer healed the burns and worked on replacing the old, soiled dressings wrapped around his leg with new, clean ones.

Ever since Mr. Chen was injured, which happened about two weeks ago after he'd accidentally dropped a kettle of boiling water on his right foot, Katara often ended her evening rounds at his place. She would sometimes sit with him for almost an hour, talking about her adventures during the Hundred Year War. Mr. Chen's grandson had marched side by side with her on the Day of Black Sun.

"You deserve it. You're the best healer in the world leading the finest hospital in Republic City. We're all lucky to have you."

Katara released a short giggle, her cheeks blushing a little at the compliment.

"I'm flattered. Well, I'd better get going if I wanna get back to the hospital in time for lunch. I'll see you again in the evening," she said while she tied the two strings, which held her healer's hat in place, together under her chin.

"I certainly hope so. I didn't finish telling you about how the first time Junior tried to earthbend he ended up flinging himself straight up into a tree. Took us nonbenders three hours to figure out how to climb all the way up there and bring him down."

"Can't wait to hear it. Enjoy the rest of your day, Mr. Chen!"

Katara waved back at him as she stepped out of his tiny apartment, closing the door behind her before she headed downstairs.

Mr. Chen's humble abode was, in every meaning of the word, humble. Located near the sink, stove and food cabinets, there was a dining table, which always had a bowl filled with fruit or cookies on it in case he was expecting guests, along with a wooden chair on either side. His cosy armchair and a coffee table, piled up with newspapers, in front of it were in the opposite corner. These pieces of furniture comprised the kitchen and living room. There was a huge bed just for him in the other room. Necessary everyday items, some souvenirs and photos of his family decorated the shelves and cupboards in either room.

If Katara hadn't known better, she would've guessed that this man was an air nomad. The way he'd arranged his furniture and few personal possessions reminded her of the interior of the air temples, of her own home.

The apartment was located on the third floor, the highest in that building. Katara hurried outside and approached her ambulance carriage, which she'd parked right in front. She climbed up on the driver's seat and began searching for the paper bag she'd dropped among the medical supplies inside her shoulder bag. Once found, she picked one.. No! Two biscuits and stuffed them in her mouth.

"Mmm!.." the waterbender hummed in delight as she crumpled up the paper bag and put it back. She grabbed the reins that were attached to the ostrich horse, who was harnessed to the front of the vehicle. After her mouth was empty from the yummy snack, she clucked her tongue a few times.

"Let's go, Mamoun! Back to the hospital!"

Katara gave the reins a softer flick so her ostrich horse would begin trotting. Puffs of warm air escaped its nostrils as he pulled the carriage. It was nearly a 3-mile ride back to the city center, which would take her less than half an hour in such snowy conditions. She gave another flick and the ostrich horse began cantering.

She and Mamoun were almost the same as Aang and Appa - they'd known each other for almost a decade and they had a unique unbreakable bond. He was her favourite ostrich horse out of all the other ones who drove the ambulance carriages and, whenever possible, she'd choose him each time she was assigned to a call. Every healer who'd had the privilege to ride with Mamoun would say the same - he was the best ostrich horse around.

Sometimes when Katara visited the hospital at the weekend to do some paperwork, she'd bring Kya along. They'd take a break to go see Mamoun and pamper him in the afternoon. Katara would let Kya feed him, comb his mane or even braid it together with her daughter. No wonder the ostrich horse was so fond of the two waterbenders..

"Wait! Ambulance! Please, stop!" a young man shouted as he began running after the carriage Katara was driving. She didn't notice him since she passed him swiftly on a bigger intersection, but she heard his plea. She pulled the reins backwards until her ostrich horse slowly came to a halt. She didn't want the carriage to go out of control on the slippery road.

"Wooaahh there, Mamoun! That's it.. good boy," Katara praised once her vehicle stopped moving. The young man who'd yelled for her to stop caught up with her in a few seconds. He leaned against the edge of her driver's seat to catch his breath.

"Sir, are you okay? What's the matter?" Katara asked as she scooted over to take a closer look at the man. She was ready to examine him.

"I'm fine.. but there's been.. an accident. Please.. you've gotta come and help them!" he panted.

"Hop on!" Katara said as she scooted back and patted the empty side of her seat, waiting for the man to climb aboard. She clucked her tongue and tugged at the left rein to turn Mamoun around.

"Where's the scene of the accident?"

"In the corner of the intersection you just passed, over there!" he said, pointing to a shop to their right a few hundred yards away. Katara let Mamoun trot the way back, then turn right at the crossroad to park the carriage in front of the shop. A small crowd had gathered around the entrance to the shop and someone was clearly moaning in pain.

"Make way! Healer coming through!" Katara exclaimed as she elbowed her way through the crowd, as politely as she could. She gasped once she saw the state one of the injured was in.

"Oh my gosh.. what happened here?" she inquired as she sat down on her knees, next to the plump middle-aged man who was lying in a pile of snow. He was conscious, but his left knee was completely dislocated.

"Ohh.. I was putting up some decorations for the winter solstice celebration. The next thing I knew, the ladder slipped away from under my feet and I was lying here on my back."

"You didn't faint, did you?" Katara asked as she withdrew the water from her pouch and began waterbending it over his body to detect internal injuries, especially ones in his spine. He shook his head.

"I saw it happen. He was trying to reach the windowsill on the second floor to put up these lights, but it was too far away and he lost balance. He fell on his left foot. Unfortunately, the ladder fell on this customer's head just as he was coming out of the shop," the young man, who'd brought Katara there, explained and gestured towards another man, who was sitting on the steps leading inside the shop a few feet away. Katara glanced at the other victim. He was rubbing his head.

"Oh no.. make sure that he doesn't leave before I've examined him, too! I'll get right on that as soon as I'm done with this gentleman here. I'm sorry, I didn't catch your name, mister..?"

"..Othmar. Call me Otto. Everybody does," he chuckled, but winced a second later as Katara carefully waterbended the glowing water up his thigh, over his left knee and down to his toes. Her stomach churned when she felt the way the bones and muscles around his knee were out of place and strained.

"Can you move your toes for me, Otto?"

Katara watched how the tips of his boots moved slightly as he wiggled his toes. She sighed in relief as she waterbended the water back inside her pouch.

"Good. I didn't feel anything wrong, other than your knee, which seems to have popped out of the socket. You're lucky this soft pile of snow was here to break your fall."

"So, what now, healer.. healer..?"

"Katara."

"Healer Katara. Can't you just pop it right back in?"

"Otto, I think you and I both know that getting it back in the right position isn't going to be easy. Especially since you're struggling just to hold it still and it's causing you so much pain. I'd like to take you to the hospital where my healers can carry out the necessary procedure to fix your knee in a calmer, warmer and more private room."

"Sounds good to me."

"Young man, could you help me?" Katara turned to the lad who'd brought her there. The crowd gave her some room as she walked to the back of her ambulance carriage, hopped inside and slid out a stretcher, which the young man helped carry and lay down next to Othmar. Katara knelt down beside him again and began fiddling with her healer's belt.

"I'm going to lift you onto this stretcher now, Otto. And then we'll lift you onto my carriage and drive to the hospital. You should try to keep your knee as still as possible. It might hurt a little."

"What's with the syringe there, healer Katara?" Othmar asked, his green eyes growing wide as she drew some medicine into it from a small vial.

"I'm gonna give you some morphine to reduce the pain until we reach the hospital," Katara barely managed to finish her sentence before the needle already poked him near his thigh. That small pinch was nothing compared to the radiating pain around his knee. After giving the injection, she stood up and waterbended the snow underneath Othmar's body into a thicker layer of ice, using the smooth plate to lift him onto the stretcher. The young man helped her carry him onto the bed inside the carriage.

"There's one more patient who requires my attention before we go. I'll be back in a few minutes, okay?"

Otto smiled and nodded to her. Katara jumped out from the back of the carriage and walked over to her second patient, who remained sitting on those steps in front of the shop. The young man followed her every step and stayed close behind, like a little helper.

"Hello, sir! I'm healer Katara. Can you tell me where it hurts?" she asked as she squatted down in front of him.

"Ugh.. my head, obviously. You heard what the boy said. I got hit by a ladder."

Katara looked behind her, slightly surprised to see the young man standing very near them. She gave him a quick smile and turned her attention back to the injured man. He supported his head on the palms of his hands and he didn't wanna look up at her. She couldn't see any visible cuts or bleeding beneath his short hair.

"Do you feel any dizziness? Nausea?"

"Yes, I'm a bit dizzy.. but only a little bit. Look, I'm not the one you should be worried about. It's just a bump. The other guy was in pretty bad shape."

"Sir, I'm a healer. It's my job to worry about everyone's health. Now, did you faint after being hit with the ladder?"

"I don't know.. maybe? I'm not sure," he pondered, feebly shaking his head, still preferring to stare down at the ground.

"He did. When I ran over to help, he was unconscious for a minute," the young man added.

"In that case, it's not just a bump. I hope you don't mind coming along with me for a routine checkup to make sure that you don't have a concussion," Katara said as she snaked an arm under his to help him up. Other than a groan from having to stand up when the world was slightly spinning around, her patient showed no sign of protest. The young man grabbed his other arm to help Katara walk him over to the ambulance carriage.

"Sorry, we're short of beds right now. You'll have to sit on the healer's bench on our way there," Katara apologized, supporting the man while he took a seat opposite to Othmar.

"If either of you start to feel worse, you let me know right away. Got it?" she instructed with a wave of her finger. Both her patients understood, so she turned around. The waterbender was pleasantly surprised to see the young man offer his hand to help her climb down from the back of the ambulance carriage.

"Thank you, young man! What's your name?"

"Azor."

"Wait here, Azor..."

Katara ran to the front of the carriage and leaned over her driver's seat. She shuffled through her shoulder bag for a few seconds, then skipped back to the young man with a proud smile on her face.

"Here, have some biscuits for being such a caring citizen and calling for help."

"Wow! I, uh.. I don't know what to say. Thank you!" Azor chuckled and hesitantly picked up three biscuits from inside the paper bag. Katara crumpled up the top, then proceeded to close the doors at the back of the carriage.

As the majority of the crowd began to disperse, she heard someone coughing horribly. It didn't sound like a normal cough and the fit lasted for several seconds. Katara looked around until she spotted a very small girl, not older than her Kya, coughing in the alley between the shop and the neighbouring building. It looked like she was trying to remain hidden, yet wanting to be seen by her.

"Azor, would you guard my ambulance carriage? I'll be right back," Katara said, patting him on the shoulder before approaching the little girl. As soon as she saw the healer coming closer, she ran further into the alley.

"Hello? Little girl? Are you okay?" Katara called to her. She peeked from behind the corner of the shop playfully. The child stood in the middle of the alley, keeping a safe distance tens of feet away from the stranger.

If her parents had been in the crowd, she would've been with them. But she seemed to be alone. She couldn't have been homeless since she didn't look malnourished and she was wearing nice clothes. But the amount of layers she had on for such cold weather was what worried Katara. Only a summer dress as yellow as the sun, a snow-white long-sleeved blouse underneath and shoes of the same colour with laces tied up neatly. No scarf, no coat, no winter boots. It was weird that she wasn't shivering.

She started coughing again, this time the fit lasted for at least a minute. Katara didn't like the sound of that one bit.

"Hi there, little one! There's no need to be scared," she spoke in her motherly voice, taking a few steps closer and then squatting down a bit. The little girl didn't budge.

"My name's Katara, I'm a healer. What's your name?" she wondered. The little girl still didn't answer, she merely tilted her head and stared right back at the woman.

"It's okay, come here! I heard that you have a nasty cough. I can help you feel better. Would you like to come with me to my ambulance carriage?"

At that suggestion, the little girl turned around and began running away towards the other end of the alley. Stupid! That was the only word going through Katara's mind as she dashed right after the child. She could've phrased her request a lot better. Obviously the girl's parents had taught her not to go with strangers.

"Wait up! Please, I wanna help you!" Katara shouted to the child, but she continued scampering.

What kind of parents would send their child out on the cold streets in such light clothing? And she looked so young to be wandering around all alone, her home must've been nearby. How did she seem fine in appearance yet sound so unwell when she coughed? Thinking about the situation brought up more questions than answers.

The little girl reached the other end of the alley and turned left on the corner. By the time Katara came out of the narrow path between the buildings, she was gone. For a clearly ill child who had difficulty breathing, she sure did run fast.

While Katara tried to catch her breath, she looked around the wide street. A couple of pedestrians were walking on either side of the street, further away from her. One or two regular ostrich horse carriages passed her. But there was no sign of a little girl in a bright yellow dress. There weren't many hiding places either unless she ran into another alley around the corner. She should've spotted the girl immediately.

"Monkey feathers!.." Katara muttered under her breath. She gave the surrounding area a second look. Sighing in defeat, she turned around and headed back to her own ambulance carriage. There were two other patients who required medical attention.

"Thank you for all your help, Azor!" Katara waved back at him after she'd flicked the reins and the carriage started moving. The young man had stayed put and looked after her vehicle like she'd asked while she ventured after the little girl. She hoped the tasty reward she'd given him was enough to show how much she appreciated his help. Judging by the way his face lit up when she offered it to him, he was delighted by her gratitude. Or at least he didn't expect to receive anything in return. That was one good deed done for the day.

Katara smiled at that thought. She liked to meet people who were like Azor - willing to give anything to help others in need yet asking for nothing in return. All those selfless faces she'd met throughout the years were like mirrors that reflected herself, how much she was willing to sacrifice. Her small detour to the scene of that accident had only taken her ten minutes. She made up for lost time thanks to Mamoun, who cantered the way back.

Katara arrived at the hospital within a quarter of an hour. The clock on her husband's memorial island struck noon just as she stopped by the northern entrance, which led straight to the emergency room. It was specifically meant as a pit stop for ambulance carriages so the paramedics could hand over the patients they were transporting.

Katara hopped out of the driver's seat and ran inside to fetch a couple of employees who would help her bring the patients inside. She returned less than half a minute later, accompanied by three other healers, who she'd briefed about the incident and her patients' conditions. Two of them lifted Othmar out on the stretcher, using that to carry him onto an empty bed in the emergency room.

"Did you enjoy the ride, Otto? I hope it didn't shake your knee too much," Katara asked.

"Nah, it wasn't too rough. That shot you gave me really worked wonders. It's like I can barely feel the pain."

"Good, that's the way it's supposed to be. Now go inside, Otto. My healers will take good care of you," she assured him by giving his hand a gentle squeeze before letting her workers admit him.

The third healer helped Katara by supporting the other man from under his arm as he staggered out from the carriage and sat down in a wheelchair. He didn't look too happy. In fact, he looked even more under the weather, like he would throw up any minute. The bumpy ride on the carriage hadn't done much good for his dizziness. At least he'll be under close observation now.

Katara watched how the healer pushed him inside. By the time he'd been admitted too, the two healers brought the stretcher back. She thanked her employees before she hopped back on her driver's seat and guided Mamoun to the stable on the western side of the building. Having parked the ambulance carriage amongst the other ones, Katara also thanked Mamoun for all his hard work with a nice big juicy red apple. Having said her goodbyes to the ostrich horse, she headed inside through the main entrance on the southern side of the hospital. She deserved a break after a busy morning, which meant eating lunch with her good friends.

Katara took the elevator up to the floor where the cafeteria was located. She was craving for something salty after those sweet biscuits Mr. Chen had given her. She brought the paper bag along to share them with her colleagues, exactly like she'd promised him.

The cafeteria was usually packed around high noon, but it was surprisingly calm today. Katara gazed around the wide room to find an empty table for four. Some other healers were already enjoying their meal, as well as a few patients who weren't on bed rest, and a couple of visitors. None of her companions had arrived yet.

Her choice for the second meal of the day included stewed sea prunes, which always reminded her of her homeland, two moon peaches and a cup of green tea. Since most healers were from the Water Tribes, the cooks prepared a wider variety of water tribe dishes for the workers to choose from.

Katara took a seat behind the table she'd chosen and put the tray of food down in front of her. She hung her shoulder bag on the edge of the chair, taking the bag of biscuits out and placing it in the middle of the table. She untied the strings under her chin to remove her healer's hat. After that, she began slurping down some steaming broth from her bowl of sea prunes.

"Mmm..." she hummed in delight. It was one of her favourite childhood dishes which she'd never get tired of. She managed to finish almost half of it before someone tapped on her shoulder.

"Is this seat taken?"

"Niyok, hi!" Katara exclaimed, jumping up from her chair to hug her old friend. Niyok was one of the bubbliest healers around. Well, she wasn't exactly a healer since she wasn't a waterbender, so the correct term for her occupation would be a doctor. But her cheerful personality affected everybody around her in the most positive way. She'd given up her job at the refinery soon after Katara had established the first hospital in Republic City. She spent a few months as an intern there and started working as a doctor from then on.

"It's good to see you, Katara. So, you're working in the emergency room today?" Niyok wondered as she sat down in the chair right next to her.

"Well, yeah.. Can't you see I'm dressed in my healer's uniform?"

The two girls shared a good laugh. Being the best healer in the world, Katara was dedicated to helping out in all the departments of her hospital. Most of her time at work passed in her own office at the top floor, where she worked as a family physician and her working hours were full of appointments. On some days, just like this one, she'd assist in the emergency room as a paramedic who'd drive an ambulance carriage to the scenes of accidents, examine the patients brought in by other paramedics, plus do home visits or special morning and evening rounds. The most rare occasions were scheduled important surgeries.

"You look fabulous in that uniform."

"He-he, thanks!" Katara chuckled. The rest of the conversation passed in a similar joyous mood. Two other healers joined them a few minutes later, one of them being a family physician and the other a specialist in her field. Having exchanged a bit more formal greetings with their boss and co-worker, the four ladies could all dig in.

"Mhm.. did anything interesting happen in the morning?" Niyok asked while nibbling on a piece of blubbered seal jerky.

"Besides home visits and an accident involving a dislocated knee and a bump to the head, umm.. nothing big," Katara joked, shrugging her shoulders. Everybody giggled.

"Oh! But there was one thing. I saw a little girl dressed in very light clothing alone on the streets. She had a terrible cough, but I couldn't persuade her to come with me so I could examine her."

"Mphm.. Mm-maybe she was an orphan?" the specialist asked, her mouth half full.

"I don't think so. She was well dressed and she didn't look mistreated. She seemed to be around the same age as Kya. How many little girls have visited their family physicians recently? With the main symptom being an abnormal cough?"

"Oh, quite many since it's the flu season," the family physician replied. Katara knitted her brows and hummed in thought. She couldn't narrow it down, hence she decided to leave it at that for now. She opened the paper bag, being the first one to reach inside for a few biscuits. Everybody else followed her example.

"Mmm! I love these biscuits so much!" Niyok said, grabbing two more.

"Nobody makes them quite like Mr. Chen does," the family physician agreed. All four ladies nodded and hummed in delight as they enjoyed the dessert their boss had arranged. After such a delicious lunch to keep them going for the rest of the day, each healer returned to their respective wards.

Katara headed back down to the emergency room on the first floor to help the paramedics who brought in new patients. Healing broken bones and treating mild sprains was what kept her busy during the following hour. Those were the most common injuries during winter. Luckily none of those people needed to be referred to the orthopedist, unlike Othmar.

Katara heard that Otto had been very cooperative with her healers, but spirits did he scream when they pulled his knee back in place. Not even morphine or the healer waterbending the water around his knee could relieve the pain he felt at that moment. The good news was that he was recovering in the general ward and would soon begin his physiotherapy. The healers who'd treated him said that if he worked really hard there, along with a little help provided by them healing his muscles and joints daily, he should be up and running on his feet again within a week or two.

Katara was nearly done healing a fracture in a woman's forearm just as the phone rang and the receptionist answered it.

"Republic City Hospital, what seems to be the problem?.. I see, but we don't usually send an ambulance to check on a patient who only has a high fever-" she attempted to explain, but the person on the other end of the line seemed to be very persistent and loud, judging by the way she held the receiver further away from her ear until they finished talking.

"Who's your family physician?.. Uh-uh, you haven't been able to contact her since it's her day off today."

The caller spoke again for a few seconds. The receptionist quirked an eyebrow.

"Why do you want a light-skinned healer?"

That question attracted Katara's attention as well. She continued wrapping her current patient's arm in a sling while eavesdropping on the unusual conversation. The receptionist sighed as she grabbed a pen.

"What's your address?.. Uh-uh.. uh-uh.. southeastern borough. Got it. We'll send an ambulance as soon as possible. Good day!" she said with a fake smile, hanging up so quickly Katara didn't even manage to blink. The waterbender sent the lady, whose broken arm she'd healed, on her way and approached the receptionist.

"What was that about?"

"A mother called. Her daughter has a high fever and she wants a light-skinned healer to do a home visit. Their family physician, doctor Rima, is off-duty today."

"Why does she want a light-skinned healer?"

"I don't know.. She just claimed that she doesn't like dark-skinned ones, especially Water Tribe healers or any of those Fire Nation shamans. Ugh, she sounded so vicious when she said that!"

"Hmm.. maybe they're just used to seeing their regular doctor. I mean, Rima is from the Earth Kingdom, after all."

"I don't know, Master Katara. Maybe she's just racist?"

"Let's not prejudge so soon," Katara tried to cheer up the receptionist, holding a supportive hand on her shoulder. It was easy for her to say, she wasn't the one who had to listen to that complaining on the phone. She read the address written down on the paper on the desk.

"I'm gonna take this call myself," Katara said, turning around to go grab her shoulder bag full of medical instruments and head outside through the main entrance. She took that call gladly. Healing one broken bone after another was becoming a bit tedious for her. Katara was a woman who couldn't sit still in one place for very long, not to mention do nothing at all.

As she came around the corner and reached the stable where the ambulance carriages were parked, she was surprised to see her favourite ostrich horse resting in a small pile of snow.

"Hey there, Mamoun! You're still here.." Katara coaxed. Her familiar voice got the animal's attention as he lifted his head to look at her approach him calmly. There were two rules that everybody had to follow when approaching an ostrich horse. First, never approach him from behind since he can't see the person coming. And second, never approach him while running or making loud noises. Both actions could scare the animal.

Katara stepped beside him and tenderly stroked his beak. She could see how much he enjoyed it by the way he closed his big brown eyes every time she did that. She reached for some hay from the trough and held it in front of Mamoun's beak, slowly lifting it higher until he stood up on his legs, shaking the snowflakes out of his feathers. Warm air came out of his nostrils in small puffs, stroking the waterbender's bare fingers as he sniffed the food before accepting it.

"Good boy," Katara said, running her hand through his soft grey mane, which prompted him to nicker.

"Didn't anybody else wanna ride with you?" she wondered and continued combing Mamoun's mane until he finished eating. The ostrich horse shook his head for an answer, almost as if he'd understood what she'd asked him. The response only made Katara giggle.

"You ready to ride now?"

Mamoun snorted and threw his head back a little, which she took as a 'yes'. Katara checked that his harness was attached correctly, hopped in the driver's seat and gently pulled the left rein to turn the carriage towards the front of the hospital.

The woman who'd made the call to the emergency room lived in the middle of the southeastern borough. It was a quick 10-minute ride there.

The pavements on either side of the roads were covered in huge hills of snow, only the paths leading to the doors of the houses had been shovelled clean. Katara didn't see a problem. She simply waterbended a big pile of snow away with a flick of her wrist, making enough space in front of the rather nice apartment building where she had to visit. Having parked Mamoun outside, she headed inside and knocked against one of the doors on the ground floor.

"Healer calling!" Katara shouted and waited for someone to open the door. The faintest answer, followed by some shuffling, echoed from inside, indicating that someone was coming. The lock clicked a few seconds later and a pregnant woman pulled the door open.

"Took you long enough.. Ugh! I specifically asked for a light-skinned healer."

Katara gulped, but offered a sincere smile.

"Good afternoon, madam! I'm well aware of that, but I'm all you've got. The other healers are busy saving the lives of others."

"I don't want a dark-skinned woman like you anywhere near my daughter! I'm going to report you to your boss!"

Katara's eyes grew wide for a moment, then narrowed into a glare. She didn't like being threatened.

"Well, in that case, you can report straight to me," she said and crossed her arms.

"Wait, what?" the woman exclaimed, staring at the healer wide-eyed.

"You're talking to her. I'm the boss - Master Katara of the Southern Water Tribe, the best healer in the world and head of the Republic City Hospital - at your service. Now, if you don't mind, I'd like to take a look at your daughter."

The mother grunted, but stepped aside and let Katara enter. She wiped her feet on the doormat and watched how the lady shut the door.

"And you are?.."

"Jia."

"Okay, Jia, where's the patient?"

"Right this way," she said, intentionally bumping against the healer with her big belly in the cramped corridor and leading the way to the living room. This was going to be one pleasant home visit.

Their apartment was small but cosy, there was enough room for a nuclear family. As the two women entered the living room, Katara could see a brunette little girl lying on the couch in the middle of the room, wrapped up in a warm blanket. She moved a little under the blanket and her small hands peeked out from the edge, pulling the covers up to her neck. Katara gasped at the sight of all-too-familiar red marks on her skin. She nearly shrieked, but she managed to cover her mouth in time. She didn't want to frighten the girl nor her mother.

"What's the matter?" Jia asked, completely bewildered by the healer's reaction. Katara stood in the same spot for a few seconds to gather herself.

"N-nothing.. I just need to take a closer look," she stammered, after which she approached the child cautiously. She stared at the healer with her big olive green eyes.

"Hello! I'm healer Katara. What's your name?" Katara wondered. She removed her shoulder bag and put it on the coffee table next to the couch, the medical instruments clinking together inside.

"Jia-Li," the girl answered, then went into a coughing fit. Katara squatted down beside her.

"That's a beautiful name, Jia-Li. Are you named after your mommy?"

She nodded and smiled at the healer.

"Do you mind if I sit here?" Katara asked, pointing at the edge of the couch. Jia-Li shook her head and gave the waterbender some room for sitting.

"Aahh, there we go.. Jia-Li, how old are you?"

"Ten."

"Alright. A little winged lemur told me that you're not feeling well. I'm going to examine you now so I can help you feel better. Are you okay with that? Does that sound like a good plan to you?"

Jia-Li nodded again, watching how Katara began rummaging through her bag.

"Wait a minute, I never asked you to carry out an examination. I don't want you touching my daughter! You wanted to see her, you saw her. Now you can just lower her fever and leave!" Jia yelled slightly and pointed to the door. Katara merely released an exasperated sigh.

"Okay.. Jia, the most important thing for you right now is to remain calm. Being angry isn't good for your baby. And what concerns your daughter, then first off, I don't know how high her fever is or if I even need to lower it. I have to take her temperature before I can do that. Second, you didn't mention the spots all over her body! I need to examine her to find out what's wrong with her. And third, I'm not going anywhere until I've given your daughter a proper diagnosis, the right course of treatment and lowered her fever if necessary, all of which involves touching her."

The two women glared at each other in silence for what felt like an awkwardly long minute, but in reality it lasted for a couple of seconds. Jia's face was more grimaced, whereas Katara's expression looked much more restrained. It was the piercing coldness in her diamond blue eyes and slightly knitted brows that made her look a lot more serious and furious than she was showing.

"You can call the hospital again if you want, but they know I'm stationed here. They won't send anyone else," Katara shrugged nonchalantly, then proceeded with the exam. Jia huffed and decided to grab a chair from her kitchen so she could observe what the healer was going to do to her daughter. Being in her third trimester with her second child, her feet thanked her for every opportunity to sit down and rest from the extra weight.

"Does she have any other symptoms? Besides a high fever and these spots," Katara asked as she lifted Jia-Li's right arm and placed a thermometer under there.

"Just a cough," the mother added while she carefully looked into her daughter's inflamed eyes.

"I see.." Katara thought for a second, then pulled out her stethoscope from her bag. She put the earpieces in her ears and breathed on the cold diaphragm to warm it up.

"I'll just have a quick listen, okay?" she explained, after which she lifted the girl's shirt up a bit and laid the diaphragm on her chest. She couldn't hear any crackles when listening to her lungs, which was a very good sign, but she felt how badly Jia-Li shivered. Her fever must've been climbing and she would've wanted to bury herself under a heap of blankets instead.

"Can you cough for me?" Katara asked in a hushed tone once she reached the lower part of her chest. Jia-Li did so twice so she could compare the sounds coming from either lung. Katara was very pleased since they sounded identical.

"And I'm gonna listen to your heart, too," she said with a loving smile, placing the metal end of her stethoscope above the girl's heart. The high fever must've spiked the heart rate as well, but the beats were otherwise steady and she couldn't hear any murmurs. Another good sign.

"Can you sit up for me? I'd like to listen from your back, too."

Jia-Li gave her a quick nod, after which she grabbed her weak arms to slowly help her sit up. Katara stood up from the couch and stepped behind the girl, pulled her shirt up and laid the diaphragm against her back, repeating the same pattern. The poor child was shaking like a leaf the entire time, and not because she was scared.

As soon as Katara finished auscultating, Jia-Li plopped back against the pillows, grabbed the blanket and pulled it up to her neck again in the blink of an eye. It wasn't helping against her chills, she was shivering visibly underneath the covers. Katara removed the stethoscope from her ears, coiled it up and dropped the medical instrument back inside her shoulder bag.

"Jia-Li, I could feel you trembling and I know it's because you're cold, but you were such a brave girl for letting me listen to you," she praised her patient with gentle strokes along her hot forehead. The waterbender took out a wooden tongue depressor from her bag and sat back down on the couch.

"There's just one more thing I'd like to do before I'm done. Open your mouth.. stick out your tongue.. That's it, good girl... Say 'Aahh!'."

"Aahh!"

The little girl followed the healer's instructions obediently. Her throat looked fine, but Katara noticed something else, something that confirmed her fears. There were white spots inside her mouth.

"Alright, that's enough," Katara said as she pulled the wooden stick out of her mouth, prompting Jia-Li to come down with another nasty coughing fit. She frowned, waiting until the poor girl caught her breath again.

"Can I have my thermometer back now?" she asked with a smile, fiddling with the collar of the girl's shirt until she could grab the tip of the medical instrument and pull it out from under her arm. Katara stared at the mercury, which had risen unusually high inside the glass. She would've been a lot more staggered by the measurement if she hadn't known all the other symptoms. A fever of nearly 40 degrees didn't surprise her anymore.

"Thank you for being such a good patient, Jia-Li. Here's what I'd like to do next - you have a very high fever, it's almost 40 degrees. That's why you're so cold. I'd like to help you by lowering that fever with my healing abilities so you'd be a bit more comfortable. Would you like that?"

She nodded, watching how Katara summoned the water from her pouch around her hands, then placed them on her temple. The liquid shined a bright blue glow around her face and the healer's hands.

"Jia, I'd like to have a word with you after I'm finished here and before I leave," Katara said, glancing back at the mother for a moment. She gave the healer a disapproving look as she stood up from her chair and asked her daughter whether she'd like some tea. The little girl hummed a 'yes', being unable to move her head to nod or to look at her mother since Katara was holding it steady. She heard how the kettle was placed on the stove and the water was poured inside.

For a minute or two, Jia-Li didn't feel any different, her head shivered against the waterbender's palms. The cooling sensation started to take over five minutes later, by which time her fever must've fallen into a much more normal range between 37 to 38 degrees. She'd stopped shivering by then.

"Tell me, how are you feeling now?" Katara wondered as she finished the healing session by waterbending the water back into her pouch.

"Much better. Thank you, healer Katara!" Jia-Li said, prompting Katara to giggle as she laid one hand over her temple and grabbed her wrist with the other one to check her pulse. It was a lot slower now that her fever had fallen.

"You're welcome!.. Alright, Jia-Li, I'm just gonna go talk to your mommy for a minute before I leave. Will you promise me that you'll be a good patient by getting lots of rest and drinking as much tea as your mommy makes?"

"I promise."

"Good girl. I'll see you soon!" Katara stroked her head one last time before she stood up, hung her shoulder bag across her chest and beckoned Jia to come to the corridor with her for a more private conversation.

"Jia, I'm afraid your daughter has pentapox."

"So? Go ahead, make her better!"

"I'm sorry, but there's nothing more I can do than lower her fever for the time being. There is no cure for pentapox."

"Then how does she get better?"

"You wait. Pentapox blows over in a week or so. You should treat the illness like a regular cold, but with an unusually high fever. That's why I'm prescribing you some paracetamol, which will help lower the fever when it gets too high," Katara said, writing the prescription down on paper and handing the document to the mother.

"Give Jia-Li plenty of fluids to drink. Both of you have to be very careful when coming in contact with other people since pentapox is highly contagious. Wash your hands, stay indoors as much as possible and try to avoid any contact until your daughter recovers. Keep a close eye on that fever and cough. If it gets worse or Jia-Li loses consciousness, you have to call for an ambulance immediately."

"Anything else?"

"Yes. I have to ask, why hasn't your daughter been vaccinated against pentapox?"

Jia averted her gaze down at the floor to avoid the healer's scrutinizing diamond blue eyes, fiddling with the prescription in her hands in complete silence.

"Do you know how dangerous it is for you to be near a person sick with pentapox, especially in your condition?"

"I don't want any poison injected into me or my children!" she spat out. Katara became even more enraged. She hated to see children suffer because of their parents' ignorance.

"Oh, for goodness' sake! Vaccines are not poison!" she exclaimed, practically wanting to scream, but she pinched her nose and took a deep breath. She had to keep her voice down, keeping in mind that Jia was expecting.

"A vaccine is a weakened form of the disease which your body will react to, creating special antibodies that'll protect you for the rest of your life. Now tell me, would you risk having the disease in its full form and dying from it? Or would you rather get a quick shot and basically have no symptoms at all and get a protective shield forever?"

The mother remained quiet after that. Katara sighed in exasperation once more.

"I'll arrange for another vaccinated Water Tribe healer to come visit your home daily until Jia-Li has fully recovered. They can lower her fever if the paracetamol isn't working. They'll also report back to me and doctor Rima, keeping us informed and updated on your daughter's condition and progress. When she's feeling better, they'll make sure that you make an appointment with your family physician so she can examine her properly."

The waterbender already grabbed the door knob, but turned around one last time.

"Oh, and one more thing! To avoid catching or spreading pentapox in the future, you need to be vaccinated, too, after you've given birth to your second child. I'll tell doctor Rima to handle that as soon as possible.. Good day!" Katara said as she stepped outside of the flat, hearing how Jia huffed an ungrateful 'thank you' before closing the door behind her.

"Pshh!.. Some people," Katara muttered under her breath as she washed her hands in the nearest pile of snow by waterbending it into water so she could at least grab the reins to guide her ostrich horse back to the hospital. The first thing she'd have to do is take a shower.

"Let's go, Mamoun," she said and clucked her tongue, tugging at the left rein so he'd pull the carriage out from her makeshift parking space. She gave the reins two flicks in a row once they were on the street and the vehicle was moving straight forward.

There'd been outbreaks of a disease with similar symptoms countless times in the past. During the current era, where modern medicine was making remarkable development, healers and doctors started gathering information on all known illnesses and documenting them in books. They needed to come up with a name for this particular deadly infectious disease. Since it came in the form of a high fever along with red marks all over the patient's body, Katara remembered what she, Sokka and Aang had once done in Omashu, hence she decided to call it pentapox.

It'd taken her scientists two years to develop a vaccine for it and ever since it came out, most children and even adults were being vaccinated against pentapox. Katara had immunized everybody in her family - Aang, Bumi, Kya - except for Tenzin, who was still too young to receive the shot. She'd even let one of her own healers give her the shot so she'd be protected as well.

People like Jia endangered everybody else who weren't vaccinated yet, especially other children, whose parents would not allow their family physicians to give them these shots. Katara sighed sadly at the thought, slouching a bit in her driver's seat. As Mamoun cantered most of the way, she slowed him down near each intersection to check that no other vehicles were crossing the road.

She pulled him into a complete stop before she reached the border between the city center and the southeastern borough, allowing a bunch of pedestrians to safely cross one of the streets as well as a trolley to pass. She was lost in her thoughts when she suddenly heard someone coughing. It sounded uncomfortably familiar, like what she'd heard earlier in the morning. Katara immediately became more alert as she sat up and eyed the small crowd who'd crossed the street to her right. She couldn't see anyone familiar, particularly any little girls donning a bright yellow dress. She flicked the reins once the path was clear to order Mamoun to begin trotting again.

Having passed the intersection and the first few buildings on that side of the road, she heard it again. Katara looked to her left, then to her right. Her eyes darted at the small figure on the sidewalk, running along at the same pace as her ostrich horse right next to her ambulance carriage. It was her, the same little girl with the unusual cough, who she'd chased in an alley in the northeastern borough.

Katara yanked the reins so hard that Mamoun nearly ran off course, neighing as he pulled the carriage to a sudden halt. Katara bumped against the protective wall in front of her seat, but otherwise remained unharmed. Luckily, he hadn't started cantering yet, so their speed was much slower.

The sounds of other vehicles stopping behind hers, along with panicking ostrich horses followed. The waterbender held a hand across her ribs as she carefully hopped out of the driver's seat to take a look at the damage she'd done. Two carriages were criss-crossed rather close behind hers. She'd nearly caused a collision between all three of them.

"Hey! Watch it, lady! Some of us are driving here!" the man who'd been riding an ostrich horse carriage right behind hers shouted to her, shaking his fist in the air.

"Sorry! I'm a healer! It was an emergency!" Katara apologized. He and the second driver guided their ostrich horses around her ambulance carriage and headed their way. She checked whether her own vehicle was still intact. Mamoun was a bit shaken from the whole incident. She grabbed some fodder and a slice of bread from his feeding bag at the back of the carriage.

"It's okay, Mamoun. Everything's okay now.." Katara coaxed him by running her hand down his mane. The ostrich horse calmed down and sniffed the food she offered to him before nibbling it out of her hand.

"I'm sorry," she said and stroked his beak after he'd finished eating. Mamoun shook his feathers, glittering Katara with the snowflakes that'd been stuck in between, then nuzzled his beak against her chest. The waterbender giggled as she hugged him back. She was forgiven.

Their bonding moment was ruined when Katara heard the little girl cough again. She was peeking at the two of them from behind the corner of another alley tens of feet away.

"It's you.. How did you find me?" Katara asked as she approached the girl, who hid behind the corner once she'd gotten too close. When she stepped into the alley, the little one was already waiting for her behind the next corner.

"Please, come here. I'm not going to hurt you. I wanna help you, you're not well," Katara spoke in her motherly voice, trying to negotiate with the child as she slowly approached her. She ran further into the narrow path between those two houses. Katara wasn't going to let her get out of sight this time. She quickly waterbended the surrounding piles of snow into ice and began sliding on it to chase her in the maze of alleys between the buildings.

"Wait up! Why are you running away from me? I'm trying to help you!" Katara shouted to her, but the girl continued scampering. She was very fast skating on her element, but the little one was even faster on foot. The chase came to an abrupt end when Katara slid out from behind another corner and almost crashed into a brick wall. She waterbended the ice into a smooth curve under her feet, managing to dodge the walls of the houses. It was a dead end and the girl had disappeared. She'd lost her, again.

Katara frantically looked around - there weren't any hiding places, any other paths the child could've taken. She would've noticed if the girl had turned around and run back the way she came. She didn't understand, nothing made sense. It was like she'd just vanished into thin air.

Katara lifted herself high in the sky by bending the ice into a water, or much rather a snow spout. She did a full circle above the rooftops to get a better idea of her surroundings. She was almost half a mile away from her starting point, much nearer to the border of the eastern borough. They'd meandered through the alleys, but Katara realized that there was a pattern - the little girl had always headed northwards. It was no wonder she'd ended up there.

But how did the girl end up in a completely different part of town? And how could she have known that the healer was there? Did she follow her all the way back to the hospital and then to Jia's home without her noticing?

"Arrrgh! Double monkey feathers!" Katara screamed as she bended the snow back down towards the ground. This mystery was starting to drive her nuts.

She went back to her ambulance carriage by following her own icy path. Having plopped down in her driver's seat, Katara groaned and clutched her stomach. Maybe that impact had been worse than she'd thought. She waterbended the water from her pouch around her hands and examined her ribcage. She sighed in relief since she couldn't feel any broken ribs. The clock on Avatar Aang Memorial Island began striking, it was three o'clock. Time to return to the hospital for a disinfecting shower, plus a short healing session to be sure that she was okay after that small crash.

It was getting dark outside by the time Katara arrived back at the hospital, which was only about five minutes later. The day of the winter solstice was the shortest one in the year after all. She'd parked her ambulance carriage and headed inside through the main entrance. As she walked to the elevator and waited for it to come down, the receptionist saw that she was back from her home visit. Katara looked her dead in the eye.

"Oh yeah.. she was racist alright."

The receptionist held a hand in front of her mouth to stifle her laughter since she was on the phone. She felt so happy. Judging by the self-satisfied smirk on her superior's face, she'd put that lady in her place.

Katara took the elevator upstairs by a few floors and headed straight to the nearest changing room meant for her female staff. It was a vast area made up of two rooms - one for dressing and storing clothes in lockers, the other half consisted of about a dozen shower stalls separated by opaque curtains. These rooms were mostly used by nurses, paramedics or surgeons since family physicians and specialists didn't need to change uniforms that often. The latter two usually changed clothes in their own offices or, like scientists, they'd simply put on a white lab coat and go straight to work.

As Katara went through the dressing room, where a couple of healers were chit-chatting about their day, she stepped inside the shower room where three other ladies were busy washing themselves. She dropped her shoulder bag on one of the benches in the middle of the dry area. First, she disposed of the water she'd used to lower Jia-Li's fever, then swilled the inside of her pouch with some fresh water before filling it completely.

Next, she undressed down to her undergarments, leaving the rest of her clothes next to her bag, and stepped under the shower. Washing herself always helped her relax. It felt soothing to stand under the running water, to let it caress her skin and cleanse her of the blood, sweat and tears she'd poured, to be at peace with her element. She didn't mind any company either, especially if it was a certain airbender who liked to play with her and her element whenever they showered together at home.

Katara ran her hands softly over her skin, combing them through her long loose hair, washing her face, sliding her fingers down to her forearms, coming back up to her neck, then down to her chest. As her hands slid over the sarashi covering her breasts, she felt something strange. She sensed her own heartbeat against her fingertips, as if she'd just inadvertently used her healing abilities near the area. She looked down, her hands were indeed glowing.

Katara dropped the water and as soon as the glow faded, she gasped. She saw a large pinkish bruise slightly above her stomach, on the lower half of her ribcage. She summoned some more water around her hands to examine the injury more thoroughly. No internal organs were hurt, the bones were strong and healthy for a woman her age. But the bruised spot was tender when she palpated around it with her fingers. She hoped that healing it a little bit more would help ease the pain.

Having dealt with her injuries and scrubbed herself clean, Katara began washing her clothes. She took each item of clothing separately along with her under the shower - the white uniform, the mauve skirt, the shoes, the healer's belt and hat. Everything had to go since she couldn't risk spreading pentapox to her other patients. She and a few high-ranking specialists had established some very strict rules on how to act when it concerned highly infectious diseases that didn't have a cure yet. Taking a thorough shower and washing the equipment used was one of them.

Katara dried herself by waterbending the excess drops of water off her skin, repeating the same procedure with her uniform so she could put it back on. After she was dressed again, she left the showers and took a seat on the line of benches in the locker room, dropping her shoulder bag next to her. She found a small box of special sanitizing napkins inside to wipe the thermometer and the tip of her stethoscope clean. She was sitting with her back facing the door of the dressing room when Niyok stormed in.

"There you are! The receptionist told me you headed upstairs and a bunch of healers saw you come in here," her friend said as she skipped in front of her.

"Hold on, I'm almost done cleaning my instruments," Katara replied without looking up at her, running the napkin over the metal of the chestpiece.

"Why do you need to do that?"

"I did a home visit to a little girl who was sick with pentapox."

"Pentapox!?" Niyok exclaimed perhaps a bit too loudly, her hands landing on her mouth immediately after since a couple of healers stared at her. Katara simply nodded.

"Wow! I thought we'd gotten rid of that disease thanks to the new vaccine."

"Well, let's just say that the girl's mother doesn't quite understand how vaccines work. And she has to suffer because of it.. poor Jia-Li," Katara sighed and stared at her own distorted reflection on the round metal end of her stethoscope. Niyok sat down next to her and held a supportive hand on her shoulder.

"She'll be okay, Katara. I know it because you saw her and you'll do everything you can to make sure that she receives the best care we have to offer."

Katara smiled at the gesture.

"Thanks, Niyok."

"Now c'mon! Hurry up or we're going to be late!" she patted her on the shoulder. Katara giggled and put her clean instruments back into her shoulder bag, after which Niyok grabbed her hand and they dashed out of the changing room. She practically had to drag Katara along on their way to the elevator because she was so eager to show her what she'd done in the children's ward. Ever since she'd officially become a doctor, she'd chosen to specialize in pediatrics, having spent so much time with children as an intern. Her bubbly personality fitted well with her task of taking care of and cheering up young patients.

Katara could already hear the children's laughter before the elevator doors opened. They took it to the floor of the general ward, where kids who'd been admitted to the hospital stayed. A broken bone shattered into so many pieces it took a lot more time and effort to heal, which was a tough job even for a waterbender to do, recovering from major surgery, diseases that needed to be monitored - those were some of the main reasons for having to stay in the general ward.

As the two stepped out of the elevator, Katara's mouth fell slightly agape at the unusual sight. Two nurses and most of the kids were happily sitting in a circle on the carpet at the other end of the vast room, playing with the available toys from the toy box. Some of them were tossing paper snowflakes in the air. There were colourful lights decorating the walls behind their beds, drawings done earlier in the day on the nightstands next to them. All part of the winter solstice celebration.

"Niyok.. you did all of this?"

"Me and a couple of nurses.. The kids helped out a lot, obviously. We just wanted to make this day extra special for them, because.. you know. They have to spend it away from home, in this hospital," Niyok said with a sad voice, rubbing her arms and swaying herself a little bit. One of the kids stood up from the circle and ran over to them.

"Doctor Niyok! Will you come play with us?" the 4-year-old boy asked, holding a koalaotter plush in his hands.

"Sure. I'll join you in a minute," she smiled as she squatted down and patted his head.

"Can your friend play, too?" he wondered, tilting his head and staring into the other healer's pretty blue eyes. Niyok looked up at Katara. She nodded and smiled back at him.

"Of course. She'd love to," Niyok said. The little guy scampered back to the rest of the group to continue playing. Katara's heart melted at the sight of such wide smiles on these children's faces. They'd never done something like this on such a large scale before.

"You know what? We should make this a tradition."

"Really?" Niyok gasped, her eyes wide and hands clasped together in delight.

"Yeah, I mean.. look at them. These kids are who knows how far away from their homes on one of the most joyous holidays of the year. But all these decorations and activities and games help them take their minds off it. Instead, it feels like they're still at home, having fun and surrounded by people who love them. They're so snug and happy here. And it's all thanks to you, Niyok," Katara said. She laid a hand on her friend's shoulder, then pulled her in for a very tight hug.

"Mmm.. thank you, Katara!" Niyok hummed as she hugged her back, blinking away a couple of tears. The Southern Water Tribe girls released their embrace and smiled at each other before deciding to join the little boy and his companions.

He was playing with some plush animals, so Katara and Niyok each grabbed one to join in. Katara picked an otter penguin to teach the kids what penguin sledding was. Niyok chose a small fluffy white hamster since she always liked to chase those swift little critters back home. Her parents were never as fond of hamsters intruding their household as she was though, especially when they managed to steal some of their stored seaweed or sea prunes.

A few toddlers about the same age as the boy were building a shilouette of Republic City using wooden blocks. One of the nurses helped them finish it. The other nurse was reading a children's book to a group of kids sitting in a bigger circle around her. Two older girls were playing Pai Sho near them. And a couple of children were resting in their beds, reading a book of their own or taking comfort from their stuffed toys.

The medical staff were able to entertain the kids for another twenty minutes before their expected guest arrived. A third nurse came to Niyok and whispered something into her ear, after which she ordered all the children to huddle up on the carpet, even those who were lying in their beds earlier. The ones who had to stay bedridden were lifted onto the beds closer to that end of the ward.

"Alright, kids. Since today's the winter solstice celebration, we thought that you all might like to hear an amazing tale from a very special visitor. Without further ado, here he is!" Niyok said with a wave of her hands. A tall man donning a blue fish-like costume stepped out from behind the corner of the corridor leading to the private wards in the western wing, accompanied by Katara.

"Woo-ooo! I'm Koizilla and I've come to capture some firebenders so I can hug them!" he booed as he walked over to the kids. His weird appearance scared the younger ones a little bit and made them snuggle up to the nurses. Halfway there, he stepped on a ball and tumbled forward, which prompted everyone in the ward to start laughing instead.

"Uh, guys?.. A little help?" Sokka groaned. His sister and Niyok ran over, grabbing him from under his arms to help him stand up again. He dusted himself clean.

"Now where was I?.. Oh, yeah. That's right! Are there any firebenders in this ward?" he continued in character. One of the nurses pointed at the 8-year-old girl who played Pai Sho earlier.

"Aahh, yes! I've captured my first firebender. And now I'm going to give you the biggest hug you've ever received!" Sokka said as he lifted the girl up in his arms, then wrapped her in a very tight embrace. She giggled the entire time. While the councilman was busy messing around with the kids, Niyok began to calm down after laughing hysterically.

"Oh my gosh! Where'd he get the costume!?" she wondered as she wiped the corners of her eyes dry.

"Let's just say that Zuko pulled some strings and had the Ember Island Players send it to the United Republic for a very special play," Katara said with a smirk.

"How'd you get him to agree to this?"

She shrugged her shoulders.

"I just asked. He was more than happy to do it for the kids."

"Kataraaa..." Niyok teased her with a gentle nudge, making her giggle.

"..aaaand for a quarter of the blubbered seal jerky dad has sent me, which Aang and I have stored in our fridge."

Now that Niyok believed. They watched how Sokka "captured" each child who was of Fire Nation origin and awarded them with a big hug. He knelt down in front of the group so that his feet were hidden under the short costume. He resembled Koizilla a lot more when those brown boots with furry white edges didn't pop out.

"Okay, now I want all the Water Tribe kids to come and hug me because I'm the ocean spirit and I love and protect the Water Tri- OOF!" he barely managed to finish before five little ones scampered to him and knocked him over, their laughter filling the general ward. Niyok helped him out by shooing the kids off from on top of him and back onto the carpet. Katara stepped forward, grabbing her brother's hand to help him up and pull off his costume.

"Alright-alright, that's enough. I'd like you all to meet our real guest, councilman Sokka!" Niyok said, clapping her hands together along with the three nurses as Katara revealed his true appearance. Some of the kids screamed with joy as they clapped, too.

"He-he! Hi there, children! I'm councilman Sokka, representative of the Southern Water Tribe. This is my little sister, Katara," he started, grabbing her by the shoudler and pulling her close to his side, prompting her to chuckle.

"She's the head of this hospital and the best healer in the whole world. And she asked me to come and tell you an amazing story. It's a story that happened not too long ago," Sokka continued as he sat down in front of the children. Katara found a cosy spot next to Niyok, who was already surrounded by three toddlers - her protective arms holding them close to her sides, and the third one was sitting in her lap. She was very popular and loved amongst the kids, exactly like the nurses who worked there daily.

"I'm sure most of you have heard stories of the Hundred Year War from your moms and dads. Well, about 20 years ago, me, my sister Katara and Avatar Aang were travelling the world, heading northwards to the Northern Water Tribe. The war was ongoing, so it was a very dangerous journey. We fought against Fire Nation soldiers and pirates and went through storms, but we never gave up. We had to go there because we were searching for a waterbending teacher who would help Aang, and my sister, master waterbending," Sokka spoke, waving a hand towards Katara each time he mentioned her. She smiled back at him. A couple of kids had crawled closer to the councilman and snuggled up to his side while he was telling the story. He even lifted the 4-year-old boy with the koalaotter plush onto his lap.

"Katara was the only southern waterbender we knew at that time, so there was nobody else who could teach her or Aang waterbending back home. But we found them a teacher at the North Pole. It was there that we also met Princess Yue. She was the most beautiful princess of the Northern Water Tribe who ever lived. And she was also the bravest princess I'd ever met, because she sacrificed her life to save the moon spirit.." Sokka went on, describing how Yue looked like before that happened - from her pretty violet dress to her luxurious white hair. The children listened to his story in complete silence, their eyes wide and mouths slightly agape. Even the bedridden ones were holding on to the edge of their beds as close as possible to hear everything.

Katara looked around her, her soft smile slowly turning into a frown. She felt left out since none of the kids wanted to snuggle up to her. She wasn't a very familiar face around that ward, so it made sense for them to want to be close to their regular doctor, Niyok. But she was still a tad disappointed.

Katara quietly stood up without disturbing the group or her brother's storytelling to go fetch that otter penguin plush from the toy box behind him. At least it'd keep her company and remind her of home, of penguin sledding together with Aang.. Great, now she remembered how much she missed him and their babies. She should call them after they finish here..

Her train of thought broke and she stopped in her tracks when she turned around. Before she could go back and sit down, she saw a little boy at the other end of the room. He was sitting on a small chair and staring out of the window, his back facing them. Katara tiptoed to Niyok and knelt down beside her to whisper into her ear.

"Hey, who's that little guy over there? He seems so lonely.."

Her friend looked behind her and noticed him.

"Oh.. that's Ilo. He's a very quiet little boy and pretty homesick. He prefers to be by himself, but we didn't wanna put him in a private ward since his injury isn't that serious."

Katara looked at Ilo sitting there all on his own, then glanced at Sokka, who was retelling the beginning of the events from the Siege of the North to all the other children.

"I'm gonna go talk to him," she whispered to Niyok, patting her on the shoulder before heading over to the boy. He didn't notice her when she walked right next to him, or at least he pretended not to notice her.

Katara knelt down and simply looked at the poor child. He was gazing out of the window with a blank stare. He couldn't have been more than 6 years old. His right hand was in a plaster cast. The bones had most likely broken into hundreds of pieces after a serious accident. Otherwise her healers would've healed it with their waterbending abilities in a matter of minutes and he wouldn't have stayed in the hospital for so long.

"Hello there! What's your name?" Katara asked in a low, motherly voice.

"Ilo," the boy replied, but he still didn't wanna look at her.

"Iroh?"

"No, Ilo. I-L-O," he spelled it out for her. What a clever little one, she thought. Katara had done that on purpose to get his attention.

"Well, Ilo, I'm Katara. K-A-T-A-R-A.. Katara. It's nice to meet you. I was wondering if you'd like to come with me to hear councilman Sokka's story of the brave Princess Yue."

The boy averted his gaze back outside.

"C'mon.. it must be really boring to sit here all by yourself. Don't you wanna join everybody else? It's much more fun."

"I wanna go home," Ilo mumbled to himself.

"Hmm?" Katara tilted her head.

"I wanna go home," he spoke up more clearly this time.

"I know you do, but you have to get better before you can go home," she sighed, rubbing his back in an effort to console him.

"I miss mom and dad."

"When did you last see them?"

"I saw mom yesterday during visiting hours."

"But you still miss them, huh? You wanna be at home, together with them."

"We've always been together at home on every winter solstice celebration. But not this year."

Ilo looked like he was on the verge of tears, but putting on a brave face in front of strangers like her. He continued to stare outside. Katara thought for a moment.

"You like looking out of the window, right? The city is really beautiful during winter when it's all lit up with these pretty lights, huh?"

The boy nodded, at least that was a start.

"Do you see that small island back there in the bay, behind that huge statue?" Katara asked, pointing a finger at Air Temple Island. Ilo narrowed his eyes and hunched a bit to find the tiny speck in the waters at nighttime.

"Yeah."

"That's where I live, that's my home."

"Do you have a family?"

"Yes, I do. I'm married to my loving husband and we have three wonderful children of our own."

"Then why aren't you at home with them? It's the winter solstice celebration."

"Because I'm also a healer, it's my job. I love cheering up and taking care of people who aren't well, like you," she said, softly running a hand through Ilo's hair.

"But don't you miss them?"

"Of course I do. And they miss me, too. But do you know how we can still be close to each other?"

Ilo shook his head.

"It's because they're in here," Katara said with a fond smile, laying a hand on her chest.

"In your heart?" the boy quirked an eyebrow.

"Exactly. They know how much I love them, and I know how much they love me, too. Love keeps us close even when we're apart. I'm sure your parents must miss you, too. And they're probably thinking about how you're doing right now. Even when they're far away, they'll still always be in here," Katara explained, pointing a finger to the boy's heart and slightly tickling his chest. He started laughing. She felt like she'd finally gotten through to him.

"Ilo, I have a proposition for you. Why don't we go listen to councilman Sokka's amazing story together? I'll heal your hand while you wait for your parents to come visit you."

"Okay, Katara!" he said merrily. Katara stood up and offered her hand, which he grabbed before they quietly walked back to join the rest of the group. Niyok noticed how her friend sat down beside her and lifted the boy in her lap. She smiled at the sight.

Katara took off her healer's hat and let Ilo put it on. He grinned and supported himself against her, allowing her to grab his right hand. She summoned the clean water from her pouch around her hands and carefully began examining the fractures in his bones.

She had no idea what heavy object could've possibly crushed this boy's hand, but she sensed the hard work her healers had already done. The carpal bones in his wrist were in place, but remained seriously cracked. The metacarpus, which connected his fingers to his wrist, had almost healed completely, only a few fractures could be felt. Katara continued work on his wrist, seeing as though it was in worse condition than the other parts of his hand. Ilo didn't let the healer bother him, he was too immersed in the councilman's story.

"..then Aang and the ocean spirit disappeared into the pond. The water around the pond began to glow, lighting up the entire colourless tribe in a bright blue luminescence. It rose high above us and formed this huge fish-like creature. Avatar Aang and La had fused into Koizilla. They were almost as tall as this hospital. Koizilla marched into the city and began capturing the evil Fire Nation soldiers who were attacking the tribe. He was so scary that he drove them all out of there," Sokka retold proudly, mimicking some of the spirit's movements with his hands. The children cheered him on.

"Sadly, while Koizilla was busy ridding the tribe of the Fire Nation, the moon spirit had died. We placed Tui back in the pond, but she didn't swim anymore. She didn't move at all. She just floated above the water, the horrible dark burn evident on her back. Without her, the waterbenders had lost their bending abilities and the moon ceased to exist. We had no idea what was going to happen to the world. But then, General Iroh noticed Princess Yue's white hair. He said: 'You have been touched by the moon spirit. Some of its life is in you.'"

Sokka tried to say that in Iroh's voice. Katara attempted to heal Ilo's hand to quicken the healing process in the meantime, but by then she began to listen to her brother, too. There was something that moved her - the memories of the hopeless situation, the way her brother's voice began to crack.

"Princess Yue agreed with him, he was right. She told us that if Tui gave her life, then maybe she could give it back. I grabbed Yue's hand as strong as I could and pulled her back. I said: 'No! You don't have to do that.' We both knew she had to, but I wasn't ready to let her die yet. She stayed true to herself, so she let go of my hand and placed her hands on Tui. The moon spirit glowed white for a mere moment and then, Yue sighed and she fell back into my arms.. I held her, I stroked her cheek gently, but she wasn't breathing... She was gone."

Katara had to lift one hand away from Ilo's to dry her cheeks. She was surprised at how well Sokka was holding back his emotions, not a single tear in his blue eyes. He retold the story so realistically, acting out all the movements and things that'd been said, almost as if he was reliving it.

Niyok had heard of these stories back in the day, how her friends had saved their sister tribe. But she'd never heard it in such great detail. It was a complete shock to her as to what they'd been through.

Niyok saw how Katara was crying right next to her, trying with every fiber of her being to swallow her sobs so no one would notice. She laid a hand on her shoulder. Katara jumped a bit at the contact, but she returned her gaze, her diamond blue eyes wide and decorated with glistening teardrops. She grabbed the hand on her shoulder and gave it a squeeze, whispering a silent 'thank you' by moving her lips.

"I hugged Yue, I didn't wanna let go of her. Until suddenly she vanished from between my arms. The next thing we knew, the moon spirit began to glow again. We placed her back in the pond, she was swimming! The whole pond reflected a white glow, which rose up like a haze and took the form of a beautiful young woman. It was Princess Yue, she'd become the moon spirit. Her spirit flew closer to me, looked me in the eyes and softly cupped my cheeks with her hands. She said goodbye and told me that she'd always be with me. We kissed for the last time before she disappeared. I looked up at the sky and saw how the moon reappeared. How the colours returned to the world. At that moment we knew we'd won the battle. To this day, Princess Yue watches over us in the form of the beautiful moon that flies high up in the sky every night. And that, kids, was the story of Princess Yue, who became the moon spirit, and how we saved the Northern Water Tribe together."

The quiet ward became filled with children's cheers and the staff's clapping as everybody applauded. After the kids had calmed down, Niyok and her nurses began ordering them to get back into their beds since visiting hours would begin soon.

"Do you wanna meet my big brother?" Katara asked Ilo, who nodded in agreement as she waterbended the healing water back into her pouch. They stood up and she beckoned him to follow her. Ilo watched how the healer practically ran to the councilman and wrapped her arms around him for a very tight hug.

"You were so good!" Katara whispered, burying her face in the crook of his neck, her eyes closed and a proud smile on her lips.

"Thanks, Katara! That means a lot," Sokka said as he nuzzled his nose into her hair and tenderly ran a hand down her back. They remained in each other's embrace for a few seconds. Katara released her hold and squatted down next to the little boy.

"Sokka, this is Ilo. He's a patient here. Ilo, this is my big brother Sokka."

"Hello, Sokka!" the boy smiled, reaching out his left hand so he could shake it. Of course Sokka had noticed how his sister had gone over to talk to him near the beginning of the story and how she'd used the time to heal his right hand.

"It's nice to meet you, Ilo. Now don't you worry, young man! My little sister here is the best healer in the world. She's gonna fix your hand by healing those broken bones and you'll be home in no time," Sokka said and winked at him, making the child giggle as he lifted him onto his broad shoulders.

"Be careful with his hand! Don't shake him too much!" Katara warned, but Ilo grabbed Sokka's head to steady himself and held on tight.

"Don't worry, I won't.. Ow! Watch the wolftail!"

"Sorry!" Ilo apologized after he'd gotten a better grasp with his free hand.

"Now, where's your bed?" Sokka wondered as he began walking towards the other end of the ward, bouncing Ilo on his shoulders.

"Over there! It's that one," he pointed at an empty bed in the middle. Before the Southern Water Tribe siblings could tuck him in, one of the kids scampered to the window and shouted.

"Hey, guys! It's snowing!"

Most kids who weren't bedridden got up from their beds to go look outside, the medical staff joining them soon after.

"Woah!"

"It's so pretty!"

The children gasped as they watched the big puffs of snow slowly gliding in the air, being tossed around by a few stronger currents until they fell down on the street several floors below. Sokka and Katara stepped closer to marvel at the beautiful display of nature as well. She placed a hand on his back and supported her head against his shoulder, releasing a soft hum. Ilo had the highest view out of all of them.

"Alright, back to bed now!" Niyok ordered, but the kids didn't budge and they protested a little when the nurses attempted to pull them away.

"Aww!"

"Not yet!"

"I wanna see more.."

Katara immediately had an idea. She took a few steps back and widened her stance. Everybody else noticed how the snow behind the glass began to move in a strange way, almost as if it didn't want to obey the laws of gravity anymore. A ribbon of snowflakes was being flicked in the air, forming all kinds of symbols and patterns. Sokka and Niyok looked behind them and witnessed Katara dancing through the forms like a ballerina.

"Hey, everybody! Look at Katara!" Ilo exclaimed proudly. Some of the children glanced at her, realizing that she was the one responsible for creating that amazing performance for them to see. She twirled around and twisted her hands, the snow outside following her commands. When Katara finished her graceful bending display, her friends, staff and the patients clapped loudly. She managed to take a bow before the elevator to her left opened and the first visitors along with another healer arrived.

"Mom! Dad!" a couple of children screeched and ran over to their parents, including Ilo, who waited for councilman Sokka to put him down first.

"Oh! Happy winter solstice celebration, son!" his mother said while his father lifted him up on his arms and they hugged him.

"What are you wearing?" his father wondered, poking the feathers on top of the hat. Katara coughed as she approached the family to get their attention.

"I believe that belongs to me."

"Mom, dad, this is Katara. She helped me feel better," Ilo said as he tried to remove her healer's hat with one hand and give it back to her, but she stepped closer to help him out.

"Wait a minute.. Katara. As in, Master Katara? The best healer in the entire world? It's an honour to meet you!" the boy's mother said and bowed to her while she was busy tying the strings together under her chin.

"Of course, we've heard great things about you. Thank you for taking good care of our son, Master Katara!" his father added.

"It's nice to meet you both. And you're welcome!"

Katara introduced her brother Sokka to Ilo's family and they exchanged pleasantries while the room filled with chatter. The first few kids got to tell their parents about everything exciting they'd done that day. They showed off their drawings, retold the story councilman Sokka had shared with them, said how well the healers were taking care of them, gave their parents a tour around the ward that'd been decorated to bring in some holiday spirit.

Niyok received much praise from the families for her efforts. She decided to stay for a little bit longer to see what all the other visitors would think of her initiative. While she was busy arranging everything with the healer who'd arrived to end her shift and let her take over, her friends came to say goodbye with another hug. Before the Southern Water Tribe siblings could leave, Ilo scampered to Katara and wanted a goodbye hug, too. She knelt down and wrapped her arms around him.

"Will you come and visit me again tomorrow, Katara?"

"I'll try, Ilo. If I'm not too busy. Should I forget, then let doctor Niyok know you wanna see me. She's a very good friend of mine, so she'll remind me and I'll come and visit you as soon as possible," Katara smiled and stroked the boy's head by running her hand through his short brown hair.

"Promise?"

"Promise."

After that wonderful afternoon spent in the pediatric general ward, Katara and Sokka took the elevator down to the first floor so she could escort him out from the hospital.

"I know Yue was looking down on you when you were telling her story to those kids. She'd be so happy."

"Aawww!.. Thanks, sis!"

"Are you.. crying?" she asked in a teasing tone as Sokka began rubbing an eye.

"No! I just have something in my eye.. a snowflake!"

"We're still indoors, silly.. Come here!" Katara said fondly and pulled him into a hug.

"Happy winter solstice celebration, Sokka!" she murmured.

"Happy winter solstice celebration, Katara!" he replied, tightening their embrace and stroking the back of her head with his hand. She told him to give her family's greetings to Suki, too.

Once Sokka had left, Katara went back to the emergency room to help out for another half hour before calling it a day. A few minutes passed as Katara barely managed to talk to the receptionist to find out whether there were any calls she could take or patients she needed to tend to in the emergency room when there was a commotion at the northern entrance. A paramedic carrying a little girl and a rather worried pregnant woman following them burst in.

"We need help!" the healer yelled and made her way to the middle of the room. Katara's mouth dropped wide open when they came closer. She recognized them.

"Jia-Li? Jia?" she mumbled to herself in disbelief before she ran towards the other paramedic to meet them halfway, stopping any other of her workers who wanted to approach them.

"Stay back! I've got this! What happened?" Katara inquired, taking a look at the child's limp body in the healer's arms. When she touched her forehead, she was burning up.

"Jia-Li, a 10-year-old girl with a very high fever, fainted on our way here-"

"Master Katara, you have to help her! Please!" Jia interrupted the paramedic.

"Give her to me and follow me, both of you! I know what's wrong with her," Katara ordered, grabbing Jia-Li from her employee's arms and running to the nearest empty healing tub. She placed the girl in the cool water, took a seat beside the tub and began waterbending the liquid around.

"How did this happen?" Katara asked as she worked on lowering Jia-Li's temperature, the water reflecting a bright blue glow as it flowed up and down in small waves.

"I went out for a quarter of an hour to go buy some paracetamol from a nearby pharmacy, but when I returned home, Jia-Li started rambling nonsense. I called the ambulance and they drove us here, but she fainted soon after we left," Jia explained as she paced back and forth on the other side of the tub.

"Master Katara, what's wrong with this child?" the paramedic wondered as she leaned closer to get a better look.

"She's suffering from pentapox. I did a home visit earlier today. You're going to have to take a shower after this, and it's probably a good idea to disinfect the inside of your carriage, too."

It took Katara some time before her patient's fever began to fall and she managed to stabilize her condition. She began shivering once her temperature was below critical level. A couple of minutes later, she ceased her shivering and her eyes began to flutter open.

"Mphm.. m-mom?" Jia-Li stuttered as she regained consciousness. Katara released a sigh of relief, luckily they'd gotten to her just in time.

"Where am I?"

Katara stroked her temple, she blinked and gazed at her with her olive green eyes.

"Jia-Li, do you remember me?"

"Healer Katara?"

"That's right. You're in my hospital. Your fever was so high that your mother called for an ambulance and this kind paramedic drove you here so I could help you."

"So, what now? Can we go back home?" Jia wondered.

"I'm afraid not. I'd like to keep you both under observation until the pentapox blows over. Jia-Li, my healers are going to take you to the infectious diseases unit shortly. They can keep an eye on your condition and keep your fever at bay until you've fully recovered. Okay?" Katara explained, to which the girl answered with a hesitant nod. Her mother and the paramedic stayed by her side while Katara went to talk to the receptionist. She told her to phone that department and ask for a healer with a wheelchair to be sent down to the emergency room to pick up a new patient.

"Can I go with her?" Jia asked as Katara helped her daughter dry off and the specialist from the infectious diseases ward waited for her to sit down in the wheelchair.

"Yes, but you'll be quarantined in a separate room once we're there. I don't wanna risk you catching pentapox from your daughter and putting your baby's life in danger. Or spreading the disease to anybody else in case you're a carrier."

"What can happen to my baby if I'm infected?" the mother wondered in a concerned tone, tenderly rubbing her abdomen.

"Well, judging by the size of your bump, I'm guessing you're due any day now. If you catch it, you might have a stillbirth or an early delivery. Miscarriage is highly unlikely at this stage," Katara said, grabbing the handles to push Jia-Li herself.

"We'll take them upstairs. Make sure to change the water in this tub. I don't want an epidemic to break out here," she ordered the paramedic who'd brought them in before the four of them headed to the elevator. Jia looked at Katara, the specialist and finally, her sickly daughter as they waited for the elevator to come down in complete silence. Katara noticed that she seemed a bit on edge.

"I'll have my healers test you for pentapox, to put your mind at ease. If you're healthy, you'll be referred to the maternity ward," she added just as the doors opened and their group stepped in. Jia's gaze fixed on the floor as she fiddled with her fingers, considering everything the healer had told her and how poorly her precious girl looked in that wheelchair.

"Umm.. Master Katara?"

"Yes?"

The mother gulped before she said what she wanted to say.

"I want that shot."

Katara's diamond blue eyes grew wide with surprise and her face lit up.

"Really?"

"Yes.. please. I don't want me or my baby to go through what Jia-Li's had to go through. Oh, I'm so sorry, sweetheart!" she apologized by combing her fingers through her daughter's long dark brown hair.

"It's not your fault, mom," Jia-Li managed to say before she covered her mouth and started coughing horribly.

"Yes, it is. If I'd listened to the healers and let them vaccinate you, you wouldn't be sick. Please, give me that shot right away."

"No, not yet. You can have it done once you've had your second child. It's not safe to inject a weakened form of pentapox into your system right now, it could infect the baby," Katara argued.

"Okay.. then that's the first thing I'll do after I've given birth to this little fellow," Jia said in a lighter tone as she ran circles above her bloated belly, prompting both Katara and the specialist to chuckle. She felt certain that the mother understood now.

Katara escorted them to the infectious diseases unit, helping the nurses tuck Jia-Li in while the specialist checked that Jia could make herself comfortable in the private quarantined ward right next to her daughter's.

"Don't worry, my healers are gonna take good care of you now. You'll have to stay in hospital for a while, but I'm sure you'll start to feel better in a couple of days," Katara said, patting the sheets above the girl's tummy.

"Thank you, healer Katara," Jia-Li smiled weakly.

The master waterbender let her staff take over from there so she could go take a disinfecting shower a second time to finish her shift as a paramedic at the emergency room. She headed to the same changing room she'd used earlier. At least she didn't have to clean her instruments this time. She met the paramedic, who'd brought the mother and daughter in, already under the showers ahead of her. She was a fun co-worker to hold a conversation with while they cleansed themselves of the virus.

After a nice chat and a thorough shower, Katara dried her hair and skin, waterbended the excess water out from her uniform and pulled it back on. She took the elevator up to the waiting room on the top floor. She headed to her own office in the western wing to change into her everyday clothes, the ones she usually wore at home as well as on the days she worked as a family physician.

Katara opened the door leading to her dark office, walked over to her desk and switched on the table lamp. After that, she closed the door to get some privacy. Her regular clothes were in the wardrobe next to the coat rack.

She removed everything until she was only dressed in her undergarments, putting those pieces of clothing on the empty hangers, as well as hanging her belt next to the uniform and placing her shoes, hat and blue scrunchy on special shelves, which were at the bottom and top inside the closet. She grabbed a pair of dark blue pants and brown boots, slid a navy blue tunic on top, pulled on her short-sleeved water tribe coat and two armbands. She also fluffed her hair after it'd been tied together for almost the entire day.

Katara hummed in delight as she smelled the white fur collar of her coat. The familiar scent was a mix of the herbal remedies that were stored in the cabinets in her office, the fresh air in Yue Bay that she breathed as she took the boat from their island to the harbour early in the morning, the sandalwood and her home cooking that filled their home.

Katara gazed out of the window as she stepped in front of her desk, trying to spot that "tiny speck" of an island. It was still snowing, the snowflakes were slowly gliding in the air and swirling downwards after the wind stopped swaying them. The white fluff that covered the capital like a soft blanket also helped the street lamps illuminate the paths and bigger roads of Republic City at night. The clock on her husband's memorial island began striking, doing so six times.

But don't you miss them? Yes, she did. Katara rubbed her arms as she eyed the telephone on her desk. She decided to ring him up. She picked up the receiver, dialled the correct number and waited a few seconds until someone answered.

"Hello?" a familiar voice asked. There was the faintest sound of a baby crying and some shuffling heard in the background.

"Aang?"

"Katara?"

"Good evening, sweetie.." Katara smiled lovingly, her voice sounded very yearning.

"How's everything at home?"

"Fine! Fine.. we're doing fine. I was just looking after Tenzin."

"Yeah, I can hear him near you," she giggled.

"Hold on a sec, I'll call the kids.. Kids, your mother's on the phone!"

Katara heard faint running on the wooden floorboards.

"Hold on, they're coming downstairs.." Aang added, waiting for Bumi and Kya to reach the living room. Then there was the sound of a mattress plopping.

"What is it, daddy?" the little waterbender asked.

"Mommy's on the phone. Who wants to go first? Here.."

Aang handed the phone over to one of them, Katara waited in silence.

"Mom?"

"Hey, Bumi! How was your day?"

"It was great! After I got home from school, we had a waterbending lesson together with dad. Kya had already learned some new moves, so we fooled around a little bit.. Ow!"

Katara laughed quietly. Aang must've nudged him gently, judging by the way he tried to correct his son as she heard him say something to him.

"..I mean we had a snowball fight, built some snowmen and just.. had fun," he shrugged.

"I'm glad to hear that, Bumi. Anything else you wanted to tell me?"

"Nah, not really."

"Okay then, give it to your little sister."

"Here, Kya. Mom wants to speak with you."

"..Mommy!? Hi, mommy!" the little waterbender exclaimed, making her mother giggle again. She could imagine the excited look on her daughter's face or how she was hopping on the couch next to her father and brothers.

"Hi, sweetie! I heard you learned a new waterbending move today."

"I did, mommy! Daddy taught me how to turn water into ice just by breathing correctly."

"It's called breath of ice, Kya," Katara corrected.

"That's right, mommy!"

"That's so cool.." she said, prompting her little waterbender to giggle at the unintentional pun.

"Did you have a good day with your brothers and daddy?"

"I did! But I miss you, mommy. Please come home soon!"

"I will, my little waterbender. I just gotta go visit one more patient and then I'll come straight home."

"Okay. I love you, mommy!"

"I love you too, sweetie. Muah!" Katara murmured, blowing an air kiss inside the phone.

"Now give the phone back to daddy."

"Here you go, daddy."

There was a moment of silence as Aang struggled to hold the phone in one hand and cradle Tenzin with the other.

"Katara, you still there?"

"Mhmm, I'm standing near the window in my office. Can you see me?"

"Yeah, I thought I saw that dim light in your office. Kids, your mother's in her office. Let's wave to her."

She heard how Kya shouted another "Hey, mommy!" as she stepped closer to the window to stare down at that little island of theirs a couple of miles away from the city center.

"Are you coming home soon?"

"I just need to visit Mr. Chen. It'll take me at least an hour and a half to get there and ride back to the hospital. I'll probably be home at around eight."

"Take your time, sweetie. The kids and I have everything under control."

"Good. Make sure to prepare supper for them."

"I will. I'll also light a candle later in the evening."

"Mmm.. thank you, Aang. I love you."

"Love you too, Katara."

Katara heard how he blew an air kiss into the line as well, after which she hung up. Having put the telephone back on her desk, she looked outside through the window, placing a hand against the cold glass.

"I'll be home soon, sweetie."

She grabbed her water tribe parka from the coat rack and pulled it on, scanned her office one last time before turning off the table lamp and locking the door with her key for that day. She took the elevator down to the first floor to go grab her shoulder bag and pouch from the emergency room, where she'd left them before the paramedic had rushed in with Jia and her daughter. Katara wished the receptionist a good evening and headed outside to the western side of the building.

There were a lot more ostrich horses to choose from in the evenings since the number of accidents that paramedics had to respond to usually decreased at night. But the waterbender still walked over to her favourite, who was grazing some hay.

"Hey, Mamoun.. Who's a good boy, huh?" she asked as she stepped beside him and scratched his head, more specifically, behind his left ear. Mamoun shook his head and whinnied happily to her.

"That's right, you are!"

Katara tenderly stroked his beak as they stared into each other's eyes. The ostrich horse lowered his head a bit to nuzzle his beak below her chest, his big brown eyes looking up at her tiny diamond blue ones.

"One last ride tonight," she murmured to him, holding his beak close with one hand and combing his mane with the other. Mamoun snorted and closed his eyes for a moment, lifting his head and standing up straight like a proud steed to show her that he was ready to ride with her once again. Katara checked whether he was harnessed to the carriage correctly, then jumped into the driver's seat and grabbed the reins.

"Let's go, boy," she said, clucking her tongue to guide them out of the stable and onto the streets. As Katara drove through the bustling city center, she saw street lamps decorated with colourful lights, candles burning on almost every window to thank the spirits for their kindness and to remember those who were no longer with them.

The winter solstice celebration had always been about coming together to spend time with one's family, but also to show respect to the spirits. This day was unique to the United Republic of Nations and it was inspired by the Glacier Spirits Festival back at the Southern Water Tribe. Aang, being the Avatar and the bridge between humans and spirits, along with Katara, being a southern waterbender who valued the traditions of her homeland, had proposed the idea of such a holiday many years ago. This day had always been the most long-awaited of the year amongst many families.

The further Mamoun cantered into the northeastern borough, the duller the streets turned. The wealthier as well as most of the middle class citizens lived closer to the heart of Republic City and could afford more to celebrate. It was a blessing if there were similar colourful lights hanging from a bigger block of flats in that area or the residents had enough yuans to buy some matches to at least light a candle.

Having passed the border between the city center and the northeastern borough, the traffic seemed to become more sparse. Less than half a mile later, Katara and Mamoun were the only ones out on the streets, the street lights and a single candle displayed on every tenth window or so being the only things lighting their way to the suburb.

She heard a trolley gain on her ambulance carriage in the middle of the street a minute later. The railway tracks ran straight on their left side for another half a mile. There were about a dozen passengers on their way to their homes. Two pre-teen boys noticed the ostrich horse running alongside the tracks. They decided to make funny faces to mock the driver for being slightly slower than their public transportation. When one of them blew a raspberry at her, Katara decided to have some fun of her own. She gave them a smug smile in return.

"Hi-yah!"

She flicked the reins to order Mamoun to begin galloping. He gained on the front of the trolley in a matter of seconds, running neck and neck at a rather fast speed. Katara sat up straight and smirked back at the boys who'd made fun of her and her companion, their faces now as long as her ostrich horse's.

"Go, Mamoun! Go!" she prodded competitively as he pulled the rest of the carriage past the trolley. They won the race when the railway tracks turned left on a bigger intersection. Katara started laughing as she shifted to the left side of her seat to glance back at the empty street behind them.

"Ha-ha! Good boy, Mamoun! Good boy!" she praised loudly, attempting to slow down since the road was covered with spots of black ice, which shimmered under the street lights. She didn't have time to react when suddenly a small child ran across the street right in front of her ostrich horse.

"Wooaahh!" Katara yelled and yanked the reins to avoid crashing into the child. Mamoun neighed in panic and tried to stop, but his feet slipped on the ice and he lost his balance. He pulled the carriage to his right, sending it skidding across the ice and straight towards a street lamp. Katara screamed and held on tight as the vehicle slammed against the post, which forced it to split in half from the middle. She hit herself against the side before she was plunged out of her driver's seat and straight into a pile of snow.

Mamoun's neighing was the only sound that filled the quiet street after the crash. Once the carriage had stopped under the street light, the ostrich horse swiftly got back up on his feet and broke free from his harness with sheer force. He cantered further away and ran a couple of circles until he began to calm down, his neighs being replaced by short unhappy snorts.

Mamoun panted as he looked around to spot something familiar. He saw the broken ambulance carriage parked next to the post, so he hesitantly walked back to the scene of the accident. He eyed the huge crack inside the wood, which separated the rear and front of the vehicle. As Mamoun sniffed the driver's seat, he noticed his friend lying still on her stomach in the snow a few feet away. He trotted to her side and tilted his head, staring at her near-lifeless body. However, her back did move slowly, rising up and falling down in a steady rhythm. She was breathing.

The ostrich horse stepped closer and softly nudged her with his beak. She didn't budge. He tried it again, pushing a bit harder this time, but Katara remained unconscious. He brought his beak close to her face and breathed some warm air out from his nostrils. When that didn't work either, he started licking her face. Mamoun repeated those actions several times until he heard her groan.

"Ughh..."

He kept licking the side of her face until she slowly lifted her head from the pile of snow and her diamond blue eyes fluttered open to meet his worried gaze.

"M-Mamoun? You woke me up.. good boy," Katara said as she looked at her loyal companion with wide eyes, forcing a smile to show him that she was alright. She thanked him with a few strokes along his beak before he let her grab it to help her stand up carefully.

The waterbender supported herself by holding onto the ostrich horse's face. She let go when she felt sure that she wouldn't have a dizzy spell. She groaned again, her hand landing above her left eyebrow. Mamoun tilted his head and gave her a short nicker before licking the left side of her face.

"I'm okay, Mamoun. It's just a bump," Katara assured him and gently pushed his beak away so she could check her injury. She summoned some water around her left hand like a glove and placed it above her left eye. She rubbed her temple, moving the glowing water around near the nasty bump until she felt a little better.

Once she'd waterbended the water back into her pouch and fluffed the snow off her parka, she turned around to have a look at her ambulance carriage. She gasped at the sight. That vehicle was as good as firewood. Mamoun followed her as she walked around the carriage, checking whether there was anything left to save.

Katara headed to the back and crawled inside for a moment to pick up his feeding bag. She found another nice big juicy green apple and held it in front of her ostrich horse's beak, letting him sniff it before he ate it out of her hand in one bite. She rummaged through the bag to offer him some bread, too. Mamoun snorted to sniff the slice, then gently nibbled on the bread without biting her hand. She crumpled up the small leather feeding bag with the rest of his feed and put it inside her shoulder bag, in case Mamoun would become hungry later.

The ostrich horse lowered his head a bit to look straight into her diamond blue eyes once he was done eating. His big brown eyes fell shut as he rubbed his beak against her. Katara stepped closer and wrapped her arms around his neck to hug him.

"Ugh, good boy! Good boy, Mamoun!.. You're such a good boy.." she murmured to him, running her hand up and down his mane.

"Thank you."

Mamoun nickered as he rested his beak on her back to hug her, too. He might've saved her, but what about the child who'd ran right in front of them? Katara hadn't noticed anyone else injured near the scene of the accident. She heard someone cough on the other side of the street. She released her embrace to look behind her.

"You? You ran in front of my carriage?" she asked, her eyes wide in disbelief. It was the same mysterious girl in a yellow dress, standing in another alley.

"Mamoun, sit.." Katara ordered in a stricter tone, waiting for her ostrich horse to sit down next to her broken vehicle.

"Good boy. Stay here," she said as she stroked his beak a couple of times before she turned around and crossed the street to go talk to the child. Oddly enough, she didn't run away from the healer as she approached her. Katara decided to keep a safe distance between the two of them so she wouldn't scare her away again. She squatted down only a few feet away from her.

"Are you hurt?" she wondered, tilting her head as she examined the girl's appearance. Surprisingly, she didn't seem to have a single scratch on her.

"Do you know how dangerous it is to run in front of a carriage? It could end with a serious accident, much more serious than this," Katara scolded her, waving a hand towards her ambulance carriage and ostrich horse. The little girl hung her head in shame for a moment, looking up at the woman with puppy eyes as she went into a horrible coughing fit. The waterbender frowned, she couldn't stay mad at her.

"You're still sick, huh? That nasty cough must be really bothering you."

She waited until the little one caught her breath.

"I can help you feel better, if you let me. It makes me very sad to see you suffer.. Please, let me help you," Katara begged, stretching her right hand out to her. Her diamond blue eyes grew wider with every hesitant step the child took until she was close enough to lay her tiny hand onto her palm.

"There we go.. that's much better. Aren't you cold?" she asked as she shifted closer and knelt down in front of her. The little girl let her cup her cheek and touch her forehead.

"You are a bit warm. I think you might have a fever, too. Would you like to pull on my water tribe coat?"

The girl shook her head.

"Okay then. Where's your home?"

She remained silent. Now that Katara thought of it, she'd never heard this girl say a word ever since she'd met her this morning. She seemed old enough to know how to speak though.

"If you're lost, I can take you to my hospital where I can examine you and help you feel better while I inform the police so they could search for your parents. Toph is one of my best friends and she's also the Chief of Police. She's gonna find your home in no time. What do you say?" Katara smiled, but the girl raised a finger to her mouth as she glanced back towards the alley with a concerned look.

"What is it? Is something there?"

She grabbed the waterbender's hand and tugged at it, taking a step away from her.

"Oh.. you want me to follow you?" Katara asked fondly as she stood up and began following the little girl, who looked back at her to be sure that she wouldn't fall behind. She guided the waterbender into another maze of narrow paths between the dilapidated houses.

"Where are you taking me?" Katara wondered out loud, trying to remember their way back. The deeper they went, the more abandoned those buildings seemed to be. Broken windows without any candles to be lit for the holiday, old rusty street lamps that'd been built in the early years of Republic City's founding and provided light with flickering bulbs, small heaps of trash covered by snow.

Katara readied her free hand near her pouch, in case there were thugs waiting to ambush them behind a dark corner. But the little girl seemed to know exactly where she was headed. She peeked at the waterbender every now and again, making sure that she'd always see where she's going.

Pretty soon, they could hear a faint cry in the distance. The little girl began scampering. Katara was afraid she might lose her again, but the child had a very strong grip on her right hand. She wanted the waterbender to run along with her. As they came closer, Katara distinguished the voice as a woman's. It sounded like she was crying and moaning with pain.

Another corner to the right and a short straight narrow path eventually led them to a blind alley, where the little girl came to a sudden halt. It was a bigger square-shaped area, surrounded by the walls of two shabby wooden houses and a taller concrete building. There weren't any lights on in them, only an old street lamp that hung in the corner cast a light around the otherwise empty square. Two big trash containers had been pushed against the wall of the concrete building for the residents to use, if there were any.

Katara had stopped beside the little girl and looked around their surroundings. The woman's cries were loudest in that spot. She noticed somebody's near-bare feet in the snow behind the dumpsters and ran over to take a look.

"Oh no!" Katara gasped, her hands landing on her mouth. It was a pregnant woman, not much older than she was. She forgot about the little girl and hurried to the woman's side to help her.

"Are you okay, ma'am?"

"Oh, please! Make it stop!" she screamed in agony and clutched one of Katara's hands. Her cheeks were stained with tears, her nails unclipped and she had long messy dark brown hair. She was wearing a torn white dress that'd turned grey from the filth, remnants of what seemed to be a brown winter coat, shoes with holes in the heels and in front where her toes popped out. Katara looked below. She saw a puddle of slightly yellowish snow under her bottom. Her waters had broken, she was already in labour.

"I'm sorry, but I can't make it stop now. You're going to have a baby pretty soon," Katara stated and tried to pull her hand back so she could help, but the woman held onto it real tight.

"Nooo!.. I don't wanna give birth!"

"You don't have a choice anymore. You should've thought of that nine months ago," Katara replied a tad coldly, to which the woman pulled her even closer to her face.

"P-please! I don't wanna lose it again! I'm scared to lose this one, too!" she begged, staring into Katara's diamond blue eyes. She'd misinterpreted the situation - this wasn't an unwanted child, this was a mother who'd already lost one child.

"You're not going to lose this baby, ma'am! What's your name?"

"Iniko."

"Iniko, look at me.. look at me!" Katara demanded. The woman looked at her with her teary lime green eyes.

"I'm a healer. My name's Katara, I'm from the Southern Water Tribe. I'm the best healer in the world and head of the Republic City Hospital. And while I'm here, I'm going to do everything I can to help bring this baby into the world safe and sound. Do you hear me?"

Iniko nodded and sniffed.

"Good. Now just try to remain calm and breathe really fast for me.." Katara ordered as she pulled her hand back. She dropped her shoulder bag next to her on the snowy ground, in case she needed any of her medical instruments. Having waterbended the soiled snow away, she summoned the water from her pouch around her hands like gloves, laying one of them on the woman's swollen belly and the other under her dress to check how far she was with the labour.

"How long have these strong contractions been going on?"

"I don't know.. maybe two hours? I've heard the clock chime twice since I collapsed here. I tried to continue walking, but I couldn't move because of the pain," Iniko panted between breaths. Katara thanked Aang a thousand times in her mind for telling her the time. She waterbended the water back into her pouch.

"You said you already had one child. This is your second baby?" Katara asked as she swiftly pulled off her long parka. She placed the top behind Iniko's back so she wouldn't feel cold against the concrete wall and lifted her bottom up a bit to slide the lower half of her parka under there so she wouldn't touch the ground. The woman hummed a positive answer.

"In that case, this baby is coming really fast. I could feel it," Katara added, also removing her short-sleeved water tribe coat and laying it over Iniko's chest like a small blanket to keep her as warm as possible. Being covered up only by her navy blue tunic and a sarashi underneath, Katara had to fight back the cold herself. The chilly winters in Republic City were nothing compared to the freezing climate of her homeland. This was a fight she didn't need to focus on right now.

"That's it, Iniko. Just breathe through the pain, keep panting!" the waterbender encouraged her as one contraction followed another. She spread the woman's legs and knelt down in between to have a better look.

"You're almost there, I'm gonna ask you to begin pushing soon," she explained as she waterbended two ice handles near Iniko's hands for her to grab on when that stage would begin.

It took them another quarter of an hour and the clock struck seven in the evening. Iniko had been in labour for at least three hours. Katara's hands remained covered with water as she constantly examined both the mother's womb to feel the position of the baby, as well as the baby's vital signs to be sure that it wasn't under too much stress. Everything was going smoothly so far.

"Okay, now during the next contraction, I want you to push gently. Ready?"

Iniko gave the healer a quick nod before she grimaced as she shut her eyes and pushed until Katara told her to stop again so she could catch her breath.

"You're doing great, Iniko! The head's almost out. We gotta get baby's head out fast, so get ready to push again.. As hard as you can this time, c'mon!" she urged the woman, who crumpled her face once more and released a loud scream.

"That's it.. a little more.. keep pushing! Okay, that's enough!" Katara instructed as she quickly grabbed her water tribe coat from on top of Iniko and tossed it on the ground in front of her knees with one hand. She held the baby's head steady with her other hand.

"Your baby is almost born. If you're strong enough to give me another good push, then you can hold your baby in a minute.. Are you ready to meet your baby?" she asked with a determined smile on her lips. The woman barely managed a nod before the next contraction hit her and she continued screaming. This one wasn't as painful as the last one though.

"Good girl, Iniko! Just a little bit more.. here it comes.. Well done!" Katara praised as she held the baby's upper body in her hands.

"Now pant for me."

Iniko started panting and waited for the healer to slowly and carefully slip the rest of its body out from hers. A moment later, the blind alley became filled with the sound of a baby crying. Both women shared a hearty laugh.

"It's a boy! You have a son, Iniko!" Katara exclaimed happily as she cleaned the little guy with the remaining water from her pouch.

"A son?" the mother asked in wonder as she lifted herself on her wobbly arms a little bit to have a look. She saw how Katara used the water like a sharp knife to cut the umbilical cord and then immediately heal both ends. She wrapped the baby boy into her water tribe coat and lifted him into a cradle hold, standing up to hand him over to his mother's arms.

"My son..." Iniko's voice quavered as the healer placed the baby in her arms. She moved the furry edge off from one of his hands to let him grab her finger. His crying quietened down, whereas the tears continued trickling down his mother's cheeks.

"Hello there, little one! I'm your mommy. I didn't think we'd make it, but here we are.. thanks to this kind woman.. What did you say your name was?"

"Katara."

"Thanks to Katara here. She helped bring you into this world, just like she promised," Iniko cooed to the baby and kissed his vernix-covered forehead. Katara rubbed at her eyes to hold back her own tears. When she opened her eyes again, she saw the same little girl who'd brought her there, standing right beside Iniko. She looked so happy, a small smile decorating her face as she stared at the mother and her newborn son. She gazed back at the waterbender.

"Thank you," Katara said in a hushed, but loving tone.

"Who are you talking to?"

Katara froze for a second at Iniko's weird question.

"Umm, a little girl, right next to.. you?" she replied, pointing a finger to Iniko's left side, but when she averted her gaze from the mother, the girl was gone.

"Where?"

Both women looked around the alley, but they didn't see any souls other than the three of them.

"Wait, you didn't see her?"

Iniko simply shook her head. Katara felt confused once more as she crawled back between the mother's legs. While the latter was busy admiring her newborn son, the healer helped her deliver the placenta within minutes. Katara grabbed some clean snow from nearby to wash her bloody hands as well as scrub some of the bigger stains out of her armbands, tunic and pants. It'd been a pretty fast and successful delivery.

The waterbender had been so focused on helping the woman that she didn't even notice how cold she was until she started shivering. She rubbed her arms as she walked back over to Iniko's side to pick up her shoulder bag and hang it across her chest. After that, Katara helped the mother stand up slowly, making sure that her long water tribe parka would stay on her shoulders and hang down on her back to keep her warm. The baby boy seemed pretty warm and cosy in her coat, too.

Katara escorted them back to her broken ambulance carriage. Without the little girl to help out, she had to rely on her memories of which narrow paths they'd taken. Also, the slightly visible footprints in the snow helped her out. The light snowfall had covered them up with a fresh thin layer, but there were definitely two different-sized pairs.

How could the child have disappeared like that? And why didn't she leave footprints on her way out of there, if she'd even run out that way? Katara shook her head, every single thing about that child puzzled her. But she knew one thing for sure - she'd led her to Iniko for a reason.

Mamoun pricked up his ears and wagged his tail as he gazed at the two women who came out of the alley on the other side of the street. Iniko tightened her hold on her baby and stopped in the middle of the road for a moment.

"It's okay, he won't bite. He's very friendly, I'll show you," Katara smiled as she walked over to her ostrich horse and stroked his beak. He nuzzled the side of his face against her chest and tummy. Iniko watched the healer bond with her animal a few steps behind.

"Oh, Mamoun.. Did you miss me? I'm back, and I brought two new friends along. Are you okay with them riding you, too?" she murmured to him and stepped aside to introduce the mother and baby. The ostrich horse tilted his head and merely stared at them curiously, releasing a short nicker in the end.

"He'd be happy to give you a ride," Katara chuckled and beckoned them closer. Iniko hesitantly walked around the animal and she helped her climb on the saddle on his back. The waterbender sat behind them to give the mother something to support herself against. She could also keep herself warmer by holding her body close to her parka. It was going to be a bumpy ride.

Katara grabbed the long reins from Iniko's sides to hold her steady, after which she clucked her tongue, waiting for Mamoun to stand up and begin walking.

"Hold on tight," she said, flicking the reins twice to let her ostrich horse begin trotting, then cantering. She didn't let him gallop since it would've shaken the mother and infant too much. Besides that, the slower speed helped prevent them from falling off the saddle and having another accident.

"Where are we going?" Iniko wondered as Katara turned right at the first bigger intersection on their way.

"My hospital's half an hour away from here. I know a warm and safe place much closer, where we can call for help and recuperate."

She guided her ostrich horse to the Southern Water Tribe library in the northwestern borough, which was less than two miles away, taking them less than fifteen minutes to get there. It closed at eight o'clock each workday. The clock showed a quarter to eight when Katara and Mamoun pulled over in front of the vast building. The ostrich horse let out a loud neigh as she tugged at his reins to stop him.

"Wooaahh.. Good boy, Mamoun!" she praised as she hopped off from the back of the saddle to go and reward him with some more bread. The ostrich horse nibbled the slice out of her hand, breathing some warm air onto her slightly frozen fingers.

"Sit.." Katara coaxed by rubbing his beak and gently pushing it downwards. She patted his neck and combed his mane to thank him for all the hard work he'd done. After that, she helped Iniko climb down from the animal's back, grabbing her by the shoulders to head inside the library.

The librarian working the shift that night was an elderly member of the Southern Water Tribe. She'd helped Katara and Sokka with establishing the building in Republic City and gathering scrolls, books or any other valued reading material from back home for everybody else to browse through.

She was reading today's issue of The Elemental Times, ready to begin closing up in a couple of minutes, when she heard the door open. She averted her gaze from the newspaper towards the guests who she hoped would be eager to learn something about her culture.

"Master Katara!?" she gasped, dropping the paper on her desk and quickly making her way to the waterbender and the stranger with a baby.

"What happened to you? Look at you, you're all dirty," she sighed, trying to dust Katara's tunic.

"I'm okay, Alda. But this mother and her baby need some help. Can I call my hospital?"

"Of course! Go ahead, dear," she waved a hand towards her desk.

"Thanks, Alda. You're a blessing," Katara said as she leaned down to give the old lady a hug.

"Would you find Iniko a nice place to sit so she could rest while we wait for the ambulance to get here? And maybe something to eat or drink?"

"I'll get right on it!" Alda said with a smile. She grabbed Iniko's arm to lead the way to the couch in the quiet reading corner. She was surprised at how filthy and poor the mother looked, but she didn't wanna judge her only by her appearance. If Katara had helped this lady out, then she must've really needed it.

"Oh, he's one handsome little fellow, isn't he?" Alda cooed as she tickled the baby's cheek, making Iniko smile.

"I think I might have some bananas and lychee nuts in my drawer. I'll go fetch them for you," she squeezed the mother's shoulder before she walked back to her desk. In the meantime, Katara was busy talking to the receptionist on the phone. She asked for a backup ambulance carriage and the paramedics to bring along warm blankets for the fresh mother and infant. She ordered a second ambulance carriage with another healer to be sent on its way to Mr. Chen's place in the northeastern borough. The original as well as only patient who she didn't reach during her evening rounds that night.

"Here you go, dear. I'll go put on some tea," the librarian said as she handed Iniko one of her leftover dumplings, a banana and dropped a dozen lychee nuts into her palms. Katara finished her call and joined the mother as she began eating for what seemed like the first time in days. By the time she finished her meal, her baby had started to fuss in her lap.

"I think he's hungry, too. I want.. I'd like you to breastfeed him."

Iniko rubbed her hands cleaner against her dress, then picked up her son and put him in a cradle hold. Katara helped her undo the buttons and pull the tattered cloth off from the left side of her chest. She attempted to teach her, but before she could, she watched how Iniko guided the baby boy to his source of nourishment and he latched on immediately.

"Wow, you're really good at this!"

"As I said, this isn't my first child."

Katara observed how Iniko fed her baby in complete silence, her diamond blue eyes full of wonder and admiration at the same time. There was definitely something far deeper to this woman than she was showing. She seemed to be such a loving and caring mother, she knew how to take care of her baby, but she'd already lost one child for some unknown reason. Katara couldn't comprehend how she could've possibly ended up homeless nor how she'd survived the challenging weather of the four seasons while expecting. She was a fighter, that's for sure.

Alda's heart melted at the sight of the mother nursing her baby as she brought her some hot ginger tea. Iniko managed to finish the small cup just before they heard the siren of an approaching ambulance carriage. Katara ran outside to greet her healers and show them the way to the patients. The paramedics exchanged their boss's clothes for two soft blankets, which they used to wrap up the baby boy and his mother. Katara wasn't as fond to get her stained coat and parka back as she'd initially hoped, but it'd have to do while riding back to the hospital on her ostrich horse.

She said her goodbyes to the librarian and headed outside with the group. Having climbed on the saddle, she grabbed the reins and ordered him to stand up again. The healers had Iniko sit down on the bed at the back of their carriage before they took off, with Katara and Mamoun cantering right behind them.

It was half past eight by the time they arrived at the hospital. The two healers stopped their ambulance carriage at the northern entrance to escort Iniko inside as she cradled her son in her arms. Katara rode her ostrich horse straight to the stable since her broken vehicle was left behind under that street lamp. Having hopped off the saddle, she held onto the reins to lead him to one of the stalls so she could take off the equipment and he could get a well-deserved rest to be ready to aid her or any of her employees once more the following day.

"Muah! Good boy, Mamoun.. you were excellent today," Katara murmured, leaving a kiss on the side of his beak before she hugged him and stroked his mane. The ostrich horse wagged his tail and gave her a very happy nicker in return, nuzzling the side of his face against her chest. Having hung his feeding bag in the stall, she headed inside to go wash her clothes, and maybe herself, a third time.

Katara pulled off her dirty parka and coat as she reached the elevator and pushed the button, waiting for it to come down. Before that happened, she overheard the conversation between the receptionist and a middle-aged man who'd just entered the emergency room after her.

"Hello, sir! How can I help you?"

"Good evening! My wife left me a note on the table, saying that she went to the hospital with our little girl. Could you tell me whether she's been admitted here? They're not at home."

"Of course. What are their names?"

"Jia and Jia-Li."

Katara jolted around to look at him.

"Aahh, yes! I remember them! They were brought in by the ambulance around five o'clock."

"The ambulance!? What happened?" the man gasped, an even more worried look on his face.

"Your daughter had a very high fever because of pentapox, so your wife called the ambulance. She fainted on their way here, but luckily, Master Katara was working a shift here today. She rushed your daughter to a healing tub and lowered her fever and she woke up. After that, she had them admitted and referred to the infectious diseases unit."

"Where's that?"

"It's on the 17th floor, you can take the elevator.. Oh, there she is! That's Master Katara right there!" the receptionist smiled, pointing a finger towards her superior. The man thanked her for the information and walked over to the master waterbender. She wasn't looking at her best - her clothes covered with stains and blood and who knew what other fluids. An occupational hazard. But the man grabbed both her grimy hands and gently shook them, returning her wide-eyed gaze.

"Thank you!.. Thank you for saving my daughter's life, Master Katara."

"Y-you're welcome.. I'm sorry, I didn't catch your name," she stuttered and blushed, scratching the back of her head with one hand.

"I'm Li-Wei, Jia's husband and Jia-Li's father. The receptionist told me what you did. I cannot thank you enough."

"Just doing my job.. I can show you where they are, if you'd like," Katara said, tilting her head towards the elevator that'd opened the doors.

"Oh! Yes, please!" Li-Wei grinned and stepped inside after her. She waited until the doors closed and they were being lifted upstairs to have a more private conversation.

"I'm sorry, but considering everything that happened to your wife and daughter, and as a healer, I have to ask.. Are you vaccinated against pentapox?"

"Oh.. no, I don't think so," Li-Wei thought for a moment, then shrugged.

"Can I ask why?"

"I wasn't aware there's a new vaccine. I would've had it done in a heartbeat."

Katara sighed in relief without him noticing. At least he wasn't against it.

"That's great. But since you're not vaccinated either, I'm afraid my healers are going to have to put you in quarantine to check that you aren't a carrier of the disease. You'll have to stay here until they figure it out."

"I don't mind. I just wanna see my wife and daughter."

"You should also wash your hands before you go see your wife to avoid infecting her. It could be very dangerous for both her and the baby if they catch pentapox. I'm sure she'll tell you more about it and I hope you both have a very serious conversation about why it's important to get vaccinated, for Jia-Li's sake."

Li-Wei had no idea why Katara seemed so serious and reprimanding when she talked about that, but he promised her that he'll let her healers vaccinate him as soon as possible. She offered him a smile at that promise, lightening up a little bit. She escorted him to the wards where his wife and daughter were resting, having him wash his hands before she allowed to enter Jia's private ward.

The waterbender looked through the glass part of the door to see how Li-Wei simply walked in and embraced his wife, who was lying rather comfortably in bed. He ran a hand over her bump and tried to give her a kiss, but she stopped him and grabbed his hands. He took a seat in the chair next to the bed and they started talking, their faces solemn and full of concern.

Katara decided to let the pair have some privacy, so she took the elevator back down by a few floors to head to the showers again. She washed her hands after spending some time so close to Jia's husband, considering that he'd touched her too, then proceeded to scrub the remaining stains out of her clothes.

Katara spent twenty minutes in the changing room. Having cleaned her coat and parka, she stepped under the shower without removing any of her other clothes to wash herself. She dried them by pulling the dripping water out with her bending. Once she'd filled her empty pouch, pulled on her short-sleeved water tribe coat, grabbed her parka and finished freshening up, it was time to go see how Iniko and her newborn son were doing.

They'd been admitted and referred to the postnatal unit in the maternity ward. Katara left her parka, pouch and shoulder bag in a small wardrobe, which was meant for the workers on that floor and located behind another receptionist's desk, who also worked there. She went to the infant unit first to have a look at the baby boy.

When she quietly opened the door, she witnessed one of her healers trying to auscultate him, but he refused to cooperate with her. Katara closed the door behind her and walked over to the healer who was clearly in a pickle. She tapped her on the shoulder to get her attention.

"May I try?"

"Master Katara?.. Of course," the healer said with a grateful nod as she removed the stethoscope from her ears and handed it to her boss. Katara grabbed the diaphragm and rubbed it against the palm of her hand to warm it up before she laid it back on the infant's chest. He began crying a little, hence she lifted one of his hands near his mouth so he'd shush up and begin sucking his thumb instead. It worked, she could listen to him in complete silence.

"You certainly have that magic touch with these little tykes," the other healer added.

"Years of practice," she giggled and spoke in a low tone. During her first pregnancy, as well as the two others that followed, Katara had used her own stethoscope to listen to her baby's heartbeat while it was still growing inside her. It was one thing to sense the tiny organ pounding along with her own thanks to her waterbending, or more precisely, healing abilities, but a completely different experience when she first heard the fast beats through the medical instrument. This little guy's heartbeat was just as fast and she couldn't hear any murmurs. She watched the clock on the wall and counted.

"136 beats per minute.. no murmurs.. respiratory rate at 46," Katara whispered to her colleague, who wrote the readings down on the clipboard. She gave the medical instrument back to her, then wrapped the baby up in the blanket underneath him.

"How's he doing?"

"He's doing great. Another nice healthy baby boy among us thanks to your refined skills."

Katara smiled lovingly. She was very pleased to hear that, considering everything he'd been through.

"Can I take this little guy along? I'd like to bring him to his mother."

"Sure, I just finished his first checkup. Thanks for the help."

"You're welcome. Come here, little one.." Katara cooed as she lifted him up from his small bed and placed him in a cradle hold. He released a short cry at the movement.

"Yes, we're gonna go see your mommy now," she said, gently rocking the baby in her arms as she left the infant unit and headed towards the general ward for mothers who'd recently given birth. When Katara entered the ward, she saw that Iniko was resting alone in one of the beds, no other mothers were around. Only the nurse, who was sitting behind her desk and writing something into someone's medical records, kept her company. She greeted her boss as she passed her and walked over to the patient. Katara's mouth fell slightly agape.

Iniko looked so different, as if she'd been given a complete makeover. The knots in her hair had been combed straight, her nails had been clipped short. The nurses had given her a bath, hence her light skin gleamed and she looked so tidy wearing a new hospital gown, being tucked under a warm blanket. Much more like a normal, decent person.

"Wow.. Iniko, how are you feeling?" Katara asked as she took a seat on the edge of the bed, on her right side.

"Pretty amazing. I haven't felt this way in ages," Iniko smiled and sat up a bit.

"I brought someone to see you. He just had his first checkup," Katara explained as she carefully placed the baby into his mother's arms.

"How did he do?"

"He passed with flying colours."

Both women giggled. Iniko tenderly ran the back of her hand over her son's cheeks. He didn't stir from the touch. He must've been tired from such a wild adventure and seemed to have fallen asleep.

"So, have you decided on a name yet?"

"I think I have.. I'm going to name him Taro. It means that he's my firstborn son. And there's a little bit of your name in it, too. I want both of us to remember the benevolent healer who'd helped me bring him into this world."

"Iniko, I.. I'm touched," Katara paused for a moment, not knowing what to say. She laid a hand above her heart and smiled.

"Thank you."

She watched the mother comb the tiny bundle of hair on her son's head and gently bounce him for a while before deciding to ask.

"Taro is your second child, your firstborn son.. so your first child was a daughter?"

Iniko's smile faded away slightly. She nodded.

"It wasn't always like this, you know.. I used to have a home, which I shared with my loving husband and our firstborn daughter.. Aiko."

"Can I ask.. what happened to her?" Katara wondered, entwining her hands and laying them in her lap as she leaned forward a bit. The mother sighed.

"She was only three years old.. One day, she became sick. We took her to the doctor. She examined her and we all thought it was just a cold. But three weeks later, she was still coughing so horribly. When we visited the hospital again, the doctor diagnosed something far worse. She told us it's whooping cough. Aiko was already too weak. She coughed so hard that her ribs began to break and she had to be admitted to the hospital. The healers tried to heal her broken ribcage and relieve the pain, but she just.. We held her hands until her final breath. S-she didn't make it.. I'm sorry!" Iniko finished quickly to wipe away her tears. Katara supported a hand on her shoulder and gave it a squeeze.

"I'm so sorry, Iniko. I wish there was something my healers or I could've done. My best scientists are working on a vaccine for pertussis right now, but it's not an easy process. It could take years until the vaccine is fully developed."

The mother sniffed, having regained her composure and wiped her cheeks dry.

"That's okay.. I understand. I don't blame you for not having it when Aiko caught the disease. But I'm happy to hear you're trying, so no other parent or child would have to go through what we did."

"So, what happened to you? How did you end up homeless?"

"Me and my husband were devastated by Aiko's death. We didn't take it well. My husband became depressed and inattentive. He eventually died from an accident at work because of it."

Katara's heart skipped a beat. Her hand clutched the blanket near her thigh. She hung her head.

"I'm sorry.. I know how hard it is to lose the love of your life."

There was a moment of silence as neither of the women dared to speak. They mourned the death of their loved ones, or what almost could've been.

"After losing my entire family, I couldn't bring myself to do anything. I didn't work, so I had no income and couldn't afford to pay rent for our apartment. I became homeless. But then, three months after my husband's death, I realized that I was pregnant again. I had nowhere to go, so I'd been living on the streets around the northeastern borough, begging for food and shelter from others who shared my fate. Until you found me in that alley."

Katara remembered that she wouldn't have found her if it hadn't been for that little girl. She opened her mouth and was about to tell her, when she started thinking about it and rephrased her question.

"Umm, Iniko.. what did your daughter look like?"

"Oh, Aiko had beautiful dark brown hair! I used to braid it into two braids, one on either side of her face. She loved to wear a bright yellow dress with a white blouse and matching white shoes. I had to tie up the laces for her every time she wanted to go play outside.." Iniko described cheerfully. Katara's diamond blue eyes grew wide in realization, but she didn't notice.

"Ever since she passed, I began seeing her ghost walking around our apartment sometimes, like she was still with us. My husband thought that I might be going crazy and I agreed with him. That's impossible.."

"Maybe not," Katara interrupted.

"What?"

"Maybe you weren't going crazy. I saw a small girl with a similar appearance for the first time ever this morning. Throughout the day, each time I was out on a call, she somehow found me and tried to lead me northwards. She was the one who guided me to that alley, to you. I think that little girl was Aiko. I think she was trying to help you."

"Aiko?.. Y-you.. you saw her?"

Katara nodded.

"I didn't just see her, I touched her. I talked to her. She didn't talk, though. I tried to persuade her to come to my hospital several times since she had such an unusual cough. No wonder it sounded similar to pertussis.. I chased her in the alleys, she caused two accidents just to get my attention.."

"She did what?"

"Did you see my broken ambulance carriage? Aiko was responsible for that. I think she would've stopped at nothing to get you some help. Her spirit was there when Taro was born."

"She was there?" Iniko asked, her voice quavering.

"Yes. And she looked so happy when she saw her baby brother in your arms."

Iniko raised a hand to cover her eyes and cry, cradling her baby boy with her free hand. He woke up from the commotion and also began crying. Katara sat right next to the mother and wrapped her arms around her shoulders, comforting her with a gentle embrace.

"Ah-aiko.. My precious Aiko.. she's my guardian angel. She must still be watching over me, over us," Iniko managed to say through her sobs, lifting Taro a bit higher so she could kiss his temple. This wasn't the way Katara had imagined this year's winter solstice celebration to go, but she wouldn't have wanted it to go any other way.

The clock on Avatar Aang Memorial Island showed that it was a quarter past nine in the evening by the time Katara reached the harbour, where three air acolytes had been waiting for her to come home from work for over an hour.

"Master Katara? Oh, thank heavens! You're finally here. Avatar Aang must be so worried by now. What took you so long?" one of the young men asked as he grabbed her hand to help her step onto the boat.

"Just a small detour involving a patient. It was an emergency."

"Aahh, understandable. We'll be on our way shortly," he said while the two other acolytes prepared everything to begin sailing back towards the island.

"I hope you three didn't become too bored here."

"Not to worry! We found joy in building a sculpture of Air Temple Island over there," he explained, pointing towards a snowy replica of their home, which they'd sculpted together from a rather huge pile of snow near the dock.

"Not bad," she giggled.

When they were out on Yue Bay, Katara walked over to the stern, brushed off the fresh layer of snow and leaned against the wooden railing. She marvelled at Republic City all illuminated by colourful lights that hung from the houses and the bright golden glow in the clouds above, which was created by the street lamps that reflected the light from the snowy ground.

She gazed at one of the tallest buildings that shaped the capital's contour - her hospital. Most of the floors still had lights on in them, her staff working hard to provide the best care to their patients. Her office at the very top was dark, but she noticed the colourful lights on the floor of the pediatric ward. That was such a lovely idea to cheer up the kids.

The boat passed her husband's statue. Katara looked up at his younger self. The way he was looking over the city, protecting its citizens with his presence. She stood up and wrapped her arms around herself. It felt comforting to her, like he was looking out for her when she was away in the city, too.

They arrived at the pier within minutes. Katara left the air acolytes to dock the boat and walked up the side of the cliff to their temple. She noticed the tall tower was decorated with long strings of colourful lights that swirled down from the top. She chuckled, that must've been Aang's doing. No one else could've attached those so high so perfectly. When she reached their home, she saw a candle flickering on their living room window. She smiled lovingly. He hadn't forgotten.

Katara quietly slid the door closed behind her. She took off her parka and hung it on the row of pegs near the entrance, along with her shoulder bag and pouch. Her husband's voice echoed from the kitchen as she stepped inside the temple. He cooed something to their little airbender, but the baby didn't seem to stop fussing. Logical enough, his mother hadn't fed him in the evening, so it was no wonder the little guy was becoming upset due to an empty stomach.

She dragged her heavy feet towards the kitchen, walking through the dimly lit long corridor. As she reached the doorway, she leaned against it for a second to see what was going on. Her husband had his back turned towards her, he was down on his knees and his head was buried in one of the cabinets where they kept their food. He was cradling their younger son with one arm and reaching for something on a shelf inside the cabinet with the other. She noticed a small bowl filled with water beginning to boil on the stove to her left, as well as an empty milk bottle on the dining table.

"Don't worry, buddy! It won't be long now.." Aang assured Tenzin as he closed the cabinet doors, holding a small box of formula in his hand. The baby released another small cry and tugged at his daddy's robes. But Aang stopped in his tracks as he met his wife's gaze just as he stood up.

"Katara! You're home!" he exclaimed, as if it was a miracle. But once his grey eyes examined her figure from head to toe, it really could've been a miracle. Her knees were wobbly as she approached him and wrapped her boys in a soft embrace.

Aang put the formula next to the bottle on the table and let his free hand comb Katara's hair. Loose ends were still hanging from the bun on the back of her head and her hair loopies weren't done neatly. She didn't bother to make herself pretty before leaving the hospital, no one would've noticed how messy she looked in the dark anyway.

Aang kissed her forehead and stared into her diamond blue eyes as he cupped her cheek, noting the dried up streaks of tears on both sides. His thumb rubbed over one, like he was trying to wipe the spot dry.

Katara hadn't spoken a word ever since she'd returned home. Her attention turned to Tenzin, who began to cry even louder in between the warmth of his parents' bodies. She hummed in delight, forgetting all the anguish and happy moments she'd been through with her patients that day.

"Sounds like someone's a bit hungry. Can I feed him?" Katara asked with a smile as she let Tenzin grab her finger.

"Oh, sure! I didn't know that you'd be home so soon, I was just about to prepare some formula for him myself," Aang said as he attempted to put Tenzin into his mother's arms. Katara stopped him for a second to remove her short-sleeved water tribe coat, which she then used to wrap around the baby like a soft blanket.

"Come here, Tenzin.. Mommy's got you," she cooed as she picked him up from her husband's arms, slightly bouncing him in the process. The little airbender calmed down a bit, hearing another familiar soothing voice and being surrounded by a warm coat that smelled like his mother. Aang liked to describe the smell as a 'healer's scent' as it was always stronger on the days Katara spent working at the hospital. It reminded him of her office and the medicinal herbs inside the cupboards, as well as the healing hut in their temple.

"I'm going to the living room. Care to join me?"

"Of course, as soon as I put everything back to the way it was in here. I'll join you two in a few minutes, okay?"

"Okay, sweetie."

Katara stood on her tiptoes for a moment to rub her nose against Aang's, their lips grazing, then melting into one to give a more passionate kiss. Tenzin interrupted their show of affection with a loud cry for more attention. Aang chuckled after she'd broken their kiss.

"Alright-alright, hold on! I'm gonna feed you in a minute," Katara hushed him as she headed back into the hallway to walk over to their living room. The baby looked up at his mother with teary light greyish blue eyes as he found solace in sucking his thumb instead. At least he remained quieter until his tired mother reached their living room couch and found a cosy position for sitting.

Katara released a sigh of relief as she slumped down in the middle of the couch. She closed her eyes and let her entire body relax after being up on her feet for hours. In.. and out. In.. and out. She slowed the pace of her breathing with the help of a technique Aang had taught her.

When she opened her eyes, she was surprised to see Tenzin mimicking her pattern, his mouth wide open and big grey eyes staring right back at her. Katara laughed, then proceeded to do what she'd intended to do in the first place.

Sliding the navy blue tunic off the left side of her chest, she then pulled the white cloth of her sarashi down to reveal her breast. After that, she held her index finger near the corner of Tenzin's mouth, slightly tickling his cheek. It was an old trick she liked to use to see whether her babies were hungry or not, and it had never failed her. If the baby was hungry, it'd usually start sucking on the tip of the finger. Tenzin did just that, so Katara pulled her finger away to guide him to his real nourishment.

"There we go.. good boy, Tenzin!" she said, letting her free hand comb the boy's hair as he began suckling. He placed his tiny hand above her heart to hold himself steady and to show his mother that she shouldn't press him too close. Having given birth to three kids already, Katara had learned a lot from her first two, so much that she'd become really good at nursing. All those tips she'd usually give to new mothers were actually ones she could use herself. She had less problems each time and she could easily pick up the signals when her own child didn't feel comfortable. Right now, Tenzin seemed to be rather cosy in her fuzzy coat.

He looked up at her all the time, his grey eyes rarely closing for more than half a minute. Katara didn't wanna break eye contact with him either. She felt like it would help her establish a special bond with her son. Like it'd help him remember what she looked like when he was little. Although she didn't realize it, it was even more therapeutic for herself.

Katara would sometimes end up talking about her day at work when it was just the two of them together. She'd share her deepest darkest secrets with him, as if he could understand what she was telling him. Every cry or gurgle that Tenzin replied with meant that he loved listening to her voice. That knowledge helped wash away his mother's sadness and stress. She'd smile back at him, coo something silly or rub their noses together, making her baby squeal with joy.

Whether it was baby Tenzin, or baby Kya, or baby Bumi, Aang would describe the mother and baby pair like two peas in a pod. Katara was always meant to have each one of them, to spend time with them, to be their mother. To be a mother.

"All done?" she asked when she felt that his suckling had gradually become weaker. Tenzin held his mouth wide open as she pulled him away from her breast, then tucked it back into her sarashi and covered her chest with her tunic.

Katara noticed the slightly melted candle on the windowsill, so she cradled her baby and walked over to look outside. The snowfall hadn't ceased since the afternoon. The little airbender gazed at the white fluff falling down from the sky in wonder. This was his first winter. He released a short cry and reached one of his hands out towards the window.

"You're still amazed by the snow, huh? You wanna touch it?" Katara cooed. He replied with another cry and a pout, which she took as a 'yes'. She cracked half of the window open and let some cool fresh air inside through the narrow opening. A couple of snowflakes intruded the living room and landed near them.

Tenzin squealed when he almost managed to catch one in his palm. Katara helped along by waterbending some more towards him so he could grab them. Her son giggled at the floating snowflakes until one landed on his nose and began tickling it. He fell silent and pulled a weird face for a few seconds. The next thing Katara knew, he sneezed, blowing such a strong gust of wind past her face that her loose hair flung in the air and landed on the front of her chest. The baby looked at his mother with wide eyes for a moment before he burst out laughing.

"Oohh.. you liked that, huh?" Katara wondered playfully as she closed the window and headed back to the couch. Tenzin merely held his tiny hands in front of his smiling mouth, like he was trying to hold back his laughter.

After she'd taken a seat, Katara puckered her lips and blew a soft breeze against his forehead to teach him how to do it again. Tenzin learned pretty fast as he tried to repeat the same motion, only with a little bit more powerful airbending, making his mother's hair fly and land on her back. He went into another giggle fit. She pulled a thick bunch of her hair on the right side of her chest, letting her son blow at it several times. This game seemed to amuse him to no end.

"What's so funny in here?" Aang wondered as he joined his wife and son, who were both laughing, one more loudly than the other.

"Come here, Aang," Katara said through her giggling, patting the empty side on the couch. The airbender sat down to her left as she held her index finger up to him.

"Wait for it," she smirked, then combed her hair onto her chest one more time. Tenzin took a deep breath and blew at it, laughing at the strands flying in the air before they landed on his mother's back.

"Oh my gosh.. how did you come up with that?" Aang started laughing, too.

"I didn't. He just sneezed and began laughing when my hair flew," Katara explained as she lifted Tenzin a bit higher so he'd cut it out. His giggling quietened and he calmed down at the faint sound of his mother's heartbeat, which thumped that soothing rhythm into his right ear. Aang gently pulled the tunic further away so his head would rest against his mother's bare skin above her left breast and he could hear it better. The little airbender laid a hand above her other breast and grasped the edge of her tunic, gurgling happily. His parents looked at him with loving smiles on their faces, their hearts melting at his little gestures.

"Sweetie, you're not gonna believe what an amazing thing happened to me today," Katara spoke in a low tone, her diamond blue eyes shimmering like the stars in the sky when she stared into her husband's grey eyes.

"I've seen some pretty bizarre things. Try me," Aang dared fondly, snaking his arm around her shoulders to pull her closer.

"I met a spirit. But it was no ordinary spirit. It was the spirit of a little girl who'd died from whooping cough when she was only three years old."

Aang frowned and rubbed her shoulder while she continued talking. She averted her gaze to Tenzin as she tenderly stroked his head.

"Her name was Aiko. I saw her in the morning just as I was finishing my morning rounds in the northeastern borough. I thought she was just an ill child and I tried to help her. She tricked me into chasing her through alleys and I had two accidents trying to catch her, one of which resulted with my ambulance carriage getting busted."

"Oh no.. you're not hurt, are you?" Aang wondered, a concerned look on his face as he cupped her cheek and examined hers for any visible injuries.

"I'm fine, thanks to Mamoun. It could've turned out a lot worse if it hadn't been for him. He was a true friend who helped me a lot today. And I healed myself back at the hospital, don't worry."

"Mmm.. okay," the airbender hummed and kissed her temple, running the back of his hand over the spot.

"So, then what happened?"

"After that last big crash, I finally managed to persuade her to come to me. I could literally touch her, she was physically in our world."

"The gift of the winter solstice," he added.

"Exactly. I didn't realize that back then. She grabbed my hand and led me to an abandoned square. I stumbled upon a homeless pregnant woman, who was already in labour, so I helped her deliver a healthy baby boy. She decided to name him Taro, after me and because he was her firstborn son.. Can you guess how Aiko was connected to them?"

Aang shrugged.

"Aiko was her daughter. All along she was trying to lead me to her mother so I could help her give birth. Her mother, Iniko, told me that she'd seen her ghost in their home after she'd passed away. Aiko still visited her mother during the solstices, when the Spirit World became closer to the mortal world and she could see her.. Can you believe that, sweetie?"

Aang simply smiled and gave Katara a kiss on the lips, their eyes closed before he pulled away and gazed into her half-lidded diamond blue eyes.

"I believe it, Katara," he said, rubbing their noses together as they released a hum of delight.

"Oogies!" someone exclaimed from behind the doorway.

"Bumi!" Aang and Katara replied in unison before their other two children scampered over to join them. Bumi sat next to his father and Kya hopped up on the couch, snuggling up to her mother's side.

"Happy winter solstice celebration, mommy!" the little waterbender said for the second time that day as she stood up for a moment to wrap her arms around her mother's neck and hug her.

"Aww! Thank you, Kya! Muah!" Katara grinned and kissed her daughter's cheek, prompting her to giggle as she sat back down.

"Who did daddy light the candle for this year?" Kya wondered. All five family members gazed at the candlelight still burning brightly on the windowsill.

"He didn't say?" Katara asked in surprise, returning her husband's gaze.

"Since you practically spent the whole day working away from home, the kids and I agreed we'd give you the pleasure of choosing."

The elder waterbender hummed in thought for a moment, considering everything that'd happened that day, before she decided.

"For Kya."

"For me?" the little waterbender gasped, her face beaming.

"For your namesake, sweetie. For your grandmother. For my mom," Katara specified, touching the carving of her necklace with one hand. Aang carefully massaged his thumb around near her neck, feeling her pulse slow down or rise depending on her mood or what she was thinking about.

"I hope that she can see me.. see us, our family, Sokka and dad from the Spirit World right now. She'd be so happy."

"I'm sure she is," he assured her, slowly letting his grey eyes fall shut as he leaned forward to kiss her again. Katara followed his example.

"That's how they do mushy stuff. You'd better get used to it," Bumi told Tenzin. His parents started giggling through their kiss, then burst out laughing as their lips parted when they couldn't contain it any longer. Aang ruffled Bumi's messy hair, after which he gifted Katara with another quick kiss on the cheek while Kya hugged her mommy. Tenzin gurgled when his mother kissed him, too.

"That winter solstice celebration was one of the most memorable ones in my life, with it being Tenzin's first winter among our family, as well as due to the unusual train of events that unfolded that day.

With my help, Iniko and Taro were given a place in a shelter where they stayed for a while until she found a job and could afford an apartment of her own once more. Jia-Li recovered from pentapox and her mother made sure that all members of her family would be vaccinated against any dangerous illnesses from then on, including their newest member, another healthy baby girl, who was born a week later.

Being married to the Avatar, I was blessed to be able to see so many spirits during my lifetime. I knew it in my heart that my mother saw us together that night. And she must've been one of the happiest mothers in the world, besides me."

#Katara #the Kataang family #Kataangtag #Kataang #Sokka and Katara #Niyok #Sokka #Aang #Bumi II #Kya II #Tenzin #ATLA and TLOK #my fanfiction #mine #shards of Kristal

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