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Slow Heat	By : Spleef Category: Avatar - The Last Airbender > General Views: 77367 -:- Recommendations : 2 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: I do not own Avatar: The Last Airbender, nor any of the characters from it. I do not make any money from the writing of this story.

Chapter List
- 7
- 8
- 9
Slow Heat
Chapter 8 – Coming Around
Since I changed the ending of Crossroads of Destiny for this story, there’s going to be obvious differences between this story and what happens in Book 3. However, I do use many elements from Book 3 and follow most of the episodes of that season, along with plenty of my own twists..
I would like to say thank you to Hotspur and Inkheart, who have both been excellent beta’s, and a constant source of inspiration and support. Also, a couple of Aang’s comments refer to the Spirit World shorts, especially Avatar Yangchen. As always, please enjoy the story, and don't forget to leave a review!
o0o0o0o
2 Months, 30 Days BSC
(Late June 1101)
Zuko
I sat on the soft bed as Uncle made himself some tea. We were under lockdown for the night, several Imperial Guards stood at our door. That mattered not, we had no plan to escape or betray the Earth King, which would have been a immeasurably stupid move at that point, anyway. I sat there, staring out the window at the stars, thinking about my exchange with Katara. Would she give me a chance, or would she continue to shut me out?
“Oh, and the lovely young lady asked me to tell you that she expects you outside in the garden, after breakfast.” Uncle stated as he sipped his tea.
“Katara?” I asked, my head turning to my Uncle. She wanted to speak with me? Had she decided that she would give me another chance? I felt an unexpected surge of joy at this prospect, and was surprised at how much I had been hoping for it.
I had stalked into the Palace, with a guard escort, directly to the apartment I was sharing with Uncle, after what had happened with Katara. Uncle had remained outside longer than I did, and he did not come back until after I had bathed and changed, and meditated for a bit. I had been thinking about the Waterbender ever since I had retired for the evening. My now-dry clothes were discarded over the back of a chair – how could I forget how she had caused my damp clothes to freeze to my skin?
“No, it’s the lady Beifong who wishes to see you. She says you’re overdue for a one-on-one with her.” Uncle stated, still wearing a cheerful smile, “I certainly did miss her company. Such a delightful young lady she is.”
I had to hold back a snort. Out of everyone in the group, Uncle had been the only one that Toph was truly deferential to. With the rest of us, she was her blunt self. At times, her personality was as abrasive as a pumice stone, and Sokka had once remarked under his breath, calling her a ‘angry rock-child’.
“It was such a pleasure to know that you were learning things from her. And she says she misses you.” he continued as he poured himself another cup. My relationship with Toph… I didn’t think I could call it ‘friendship’, but there was no denying that I had learned much from her, and there was a certain level of understanding and respect between the two of us that I valued.
“Fine.” I said quietly, as I lay down on my bed, staring up at the ceiling.
I closed my eyes, taking a deep breath. My uncle had penetrated the wall of Ba Sing Se and was here, in the King’s palace. Not as a conquering general, but a prisoner. Guest. Both. And I had been almost certain the King would want to have me executed. Now, fate threw me a new twist.
I had been banished for trying to defend honor.
My goal had been to capture a twelve-year-old who had done nothing to deserve my enmity.
I had been stripped of my rank entirely, by my own sister’s word to my sire.
I had worked with an Airbender, a Waterbender, and an Earthbender, becoming allies with them.
I was yearning for forgiveness and perhaps more from a Waterbender girl, of all people.
How many more twists to my life would I get?
o0o0o0o
Katara
I don’t know why I was so shaken by my confrontation with Zuko. I wanted so much to hold onto my anger with him, for what he had done. But what he had revealed to me about his scar… about his sister, his plea for my forgiveness…
It had left me feeling numb inside. I had been holding onto such intense anger for him – such an intense wrath that I had never felt before in my life – for the last few days, ever since Aang had died. Now, with that anger gone, I felt strangely empty.
I let out a soft sigh as I ran my hand along Aang’s head. It was stubbly with new growth, as it had not been shaved for several days. It was better this way – incognito for the Avatar would be key here, and a bald kid with an arrow on his head wasn’t the most inconspicuous thing around. Before, he had been able to hide it with a mask, or a hat, but these were only temporary fixes. I had to admit, it would be odd to see him with a head of hair. It had been a shock to see Zuko, back when Azula had struck down Iroh, with a head full of hair, however short it had been.
His eyes fluttered open and I gave him an encouraging smile, hoping he was lucid.
“Hi.” he whispered.
“Hello.” I whispered back, stroking his head.
“I’m hungry.”
“What would you like?”
“Soup. What you fed me before.”
“Sure.”
I was happy he was speaking to me, and I fed him soup. He sat up on his own, and that brought me some relief. Before, the only times he had left the bed was to use the washroom, and that was with Sokka’s help. Other than that, he had just laid in bed. He looked at me for a few moments as I gave him some water.
“What’s the date?” he asked softly. I told him, and he let out a sigh of relief.
“I thought… I had been out longer than that.”
“I was very worried about you.”
“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to make you worry.” Aang replied, with a soft, heartfelt expression. I laughed quietly.
“I know.”
“It was so weird. Now I can’t remember it really… but I think I was dreaming. Or in the Spirit World. But I don’t know… It did feel like I was gone for a long time.” he added, staring off thoughtfully as he chewed on his lower lip. I touched his hand.
“Don’t stress yourself. Just relax right now, and if it is important, you will remember it. Okay?” I asked. He nodded, before lifting his hand to rub his head. He frowned just a little, out of curiosity.
“Leave it. You need to grow out your hair.”
“But I’ve always shaved…”
“Not anymore. Almost everyone thinks you’re dead, and we decided that at least for now, it’s best to leave it that way. Azula ran away, presumably back to Fire Nation. She thinks you’re dead, and if the Fire Lord thinks you’re dead too…”
He stared at me for a few moments before nodding.
“What has been going on?” he asked. I recounted all that had happened in the last few days, and he listened in silence.
“Zuko’s on our side?”
“Apparently.” I said with a soft sigh.
“I think he is.” Aang insisted. I stared at him curiously. I was still skeptical, despite Zuko’s insistence.
“I… he saved me from Zhao once. I think he’s… just having a hard time. With what he was raised to think and what’s happening now. He’s trying, he really is.”
I nodded slowly. Perhaps I could have Toph verify Zuko’s statements for me – such a handy talent she had. I looked down at Aang, supremely relieved that he seemed well now, mentally.
o0o0o0o
Aang
I tried to remember what I had dreamed of or seen – but everything since I had been struck by lightning was a blank, except for a few glimpses of Katara’s face. I wondered if I had truly forgotten something important, or had I dreamed at all? Was death really an oblivion?
“What’s next? What are we going to do?” I asked.
“We’re still working on that. There’s not a lot of time left to remain in the city. So far, the plan seems to be to take much of the Ba Sing Se army and go to Fire Nation. But we need insiders too. Iroh’s giving us information, but we also need people like Jeong Jeong, and Fire Nation soldiers and citizens who want the war to stop. We need all the help we can get… this needs to be as clean as it can, because there will be a huge mess to clean up afterward.”
I nodded. I had seen a lot during my travels. People were bitter and fearful towards the Fire Nation. And I had no doubt that there were bitter Fire Nation citizens, who perhaps felt as if they had been duped by Sozin’s goal, or believed that the Earth Kingdom were the aggressors – and I knew that not every Earth Kingdom citizen was a good guy. A hundred years of war had to be a heavy toll on anyone – Fire, Earth, and Water citizen alike, and I also knew that people wondered if the war would ever end or if things could ever be the same again.
I felt Katara gently unbutton my shirt – I noticed that I was now wearing a loose, dark green shirt – and there were bandages underneath. My back was sore, and I heard her sigh softly.
“You’re going to be sore for a while, Aang. I repaired the worst of the damage, but you still have some bruises and all. There’s no internal bleeding though, so you shouldn’t worry.” she said softly as she lowered it down my back. I heard her wince.
“What’s wrong?” I asked, with alarm, “Is it infected?”
“No… but it still looks nasty. It’s where Azula hit you. The soup I gave you had some medicine for pain. That’s why you’re not feeling it as much as you could. I've already given you several healing sessions, but Azula did a lot of damage.” she offered. I felt her hands on my back, and closed my eyes, savoring her reassuring touch. Why should I have to give her up? Pathik said that I had to give up all earthly attachments… but Katara had brought me back from the dead. If not for her, the Avatar would be lost – perhaps forever.
I looked over my shoulder as she checked my back, rubbing it gently. Her eyes met mine, and I smiled at her.
- 7
- 8
- 9
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Slow Heat