YAY! I’M BACK!! Didja miss me? I realize I haven’t updated this in like NINE months, so if you’re still reading, God bless you (hey, God bless you anyway). If you’ve checked out my profile anytime recently, you know that my computer that had all my fanfiction on it crashed, and I lost everything. Well…I thought I had. By a miracle of God, my computer came back to life, fully intact (and yes, I believe it was a miracle of God; it totally died, I prayed about it, it came back; MIRACLE). But I’m afraid even that has been several months ago. ; I’ve been caught up in drawing/writing my own manga, Angels Among Us, and it consumes most of my time. I did this update solely as a present for Dragon Jadefire for her birthday. (hug)

I don’t remember what I told you guys about this chapter, but I decided to change it a little. I made it longer too, cause I’m sick of short chapters and I figured those of you who are actually still reading might want some substance after all that shortness and long absence (Sorry again about that…).

Enough of my rambling (bet you guys didn’t miss that part), read and review, please. Enjoy!

“Learn something from everyone you meet”—Dove PROMISES message

Chapter Thirteen

Search for a Traitor

It was before even the sun had risen above the horizon outside that Katara awoke to find the bed empty, save for her. Had this been any other day, Zuko might have still been sleeping, but when she looked around and noticed that his broadswords were missing from their usual place on wall, she judged that he had not slept this night, and was already abroad.

How had she come to be here? She didn’t remember going to bed the night before. She supposed that she had fallen asleep while sitting with Zuko. He must have carried me back here then…Katara thought, pulling the blankets tighter about her with a shiver. The Fire Nation was generally a warm place, but it seemed so cold today. It chilled her right down to the marrow.

She felt unusually tired, like there was nothing she could do to shake the grogginess from her bones. It was like a shroud had been drawn over her eyes, a kind of constant lethargy that refused to lift. She forced herself to stand, and a shiver ran down her length as she shed the blanket she had held around herself. The smooth hardwood floor felt like ice beneath her bare feet.

Katara opened the door and slipped out into the hall. She could see Aang, Toph, her brother and his wife sitting in on of the alcoves that lined the passage. They all looked tired and worn; their eyes were solemn, and their expressions were dark.

“You guys didn’t sleep either, huh?” The Waterbender sighed and leaned against the wall.

“Nope,” Sokka replied wearily. He rolled his shoulders back and yawned.

“Where’s Zuko?” Katara asked, looking around and realizing that her husband was not among them.

Sokka pointed. “Out there.” They all looked out the window, following Sokka’s line of vision. They could see on the far wall of New Roku, Zuko’s dark figure pacing slowly, back and forth across the path. “He’s been out there for hours.”

“Oh, no,” Katara muttered. “He’s worse than I thought.”

“Is he gonna be okay?” Aang asked concernedly. “I’ve seen Zuko upset before, but…never like this.”

“He’ll be fine,” she replied. “I hope. The sooner we get out of here, the better. Are you all ready?”

“Yes.” Suki stood and pulled her bag out from under the table. “And Appa’s already saddled. We can leave as soon as you give the word.”

Katara smiled halfheartedly. “All right. Let’s go get Zuko. It’s time we left.”

“Zuko!” Katara leapt down from Appa’s saddle and landed nimbly on the walkway that ran atop the walls of New Roku. “Zuko!” He stopped pacing and turned and looked at her; he looked worn and haggard, as though he hadn’t slept in weeks. “We’re ready to leave. I already have your pack.” Zuko nodded deftly. He walked in her direction, with that grim look of determination he put on when he really meant business. Katara held out a hand to him, but he brushed past her and skillfully climbed up Appa’s side and into the saddle. He was kind enough to offer Katara his hand up when she followed him, but he seemed thoroughly unaware of her. His motions were very numb, like he moved only from habit and instinct. Momo leapt up onto Zuko’s lap, but the Firebender rather unkindly shooed the lemur away, with a “shoo” that was more like a shove. Momo scurried away with an angry hiss and jumped onto Aang’s shoulders instead.

“Well,” Aang began, trying to draw attention away from Zuko, who was brooding quietly in the corner, “where’re we heading?”

They all looked around at one another. That was not a question that had been given much thought. Their objective had been “find Azula”; no one had thought about how.

“Who knows where that crazy chick is?” Toph commented leaning back against the saddle. “She’s not even supposed to be in the Fire Nation. She could be anywhere.”

“Toph’s right,” said Katara. “We really don’t have a lead, Aang. They said that the Firebender at the harbor came down the Flaming River from Kanan, but we don’t know where she might’ve gone from there.”

“And we’re still just running on an assumption,” Sokka interjected. “We don’t know that Azula did it.”

“Who else could be responsible, Sokka?” Katara asked.

“Look, I know that she’s probably behind this, but I’m just saying that we should keep open to possibilities.”

“Well, let’s work with the only possibility we have for now,” his sister retorted. “Azula’s the obvious culprit, and she could be anywhere in the Fire Nation by now. We have no idea where to look for her, and as far as we know, she doesn’t have any connections here.”

Zuko sat up suddenly when the word “connections” left her lips. His eyes narrowed and gleamed dangerously.

“Head east,” he said quietly. “Due east. There’s a traitor among us. It’s just a matter of figuring out who. And I think I have an idea of where to start.”

The passage of a day put many miles between the companions and the Fire Nation capital of New Roku. They flew longer than they might have usually done, and stopped only when it was thought that Appa could fly no longer. It left them within an hour’s flight of their destination, but the moon was already high and stopping could not be helped.

They bedded down in a small glade in a broad strip of trees that bordered the Flaming River. They must’ve seemed an odd site: the Fire Lord and Fire Lady, the Avatar and his Earthbending master, the Prince of the Southern Water Tribe and his woman, all huddled in the woods with a flying bison and a lemur. Surely that isn’t something one sees every day, is it? But so it was they found themselves while the night waxed old, clouds rolling in from the west and blotting out the moon.

It was still early spring, and even in the usually warm Fire Nation the chill had not totally left the air. The friends all huddled closely around a fire (provided by the still silent Zuko) and quietly consumed a cheerless meal. Zuko ate nothing, and did not even sit with the others by the fire. He sat on the opposite side of the dell, leaning against the side of the sleeping Appa, methodically drumming his fingers on his sword hilt and staring into the nothingness that was the dark sky above.

“Katara,” Suki said quietly, so Zuko couldn’t hear, “are you sure he’s all right? He’s gotten worse rather than better. He hasn’t said a word all evening.”

“I know,” Katara mused quietly. “I thought he’d be a little better once we were on the road, but he’s just being more reserved.”

“I can fix that,” Toph said, grinning. She tapped her heel on the soil, and crack ran across the ground in a jagged path toward the Firebender. Zuko was suddenly propelled toward them with a stifled cry as Toph’s Earthbending hurled him face forward with a skid in their direction. Toph chuckled when she felt the steam, literally, rolling off the young Fire Lord.

“Toph!” Zuko fumed, fire daggers dancing around his hands from sheer force of habit.

“Zuko,” Katara said gently, laying a hand on his forearm. She could feel his muscles tense, and she waited for a moment until he relaxed some and the flames at his hands died away before she continued. “Calm down.”

“I am calm!” he growled through clenched teeth.

“Zuko…” Katara tugged on his hand, indicating he should sit down. “Please. We just wanna help.”

“I don’t need your help!” he snarled, yanking his hand away. “I’m fine!”

“Hey!” Sokka stood up and faced Zuko, so that they were but inches apart. “Don’t talk to my sister like that!”

“Get out of my face, Sokka,” Zuko threatened, roughly pushing him away.

“Zuko…Sokka…” Katara tried vainly to step between them, but they continued to roughly shove each other back and forth, exchanging idle threats. “Zuko, Sokka…!” Katara was shaking with anger now, and she wished that she had her water skin on her; she had a mind to teach them both a lesson. Aang, sensing her anger, slammed his staff between the bickering brothers-in law, sending a fast gust of wind against both of them.

“Enough!” the Avatar declared angrily. “You’re both just being stupid!”

“He started it!” Sokka said pointing indignantly at Zuko.

“I don’t care who started it!” Aang retorted, annoyed. “Just stop it!” Sokka huffed crossly and folded his arms across his chest. Zuko stormed away furiously and vanished into the trees.

“Zuko!” Katara chased after him, leaving her friends to exchange confused looks at what had just transpired.

“Zuko!” Katara was nearly out of breath when she finally caught up to him. She reached out and grabbed his arm, forcing him to a stop. “Zuko! What was that back there?”

“What’re you talking about?” he retorted angrily, tearing his arm away from her and looking away irritably.

“You know exactly what I’m talking about,” she answered, her anger rising again at his evasiveness. “What the heck’s wrong with you? I thought we talked about this!”

“There’s nothing to talk about!” Zuko barked. “I just wanna find Azula!”

“So you think that gives you the right to treat everyone else like dirt?!” Katara demanded. “You think you’re the only one that’s hurting?!” Her eyes were flooding with tears and her cheeks were hot with anger. “I want our son back too! We all do! But that doesn’t mean that you can take it out on everybody!” Zuko’s expression softened some, and he began to feel a pang of guilt for speaking like he had. “Zuko…! I can’t stand this!” She clasped her hands to her chest, tears now rolling down her cheeks. “Please…! Don’t be like this! I need you right now! I need to know that you’re there for me!” He opened his arms to her and she collapsed into him, sobbing. She nestled against his strong chest and said quietly through her tears,

“I want my baby back, Zuko.” And he held her tightly as she wept into his shoulder.

Yay for updates! Pitiful update, but an update, none-the-less. First one in what? A year?

God bless you!

--Arowen Half-Elven

Next chapter: Ty Lee Shows the Way—self-explanatory