Catalyst

Chapter 14: Two Accounts

The "minute" Zuko asked for turned into an hour of him recounting his story. He spoke dispassionately about nearly everything: From Jet, to the prison guard beating him, to his weeks in his cell barely hanging onto his sanity. "I honestly thought I was dead at that point," he had said.

The only time he showed any emotion was when he told them about Iroh staying in the cell next to his. His shoulders sagged and his voice quavered when he spoke of it, but he kept his fists clenched and his eyes blazed wildly, boring into Aang's.

Listening to Zuko's experience caused Aang's heart to break several times over, and, looking around, as had everyone else's: Katara's eyes were red and puffy; Toph looked like she would gladly take on and, in fact, beat the entire Fire Nation army; and Sokka only frowned at his clasped hands.

Once his story reached the part when they discovered him in his cell, Zuko let Katara take over to fill in the gaps of his hazy memory. She recounted Azula's takeover of Ba Sing Se, and their fight with Azula and the Dai Li as they tried to escape the catacombs.

When the story was over, Zuko turned his eyes to the horizon. No one spoke for several minutes. "Do you think my sister was trying to find me?" he asked.

"I...I don't think so, no. Sorry," Katara added. He only nodded in response.

Aang offered lamely, "She was chasing me the entire time so maybe she just didn't see you."

"Hm," he grunted.

"It's because she didn't recognize you," Toph said, earning a hard look from Katara. "What? It's true."

Returning to Zuko, Katara asked, "Do you wish she would have found you instead of us?"

"I don't know." He bowed his head and shook it. "No, it was good that you guys came. I'd...I'd be dead if you hadn't saved me." His raised his head and turned toward them, his eyes widening in realization. "I'm sorry. I never thanked you—for saving me, that is." He looked at each of them, nodding his thanks.

Those golden eyes finally came to rest on Aang. There was very little evidence of the torture Zuko had endured: Bad dreams, healed scars, but that was it.

The tense ball in Aang's belly doubled and tripled in intensity, making him sick to his stomach. How could anyone—anyone—do something like what they did to him? Treat someone like they weren't even a person, not even an animal. It was hard to think of someone as bad as Ozai doing something so evil, much less anyone else. It wasn't human. It was...words escaped him.

Appa lowed and the wind roared loudly in Aang's ears. He needed to go. Grabbing his staff and standing, he jumped off Appa's back before anyone could say anything.

This was all his fault. He couldn't have helped the Air Nomads back when the Fire Nation attacked, but he could have helped Zuko. Guru Pathik's advice tried to make its way to him, but he brushed it aside. If he only tried harder to be Zuko's friend, this never would have happened.

Tears stung his face and flew off into the sky behind him. At least one person was dead and Zuko probably blamed him for it. He pushed the thought away, not daring to address the statement and the shame it brought with it if true.

The ground stretched beneath him, full of hills and streams and little lakes that broke up the endless pattern of trees. A village or two dotted the landscape with small clouds of smoke rising from cooking fires.

He imagined jumping from branch to branch, playing hide and seek with the other airbenders. They would have loved to chase each other through the forest, racing on the treetops, laughing fearlessly. Long drops were never a concern for them. Smiling, he remembered the frequent games he and the other kids played at the air temple: airball, bison polo, glider racing.