The Art Of Finding Each Other (Zutara)

Like a Lightning Bolt

To say that the gang's spirits were low after that night was an understatement.

The way back to camp had been one of the gloomiest moments they had ever faced. Even though tension brewed in the atmosphere silence prevailed among them. They were bittered by confusion and that did nothing but worsen once they arrived at their base.

At first, Katara had intended to do something other than ruminating on every possible solution. She had tried to comfort the pair of siblings, attempting to offer a few easing words, but it had proven to be next to useless. It was clear they craved quietness, a lugubrious compensation for the turmoil that drowned their minds. Still, she just couldn't stand there and do nothing.

Suki offered to make dinner using the supplies they had been able to get in town and Katara didn't hesitate to help her. She understood that Zuko needed some space, given the circumstances. Yet her mind kept wandering around him, longing for the day they would get much-awaited stability.

Their entire relationship seemed tainted with trouble, ever since that first encounter as newfound enemies. From there it had improved considerably, sure, yet they faced new challenges every five minutes or so. When would it be time for them to just take a moment to breathe? Katara found herself longing for those snowy days at the South Pole, with nothing but an International Coalition and sunsets to catch to worry about. She longed for the future, for the way they had been able to get a glimpse of what peacefully working towards the future felt like. But then again she knew finding Ursa - even if it had led to bickers with Azula and problems with other Fire Nation citizens - was essential to Zuko's future. And that alone made it essential for hers as well.

Once the group sat down for dinner, hesitation could be detected in their expressions. No one seemed too eager to be the first brave one to talk about it.

Yet someone had to.

"We need to figure out what to do next," Zuko finally muttered. His eyes looked empty, burdened with the weight of his search. "I promised Ikem we would be back soon enough."

Azula barely picked up her sight from the food. "What we need to do is force some sense into our mother's head."

"It's truly strange how she can look you two in the eye and not remember any of you," Toph stated. "That's the key here: making her remember you."

"Easier said than done," Zuko whispered. The gloomy expression seemed tattooed on his face.

"Toph's right." Suki shook her head. "We need to get to the bottom of this."

"How do you guys think she forgot about everything?" Sokka asked, ruminating on the matter.

"It seems deeper than mere forgetfulness, you know?" Katara was sure of it. This was nowhere similar to the amnesia cases she had seen at the Medical Center. "She believes an entire alternate version of her life. It's not just that she doesn't remember, she has new beliefs rooted deep into her mind."

"And how the hell do we fix that?" Toph grunted.

That was something Katara wasn't so familiar with. In fact, she had never seen quite anything like it before. Such an intricate puzzle drawn inside someone's head.

"I say we just get Mother back to the Palace and have her checked by the royal doctors." There was a dangerous look in Azula's eyes. "There's no point in feeding her lies by allowing her to stay here."

"I would've thought you, of all people, would understand how useless it is to force someone to be anywhere against their will." Zuko's words were like a slap on everyone's faces. It had been some time since that cutthroat tone had last tainted his voice.