Too Far Away

Chapter Fifteen: All Inside the Rain

The Ninth Letter

A flash of red consumed his vision, and then his world became a nexus of pain. He was aware of screaming and falling, and for a moment that lasted for a single second but seemed to last a lifetime, he was reliving the failed Agni Kai.

Then his body hit the water, and for a moment, his vision seemed to reset. Everything went white, and then it faded to black. The freezing water jump-started his system while he sank down, and his eyes opened, but he could see barely anything. He couldn't breathe. For a moment, that particular obstacle didn't matter around the pain—he was tempted to let himself drown.

It was almost peaceful, sinking. All around him, the debris from the ship sank beyond where he was, and he watched as shock slowly began to overcome him.

Above his head, a strange shape hovered over him. It never touched the water. It was simply there.

That way is up, he told himself. But he exhaled out, watching the bubbles float up, up... and he couldn't bring himself to care.

He looked at the shape again, and then a single thought hit him all at once: I can't die here.

All of his senses sharpened, despite the shock. His body was quickly succumbing to the cold, and he knew he wouldn't be able to swim if he didn't get rid of the armor that was pulling him down, faster than he had realized it was. It was difficult underwater, but he discarded as much of it as he could maneuver out of, and then he pushed as hard as he could to swim for the surface.

It seemed so far away, but that shape was waiting for him.

As soon as his head broke through the surface, he gasped, almost swallowing a mouthful of seawater in his attempt to regain his access to oxygen. After that, he coughed and cried out, because after the numbing distraction of almost drowning had been taken care of, his body was one again connected to his pain from the explosion, and it was beyond excruciating. He was tempted to allow himself to drown all over again, and though he could barely see anything as it was, he was almost completely rendered blind as tears blurred the world around him.

A wave broke over his head, and he was sent whirling through the water. His sense of direction went haywire, and for a moment, he was completely lost.

But then he located that hovering shape again, and swam up.

As soon as he made it to the surface again, a screech exploded through the air, making him flinch. He looked up and was astounded to see Tongyi hovering above him. How the messenger falcon had found him among the debris and fire of the ruined battleship, he would never know. Tongyi also had a letter in his carrier, but Zuko didn't really care just then.

"Tongyi," Zuko said, his voice choked and strangled and barely able to function. "I need to get to shore."

Tongyi didn't seem to understand, but he continued to hover, anyway. Every time Zuko's body gave out or his head went underwater, Tongyi screeched again and again until Zuko reappeared.

It was extremely difficult to function, but through his shock, Zuko was able to locate what direction the shore was in. In his state of fatigue and pain, it seemed too far away to even consider making it to. He would never be able to swim so far.

But Tongyi screeched again, and Zuko glanced at the falcon before he started swimming, anyway. As he pushed and pushed and pushed, a disjointed phrase sprang into his head, one he recognized but could not in the state he was in remember where it was from.

"...is not too far away from your current position..."

Where had he read that?

He needed to make it. He would make it. He would find Iroh, find a way onto Zhao's ship, find the Avatar himself. And he would finally respond to Song Lee. She had never been a distraction, and her falcon was in the process of saving his life by screeching in his ear whenever he got tired. It was the least he could do.