The Dragon and The Ocean // Zutara

Healing

Zuko's POV

Despite the healing Katara already did, the pain is still at  a point where it's almost unbearable. That feeling of wanting to fall asleep and never wake up still rests behind my eyelids and I'm starting to think it isn't going to go away anytime soon. 

When I was 13 and my father burned my eye, I thought that was bad. But I don't ever remember ever feeling this feeling that I can only describe as wanting to die. However, the urge to push through is almost subconscious. I have to live for Katara and at least to see this war end. Maybe then it would be okay to succumb to this deathly feeling. 

 As thoughts of the war possibly coming to end today flash through my thoughts, I find myself wondering how Aang is doing.  Has he managed to beat my father yet? Are they still fighting at this very moment?  Or did Aang...die? And what about Sokka, Toph, and Suki? What about Uncle? Is he okay?

It is starting to feel like an eternity of waiting for Katara to come back with the water.  We have too much to talk about. Well, that I want to talk about that is. I'm not sure how much she actually wants to talk about everything right now, especially when it's about the possibility that her friends and family could be dead. 

That idea has always seemed normal to me. It was only after I had been with the gang for long enough that I realized you shouldn't spend everyday thinking about your family dying or hoping that they would. My life in the Fire Nation never made that idea apparent to me  

The seconds continue to draw longer as I get lost in my thoughts. I'm trying to do anything to ignore the burning...well everywhere. This whole situation brings back the crushing yet very familiar feeling of being weak and useless. 

I wish I could just pull Katara into my arms and we could try and find a way to relax and be worry free until the rest of the gang comes back. After everything that's happened so far, we should just be able to ignore this and I want more than anything for Katara to just know that I'm going to be okay. 

 When the pain draws me out of my thoughts once again I realize that I'm still sitting up. It'll definitely be easier for Katara to heal me if I'm laying flat so, slowly lie back on the couch. The pain is bad, yes but it's the least I can do. I place my hands behind my head to prevent myself from trying to cover the expanse of my chest and try for the nth time to clear my head. 

Katara's POV

"I got the water." I say once I step out of the bathroom with a small bowl, a cloth, and a roll of bandages. 

Zuko is now lying down on the couch, with his hands behind his head. 

He is panting heavily and it's when I see tears resting on his eyelashes that I quickly run over and kneel down beside him. With the little experience I have in healing lighting wounds, I can only guess that the burning sensation he must be feeling is getting worse. I running out of time yet again  

"It'll be okay." I tell him, while I carefully move his hands down by his sides in hopes to relax him a bit more. 

The wound looks awful. It looks worse then Aang's. Aang's had a deeper, more spiritual effect, but Zuko's has a more physical effect. His wound is a much darker red, and it looks a lot more like actual fire. 

The other thing about it that worries me is that I don't see an exit point. When Aang got struck, the lightning exited out of his foot. I have no idea where Zuko's is. I decide to ignore that for now though and focus on trying my best to heal the wound that I can see. 

Even though he is already lying down, I need to get his burnt and shredded shirt off. That way, I can see just how far the wound goes. Plus, the clothing is ruined anyway. I place my hand behind his head and my other on the lower part of his stomach, where the burnt flesh doesn't reach.