The Phoenix

Free

Alcohol dripped on the floor as Zuko hissed sharply pouring it on the gashes on his arm where ozais whip wrapped around. He closed his eyes holding any sound of pain in and shook his hand out letting out a deep breath.

"Damn," he whispered grabbing new wrapping to make sure it doesn't get infected.

"You should get that water bender to heal it," Mai sat with Zuko as he was on the stairs again. He sipped the alcohol and shook his head.

"I'm not risking anything," he huffed.

"You're going to scar again," Mai sighed rolling her eyes. He glanced at her.

"Almost sounds like you care Mai," he hummed a little amused.

"It looks gross," Mai scoffed. "Not all your scars healed good, ugh especially those ones that got that bad infection,"

Zukos chest tightened a little as he wrapped his arm. His eyes stayed on his arm and kept wrapping till it was tight enough.

"I don't care about scars," he shrugged.

"What, going to let your whole body get nasty scars? Good luck with that your on the right track," she shook her head and Zuko looked to the side.

"Hey! Water bender!" Mai called to Katara who was with ty Lee.

"How long till she can bend again?" She asked loudly as Zuko stood up shaking his head annoyed.

"Ten minutes?" Ty Lee shrugged a little.

"Lee's going to get his shit infected, have her heal his arm," she snapped her fingers and pointed at the captain.

"I'll go get the handcuffs," ty Lee sighed walking away and Katara crossed her arms frowning.

"You already told them?" She asked Zuko frowning.

"Ty Lee and Mai know what's going on, ty Lee is the one that your going to be cuffed too mostly," Zuko nodded and she grabbed his arm to see how bad the damage is.

"I don't need your healing, it'll be fine next week," Zuko glared at her. She pursed her lips at the wound, the gashes were pretty deep and the edges of his skin were burnt.

"It'll still scar, but not bad if I get to heal it," Katara told him sternly, not taking any of the attitude he's giving.

Zuko rolled his eyes again as he rather not do this right now, it would be fine, what's another scar to add? He gave up trying to not get scars on his body long ago, everyone gets them.

"Do what you want," he scoffed as Katara motioned him to follow to the side of the ship so she could bend the water.

"If you don't want me to heal you just say so," Katara hovered her hands over the ocean trying to bend again.

"I told Mai no already, I don't care about scars," he glared at her.

"Well yea I get that," she scoffed back. "I have a scar on the side of my leg from almost falling into the waters and the ice sliced me,"

Katara lifted her pant leg to reveal the jagged scar from the ice and Zuko raised a brow.

"Also almost got burn scars on my hands from an accident but that's how I found out I had healing ability's," she smiled a little with a shrug. "I was lucky to figure it out so fast then,"

"That's a nice gift to have," Zuko nodded softly rubbing his injured arm a little.

"It is, I think I saved a good amount of people with it, I've always had to be a mother to everyone.. just this was a bonus to help others," Katara pursed her lips a little but bended water from the side and had the water wrap around his arm and soon glowed.

Zuko frowned a little watching his wounds slowly closing up with his skin pink, he slightly memorized watching the water on his arm. He knew water benders could heal but he never watched so close.

"Do you know if that man had any damage in his body? Lungs? Liver?" Katara asked not looking up at him.

"With how he drinks it could be liver," Zuko joked a little. She looked at him frowning.

"I think it's his immune system, he coughs up blood and throws up anything he eats, it hurts for him to move, at first he had bad fevers but they stopped after a month, he's just in pain all the time," Zuko sighed softly shaking his head.

"He doesn't look fire nation," she mumbled.

"He's not, he's earth kingdom, use to be a fisher for his village," he shrugged a little.

"What made him to be a pirate?" Katara asked curiously.

"Same way we all become pirates, life shits on you to much so you start taking from it, we all had enough of what the world threw down at us, death, poverty, diversity, war, had enough of it all," Zuko saw she finished healing and pulled his hand back to inspect his arm.

"We live a life, not just surviving it,"

"No one here cares what nation you're from, no one is innocent, I have very few rules and they've kept everyone at peace, this ship is our safe haven," he nodded softly as he looked back over at ty Lee and Mai.

"We're not savages, we're human, they found freedom in a war," Zuko gulped a little as Katara stared at him wide eyes. 

"What about you?" Slipped past her lips. "Have you found freedom?"

"I'm getting there," he smirked a little.