Blood Boils Without Fire

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CHAPTER 6- Return

Author's Note: Thank you for waiting for this chapter. I've been swamped with classwork and extra-curriculars, but am so happy I found time to make this chapter. I hope you enjoy it, and please leave feedback. It means more than you realize. Also like last time comment or PM me what pairings you would be interested in seeing. Enjoy.

The Ocean

Sokka smiled as a mask of rage overtook the face of the man opposite him. The young man lashed out at him, and shot a jet of flames, which Sokka narrowly avoided. Taunting the man, "Now now, Zuzu, is it? That's no way to save your friends, but if you have chosen to perish with them, I will honor your choice."

Zuko struck out again in anger. Snarling, he said, "It's Zuko you bastard. Only my sister gets to call me that."

Then, Azula's voice cut across the deck, "Zuko get on. We need to save them."

Zuko turned to look at the source of the voice and saw Azula sitting atop Appa. His mind cleared as he remembered everyone in the village was still in danger. Hesitating, then deciding, he ran to meet her. As he got to the rail, he felt a blade thrust into his shoulder. Pain shot through his entire body as he fell forward into his sister's arms. Without thinking, Zuko had left his unprotected back open to an attack from his opponent.

Azula screamed as Zuko fell forward into her. In an effort to distance them from the ship, Appa gained altitude. The last thing Azula saw was an evil smile and piercing gaze from under a wolf helmet. An image nearly identical to that which had haunted her dreams every night for seven years.

Azula cleared her mind and went to work. As Appa guided them towards the village, she began to treat Zuko's injury. Rolling him over to prevent blood loss, she stripped off his shirt and began to apply pressure to the wound. Due to the lack of medical supplies available in Appa's saddle, she would just have to wait to get back to the village and pray to Agni that Zuko would be able to survive long enough to reach civilization.

As Azula tried to stifle the bleeding, Zuko descended into a coughing fit. Azula realized they would have to touch down soon or Zuko would not survive. She began to nervously scan the horizon for any glimpse of civilization. Then, in the distance, Azula spied a small port surrounded by some rudimentary structures, which appeared to be foundations of houses. Azula steered Appa towards the dock and as they touched down quickly began looking for someone to help them.

As she explored the area, she noticed the structures seemed to be the skeleton of a row of homes. Each one sat upon a patch of scorched earth. Walking around, Azula began to hear a banging sound emanating from the end of one of the rows. Following the sound Azula saw a group of people working together to put the roof onto a house at the end of the row. One of the villagers caught sight of her as she drew nearer and called a warning to his friends. They all made their way to the ground quickly before brandishing makeshift weapons at her. Azula cried out in response, "Please, help my brother. He's been stabbed. He needs help, please." As Azula collapsed, a woman made her way out of the crowd to her.

As she reached a hand out to help Azula stand up, she replied, "Take me."

Azula stood up and led the woman to where Zuko lay bleeding. When the woman saw his body, she called back to the group of men for assistance in moving his body to a place where he could be attended to more easily. After a short discussion, two emerged from the crowd and lowered Zuko to the ground from his lofty perch upon Appa's back. As soon as Zuko was secure on the ground, the woman sprung into action examining his body for injuries. She began to study the stab wound in his shoulder. Turning to Azula, she explained, "You are very lucky the blade entered where it did. A few centimeters in any given direction, and he would have bled out well before you reached us. Right now, it is likely he will survive, but you must understand there is no guarantee."

Azula simply nodded to her and said, "Do what you must."

The healer began her work. She soon sent for some herbs, which were quickly provided. Combining them, she then poured the mixture down Zuko's throat to mitigate his pain during the procedure. She then began to clean out the wound. First, the healer poured sake on the wound in an attempt to sterilize it. She then began to rinse the wound and wash away any larger particles. Finally, she bandaged the wound. She turned toward Azula and said, "He will need to rest here until the herbs wear off."

Azula protested, "We don't have time for that. We are already trying to save our village. We can't afford to stop."

The woman said, "He cannot leave. If you move him, you might jeopardize the healing process.".

"We must leave though. There is too much at stake."

In response to this final plea, the woman sighed and began to mix some more herbs in her mortar. After a few minutes she turned back and said, "If you truly think you must go , I cannot stop you. I will, however, give you these." She handed Azula a roll of bandages and a poultice. She continued, "Change the bandages once a day, or when they become wet or dirtied. When you do this, rub some of the poultice on the wounds. It accelerates the healing process. If all goes well, he should have full use of his arm in about 10 days. In the meantime, he should avoid straining himself, or excessively moving it as it may stunt his healing."

Azula nodded and thanked the woman. She then turned and began to load Zuko into Appa's saddle. Once Zuko was safely secured, they took off again towards their village.

Ship in the Ocean

As the pair flew away from his ship, obviously occupied with other things, Sokka turned back to the helm. Much of the crew had been killed in the fighting, and the rest were preoccupied with guarding the prisoner the pair had called Aang. With his crew in this state, he would have to wait for the other ship to rendezvous with reinforcements, and favorable news from the village. While he waited, Sokka began pondering his interaction with the Avatar. His clothes and tattoos distinguished him as an Airbender, and yet, he looked far too young to be a survivor of the genocide. As Sokka puzzled over this, it dawned on him. The Avatar must have discovered immortality. HIs father would be very interested in this.

As he turned again, he saw the ship he had sent out returning again to meet with him. Once they had pulled alongside, Sokka ordered the crew split between the two vessels. He then walked to the other ship's helm to talk with the captain. "Have you completed your task?"

The captain responded, "Yes, Prince, the village is burned and everyone there has an ice spike through their heart. We left nothing standing and no survivors."

"Good. Let us meet up with the rest of this fleet and let General Bato decide what to do with the Avatar."

A/N: Thank you so much for reading Chapter Six. I like how this story is progressing, and I hope you do as well. Please leave feedback, either what you liked or what can be improved. Also like last time, what pairing would you like to see. Thanks for reading and have a great day.