𝑺𝑬𝑬𝑫 𝑶𝑭 𝑰𝑪𝑯𝑶𝑹 •𝒃𝒙𝒃•

30 ~ ashes of dreams

"Guren?"

He looked up, seeing Katara walk into his tent. "Yes?"

Gingerly, she walked up to him, before she lowered herself to her knees and offered her hand. "May I?" When he did nothing, she clarified, "Zuko told me you hurt your hand."

Ah.

Giving her his hand, he watched as she turned it palm up. "It's not...as bad as he made it out to be." Gently, she hovered her own palm over it.

Soon came a light glow.

"What'd he say?" Guren asked.

Katara briefly hummed, before her answer came, "Well, let's just say he was very worried."

Worried, huh?

"Seems you followed Toph's advice."

He furrowed his brows. "What advice?"

"About Zuko?" Letting his hand drop, she reached for the other. Upon seeing that it barely had a scratch, she lowered it. "She told you to make it simple, right? I can't say you did, but...there's not much of a rift between you two anymore."

"Could say the same to you."

•

Almost immediately, her eyes shot up to meet his, only he wasn't looking at her.

With a downcast gaze, he wasn't looking at anything.

"How could you...put all your feelings aside and trust him after everything?"

The question hit her so suddenly that she couldn't answer. All she did was wonder how it came about. This wasn't...him demanding an answer, no. This was him asking a genuine question. Why now? Why after-? And then it dawned on her. Something happened while Guren and Zuko were away. Now that something was on Guren's mind.

She reached out for him, took him by the shoulder, and said- "You can tell me anything."

Inevitably, it was up to him.

"I don't know how."

What was she supposed to do when he sounded so small? So...vulnerable? For what reason could he possibly be that way? What was it that troubled him so?

"I can't seem to do what all of you have done already."

And that struck her right in the heart. Like cold silk, his words gripped her tight, and she felt stupid for not seeing it sooner, for not realising that he was stuck in place. How come she didn't see? Ever after spending every waking hour with him, ever after all that time together, how come she didn't realise? Stupid, stupid, stupid.

She leaned forward and wrapped her arms around him tight, tight, tight. "It's okay," she murmured, "some things take time. You...You don't have to forgive immediately, you don't...have to forgive at all, if that's how you feel. You're not at fault, Guren."

"But I...want to."

Thus she promptly froze.

"I just...can't."

She felt him move, and his hands took her by her forearms, before she was gently moved away. When she looked at him again, she thought the saddened expression didn't suit him. But she said nothing else. She won't push. It wasn't right. They were friends.

"I'm sorry about this. Just...forget it."

There was more to this, she knew, but if he wasn't ready to tell her...then there was no use in her asking.

That was all there was to it, and at that she will leave it.

_

Ember Island, Zuko called it, a place where your true self will be revealed.