The Savior of Jang Hui River

Chapter 12

Previously...

Section by section, they continued the process down the bank of the river. Each time, the water that rushed back over the once dry spot seemed cleaner and clearer than the time before.

Some of the others were in long canoes, holding mesh nets between the boats, pulling the thicker out.

Hours went by and by then, Katara teetered on the brink of exhaustion.

"Miss Katara," Iroh placed his hand on her arm as she stood on the banks, now near the old factory. "You look like you are about to fall over. Haven't you done enough for the day?"

She winced at the contact to her wound.

Iroh quickly pulled back his arm, noticing the wrap.

The townspeople sat a ways behind them, gathered in small circles, chatting over their dinner.

The sun had began to dip lower on the horizon.

"I want to finish." She mumbled.

Iroh was right, she was tired. But she needed to finish what she'd started. She'd spent so long now, trying to save this village. The eclipse was still a few weeks away.

"Is that from a knife?" Iroh asked, gesturing to the bandaged wound. "How is it doing?"

Katara met his gaze, looking at the red wrap around her bicep.

"I can't heal it...it's not necessarily getting worse, but not better either. I don't know why..."

Katara, Iroh, Zuko and Akira sat in a small circle. Iroh managed to coax the young waterbender back over to the group. He placed a bowl of stew into her hands and swept his arm out in front of him, silently offering her a seat next to Akira.

Iroh laughed heartily at something Akira had said, though she hadn't caught what.

The day's events were playing back in her mind. Mung swimming away, Dock's shocked expression, everyone's cheers after the water was noticeably clearer, and the buckets and buckets of muck being hauled away.

Hauled away to be dumped right outside Mung's old office, hopefully. A smile drifted across her lips before she took another bite.

All in all, today had gone so much differently than she could have expected. Zuko stepping in between her and steadily growing mob of villagers was the first thing that came to mind. When the day had started, she never would have guessed it would have ended with her sitting here with her once archnemesis and his uncle, eating a bowl of stew.

Iroh was no where near as bristly as his fiery nephew. Their relationship was a strange one. They easily seemed like polar opposites. Iroh being more content to hold a conversation and drink tea, while Zuko didn't particularly peg her as a long conversation and nice cup of tea kind of guy.

She looked to the elder man in question. He looked at Zuko with thinly veiled fatherly concern, a look she'd remembered her own father giving Sokka a few times in the past. Perhaps that was the reasoning, Iroh was like a father to him.

Katara chewed the stew thoughtfully, staring out over the water. The sun hung over the horizon, casting a golden-red light on the group.

"So, Katara, Zuko," Iroh started, only to be cut off by the sound of Zuko choking seconds later at the mention of his real name.

Katara's head whipped up at the mention of her real name, eyes darting from Iroh to Akira.

They were wanted criminals, after all.

Akira laughed jovially, bringing her hand to her mouth. "It's fine, Katara, I know more than I think you realize."

Zuko continued to struggle with the bite of food, clearing his throat and drinking tea to wash whatever remnants down.