Burnt Out - Zuko x OC

Late, In Love, And A Little Drunk

A tremor shook the meadow and Kai took a deep breath. She had to remind herself that the Western Air Temple was old, it was delicate. She closed her eyes and counted to ten silently as she stepped away from the others, grasping for composure like it was the frayed end of a rope and she was at the bottom of a ten foot pit.

Then she sprinted. She ran as fast as her legs would carry her, and then pushed them even harder. Her hands and feet dug into the side of the cliff and she climbed down on all fours, having learned a lesson or two from Nero.

Kai had told herself not to get her hopes up. She'd lied and said that she wasn't sprinting for any particular reason, that she just needed to stretch her legs, on the way back to the temple. Yet she was filled to the brim with the sharp blade of disappointment when the only person who greeted her was Aang, sitting on the ledge of a balcony, when she returned.

"He's not here, Kai. I'm sorry." Aang said, and his apology was genuine.

Kai pressed her forehead against the cool stone wall, just where Zuko had been not long before, and closed her eyes. "Yeah, Aang.. I figured as much."

For a moment, a nagging voice whispered in the back of her mind. It was childlike and squeaky, innocent.

It let her in on a secret — and that secret was the density of the wall where she was resting her head. It was harder than her skull by a long shot. The voice reminded her that bashing her own brain in was always an option, and that if she wanted to do it, nobody would be able to stop her.

Kai backed slowly away from the wall and retreated to her bedroom.

She slept for the rest of the day and throughout the night.

*****

Morning came all at once and it felt like no time had passed at all since her major let down the day before.

Kai was staring at the ceiling when she woke up, lying on her back with the foggy morning light wafting in through the window. She'd slept well — peacefully, even. Save the confusing phrase that woke her up sporadically throughout the night.

You forgot to lock the door.

She stood and stretched, bending to touch her toes before checking the door handle to her bedroom. It was unlocked, just as she'd left it. Kai and Toph were sharing a room. Of course she'd leave the door open for the girl.

Kai rubbed her eyes clear and realized that she was alone. She buttoned her dress and braided her hair quickly. It was later than she'd anticipated.

When she reached the commons area of the temple, Katara was already serving everyone breakfast. Scrambled eggs and some sort of pan fried meat. There was no trace of any anger from the day before lingering on her face.

Katara did that often; misjudged a situation completely and then regretted her reaction to whatever incident she'd fabricated. It didn't matter, she was already forgiven in Kai's mind.

"Has anyone seen Toph?" Kai asked. "She's not in our room and I don't remember her coming in last night."

"I haven't seen her since she stormed off yesterday." Sokka said from across the way.

"Stormed off? When was this?"

Katara grumbled to herself about it happening after "you-know-who" showed his mutilated face, and Kai shot her a look that told her it was best to keep her mouth shut unless she had something helpful to add to the conversation.

They discussed whether or not they should look for her, and the three newest boys to join their gang decided to check in the wind tunnel for her (Kai suspected they were still enjoying their surroundings, she let them go without protest).