What would've happened if Zuko had ended up injured in the fight with Combustion man on(in?) the temple and hid it, since he was so new to the group? (Now, most will say Toph can sense it, but remember he has just burned her feet and she can't 'see' very well right now. You'll understand later.)
Zuko's pov
I knew hiring an assassin, a bounty hunter one, at that, was not smart, but I thought I'd gotten him to stop. I tried, offered anything he might want, aside from the Avatar - Aang - dead, and got blasted off the side of the sidewalk we were on. I wince as my arm grabs one of the many, numerous vines hanging around, the texture and pressure putting strain on weakened muscles and the recent injury on my side. Getting shoved forcefully along the ground at any point, especially with fire as the explosive, hurts.
It might've seemed like I kept my shield and balance from an angle, but I lost my footing and fell onto my side almost immediately. I can feel the air running along and in the open wounds on my side, but those aren't important, and especially not bothersome, compared to my broken ribs. They aren't wrapped now - goddamn stone tore through the gauze I was using - and they ache something fierce, but I need to get back up to the top.
I start pulling myself up, slow, and steady, taking a few second long breaks to push the pain down and away - something I do often - while I continue to climb. When I reach the top there's an explosion, and I watch as the bounty hunter falls into the canyon below, not really caring if he survives or not. I groan, but push myself up, settling on my back on the ground. God, I hurt, but I know fully well Katara won't heal me, for any reason.
With a groan, and a hand subtly settled on my side, I start walking - limping, but they don't honestly care, so who will see? - along the ground, knowing I have to make my way down to them. I hope Toph is doing ok, and that she doesn't discover my injuries. That would suck so immensely for me, that I can't even describe it. She'd probably laugh and say I deserved them for burning her -and honestly we all know I deserve so much more, all the pain and suffering and hurt I caused - the night she came to help me.
Would she be willing to forgive me, if I do something for her? Maybe. I turn a corner and find the group all there, staring at me like an insect they've never seen... or that they truly hate with the entirety of their heart. Nothing can hide my wince when I meet Katara's gaze - coughcough glare coughcough - and the others all narrow their eyes in suspicion. I raise my hands in defeat, unable to keep my body from drooping to the left, the less broken, torn apart side. I can see Toph's frown from where she's sitting, but obviously the burn's are messing with her sight.
Before anyone can say anything, or move, Toph stands, and then she gets closer. She's kinda limp, walking, since both feet are burned, and I panic when I see her start to fall, especially since she is so much closer to me than the others. I shove all my weight off one foot, propelling myself forward in time to catch her, even if it's a bit of a painful landing. My leg hurts, and my side burns, but I turn to Toph, who's frown has deepened.
I wince, knowing I've been found already, but before she can say anything, open her mouth, change her position, a blue whirlwind is taking her away, and checking on her feet, lecturing her on 'staying still and not moving ' ' you'll make you're recovery longer ' and ' why do you keep staring at him, like that? He didn't hurt you anymore, did he?' while I slowly stand back up, wary of the dangerous, pissed off waterbender near me. They are a very scary thing when angry.
"...Thank you. For helping?"
"You're welcome?"
I am not used to being thanked for something. I open my mouth to explain, ask for forgiveness, something, but it comes out as a gasp as a hand settles a bit roughly on my ribs. I groan and try to shuffle back, but the hand stays there and doesn't move, even as Toph grabs hold of my clothes. I wince as she yanks me down and then her other hands is resting on my actual chest, skin to skin. I freeze and lock eyes with Aang and then Sokka, trying to escape or get some help escaping. Neither look inclined to help, and let Toph as she pleases.
"You are hurt. You need medical attention. Pretty badly, too. I want you to heal him, Sweetness."
"Heal the enemy? As if. I wouldn't touch, let alone go near, him if he were the last person on earth. Nothing can make me help him, nothing."
"Sweetness, if we want to have any chance of giving Spark a second chance, you need to heal him. One of his lungs is close to being punctured. Several ribs are so cracked I can't see where they connect and the open wound is sapping more energy he doesn't have. If you want to have an opportunity to give him a second chance, you need to heal him now, before he starts to either suffocate or coughing blood."
I groan and try to move further back, knowing Toph drew far too much attention to me. I wince when Toph tightens her grip and then forces my shirt open. I gasp, not at her movement or at the motion itself, but of the cloth being forced away from the wound. Blood starts dripping down again, leaking slower than before but still too much. I shuffle further back, dragging Toph with me since she refuses to let go, and sit on a piece of rock.
"You should get to the others. You're not helping the case right now, as much as I enjoy your company. I'm sorry I burned your feet last night. I didn't mean to, but you startled me after I woke up from a nightmare. And I thought you were a bounty hunter."
She grimaces and nods, but it's very obvious she's focusing on something else - probably one of the others, she's known them longer - and so the conversation peters off, even though the others have the chance. I need to make the first move, obviously. I don't know how well this will turn out, especially under pressure and injury, but it's necessary.
I go to get up, but Toph yanks me back down. I spare her a glance, and see she's frowning. I look over the others, to find some curiosity, some worry and lots of wariness. I howl when Toph moves her hand, sliding it over and into the wound, digging her nails into sensitive tissue.
"Please, Sweetness. He's hurting bad and the pressure is building in his body. The lung won't make it very long, let alone all the strain on his body. I don't know if he'll make it through tonight, thanks to combustion man. You just have to heal him."
"Katara, he does look pale, and the blood is obviously running in streams. Toph can see more than us, and she's seeing inside him, internal damage. Why can't we heal him? Wouldn't it be for the better?"
"Sis, I hate the Fire Nation as much as you do, but you promised to help anyone in front of you, no matter what. He's suffering and in front of you. I want you to heal him as well. We can force him to teach Aang firebending, and lock him up the rest of the time. It won't present too much of a risk. Hopefully."
"I made that promise with the Fire Nation specifically in mind. I will not heal that asshole until he starts coughing blood. The fact he got it from combustion man only makes it far more reasonable, since he was the one to hire that jerk. Toph, get back to where you were and put your feet back in the water."
"No."
There's a silence, like no one can believe someone just told Katara no, and then the tension rises so much I jerk, hissing at the pain that causes. The wound is getting worse, and my ribs are starting to give in. I can feel the wheeze in my breath and I'm starting to taste blood in my mouth, but I was already aware that I would not be getting healed anytime soon.
"Excuse me?"
"You heard me. I won't go back over and put my feet back in the water. Not so you can have the opportunity to attack him. I will stay right here until you decide to heal him. I will not let you kill him for petty emotions clouding your view. I won't let him die just so you can get angrier and more vengeful towards the Fire Nation. If the other two want to do that, the idiots can, I will not let you."
"This is not a petty reason. He's been trying to kill us for months. There were times where he might've helped, but that still benefited him. He is a selfish, no good bastard and he deserves to be killed for the things the Fire Nation has done to this planet."
"Then should I be killed for the things I did?"
"Aang? What are you talking about?"
"I left the world alone for 100 years, and I let my people get killed. Should I be put to death for that?"
"No! None of that was your fault. That was the Fire Nation, again."
"It wasn't. They couldn't influence my emotions, my choice."
"He still deserves to die."
"You're trying to kill him, under the exact same circumstances where you said I would not be killed because it wasn't my fault."
"He's Fire Nation! He deserves it!"
I am starting to lose track of the conversation, the world bleeding in and out of focus, my ears ringing and hand clamped over the wound in hopes of stopping the bleeding. The taste of blood is getting stronger, and I finally spit, swallowing afterwards. The spit was mostly blood, but that's not important, not now. I try to struggle out of Toph's grip, but at this point blood loss is working against me.
"YOU GUYS!!!"
There's a blessed silence, and then mumbles. I know I should be able to understand, but nothing really matters, not until the fluttering, cold hand presses to my forehead. I hum and lean into it, letting it slowly drag me back to complete consciousness, instead of floating in the pain. I cough again, blood spraying across the floor and my fist as I try to block it. Hands flutter around my shoulder, another hand is rubbing my back and a third set are trying to get a view of my wound.
I slowly move my hand, leaning back against the rock I settled on. There faces say it's bad, and I figured, but it must be worse than I thought.
"Umm... Katara, we can see bone. And the bones not even in the right space."
"Really? How interesting. Please tell me it's bending in so it stabs him."
"It is actually, and the blood pouring out is only going into his lung, so if you could help that'd be highly appreciated, sister!"
I don't know why it's so important, but as I fade from consciousness, I wonder if combustion man was thinking of someone important to him when he fell, or if he felt only betrayal, like so many before him had. The look on his face was angry and hurt, but I thought I caught a glimpse of sorrow and pain before he disappeared from view.
Guess it's my turn to perform a disappearing act. I cough and more blood splatters, though I think I hear something.
"His heart is slowing! KATARA, GET OVER HERE AND HELP HIM, YOU PREJUDICE JUDGING, MOTHERFUCKING BITCH!!!"
The following silence is almost sweet, before a flash of blue echoes through every sense I have and I completely fade from the conscious world.