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When your dreams have disappeared

Chapter 30: The Spirit Oasis

Notes:

(See the end of the chapter for notes.)

Chapter Text

“Hey, Nattiq?”

“Hm?” Nattiq glanced up from the scrolls Pakku had given him to study to find Zuko at his doorway with Nikko right behind him. “It’s getting awfully late, you know. You should get to bed. Don’t you start teaching your class tomorrow?”

Zuko raised his eyebrows. “Don’t you?” Nattiq didn’t reply, so Zuko said, “You should be more careful what you say, or else you might offend someone.”

Nattiq blinked a couple times, then squinted at Zuko. “I said something to offend you earlier? Was it when I was fighting Pakku?”

“Well, no- yes- I mean-” Zuko sighed, closed his eyes, and started over. “You didn’t offend me, but someone I know would have been offended. And yes, it was during your duel with Pakku.” When Nattiq showed no signs of recognition, Zuko continued, “You said that anyone who would duel a child is a coward.”

Nattiq scoffed. “How in the world would that offend any-” His eyes widened. “Oh. Ohhh. Oh… you’re talking about your father, aren’t you?”

Zuko nodded and stared pointedly at Nattiq.

With a sigh, Nattiq said, “What, you want me to apologize? Well, you’re out of luck. I stand by what I said: any adult who duels a child is a coward.”

“But what if the kid deserved it?” The question hit Nattiq like a sucker punch to the gut. Noticing Nattiq’s reaction, Zuko hurried to say, “Remember, I spoke out of turn at a war meeting. I humiliated my father in front of all his top generals-”

“Nothing you could have done deserved that punishment.”

Zuko crossed his arms and looked off to the side.

Nattiq knew there was no point in arguing with Zuko. He let out a frustrated sigh and crossed his arms as well.

Remembering something Sokka had told him, Nattiq sat up and said, “Speaking of that… how’s your vision on that side?”

“What?” Zuko scowled and glared at Nattiq defensively, effectively answering Nattiq’s question.

“So not good, then,” Nattiq mused. “You’re lucky I remembered it tonight, because tonight’ll be the best chance I have to heal it- at least until the next full moon.”

Zuko blinked. “What?” His tone was softer this time, and sounded more surprised than angry. “But I thought- you told me a long time ago you couldn’t do anything about my face.”

“I never thought we’d be back here,” Nattiq muttered, then shook his head. “I don’t want to get your hopes up for nothing, but I think there’s a good chance that I can help you. I can’t guarantee anything though- the spirits can be fickle-“

“‘The spirits’? Nattiq, what are you planning?”

“Nothing dangerous, I promise.” At this, Zuko’s frown deepened.

“I want to believe you, but I’ve come too close to dying far more often than I would have liked to lately. I don’t think you’d hurt me intentionally, but-“

There was a knock at the door, and both Nattiq and Zuko jumped. From behind the closed door, Sokka’s voice said, “Nattiq, have you seen Zuko?”

“I’m in here,” Zuko called. “Need something?”

“No, it’s okay,” Sokka replied, “I was just wondering if you were coming to bed soon.”

“Actually,” Nattiq interjected, opening the door, “we were just about to go out, Sokka. Care to come with us?”

“Oh, uh, sure.” Sokka looked surprised, but nodded. “Where are we going?”

“It’s a place called the Spirit Oasis,” Nattiq said as they walked off the Unagi. “It’s where the purest water in the world is. If anything can fix your vision, it’s this stuff, Lee.”

“So you are having trouble with your eye! I knew it!” Blissfully ignorant of the look on Zuko’s face, Sokka turned to Nattiq excitedly. “See, I told you he couldn’t see well out of that eye!”

“You what?!” Zuko’s expression was akin to a gathering thunderstorm, and Sokka physically took a step back when he saw it. 

“I- I noticed you, um, were startled when I came up to you on that side, and a few other things made me realize you probably couldn’t see on that side. So I, uh, I talked to Nattiq about it.”

Zuko’s eyes bored into Sokka. “So you don’t think I’m capable of talking to Nattiq myself?”

“No, not at all,” Sokka backpedaled. “I mean- I know you’re capable, but I didn’t think you would actually talk to him, even if something like that was bothering you.” Crossing his arms and jutting his chin out, Sokka said, “You’re bad about telling people important things like that, you know. You should be more open with the people you trust.”

Frustrated, Zuko hissed, “What you just did is exactly why I’m not more open with people! You figured out a weakness of mine, and then what do you do, before even talking to me? You run off and tell someone!”

“Okay, but- but- Nattiq isn’t just anyone,” Sokka sputtered, “he’s a really good healer! I only told him because I thought he could help you, because I wanted to help you!”

“I can help myself,” Zuko replied coldly.

“Oh, wow, I didn’t realize you were a healer now,” Sokka jabbed sarcastically. “Is that another secret you’re keeping?”

“A weakness isn’t a secret, Sokka,” Zuko groaned, “it’s something you’re supposed to keep to yourself, in case it’s used against you. You’re a warrior, Sokka- you of all people should understand that.”

Sokka let out a hmph and glared off to the side, not wanting to give Zuko the satisfaction of a response. He could see where Zuko was coming from, but it still hurt that Zuko wasn’t telling him everything like he used to. 

“Oh look, we’re here,” Nattiq said loudly, cutting into the awkward silence that had fallen over the trio.

Zuko frowned down at the tiny wooden door set into the side of a glacier. “This is the Spirit Oasis?”

“It’s bigger on the inside,” Nattiq explained as he opened the door, crouching as he walked through. Sokka looked at Zuko, who shrugged and followed Nattiq inside. 

The moment Sokka stepped through the little door, his breath was taken away. In the middle of what from the outside seemed to be just another glacier, there was a huge waterfall, which pooled around a lush island. It was almost as if a giant had grabbed a huge boulder from the Earth Kingdom and dumped it in the North Pole. “What is this place?”

“It’s the most spiritual place in the North Pole,” Nattiq replied.

“Great,” Sokka muttered under his breath, rolling his eyes. He should have known something as abnormal as this would immediately be written off as the work of the spirits, when surely there was a logical explanation. Maybe there was a natural hot spot beneath the island, or the sunlight was amplified by the surrounding ice in this area- or something that wasn’t related to spirits that was causing this. Unlike when he was a child, Sokka couldn’t deny that spirits exist anymore- he had seen far too many things while traveling with Aang to just write spirits off as myth. However, Sokka was still a skeptic when it came to spiritual matters, and preferred to consider natural causes for the phenomena he observed before jumping to conclusions about spirits.

“The water here is blessed by the ocean and moon spirits, and has special properties,” Nattiq continued, oblivious to Sokka’s doubt. “If the healer is skilled enough and the spirits are willing, this water can heal anything- illnesses, mortal wounds, scars-”

“Wait,” Zuko interrupted, stepping backwards, “you’re not- you won’t remove my scar, right?”

Nattiq, who seemed confused, asked, “I thought you wanted me to?”

“No, no, I just want you to fix my vision. Without my scar, I…” Zuko trailed off, frowning. Then he shook his head and said, “It’s nothing. Do whatever you need to do.”

“I’m not going to heal something you don’t want healed,” Nattiq replied. “But the last time we talked about this, you were more worried about the scar than your sight.”

“I’ve changed since then. My scar is no longer a mark of shame to me- it’s part of my identity now, as the Blue Spirit. And besides, I’d look too much like my father without it…”

Though Sokka was still mad at Zuko, he couldn’t help but feel sympathetic for his friend. He couldn’t imagine how hard it must be for Zuko to see the man who banished him and left him for dead every time he looked in a mirror. “If that’s how you feel, then Nattiq, you shouldn’t try to heal his scar,” Sokka said firmly.

“I won’t. I’d never do anything you don’t want me to, Lee- just make sure that I know what you want, alright?” Zuko nodded, then sat down in front of a spring where two koi fish were circling each other. 

“Okay,” he breathed, “I’m ready.”

Notes:

i got a nintendo switch on the last day of june and i've already logged 50 hours in pokemon sword