Title: Schema (Sequel to Framework)

Disclaimer: Characters, ect belong to Mike and Bryan. I write this purely for entertainment purposes.

Rating: K+

Summary: As the war-induced wounds on nations and their peoples start to heal, past emotional lacerations reappear as feelings are brought out into the open. Katara, Aang, Zuko.

Author's Note: Many of you reviewers requested a sequel to Framework; I already had one in mind. Though, honestly, this can read just as well as a stand alone piece. Also, I'd like to apologize for my lack of updating Embracing Darkness for close to a month. School's been keeping me up to my eyes in homework and reading. I would also like to thank everyone who has favorited, reviewed, alerted, and-or read Framework and Embracing Darkness. I'm just astounded and flattered by the numbers I read on my stats page and I am more than happy to give you all this piece as an offering of my thanks. Possibly sequel in the future, but no promises.

Schema

Evening had descended on the capital city in a haze of indigos and oranges; the light breeze that accompanied it gently caressing the cheek of the Royal Garden's sole occupant. Baby turtle-ducks followed slow creases on the water's surface as Katara bent small waves with a simple tilt of her wrist. As they swum the gentle curves of the water, Katara rewarded her fuzzy companions with pieces of bread torn from the loaf she held in her lap. As the sky darkened to the familiar heavy blue of night, the Waterbender's vision was graced by an atmospheric luminescence as the lanterns around the garden were lit with delicate ease. Glancing up from her leisurely task of feeding turtle-ducks, Katara was met by an enthusiastically grinning Aang.

Katara smiled. "You're getting pretty good at that, you know?"

"I am, aren't I?" He embarrassingly rubbed the back of his neck, a gradual blush flushing his cheeks. "So… would you like some company?"

Hesitantly, Katara answered, "I suppose company would be nice…" She had been enjoying the solitude of the garden, but scooted over anyway and patted the patch of grass next to her. "So to what do I owe this pleasure, Avatar Aang?" she jested. "Those nobles were sure keeping you busy earlier."

"I know," he sighed. "I am glad that the war is over, but as Zuko said to me in the infirmary, the real work is about to begin. I wish there was a way for peace to come easily, but I know that's stupid."

"It's not stupid, Aang," her tone was sharp. "It's just not how the world works, unfortunately. If anything though, I am very surprised. I was prepared for hostility from every nation, and a lot of pettiness from the Fire Nation, but I guess over time that even I forgot that the Fire Nation is human, too. I would have never guessed so many people, in the nation where this war began, wanted it to end as bad as we did."

Aang solemnly nodded, unconsciously reaching a hand forward as he saw a turtle-duck heading toward him through his peripheral vision. Katara watched in fascination as the boy beside her played with the fuzzy, shelled animal. Over the last few weeks, the girl had noticed an immaculate change in him. The boy in the iceberg, unwilling to accept his role as the world's last hope, was no longer. He was the savior of the modern world. And though he still had a ways to go before he would become a fully realized Avatar, he had all ready proven he was well on his way to becoming the most powerful Avatar since his predecessor, Kyoshi. Though, even in light of all this, there was a nagging at the back of Katara's mind.

"Aang?"

"Yes, Katara?" he gazed up, a broad smile on his face.

"When-when you faced Ozai," she noted how an ominous shadow shaded his face, "how did you tap into your Avatar state?"

He closed his eyes and sucked in his lower lip, biting into it. Exhaling loudly, he stopped the action and turned to face her. "Ozai cornered me into a canyon, where I shielded myself with rock." He started, looking meaningfully into his friend's cobalt eyes, her expression urgent yet soft. He expected his heart to leap into his throat, but the organ simply continued to beat calmly inside his chest. "I had never been so hot in my life, Katara, and I was reminded of all those Firebending lessons with Zuko. Where whenever I would ask him about how powerful his dad was, he would stumble over his words and just continue drilling me.

"At that moment," he swallowed the lump of emotion threatening at the brink of his gullet, "my life was starting to flash in front of my eyes. And all I could think was, 'I'm going to fail.'" Before Katara could interrupt him with kind, emotive words, Aang plowed on. "Then when I thought it was over, I felt the most horrific jab in my back. And all these weird feelings were swirling inside me. I was hot and cold, tired and awake, and when my vision went white I thought I had died. But it cleared and that's when I knew I had the Avatar state."

Katara gaped, unknowing how to feel. "I don't understand." Aang's brows creased in confusion. "I mean if that was all that was needed for you to go into the Avatar state…" she trailed.

Aang's previous perplexing thoughts were then replaced with something a bit more sinister. "No, you don't understand."

"Then explain it to me, Aang. I understand that it hurt to regain that part of you again, but it just seems… convenient. I feel like there's more that you're not telling me."

Her eyes had clouded into storms, her shoulders shaking from repressed anger. Aang didn't need to turn to the pond near them to see that the soft ripples on its surface had increased into miniature tides licking over the edges. Regaining his composure, he stated, "I can't begin to describe to you how I felt, Katara."

She hated when people kept things from her, Aang being no exception to this rule just because he was the Avatar. But as quickly as her passionate emotions came to, so did the reason she had avoided speaking to him about this for so long. The emphasis of himself in that last sentence brought Katara's almost boiling anger to a simmer and the thick, suffocating feeling of uncertainty filtered through her body.

"Aang…" Katara uncrossed her legs and stood, walking several feet away with her arms laced across her chest.

The young Airbender got up just as steadily and addressed her. "Katara, when I went into the Avatar state, something happened. Something big."

Katara glanced beyond her shoulder. "And what would that something be?" she questioned, barely containing the acidity from her voice.

"I-I tried to tell you, Katara. So many times I tried to tell you how I felt, but…" the boy his bottom lip, "but when I finally had the chance I couldn't find the words so I—"

"You kissed me," she finished for him, her crossed arms loosening and falling to her sides, but her expression remained unreadable.

"I thought that by showing you that maybe you would possibly understand and, um, feel the same, but I was obviously wrong."

Katara very much felt like the villain now. "Aang," she started, turning around and reaching a hand to his shoulder, "it was just so… sudden, and I was caught off guard and… and you really can't expect me to return such feelings like there's nothing to it!" She inwardly blanched at how his wide eyes filled with such apprehension and sadness, knowing that she could possibly be breaking the Airbender's heart, but she could not allow her need to protect him from such unpleasantness to keep her from nipping this thing in the bud. "I'm obviously dense for not seeing it sooner, Aang, and I'm really sorry for that. There was just so much going on, and after the whole thing with Jet, I just closed my mind to those kinds of possibilities. And, really, you're a sweet kid…"

"But you never felt the way I did?"

"Not necessarily. I did have a bit of a crush on you at first," she smiled as she noticed Aang's ears redden at their tips, "but feelings change over time and—Wait, 'did'?"

Aang walked a few paces away from her. Sighing, he said, "The Guru. When I left Ba Sing Se to meet him, he said that if I were to master the Avatar State that I needed to open all my chakras." At Katara's puzzled expression, he explained further, "Chakras—"

"Are the pools of energy that flow throughout the body." Now it was Aang's turn to be confused. "Yugoda said that Waterbenders that have the ability to heal have a naturally open water chakra, but to become a master healer one must work at opening their heart as well."

Aang could not stop himself from asking, "Did you open it too then? I mean, you mastered combative Waterbending with Pakku. It must not have been too difficult to master healing, too."

Katara shook her head. "No, it's not that simple. What I learnt from Pakku came more naturally to me than healing, and I was unwilling to learn from Yugoda when Pakku said that women couldn't learn defensive Waterbending. When you had almost made up your mind not to learn from Pakku, I knew that I had to swallow my pride for the time being and just do as I was told."

"Not that it lasted long," he grinned.

"Yeah..." a reminiscent smile came upon her face. "Anyway," she waved her hand flippantly, "I still have a ways to go in mastering healing, but we're not discussing that right now. Go back to what you were saying."

The Airbender had hoped to change the subject completely, but Katara had the reins in this conversation. "Okay, well, I had managed to open all my chakras but one: the crown chakra. I had to let go of my earthly attachments, but, like you with healing, I was unwilling. I didn't…"

"Didn't want to what? What keeps you grounded here, Aang?"

With bated breath Katara waited for the monk to respond to her questions, but when no sound came forth from the boy, she allowed herself to come to her own conclusion. What wouldn't he let go of? Just as quickly as she pondered this did the answer come to her. Her heartbeat reverberated in her ears and the sudden wave of nausea that embroiled her digestive tract caused her take several ominous steps back.

"Me… You couldn't let go of me." Tears stung her eyes and her body began to quake involuntarily, and her heart plummeted into her stomach. "You-you could've died because of me."

"No, NO Katara, don't ever think that! It was one hundred percent my fault! That day at the Eastern Air Temple I misunderstood what Guru Pathik was trying to tell me and I didn't listen to him. I tried to let go of you when we faced Azula and Zuko in Ba Sing Se, but Azula's lightning got me before I could fully do it. It was only during my battle with Ozai that it finally happened. Pathik was getting at the fact that I cannot have possessions, and at that point that is how I saw—"

"I'm not a prize, Aang! I'm not something you can keep boxed and allow out when you feel like it!"

"I-I know, Katara," he bowed his head. "I-I'm sorry. To go into the Avatar state, I had to let go of that frame of mind and that's just what I did!"

"I-I can't deal with this right now, Aang." When Aang reached for her arm, she smacked away his hand and spun on him angrily. "I can't deal with you right now," and Katara stormed away, leaving the Airbender to his own melancholy.

The thirteen-year-old sighed, and then was startled when a hand roughly came down on his shoulder. "Huh, wha—"

"Whoa down, Twinkle Toes. It's just me."

"Why is it so hard, Toph?"

"Because you make it so," she admonished him, then feeling his body tense added, "and because Sugar Queen is ignorant when it comes to matters involving her own heart."

~*~

Katara had managed to avoid everyone outside of servants as she made her way through the maze that was the Royal Fire Nation Palace. She had been wandering the damn corridors for what seemed like hours and had only now managed to cease the torrent of tears from escaping her probably red rimmed eyes. As she paused to observe her surroundings - red, gold and black staring at her from all angles – she quickly became agitated as she realized she had no idea where the heck she was going. Unwilling to ask for help, she made a few select turns here and there and eventually came upon a very large, ornate double door. It was two stories high and gently cracked, and despite the hog-monkey on her back telling her not to enter, she slipped a hand through the opening and pushed the door wider to peek inside.

Katara maneuvered her body through a space just large enough for her to slide inside and plastered herself against the back of the door. Her breath hitched in her throat as she gazed upon the largest, most terrifically decorated arena she had ever the privilege to lay her eyes upon. There were rows upon rows of seating with giant banners hanging above them and in the middle of the room was a giant, marble platform. The enthralled expression on her face morphed into concern as she noticed that Zuko sat knelt at the left of the platform. His back was hunched, his arms stiff and shaking, as if the arena itself was suctioning the life from him.

"Zuko?"

Hearing a voice, the Fire Lord swiftly turned his attention to the person who had intruded on him, furiously wiping at his eyes to remove any trace of what he'd been doing. Unable to disguise his displeasure at her interruption, he responded, "What are you doing here?"

Any sympathy Katara held was out the window at his tone. "Well, gee, I got lost in this giant, zigzagging maze you call a palace. Sorry for interrupting!"

She threw her hands in the air, ready to dive out of the arena when Zuko called out, "Katara, wait!" She delayed her exit and he swiped a hand down his face. "I-I'm sorry. I just wasn't expecting you."

Hesitantly she turned around and took the stairs at the side up to the platform. "What is this place, anyway? It looks like a really elaborate version of the Earth Rumble arena."

"That's the thing that Toph is the champ of, isn't it? I'll have to see it one day."

"Yeah, she is, and she won't let anyone forget it." Katara rolled her eyes. "It's not really all that exciting; just a bunch of big guys, except Toph, chucking rocks at each other. Toph can wipe the floor with them in a matter of seconds."

Zuko nodded then sighed. "This is the Royal Agni Kai Arena. It's where noblemen, generals and the like settle disputes."

Crossing her arms, she regarded him, "Disputes? Can't they just, you know, talk it out?"

He shook his head. "Not those kinds of disputes. Things of a more… personal nature, like one's honor."

"There's that word again. Honor," she almost spat. "When you were chasing us, you'd constantly harp about 'your honor'. Why were you so hell-bent on regaining it anyway? Since when is one's honor anybody's business—"

"I wouldn't expect you to under—"

"Then make me understand, Zuko!" Her voice reverberated off the high walls of the room. She winced, then sighed and stepped closer to him. She reached one hand to his face, gently caressing the backs of her fingers against his scarred cheek. "We kissed the other day, and afterward I realized that despite how close we've become since you joined our little soiree, there's still so much I don't know about you. You helped me find closure; something that no one else had managed to help me do. I want to help you, Zuko. You can trust me."

"I know," he bowed his head into her hand. "It's not easy though."

"It's not supposed to be. Whatever you have to say will not leave this room. Whatever you have to say, I will not judge you for it."

The gravity of the situation came down heavily upon the Fire Lord. It was without a word that he covered the hand she placed upon his face moments ago and removed it, squeezing her fingers between his own and allowing their now entwined hands to dangle between them. With her other hand, Katara placed her index at his chin and lifted his head so her eyes could meet his. The Waterbender was almost startled to see such despair and pain reflected in his eyes, the tell tale moisture threatening to spill down his face.

"This place," she started, her voice gradually becoming thicker, "this arena, is where you received it, your scar."

It was not a question. And Zuko could only nod as the words he understood he should have said glued themselves to his vocal cords. His hand tightened around hers and the rabidity of his heartbeat steadily climbed. Choking on the words, he stuttered, "He-here. It was r-right here."

"You said this is where they settle disputes about honor. Did someone question your honor?"

He shook his head.

"Did you question someone's honor?"

"I had convinced my uncle to allow me into a war meeting the guard wouldn't let me into. I was thirteen." Zuko was surprised to have found his voice again. "One of the generals, he suggested to put an infantry of new troops on the front lines as a… distraction, so to allow the more experienced soldiers to come in from the rear against an Earth Kingdom battalion."

"An-and you spoke against the plan?" Her large eyes began to tear when he inclined his head.

Katara observed how pallid his all ready alabaster skin became, and the palm which she cradled in her left hand grew sweatier by the second, though she proceeded to hold tight. As she came closer to drawing the Fire Lord's most guarded secret, she could not help but to equate it with pulling an infected tooth from a pained jaw. She had not expected to elicit such a strained response from the young man in front of her, and as she pondered the subtleties of his behavior, she could feel an ever present darkness filling the room.

She remembered an occasion when she, Aang and Sokka had speculated on the large burn scar that covered a good portion of the Fire Lord's face. Speculations ranging from training accidents, to supernatural quandaries, to far more sinister situations that Katara had preferred not to contemplate. Now, as she stood here, questioning and extracting information, the idea that such a horrific scar was purposefully inflicted did not seem like such fluke. Rather, it made her stomach churn and her heart sink. Who could do such a thing?

Stepping forward, Katara impeded on the space between them. They were merely inches apart now and she broke their hand hold to place both her hands on either side of his face, coercing him to look at her. Gently, she questioned, "So the general gave this to you?" Her hands moved with his shaking head.

"No." Zuko closed his eyes; he couldn't meet her eyes. "It was my father's war chamber. By disrespecting the general… I disrespected my fa–Ozai."

He needn't explain further as the air expelled from her lungs in a harsh breath and the tears that pricked her eyes made their way slowly down along her cheeks. Zuko hands came up and wrapped around her wrists then gently lowered her arms to her sides. He guided her to the other end of the platform and positioned her, then turned on his heel and knelt at the other side, his hands steadying his hunched frame in front of him. When the Firebender made eye contact, the tears that streamed down his face equal to hers, Katara's resolve tanked and she soon found herself sliding on her knees against the marble and crashing into him, her arms encasing him in a tight embrace. The sobs that now engulfed him echoing eerily off the walls of the arena alongside hers.