Avatar-DJ-Mile Away-P1-Z,KxT

GOD WHY DID I DECIDE TO TONE THIS?

Okay, so. Reads Right to Left as always with my works, and similarly is not friggen Zutara, for the love of god, people, I don't ship that. We clear? Good. Story time!

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After the war, the Avatar lies greatly injured and near death. Unwilling to move him, and fearful that doing so might only cause more damage, Katara stays to work with the best healers of the Fire Nation while Sokka travels to the South Pole to find Master Pakku and the healers he had brought to rebuild the southern tribe. Toph, too, stays, unwilling to leave Katara alone in the Fire Nation, although there's little she can do.

Zuko, soon to be crowned Fire Lord, is also injured in the final battle; his left arm burned and nearly unusable. He all but refuses treatment with the insistence that the Avatar's condition is much worse; where he is crippled, Aang might die--and therefore the boy is a greater priority. In anticipation of unrest in the neighboring Earth Kingdom at hearing that the Water Tribe's leaders and healers will be going to the Fire Nation, he calls a meeting to work out a final peace treaty to formally end the war.

Despite having already done all that she can, Katara continues working with the healers from her sister tribe after they arrive. Aang is her best friend, so she wants to be there when he wakes up--she wants to learn how to prevent something like this from happening again, even with the war finally over. But favor from her tribesmen is limited, and the peace talks don't go smoothly with Zuko trying to be both firm and fair to his own people and cooperative with the other nations--Katara joins in, offering backup and a more persuasive voice, gaining sympathy from the representatives from the Earth Kingdom.

But it takes its toll on the girl; working long nights trying to take care of the ailing Avatar and playing politician by day leaves no room to sleep and little opportunity to eat. The stress eats away at her until even Zuko, with much bigger fish to fry, takes notice and tries to get her to slow down.

Unfortunately, the soon-to-be Fire Lord is hardly the diplomat needed for this sort of thing. Cue Toph, Katara's friend and lover, who despite being as gentle as a falling stone knows much sooner than any Firebender what's right for her Sugarqueen.

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This was more based around actual events when my mom had her stroke back in June--the day after was my Photoshop final exam, and I was beyond stressed. Therefore, when I bombed my test spectacularly and started thinking through the possible changes life would take with my mom in the hospital and the doctors giving me a three week to six month estimate before she could even come home, I hauled my ass out to calm down in the hall and ran into one of my teachers. We were talking about these new life avenues for about three minutes before I started crying, and not five seconds later *Loki-rei comes thundering down the hall and drags me off for a good, old fashioned cry in the bathroom, because she could feel me crying a mile away.

I seriously doubt I'll get farther than this one page, but eh. Reclaiming Honor outranks this doujin, and Air: Rebuilding outranks this doujin, and I need to pass my classes this quarter. Thus page one of ____ until further notice.

Time: Inks: 4-5 hours, Tone: 10+
Materials: Copic Multiliners, Photoshop CS3