Sorry, there will be no Secret Santa this year. I advertised this a few months back on the Zutara livejournal account and promptbending - asking anyone else to take up the mantle - but there were no takers. :/
If someone wants to run the Zutara Secret Santa for this year or next, just send me a PM here or chromeknickers. I'll give you mod status for now and then we can talk about possible transferring of ownership later.
Again, sorry I didn't have the time to organise it this year.
Just a reminder that the Zutara Secret Santa is on. Post links to your secret santa gifts on the main page on LJ. For information on how to, see this post. Any other questions, feel free to contact me on tumblr or LJ. :)
Just doing a preliminary head-count on who would like to participate in a Zutara Secret Santa this year at kz_secret_santa. Visit the LJ account to give your opinions. :)
Excerpt: It's the end of the world, only sooner than expected. It hadn't come with a blaze of light and flame like she had pictured in her nightmares. It had come with the rain.
Title: The Descent
Author: chromeknickers
Recipient: jesterry
Rating: PG-13/T
Word Count: over 30K
Summary: The Fire Prince had died young - too young. But what's more is she was the one who killed him. Now Katara must find her enemy in the terrifying mist of the Spirit World. In life and death, their souls have become inextricably bound, and Katara will do anything to bring Zuko home. S1 story.
Link: http://www.fanfiction.net/s/8793680/1/
Excerpt: He looks so young, she thinks. He looked so young.
Hello! I'm a big Zutara shipper and I'd love to partecipate at this event! The problem is that I'm not really good at art... What should I do? I'd try my best, but I don't want to dissapoint anyone :(! Thank you!
It's okay because you can contribute in other ways, by writing fanfiction or making an AMV or creating a Zutara mix. So come join in the fun! :)
Summary:Ā Katara and Momo go for some tea and Zuko bumbles around awkwardly, as usual.
When Katara entered the tea shop she found herself surrounded by the soft chattering of excited customers and the clink of china against china, Momoās head twisted around and his eyes darting in every direction from where he sat on her shoulder.Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā
Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā āMy daughter says that the new owner makes the best tea in all of Ba Sing Se!ā a short, plump woman told her friend as they waited for their order. Both women wore their graying hair in elaborate and rather ridiculous looking doās bedecked with bright flowers. Katara took a seat at the table next to them, facing the doorway with her back to the kitchen. Momo immediately hopped from her shoulder and glided down to a chair next to hers.
Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā āHow does your daughter know that?ā asked the other woman, a tall elegant lady with a long nose and large chin. āWhere was he serving tea before the Jasmine Dragon opened?ā
Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā āOh, he was working at a teashop in theĀ lower ring.ā The last two words were said in a stage whisper that prompted Momo to turn around in his chair to face them, his little lemur hands holding onto the back of the chair, wide eyes focused on the women.
Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā āTai Mei kept hearing rumors about this wonderful tea and she just had to go see it for herself ā or I guess taste it,ā the woman giggled.
Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Her friend made a tsking sound. āThatās just like children, going out of their way to rub elbows with refugees, not caring how it looks. Just last week my oldest son-ā Momo interrupted her with an excited shriek as he scrambled up onto the top of the backrest and reached over to grab a large orange flower from the womanās hair.
Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā āWhat on earth!ā the woman shrieked, leaning as far away from the lemur as possible and nearly falling out of her chair. āKeep that little beast of yours away from me!ā she snapped at Katara.Ā Her friend had to place a doughy hand over her mouth to keep from laughing.
Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā āNo, Momo! Bad!ā Katara scolded as she stood up from her seat to intervene. āIām very sorry, thatās really not like him at all,ā she lied, picking up a protesting Momo and moving him to the seat on her other side. āI think he just likes your flowers.ā
Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā The offended woman just sniffed and stood up to move to a different table, lightly touching her hair to make sure everything was still in place. The shorter woman followed, still trying not to giggle.
Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Katara gave a Momo a look. The lemur folded his ears and trained his eyes downward, doing his best to look guilty. Satisfied, the waterbender returned her attention to the menu. It wasnāt long before their waiter appeared.
Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā āWhat can I get for you, maāam?ā He was a slightly stout young man several years her senior, with a handsome, boyish face. Katara glanced back at the menu, touching her index finger to a line.
Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā āCould I please have a cup of orange blossom tea?ā
Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā āVery good choice, thatās my favorite. Are you sure you wouldnāt like to order a whole pot? Itās only a few coins more, and itās so delicious youāll certainly be glad you did.ā The server gave a charming smile and Katara couldnāt keep the corners of her mouth from turning up too. She glanced towards Momo; the lemur stared at her with wide green eyes and blinked once before cooing and picking at something behind his ear.
Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā āOne pot of orange blossom tea, please,ā she said to the server.
Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā āComing right up,ā he said with a wink. Katara watched as he walked away, blushing lightly.Ā When she turned back to the table she was met again by Momoās bulbous eyes. He chattered and put his face in hands, shaking his head.
Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Meanwhile in the back of the shop, Zuko whistled to himself as he returned from his lunch break through the employee door. He couldnāt remember the last time he had been in this good a mood. Since his fever had broken he felt like the spirits had given him a second a chance and he was determined not to waste it. He grabbed his apron and pushed open the door to the main room.
Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā āOh good, Lee, you are back from you break,ā came his uncleās voice from where the old man stood at the counter tending to a pot of tea. āBring this orange blossom mix to table six, and if you see Tahnu tell him he may take his break when heās ready.ā
Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā āIām on it, Uncle.ā Zuko carefully took the small tray with the very full teapot and cup and made his way around the counter and into the dining area.
Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā āTahnu,ā he said, catching the young manās attention when he passed near. āIām back from my break; you can take yours whenever youāre ready.ā
Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā āGreat!ā He was one of several waiters hired in preparation for the opening of the restaurant, but if they continued to be as busy as they had been they would need to hire more. Tahnu, who was a couple of years older than the former prince, had come with excellent references and had an ease with the customers that Zuko knew he could never hope to duplicate, even on his sunniest of days.
Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā āHey, is that the orange blossom for table six?ā the older boy asked, pointing to the tray in scared boys hands. When he nodded Tahnu just grinned and elbowed him ā nearly causing him to spill the tea ā and said āluckyā before head back towards the kitchen. Zuko shook this off and continued towards table six, being very careful now the entire way not to spill any tea.
Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā He was concentrating so hard on the contents of his tray that he didnāt notice who it was that was sitting at table six until he was standing right by the customerās chair and he saw that white bat thing tugging at her sleeve and chattering, frantically trying to get her attention. The water tribe girl turned her head to see what it was her pet was pointing at. Her eyes widened in recognition.
Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā āYou!ā she gasped. As she shot up she pushed her chair backwards into Zuko, causing him to lose his balance and trip. The piping hot orange blossom tea, prized for its calming effects, splashed all over the hand and forearm the girl was using to point accusingly at her tea server as the china tumbled to the floor, shattering to pieces.
Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Everyone in the shop stopped at the tell-tale sound of breaking dishes and all eyes were trained on the pair, the silence broken only by the bat-thingās cries of distress ā though he seemed more upset about the tea having been spilled then anything.
Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Momentarily stunned, a rough jab in the arm from the flying mammal brought Zuko back to earth.
Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā āOh shi- shoot!āĀ He look down to the floor where shivers of porcelain littered the floor before looking back up to see that the skin of the girlās arm was already turning an angry red. āSpirits, I am so sorry!ā Before she could even react he grabbed her other arm and practically carried her to the back, apologizing the entire time.
Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā He pushed the girl into the backroom, the bat-thing flying in behind them just before the door closed, and quickly located a bucket that he filled with water an ice.
Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā āHere, put your arm in the water,ā he said, taking her arm as gently as he could in his panic.
Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Katara for her part was still too shocked to protest. She watched in confusion as the angry boy who had on multiple occasions shot balls of fire straight at her tenderly administered to a minor scald. He wrapped a chunk of ice in a wet cloth and held it to her skin, dabbing down her forearm to her wrist and hand, carefully administering to each individual finer.
Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā āIām so sorry,ā he said again, the distress bleeding out where his voice cracked. āI didnāt mean toā¦Ā Here, keep this on your arm, Iām going to ask Uncle if we have any aloe.ā He thrust the cloth into her uninjured hand and turned to go back out into the main room.
Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Katara looked at her arm and for the first time began to register the pain dancing against her nerves. She hissed between her teeth and quickly called the water in the bucket to her and held it to the burn, preparing to heal herself.
Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā āDonāt worry, I can healā¦ā she started to say, but Zuko was already gone. Momo perched on a shelf by the door, tugging his ears down worriedly. Katara just sighed and proceeded to heal her arm. It took only moments; it wasnāt a very serious burn and on its own it probably would have only taken two or three weeks to heal.
Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā When she was finished Katara let the water fall back into the bucket and rubbed absently at the newly healed skin. What was the prince doing here of all places, in a tea shop? Her first instinct had been to stop him before he did any damage, but, what would that be? Well, heĀ hadĀ just scalded her arm, but he seemed genuinely upset about the accident if his repeated apologies and frantic efforts to tend to the burn were any indication. And he was an outlaw in the Fire Nation now, too, if all those wanted posters were to be believed.
Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Just then the subject of her thoughts came through the door holding a dustpan full of broken china.
Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā āAll better,ā Katara said before he could say anything. āI healed myself with waterbending.ā
Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Zuko blinked in surprise. āOh.ā He nodded dumbly and stood there for another moment before walking to a trashcan near the back door and dumping the shards. When he was finished with this he turned to face her, fidgeting awkwardly with the dust pan. Momo stared at them curiously from his spot above them, his head cocked to the side.
Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā At last Zuko spoke. āMy uncle gave me the rest of the afternoon off,ā he said, scratching at the back of his neck with his free hand. āHe thought that, um, after I made sure your arm was okay, that we should probably talkā¦ā
Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā āOh.ā It was Kataraās turn to nod.
Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā āIām not going to hurt you,ā the boy rushed to assure her, holding his hands out benignly. He realized a second to late that he still held the dust pan and quickly shoved it onto the counter behind him, blushing.
Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā āI know,ā Katara said. āI mean, I sort of gathered thatā¦ā she trailed off, rubbing the arm that he had been ministering to minutes before. Zuko groaned.
Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā āIām so sorry, it was an accident. I didnāt meant to āā
Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā āNo,ā she cut him off. āIt was obviously an accident. Donāt worry about it. No harm done, right?ā The waterbender tried to smile a little, hoping it didnāt look as awkward as it felt.
Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā As if to show that he too had no hard feelings about the incident, Momo leaped from the shelf and glided onto Zukoās shoulder, surprising the boy and making him jump and knock his head painfully against a cabinet. Katara winced in sympathy, but had to bite her lip to keep from laughing at the frightened face he made when Momo started to pick through his hair, looking for bugs.
Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā āDonāt worry, heās justā¦ uhā¦ grooming you,ā the girl explained. This didnāt seem to reassure Zuko very much judging by his face, but his shoulders did relax somewhat.
Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā āSoā¦ um, do you want to go somewhere?ā Katara offered āTo talk I mean. Iād suggest tea, but, you probably get enough of that here.ā
Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā The former prince grimaced . āYeah, you can say that again...ā They both chuckled, and Zuko tentatively reached out to pat Momo on the head.
Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā āThereās a really nice park just down the road, if you want to go there,ā Katara suggested.
Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Zuko nodded. āYeah, okay. That sounds good.ā He opened the back door and let Katara go out first, remembering at the last minute to take off his apron. He tossed it on the counter before following her, Momo flying out ahead of them.
the end.
actually, wait, no, just kidding!
~EXTRA SPECIAL SUPER BONUS FLUFF TAGGER~
Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā He told her everything. Once he started he couldnāt stop, each word tugging the next one out behind it until every step of the journey heād taken since the North Pole had been revealed. Katara listened intently while Momo flew through the trees chasing birds. It was like the days he spent in fever had boiled the self-loathing and anger and guilt from his heart and with Katara's guidance he was now pouring out these impurities. Did she have this effect on everyone? He pulled his gaze away from her earnest blue eyes and pressed on, turning over the hand that lay between them on the stone bench and flexing his fingers absently.
Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā āā¦once my fever finally broke, I donāt know ā serving tea didnāt seem so bad. I guess I was just happy for my uncle.ā He stared at his palm, tracing the lines with his eyes, until a small brown hand entered his plane of vision and wrapped itself around his fingers. Her skin was softer then he would have thought a peasant would have ā but then, she did have healing powers. He found himself lightheadedly wondering what would have happened if she hadnāt stumbled upon their tea shop and if he hadnāt had the chance to tell her all this. If maybe all those impurities he had just excised would have found their way back into the mix.
Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Zuko tentative squeezed her fingers back before chancing another look at her eyes. A mistake. Those eyes coupled with the feel of her palm against his left him feeling naked. His heart beat raced and demanded he say something, anything.
Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā āā¦and-and then you came in, and I burned your arm,ā he stuttered, entire face flushed. āBut on accident this time!ā he quickly amended. Great, remind her that you used to throws balls of fire at her and her friends. Stupid!
Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā To his relief she didnāt pull away in disgust having been reminded of just who it was she was currently holding the hand of. Quite the opposite, Katara laughed and mover her other hand so she could squeeze his in both of hers.
Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā āDonāt worry, Z- I mean Lee. I know you didnāt do it on purpose.ā Zuko visibly sighed in relief, and she had to keep herself from laughing again.
Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā The streetlights had already been lit, though neither noticed when, and the sun was only a faint glow peaking over the distant walls. Both needing to get back to where they belonged, they stood up from the bench. They held hands for a moment longer before coming to themselves and dropping it. Katara walked with him back to the tea shop in part awkward, part companionable silenced, Momo gliding behind them at a little distance.
Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā At last they reached the backdoor.
Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Katara also swallowed before answering.
Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā āYouāre welcome.ā A deep breath. āI wonāt tell anyone that youāre here, so donāt worry.ā And then before she could stop herself she was hugging him. After only a second or two of disbelief followed by uncertainty, Zuko hugged her back.
Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā That night when they were in their separate beds, having said goodnight to their respective families, Katara would tell herself that she had only meant to kiss him on the cheek because he just seemed so lost and if anyone needed a kiss on a cheek it was him, while Zuko would tell himself that he had only meant to pull back a little so he could see her wonderful blue eyes again. Whatever they intended, what actually occurred was something like a kiss, noses bumping and lips pushing back into teeth, skin suddenly clammy while Momo chattered in the background, egging them on. What came after this was definitely a kiss, soft and hesitant, most likely initiated by Zuko, but, given how little Katara found herself objecting, who really knows. She had a weakness for the troubled type, and he had a weakness for her eyes.
Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Katara visited the Jasmine Dragon again the next day, this time without Momo, and this time Zuko didnāt spill anything on her. Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā
Notes:Ā Where it originally ended really felt like the natural place to end, but since it was so short I threw in a little follow up with shameless amounts of fluff. Itās still awfully short all together ā I tend towards brevity more than Iād like ><. I hope you like it anyway!Ā Iām also afraid they might be a little out of character ā after rewatching the episode I donāt think itās too much of a stretch, though. Zuko was like something out of the Twilight Zone for the first half of it anyway. And finally, I apologize preemptively for any typos. They're always invisible until after I post it seems ><
Simply click on the picture above to be directed to the 2012 Zutara Secret Santa sign-up sheet. Read the instructions carefully so you know how to fill out your wish-list. :)
Notes:Ā I hope this is okay. Due to circumstances I only started this really late so I was writing and panicking all at once. The ending changed about seven times and IāmĀ stillĀ not happy with it but Iāve realized I can do nothing. And I realize I went a bit (a lot!) off prompt - I'm terribly sorry, I tend to do that very often. Right now Iām just crossing my fingers and hoping I didnāt screw up too badly. Merry Christmas to all!
This, Zuko decided, was why he never went out of his way to do something nice for other people.
It had been the one time the Firelord had given in to the sudden and unexplainable desire to do a random act of kindness and it had ended in disaster. Other people trying the same thing would have gotten recognition and happy people and a proverbial warm, fuzzy feeling for brightening a friendās day. ButĀ no. Not Zuko. Zuko was the spiritsā punching bag. Zuko was still ā even five years after the end of the war ā just too bad at being good.
All heād wanted was to show that he had changed. Truly and completely changed ā in big ways and small ways ā so that they would never have to worry about him being Ozai. He supposed it was an irrational fear, really, but with the memories and the suspicion from certain people in other nations still haunting him it was an irrational fear that had him checking his thoughts and actions on a daily basis. It became even worse when he was around Aang. Perfect Aang. Pure Aang. Peace-bringing Aang. Childishly innocent Aang, who could hold his temper in check and who always knew the right things to say. Next to that, Zukoās paranoia and ego both molded together to form an inexplicable drive to prove himself just as worthy and goodā to everybody as well as himself.
That was all heād been trying to accomplish that night. Heād just wanted to prove his worth, his purity, his change. Heād just wanted to be the cause for pleasantly surprised looks and a good, stress-free evening. Heād just wanted to impress Katara.
Instead heād gotten more suspicion than normal, a whole lot of complaints, jokes at his expense and the knowledge that heād made Katara angry (could he inspire any other emotion in the damned peasant? He was beginning to doubt itā¦) and saddled with more work as she now had to clean up his mess and try and salvage her favourite cooking pot from his gunk. The gunk heād created in a wild and foolishly optimistic attempt to impress the Gaang members when they returned from their little beach party. Heād purposefully declined the offer to join and had stayed inside in the house on Ember Island that now belonged to him ā despite the creepy, slightly depressed feeling being alone in its walls still gave him ā so that he could spend the afternoon cooking. Yes, cooking. Heād even made sure that his recipe could be served meat-free as an alternative for Aang.
His expectation: The rest of the group would return home tired and starving. He would present them with supper as though it was the most natural thing in the world. Theyād be surprised and then delighted and theyād praise him on his cooking skills and his thoughtfulness. Katara would be delighted that she didnāt have to cook and would be even more impressed when he offered to help wash up (even though the thought of doing such a task was less appealing than even the cooking part) and they would get a long time to talk. About deeper things than just the weather and how Aang and Toph were growing so fast.
His reality: The rest of the group returned home tired and starving. He presented them with supper as though it was the most natural thing in the world. As he placed the bowls down Toph asked what heād accidentally set on fire this time, because it really didnāt smell very kosher. They were surprised when he explained that it was food, but the surprise did not change to delight. He was told, in more ways than heād ever thought possible, that heād simplyfailedĀ at cooking, and failedĀ miserably. He was ridiculed, accused of being purposefully spiteful (by a distressed Sokka who had been the one to take a huge mouthful of the dish) and yelled at by Katara for ruining her pot. He reacted in anger, a fight ensued and he stormed out before he truly lost it and burnt the place down. No polite conversation had happened between him and the Waterbender at all, not even small talk about the weather or how Aang and Toph were growing so fast.
And to make matters evenĀ worseĀ ā because in his life nothing could ever stop at just plan, boring bad ā he was forced to admit that they had all been right. In a stubborn attempt to spite them all heād taken his dish of food with him and had vowed to eat every last drop and crumb of his food just to show them all. It was a vow he wished to break as soon as the first mouthful hit his taste buds. Still, Zuko was not one to admit failure or defeat and the Firelord had forced ā literally ā everything in the bowl down his throat. That just left him feeling sick and heavy in a very wrong way on top of peeved, humiliated and Agni-knows what other emotions.
The night was gorgeous around him, taunting him with its tranquil beauty and peaceful harmony of chirping bugs and crashing waves. Ignoring all of it, he lay on his back in the sand and glared mutinously at the stars. To him, it felt as though the universe was showing him yet again how he was the only thing in his life that was not perfect. Even though he tried to prove himself every single damned day he still always seemed to get put in his place by the universe: reminded that he was, after all, not lucky but just lucky to be born.
As the phrase said so often by his father rose up in his mind, Zukoās thoughts turned ā unbidden ā to his family. And then they moved forward a few years and rested on the last time he had been on that exact beach. He could still clearly feel the bonfire flare in reaction to his anger, could still see the pain in Ty Leeās eyes as he called her a freak. He could still hear Azulaās voice proclaiming that she needed no love ā had she already started to crack then? Should he have seen something? She was hisĀ sisterā¦ - and calling them all weak and below her. He could still see Maiā¦
Bitterness clenched in his gut and he forced his eyes to watch the crashing waves; forced himself to take in every single detail of their death as they met the shore and then their inevitable revival. Mai walking out of his life for good had not been entirely his fault. He knew this. And yet the guilt still lingered at times like that ā still bit at his mind and crawled under his skin. It made him feel unworthy, not so much of Mai but of the person that now set his heart on fire with a single glance. It made him feel destined to fail every time she smiled at him, brushed against him, gazed at him, set his heart hammering by saying his name ā
āZuko?ā
Right on cue, his traitorous heart picked up speed, hammering like a trapped bird against his ribcage in a way that heād only ever felt in times of pure and complete terror before heād started loving her. It took another three seconds for him to remember that they were mad at each other and that sheād probably come to finish the fight theyād started inside the house. Zuko glowered, not turning to her or giving any other sign that heād noticed her approach. Undaunted, her footsteps padded across the sand toward him, making almost no noise as she moved. Still refusing to look at her, Zuko had to assume her hands were on her hips.
āWhat, exactly, did you put in that dish?ā
Teeth and hands clenching, he did not answer. He kept his gaze on the stars as they trembled above him and caused slight colours to drift lazily through the sky. It was like a rainbow, except with no clouds and no sun. Heād never noticed that the night sky did that before.
āDonāt ignore me!ā Impatient, frustrated. āThis is serious!ā
āWhy do you care?ā He was proud that he didnāt sound sulky, at least.
āOh, donāt sulk,ā Katara snapped at him.
āIām not!ā he snapped back. āAnd itās none of your business what I put inĀ myfood.ā
āIt is if itās poisonous!ā she snarled back.
At once he turned to face her. His expectations of her having her arms on her hips was proved correct. In the dim light he had to squint to make out her expression.
āYou think Iād poison you?ā It actually hurt that sheād think that.
āNot intentionally!ā she bit back, seeming nervous under his scrutiny. āBut you donāt know the plants - ā
āI grew up here! This isĀ myĀ home andĀ myĀ nation!ā
āOh, so that makes you theĀ expert,Ā huh? Then youāll have no trouble explaining to me why your food is making me start toĀ hallucinate.ā
āIā¦Ā what?ā That sentence of hers caused far too many cartwheels of confusion to start in his brain. Frantically he tried to sort through all the information as the stars continued to do their multi-coloured dance. He finally seemed to grasp one of the most pressing questions. āHow do you know that it was my food?ā
āBecause Iām the only one who ate an entire bowl of your cooking. And Iām the only one who has, for the past fifteen minutes, begun to see whirls of colours dancing around me. I put two and two together.ā
āYou ate anĀ entire bowl?ā She suddenly wasnāt looking him in the eye any more, as though she was flustered about something. āWhy would youĀ doĀ that?ā
āI dunno! I just felt sorry for you or something! Thatās not the point! Stop avoiding the point!ā She was definitely flustered and even in the dark he could see her flaming cheeks.
āIām not avoiding anything,ā he sulked, his ego yelling in his head that he didnāt need anybodyās pity. His egoās voice was suddenly irrationally loud. It seemed to be so loud, in fact, that it was making Katara blink stupidly at him and sway on his fee. He turned his gaze back to the stars and watched them flicker and merge into a rainbow. The colours were brighter now.
āJust tell me what you put in it,ā Katara snarled in exasperation. āI just want toā¦ I justā¦ Iā¦ā There was a soft thud and Zuko looked to his side. Katara lay, sprawled slightly, in the sand right beside him. āDizzy,ā she told him in a mumble, blinking up at the sky as though she were not really seeing it.
Somehow he could not think of anything to say. He just smiled instead. (Which, had he been thinking about it, was basically the crown of his odd behaviour ever since sheād arrived on the beach.)
āI didnāt put anything in that food that I didnāt know,ā he told her, unable to work up the anger he knew he was supposed to feel. A soft āahā was his only answer. But even as smug victory danced around the snug wool that his brain seemed to have become realization dripped, cold as an accidentally dropped ice block, into his stomach. āThe mushrooms,ā he realized. āIād never seen them before.ā
āYou gave us random mushrooms youād found lying around?ā Kataraās indignation was nowhere near her normal level. āYou could have killed us. All of us.ā
āNow Iām just killing you and I,ā he told her, hopeful that this would somehow make the situation better.
āYeah.ā She seemed appeased. A short silence and then: āAre the stars making rainbows for you, too?ā
For the second time that night he smiled, watching the usually still cosmic bodies dance and splay their colours across the sky. It really was beautiful. āYep.ā
āOh.ā She sighed, and he felt her breath against his neck. Somehow, sheād wriggled closer to him. āI thought I was just going crazy. The others all thought I was going crazy.ā
āIām scared of going crazy,ā he told her in a conversational tone as though he were remarking on the weather. āI donāt want toā¦ Not likeā¦ā
āI know. I dream about that day we fought her, too. Wellā¦ I nightmare about it.ā
āNightmare canāt be used as a verb,ā he told her, loving the feel of the sand as it began to dance around his body in time with the stars.
āCan so.ā She wriggled, her legs brushing against his. āThe sand is tickling.ā She began to giggle.
He laughed at her laughter and soon they were both in near hysterics, curled up between the dancing land and the dancing sky. They were soon out of breath, curled and clutching their sides and inhaling mouthfuls of sand and spitting it out and watching in wonder as the sand turned to glitter and floated around them on an imaginary breeze. Zuko was the first one to stop laughing.
āKatara. Youāre a Waterbender. Tell the sea to stop singing. It sounds terrible.ā
āI like it,ā she defended in a dreamy voice. āIt sounds likeā¦ likeā¦ā
āUncle when heās sick,ā Zuko groaned.
āNooo,ā she protested, hitting him lamely. āIt sounds nice.ā She sighed, rolled over to her side and shut her eyes. āIt sounds like home,ā she mumbled.
Zuko snorted. āFine. Then Iāll go tell it to stop myself.ā
He only managed to half-rise before the earth decided to spin faster and at weird angles. Katara giggled at him when he fell, trying to blink the dizziness away, and he couldnāt do anything except join in. But, suddenly, he broke off, squinting at the sky.
āThatās not right,ā he mumbled, staring and squinting. āThatās not supposed to come back yet.ā
āWhat?ā Katara questioned, still half-laughing. āWhat do you -?ā She broke off with a gasp, staring up at the sky as he was. āIs thatā¦?ā
āIt looks like Sozinās Comet,ā he agreed. āBut it canāt be.ā He frowned and looked at her, vaguely enjoying the sight of her so close even in the rainbow light of the stars. āWe havenāt been lying here for a hundred years, right?ā
āI dunno,ā she whispered back, sounding afraid. āI donāt think so. It must be another comet.ā
Zuko grunted his agreement, turning his gaze back to the heavens. After a few moments, realization struck and he started to feel afraid too. āKataraā¦ā
āItās coming closer.ā Her voice was small and her hand was suddenly gripping his. āItās coming closer! Oh, spirits! Zuko! Itās going to crash into us like that meteor andā¦ andā¦ weāre gonna die!ā
āWe canāt outrun it,ā Zuko said quietly after another failed attempt to rise. He spat out the sand heād almost swallowed and didnāt even watch it turn to glitter. āAfter all weāve been through, weāre going to die because of a Agni-damned cosmic body.ā
āI donāt want to die,ā she admitted in a low voice, her grip becoming painful. āI donāt wanna die here and I donāt wanna die now.ā
āMe neither.ā A pause. āAgni, it really is coming right for us.ā
Kataraās grip shifted from his hand to his arm, her fingers digging into his flesh as she used him to lever herself into a slightly upright position. Zuko stopped watching their coming doom and looked into her eyes. Despite the starsā rainbow, they were still the prettiest colour he knew. She leant closer to him and he smelt his cooking on her breath. Even that did not make him want to move from her.
āThese are our last moments on earth,ā she told him, her lip quivering and her eyes blinking rapidly. āI donātā¦ I donāt wanna regret anything when I die. I want to have a perfect last moment.ā
āWhatā¦ I meanā¦ Do youā¦ā His heart was hammering again, roaring louder than even the sea now.
āGoodbye, Zuko.ā Her voice was no more than a breath, but she was close enough that he could hear it. āItās nearly here soā¦ā She swallowed hard. āI have to say goodbye.ā
āGoodbye, Kata-ā
Her lips met his and his hands threaded into her hair at once. Her body lost its balance on her one arm and crashed down to his. He pulled her close, determined to hold her as he died. The sand began to dance again ā or was that their bodies wriggling into better positions? ā and her heart thudded against his side. Both of them shut their eyes and kissed, gripped, held, strokedā¦ soaked in everything about the other right into their very souls.
They were too preoccupied to notice the stray lantern finally reach them; oblivious to it bouncing off the sand right beside where they lay and how it was propelled into the air again for a last brief stint of freedom before being swallowed by the sea.
x-x-x
After the next morning found Katara and Zuko being awoken very rudely by their friends on the very same beach with thumping headaches and vague reconciliations of what theyād done the previous night it was rather understandable that the Firelord and the Waterbending Master avoided each other as much as possible for the next week. When their little holiday came to an end and everybody went back to their own calls of duty Katara had to truthfully admit she was relieved. In fact, the humiliated drive within her that demanded she get asĀ farĀ away from Zuko as possible was so thought-consuming that she didnāt even realize it would be the first time her destination would not be the same as Aangās. After the war the two had travelled everywhere together and they had been in the South Pole when theyād broken up so it had been Aang who had gone someplace else. She only realized the significance of her trip once it was over and she was being hugged by her concerned grandmother and asked if she was okay.
(After the reminder that it truly was over between her and the Avatar she did cry for a while. The vacation had proved that they were still able to be good friends but a part of her ached for what she would miss. She had, after all, loved him. Or thought she loved him, anyway.)
Life settled into a steady rhythm. Now that she did not have to travel she could offer herself fully to Master Pakkuās Waterbending school. Her new grandfather was delighted to have her as one of his teachers but still did not pass up a single opportunity to try and kick her butt. Sokka and Sukiās visit brought with it a spark of new energy ā not all of it good ā and it was during this hyped up phase that the Firelordās letter arrived. Most of it was official business that Hakoda responded to, but at the end there was a friendlier ā if Zuko-ish awkward ā personal greeting that everybody decided to reply to. Kataraās half-baked excuses to be an exception to this were met by confused stares and disapproving lectures. The only way she would get out of having to write to the person she most wanted to avoid would be to tell them all what had happened on the beach That Night. And that option was not an option at all.
She made her greeting as short and impersonal as possible and watched the Dragonhawk fly off with a burning, squirming sensation in her stomach. She did not expect a reply, let alone one that came a short week later. Zuko, it seemed, was not impressed by her short words and felt it was his duty to tell her so. Their written argument lasted a month in total and spanned several scrolls by the end of it. Neither knew who won or who ended the argument: when they looked back on it later they both concluded that the fighting just naturally blended into normal conversation. Soon they were writing letters just to tell each other about their lives: their victories, their frustrations, their complaints, their excitements.
It became clear early on that The Night was, due to an unspoken agreement, to be The Night Never Mentioned Again. This suited Katara just fine, and she went along with the pretence that it simply had not happened. Over time, however, the letters between Zuko and her began to chip away the humiliation and mortification and anger surrounding the night. Over time she began to wonder how much she remembered was truth and how much was her biased opinion bred from alarm and self-defence. Over time she caught herself remembering the night, thinking about itā¦ dreaming about it. Over time she began to realize she missed Zuko. And not in the way she missed Toph or Suki or Sokka.
Over time she began to dream about an impossible future, one that was usually laced with vague memories of a warm touch and the muted mutterings of Aunt Wuās predictions.
The invitation came as a surprise. But, Katara mused, Irohās plans usually did turn out to be surprising. The retired general, it appeared, had gotten it in his head to celebrate Zukoās birthday āproperlyā that year. To do so he needed a huge party and all of Zukoās friends to come and stay for at least two weeks. Sokka was going as soon as the huge banquet was mentioned, Suki knew better than to let him go alone, Toph wanted to see Iroh again and get the chance to destroy Zukoās palace for fun and Aang said heād been meaning to take a trip into the Fire Nation for a while anyway for diplomatic reasons. That once again left Katara out of the general consensus and, once again, her muttered and vague excuses not to go were met with confusion and the same sternness as though sheād admitted to half drowning the puppy again whilst practising Waterbending inside.
Finally she had to admit that she had no concrete reason for not going, and she sent in her yes with a sulky trepidation. She was abnormally nervous as soon as the Hawk left and her anxiety just built until she was just short of a nervous wreck on the flight to the Fire Nation. She promised herself about twenty times as Appa carried them over the seas that she would remain friendly toward Zuko but would draw the line there. The Night Never Mentioned Again would remainā¦ well, unmentioned. And she would keep her lips far away from his. This was a firm resolution so strong in her she almost wanted to dare Toph to try and Earthbend it out of the universe just because she was confident The Blind Bandit would fail.
It took five hours for her and Zuko to find themselves alone. It took another three before The Night Never Mentioned Again was brought up. It took thirty minutes after that for the accusations and embarrassment to turn to admissions of emotions and unexpected revelations that neither of them really knew what to do with. It took another hour before they were kissing again.
Katara remembered heat, the feel of skin touching skin, goosebumps on every millimetre of her body, fingers roaming her hair, lips and tongue roaming her neck, silk fisted in her hands, scarred skin beneath her fingers, breath in her ear and a consuming fire that started in her stomach and flamed across her entire body. She didnāt think about what she was doing. She didnāt take into account that sharing spit with somebody else was, actually, really gross. All she could feel was the warmth of his words āĀ It wasnāt just the food. Katara, how could you be stupid enough to think that? Afterā¦ after everything and... and the way you made my heart Agni-damnedĀ poundā¦Ā - and the heat of his touch. And that was all she wanted.
Until, that is, the morning sun woke her up and she remembered and doubted at once. Emotions clashed with common sense and guilt and her heartās instincts and the tornado inside her drove her to all but flee from the palace. She found Iroh meditating in the royal garden and just his calm āgood morningā had her sobbing at his feet. She made no sense as she blubbered (of that she was sure) but Iroh seemed to get the gist of it. He kind man patted her back until she stopped crying and then made her drink a cup of tea to calm her nerves. Sniffing, she looked shyly at him and waited expectantly for the advice that was so legendary. Iroh remained silent. Finally, she couldnāt take it any longer.
āWhat do I do?ā It came out as half a demand: she was a Master. She would face this like a battle: head up and with strength.
Iroh hummed and then replied, āForget about him. Lady Katara, the two of you would never work. There would be far too much opposition from all sides ā especially from the Fire Nation elders. Besides, given my nephewās personality and the suddenness of your... courtshipā¦ I am afraid all it is is a small, fleeting crush. Or flare of lust. Either way, it will burn out quickly.ā
Katara could do nothing but splutter for almost a full minute. She actually wondered if she wasnāt still dreaming: she hadĀ neverĀ expectedĀ IrohĀ of all people to say that. Anger burned within her and the tea began to freeze over. She stood abruptly, misery and confusion vanished like an exhale of air. There was sapphire fire in her eyes and in her body language and Iroh was almost awed by the sight of her.
āI have to go,ā she said coolly. āI have something to get.ā The plan had just occurred to her, and it was too brilliant to pass up. She turned to go but stopped after a few paces so she could face the old general again. āGeneral Iroh, if you think that about Zuko then you donāt know him at all.ā
In the wake of her retreat Iroh smirked to himself and re-heated his tea. Katara would make one fine Firelady, and one great wife for his nephew.
Katara, meanwhile, had managed to find Aang. The Avatar was busy doing air scooter tricks for a gaggle of awestruck Fire Nation children. At the sight, some of her anger vanished and a small smile tugged at her lips. Hopefully Aang would forever remain unchanged. The group of children dispersed somewhat, waving and calling out thanks as they went. Kataraās mission rekindled inside of her and she all but marched up to her friend.
āAang,ā she said so sharply that he actually jumped, āI need to borrow Appa. Please,ā she added as a hasty afterthought.
The Avatar, now as tall as her, frowned. āWhat do you need Appa for?ā There was no suspicion, only genuine surprise.
āI have to go and fetch something,ā Katara answered truthfully. āSomething thatā¦ Well,Ā itāsĀ not important but itās going to help with something important. Something really, really important.ā
Grey met blue and the former suddenly seemed much older than they actually were. Understanding rolled in their depths as Aang gave her a slightly sad smile. āWell, if itās importantā¦ā
She smiled and, before she could stop herself, she hugged him. āThanks, Aang.ā
She was already rounding the corner when his question was thrown at her. āWhere are you going, anyway?ā
āThe desert,ā she called back without stopping.
āWhat?ā She could almost see the innocently flabbergasted expression on his face. āWhy?ā
āBecause itās the only place I know that has cacti.ā Ā
x-x-x
The Firelord, reclined slightly in his chair, stared uncomprehendingly at the waterskin that was being held triumphantly in front of his face. He didnāt want to say anything right away because he didnāt want to annoy Katara just when it seemed as though sheād stopped avoiding him despite what had happened the previous night. And because she really did look rather amazing with that blazing look of victory on her face. Eventually, however, he had no other choice.
āI donāt get it,ā he told her flatly.
An exasperated sigh-and-eyeroll combo was shot is way. āItās cactus juice,ā she explained with a meaningful look.
āAndā¦?ā He began to tap his fingers against his desk ā he didnāt like playing games.
Katara sighed again. āSokka didnāt tell you about cactus juice?ā
The Firelord wracked his memory but came up with a blank. āNo, he didnāt. What does it do?ā
Curious now, he leaned forward, eyeing the waterskin as though it were about to start doing tricks. Katara fidgeted and seemed to lose some of her nerve. Swallowing, she raised her chin defiantly.
āIt causes hallucinations,ā she said calmly, and Zukoās eye widened. āI thought Iād save you the trouble of having to half burn down your kitchen. And I thought Iād decrease the risk of anybody happening upon your food and tasting it. I donāt want to be responsible for any deaths - ā
āKatara. What the hell are you talking- ā
āSo now thereās none of the risk but all of the benefits. Well, not really since we wouldnāt really be drinking it butā¦ The pretend benefits.ā Zuko just stared at her, trying to make sense of her rant. A red-hot blush curled its way across her cheeks and neck and her insecurity made her back down and drop her gaze from his. āUnless you want to drink it,ā she mumbled quickly. āUnless you want to beā¦ hallucinating when you kiss me. I mean, I can understand itās weird and- ā
āKatara!ā He finally felt the need to interrupt her tirade. āI have no idea what youāre rambling on about. Why do you want us to drink cactus juice and hallucinate?ā
āI donāt want us to!ā came the quick and impatient answer. āThatās the point!ā
Perhaps she has heat stroke,Ā Zuko mused to himself.Ā Or else maybeā¦Ā āYou havenāt had any already, have you?ā
āWhat?ā She shot him a look that said she was doubting his intelligence. āNo! Lookā¦ā A sigh and her free hand raking through her hair. āI realized today that what we said last nightā¦ Zuko itāsā¦ Itās going to be difficult, to say the least. Very few people will like it even if we just date. Especially since everything in politics is about marriage and babies.ā
A blush raced across Zukoās face. āSo I was thinking that maybe weā¦ we should not make anything official?ā
She looked at him quickly to see if he was following so far and got a shock at his expression. āYou donāt want to date me.ā The anger she knew so well underlined every syllable. āBut you still want toā¦ what? Hallucinate so you can kiss and then leave without remorse? Or is hallucinating the only state of mind you want to be around me in?ā
Zuko had risen by now, his anger smouldering from him and seemingly filling the whole room. It was only because she knew him so well that she could pick up the hurt behind the anger. Instinctively she stepped forward, cursing the desk that separated them as she gripped his forearm with her free hand.
āNo. Lis- ā
āNo? Really?ā His tone was mocking and sarcastic and unforgiving. āThen wh-ā
āShut up and listen!ā she snapped, hating the fact that he was taller than her. āWe said last night that we canāt be entirely sure where thisā ā she indicated herself and him in a quick gesture ā āis going. Iām saying that dragging politics into theā¦ the trial stage is not a good idea. It will only bring you stress and give old cronies the excuse to hate you. And so, instead, we keep it quiet. Just until weāre sure this really can work. And if weāre caught then we can blame it on the cactus juice. So everything works out.ā
Her face and manner softened and she placed the skin on the desk so she could entrap his face between her hands. He flinched involuntarily at the strange contact but she held on, forcing him to look at her. āIām not going anywhere,ā she told him quietly. āI donāt want to leave you. I know it sounds crazy butā¦ I spent so long pretending that I didnāt like you thatā¦ā
Zuko closed his eyes and slowly, hesitantly, rested his forehead against hers. āKatara. Do you honestly think we have a shot? A real shot.ā
Gold met blue again and she swallowed hard, mulling over his words. She tried to picture it but saw only fuzzy, unclear images lined with worry about hard times and the possibility that one fight could be one too many. Then she thought about leaving him and saw clearly the days stretched before her where he grew old alone or with somebody else. There would be no fighting, no sparring, no awful cooking to laugh at. No Zuko.
āYes. I think we have a shot. Iāll fight for us to have a shot.ā The last sentence was small and shy but still as honest as she could be.
He stared at her for a moment longer and then moved away, grabbing the waterskin as he went. He walked to one of the shelves and pulled a bottle from behind a stack of scrolls. Kataraās eyebrow rose at the sight. Zuko, glancing her way and noticing the look, paused his actions long enough to explain.
āItās a very rare, very old, very good alcohol. Every Firelord hides his good stuff in a different place so that it doesnātā¦ accidentally disappear. Even the vaults arenāt entirely safe.ā
She chose not to comment but instead watched him uncork the bottle and then the waterskin. Surprise flittered through her again as he added the cactus juice to the alcohol, being very careful not to overfill the bottle. When he was done he replaced both the corks and then swirled the bottle so that alcohol and cactus juice mixed properly. Katara continued to stare at him.
āWeāre going to tell my council about us,ā Zuko told her firmly. His tone was every bit that of a leader and she knew she would lose any argument she tried to bring up. āAnd when we face them we are going to give them a drink. Just toā¦ uhā¦ broaden their minds.ā
He smirked at her and she grinned, finally cottoning on. With a laugh she shook her head. āYouād drug your own council? You really are evil, Firelord.ā
He just continued to smirk. āYou have no idea. Iām very good at being bad.ā The bottle was placed on the table as Zuko moved closer.
Katara took a step forward as well, trailing her hand across the smooth surface of the table until her fingers met his lingering around where heād placed the bottle. āYou really are good at being bad. Youāre especially good at being bad at cooking.ā
A scowl pulled the cornerās of Zukoās mouth down. āVery funny.ā
She giggled. āItās alright. Iāll teach you. For a price.ā
āWhat if I donāt want to learn?ā They were so close to one another that he could count her eyelashes if he wanted.
āNo husband of mine will be such a failure at cooking,ā she told him firmly, trying to hide the way her body zinged as the word āhusbandā left her lips.
āWe shall see.ā
The desk that had before been an annoying barrier between them now became an asset. Katara, sitting on its edge while Zuko leaned across her, felt her fingers slip to the Firelordās belt almost automatically. For a heartbeat Zuko froze and then he was kissing her with more passion than before. Hungrily Kataraās hands ran across his chest, caressing the scar there tenderly. Zuko pressed himself closer and Kataraās skin tingled. He was everywhere again, taking up every nerve and every pore and every thought and ā
āHey, Zuko! Do you know why my sister went to the deser- aahhhh!ā
The scream had both of them opening their eyes at once. Zuko turned his head so fast Katara heard it click. She winced and peeked around his elbow so she could see the door. Zuko straightened. Sokka sagged against the doorpost, staring at the two of them in complete dumbfounded horror. Slowly he raised an accusing finger and pointed it at Zuko.
āYā¦ youā¦ youā¦Ā you!ā The Water Tribe warriorās face was slowly changing from deathly white to a red that was definitely not embarrassment.
Katara opened her mouth but Zuko turned his head and gave her a meaningful look. She shut up but glared at him, demanding an answer. Instead of giving one, Zuko reached behind her and pulled something off the desk.
āSokka, I can explain,ā he said in his best calming voice. Sokka started to splutter something that sounded like a death threat but Zuko cut across him. āIwillĀ explain. But firstā¦ do you want a drink to calm you down?ā
The Firelord held up the bottle of spiked alcohol. Sokka wavered for a second but then nodded, looking rather faint. Katara pressed her face to Zukoās back and tried to hold in her giggles. This was going to be an interesting week. Zukoās fingers laced with hers and she could see his smirk without looking. And, for the second time that day, an idea blossomed suddenly in her mind. Making sure her brother could not see Katara leant upwards and placed her lips by Zukoās ear.
āNext time you cook,ā she whispered at him, āIām going to make you wear an apron. So that your clothes donāt get dirty.ā
Zuko raised an eyebrow at her whilst keeping his gaze on Sokka who was drowning the serving of drink Zuko had given him with gusto. āThe apron only protects so much ā some part of my clothes will still get dirty,ā he protested in a muted voice, very apposed to the apron idea.
Kataraās grin widened and she pressed her smirking lips to his neck. āNot if you donāt wear any under the apron.ā The Firelord seemed to freeze in place. Katara chuckled as Sokka began to blink into his cup in comical confusion. āWhen Iām through with you, Firelord Zuko, youāll never fail at cooking ever again.ā
And even if she couldnāt live up to her promise, at least sheād have some good memories as payment for her loss.
āBring it,ā Zuko growled at her and the day seemed to become brighter than the sun as her world shifted and unravelled the path to her future before her like a street paved with the gold of Zukoās eyes.
Summary:Ā This is bliss--Zuko watching his children play with the turtleducks, his pregnant wife beside him, no one but his family around. He couldn't be happier. Shameless fluff for the holidays ;)
Zuko reclined against a tree in the royal gardens, the summer sun shining brightly overhead. Birds were chirruping contentedly in their nests overhead, and Zuko leaned his head back against the rough bark, closing his eyes. He let the peace wash over him, settling deep into his bones and filling him with a contentment heād never imagined he could have.
Over by the turtleduck pond, his oldest child, Kia, was showing her younger brother how to pet the ducks. The ten-year-old had been holding out a piece of bread in her hand, and Zuko could hear her trying to convince the ducklings to come closer. Her voice was soft and coaxing, much like Kataraās had been when sheād taught Kia how to call to the ducks. Zuko listened to the cadence of her voice, letting it lull him into a light sleep. Kuzon laughed as Kia apparently got the ducks to come to her.
āTheyāre so soft,ā he said, wonder plain in his voice.
Zuko opened one eye slightly to see Kuzon petting the turtleduck his sister was holding with one finger. He touched the animal with reverence, his finger barely making contact with the soft fuzz. Zuko couldnāt help smiling. Few things were as warming to him as watching his children get along. In moments like these, not even the sun could fill him with such pure heat strong enough to ward off the worst of the Southern winds. Letting out a contented sigh, Zuko closed his eye again, folding his hands across his stomach.
He heard Katara grunting as she sat on the plush grass next to him. She giggled softly as she laid her head on his shoulder, and Zuko wrapped his arm around her waist, letting his hand rest on her bump. The baby responded, and Zuko smiled again, finally giving up all attempts at a midday nap.
āSo,ā Katara said.
āSo,ā Zuko responded.
The two lapsed into silence, neither feeling the pressure to fill the void with noise, and watched their children continue to play with the ducks. Kia had the bright idea that they should try to race the ducks, and Kuzon picked out the duck he wanted to race, eagerly trying to entice it with bread. Katara laughed behind her hand as the turtleducks protested loudly at being manhandled, and Kuzon tried to reassure his that there would be an award. Zuko chuckled; his five year old son would be a gifted speaker once he got older. Already, he had tons of friends, and before he and Katara knew it, the boyās schedule was almost as busy as theirs. There were playdates and parties to attend, trips to the park and days at the beach. Kia had her share of friends, but she still wasnāt as busy as her little brother, which often caused little arguments and pettiness to break out.
Either way, Zuko was glad that his children were having an easier time of it than he and Azula did. Something he owed, in large part, to Katara. She knew how to be kind, but firm, and had proved to be a wealth of parenting knowledge. Zuko chuckled quietly, thinking about the conversations he and Sokka had about Kataraās parenting skills. Sokka had been more enthusiastic than anyone that Zuko and Katara were finally having kids; he knew that once Katara had her own children to mother, sheād finally leave him alone, and someone else would become her victim.
āWhatās so funny?ā Katara asked, placing her hand over his where it still rested on her stomach.
āYou.ā
Zuko kissed her cheek, and Katara rolled her eyes, clearly deciding not to bother questioning him further. They returned their attention to their children, who were preparing for the race. They were holding the ducks out of the water, little webbed feet paddling as if in anticipation. For bait, to draw the animals to their goal, Kia and Kuzon placed bits of bread at the other end of the pond. The difficulty with this was that the children had forgotten about the other ducks in the pond. The non-racing turtleducks were swimming furiously after the bread, causing the two racing ducks to protest loudly.
āMaybe we should help them,ā Katara said, laughing. āThey might be there all evening if we donāt.ā
āTheyāre smart kids. Theyāll realize you canāt race turtleducks without a lot of preparation soon enough.ā
Katara sat slightly away from her husband. āPreparation?ā
āYeah. You see what happens when you try to just race two of them like that. What you have to do is separate them, taking your racing turtleducks to a different pond. You pick your duck, place your bread at the other end of the pond, then go back to the starting point. Only then do you let them go, and by that point, they know where to go to get the bread, so theyāre a lot more cooperative. And you donāt have to worry about the other ducks eating the prize.ā
āReally?ā Katara asked, an eyebrow arched and her fist on her hip. āReally, Zuko?ā
āAzula and I found out through trial and error.ā
Katara leaned back against his shoulder, shaking her head in disbelief. āYou and Azula raced turtleducks?ā
āWeāre competitive people. We raced servants, too, before mom stopped us.ā
Zuko smiled fondly at the memories of bonding time with his sister. Everything hadnāt been doom and gloom for them, and heād always held these moments close to his heart, especially since there were so few of them. To those on the outside, racing servants might have seemed incredibly rude and barbaric, and no doubt thatās what Katara was thinking. But it was a way for him and Azula to bond without being ripped apart, either by each other or some authority figure. If they seemed to be getting too close, one of Ozaiās spies would step in and separate the two. As far as their father was concerned, Ursaās āweaknessā was an infectious disease, and had already spread to one of their children. Ozai wasnāt about to let it infect his favorite, too.
āJust when I think Iāve heard it all,ā Katara said with an exasperated sigh.
At the pond, Kia and Kuzon were having quite the time of keeping order. Theyād sat down their racing ducks to shoo away the others, but in the ensuing racket, theyād lost track of the ones theyād intended to use for racing. When they were all running around and quacking, one turtleduck tended to look exactly like another. Kia was screaming for them to come back and to behave, throwing a very Katara-like tantrum. Her hands were on her hips, and she was using a stern voice, her little eyebrows furrowed over amber eyes and her bushy brown hair flying out behind her as she whipped around to fuss at another duck.
Kuzon was being much calmer, and Zuko liked to think this was a trait of his that had come through. He simply picked up another turtleduck and inspected it, deeming it worth the racing. He gently tucked the duck in his pocket, then went about trying to catch another. He found it amusing when they tried to run away from him, asking them why they didnāt just fly. Kuzon had, again, forgotten that turtleducks were flightless birds, but this hardly seemed important. For Kuzon, the fun was in the chase. The more irate Kia became, the more Kuzon delighted in chasing the ducks who were fleeing Kiaās lecture.
āUgh, you are soā¦disobedient!ā Kia yelled, throwing her fists in the air and releasing an involuntary burst of flame.
The ducks and Kuzon quieted at this, Kia looking sheepishly at her hands and blushing before hiding them behind her back. Katara and Zuko had known Kia was a firebender since she was four years old, and Zuko had begun teaching her to control her bending almost as soon as he found out. He knew his daughter prided herself on being able to keep her element under control, making it bow to her will. She loved being able to heat the water for tea, and would often show off among her friends. That sheād gotten so frustrated that sheād bent accidentally was a huge embarrassment for her.
Kuzon, however, didnāt care that his big sister was embarrassed. In fact, he thought it was the coolest thing ever, yelled it at the top of his lungs, then proceeded to mimic her movements, in the hopes that he would be able to do the same thing.
āMaybe you have to lecture the turtleducks first,ā Zuko suggested helpfully.
Both Katara and Kia turned to glare at him, but Zuko only smiled. Kuzon took his fatherās words to heart, putting his tiny fists on his hips and narrowing his blue eyes at the nearest duck.
āYou should be āshamed of your āhavior!ā Kuzon yelled in an approximation of his sister. āWhaaa!ā
When he couldnāt think of anything chastising to say, he resorted to incoherent screaming, and Zuko winced at the volume, surprised that any human being could get so high or shrill.
āItās like that time Toph thought it would be fantastic to echolocate after we saw that stupid play,ā Katara said, covering her ears. āWeāll need to break him of this, quick.ā
Zuko nodded his agreement and was about to stand when Kuzon got to the part of the ranting where he throws his hands up in frustration. To the childās immense delight, fireĀ didĀ sprout from his hands. It was only a tiny poof of flame, but this was enough for him. Before he knew what he was doing, Zuko was on his feet, his own hands in the air, before he rounded on his wife.
āIn yourĀ face, Katara! TwoĀ firebenders!ā
Zuko felt his mirth slowly draining away, the sheer happiness being sucked away by the sour look on Kataraās face. He gulped, then looked around, taking stock of who would be present to see the Fire Lord get the worst lecture of his life. Kataraās fists were already on her hips, and Zuko knew the only thing that was saving him from anything worse than a verbal beating was that Katara was pregnant and wouldnāt be able to get off the ground without his help. Perhaps being best friends with Sokka had its negative side effects. Sokka liked to gloat over his victories, but theyād both learned that gloating could be quite troublesome when that victory was taken away from Katara. Or Toph, but that tended to be another matter.
āWell, itās just that theyāre both firebenders, and weād had this bet, and I finally get to win a bet because you usually cheatāā
āKeep digging that hole, Zuko.ā
āAnd weāll always have this next child. Because having another waterbender wouldnāt be a bad thing.ā
āI should hope not.ā
āItās just that Iām a firebender, and I canāt help but be excited that they take after me in some way.ā
āOf course not.ā
āDaddy, youāre supposed to apologize,ā Kia whispered loudly.
Zuko turned around to look at his daughter, and she made a few encouraging gestures, and it wasĀ suchĀ a Katara thing to do that Zuko almost declined to apologize. Almost. Katara could very well banish him to the other end of the bed and refuse to cuddle with him for an indeterminate period of time. Zuko was quite fond of cuddling with his wife and the baby. Not to mention heād have to fess up about just what heād doneĀ this timeĀ to draw Kataraās ire when Hakoda and Gran came to visit for the babyās birth. And it would, quite possibly, earn him a lecture from Hakoda about not angering pregnant women, especially when theyāre so far along and uncomfortable.
āSheāll put you in time out and take away all your toys,ā Kuzon said helpfully.
Zuko cracked a smile at this. Kuzon and time outs were very well acquainted. Sighing, Zuko got down on his knees and gave Katara a formal bow, his forehead touching the ground in front of her.
āIām sorry for gloating,ā he said. āThat was wrong of me.ā
Katara motioned for him to look up, and Zuko did, looking directly into her eyes and seeing delight there. Their children knew just who the disciplinarian was, and they were glad that they werenāt the only ones to get in trouble with her.
āWhat can I do to redeem myself in my ladyās eyes?ā he asked, knowing full well that he just might regret asking.
Behind him, the children were trying to stifle their giggles.
āYour lady is nearing the end of her pregnancy, and there are many things that bother her,ā Katara said with a haughty tilt of her head. She was unable to hide the smile, though. āYou can start by helping me off the ground. And then I have a list.ā
Zuko dropped his head in resignation. There was alwaysĀ a list. Katara had just bought herself a personal attendant for the next few weeks, at least. Zuko sighed wearily, even as there was a flutter of excitement in the pit of his stomach. There were always loopholes in Kataraās lists, and finding and exploiting them always made Zuko remember how theyād been when they were younger. Katara might make fun of him and Azula racing turtleducks, but she was a competitive person, too. It was a friendly challenge between them; Katara would come up with these lists, trying to make them as Zuko-proof as possible, and heād find some way to twist her words. It was another one of their private games, and as Zuko moved toward his wife, the two shared a smile. The children were, of course, completely confused as to why their father enjoyed his punishment, and Kia exclaimed for the millionth time that she just didnāt get it.
A/N: True to myself, I finished this in the very last moment :) So, merry very-very belated Christmas therentyoupay/TheEyesoftheTiger! :)
Summary: During a visit to the South Pole, Zuko gets a taste of the Water Tribe folklore, and adds a piece of his own to it. Warning: fluffball.
Prompts: 21-year-old!Zuko and 19-year-old!Katara; post-war; firelight; Aurora Australis, or the Southern Lights; "propensity to forgive"
Word Count: 9763
Rating: T, for occasional innuendos
Disclaimer: [Insert funny text here that tells you that I do not own Avatar - the Last Airbender]
Zuko found the South Pole quite enchanting.
No, not the South as it had been nearly five years ago when he had first visited it; that had been nothing but an arctic wasteland, with a few shabby tents and a weak wall of snow. Now it was a small, thriving city. The few small tribes in the area had joined under Hakoda, many, who had been captured during the war - and their descendants as well ā had returned, along with a fine amount of immigrants from the North. Where there only had been a handful of women and children only a few years ago, there was now a population slowly pushing to two thousand.
It was especially beautiful now, during the times of the holiday ā they were celebrating the Winter Solstice. His people in the Fire Nation didn't care that much about this time of the year; they were the children of the Sun, so they had always treasured and celebrated the day of the Summer Solstice, overlooking its counterpart. But the people here were the children of the Moon, so it was only natural that they celebrated the time when the Moon was high on the sky for nearly a month.
It was Katara's idea to spend the holiday here; she had insisted that he needed some time far from the stress and pressure of the Fire Nation politics. He hadn't fought with her; he really did need some rest, and anyway, these days he was ready to do almost anything Katara asked him to do.
A goofy smile appeared on his face. Katara, his sweet, strong Katara.
His wife.
It was still so new, so fresh to him, no matter that they had been married for nearly half a year already. He loved the feeling of the word on his lips ā wife. No-one could take Katara away from him now. They had been bound for eternity.
Speaking of Katara, it was time for him to find her. Even though he was supposed to be on vacation here, he couldn't escape the downsides of being the Fire Lord, either ā some of the noblemen from the delegation of the North had found him earlier, wanting to have a short talk with him about the trade routes. He reluctantly agreed, and the short talk turned out to be nearly an hour long. By the time the impromptu political meeting was over every nerve in his body was on fire to find his wife, whom he hadn't seen since that morning ā or at least what he thought had been morning. After breakfast she had left him in their temporary home, saying that she had to find her Gran talk something over with her, promising him to see him later.
Exiting the great snow building where his meeting had been held was quite a shock, even if a pleasant one: while he found the council room of the South quite dull, at least compared to his own throne room, the streets of the city was full of life. Every house and lamppost was adorned with candles in colored cases, hinting light in the hues of blue, red yellow, orange and green over the white snow. Seemingly everybody spent their time outside, talking, laughing, dancing and drinking, or just simply enjoying themselves. A group of young men even invited him to join them for a cup or two of arctic wine as he passed them, but he politely declined. He knew from his engagement party a little bit more than a year ago how strong that drink was.
Here he wasn't the Fire Lord. Here he was the chief's son-in-law, somebody the people of the South considered family. Somehow they had forgotten every past grudge they had against him the moment he had first come here after the war, asking Hakoda's permission to court his daughter. He even wore the sign of this hospitality on his wrist.
Earlier that day, as he was walking from the main square to the house he and Katara stayed in with a basket full fresh fish ā since he had nothing better to do, and was not used to having much free time, he had offered to help out a little -, somebody called after him.
"Zuko! Zuko!" High voices shouted excitedly. It was another thing he liked about the South: the lack of the suffocating titles. He was just Zuko; no-one pressured him to be anything he wasn't.
He turned around and saw three girls, none of them older than ten, racing towards him. He recognized their faces, but couldn't tell their names. He stopped to wait for them, a silly smile appearing on his face ā he had never thought that one day he would find children endearing, but there he was, his heart warm, smiling at their eagerness.
Soon they reached him, but didn't speak for a while ā at first they were too busy to catch their breaths, then all of them burst into giggles, two of them trying to push the third to the front.
He raised his eyebrow at them.
"Well, it's been lovely to have met you, but if you don't have anything to tellā¦" He teased them, feigning to leave them. They immediately started protesting in loud voices, asking him to stay, then finally pushing the third girl forward. She promptly went silent, turning her gaze downwards, poking the snow with her feet. The two others stood half a step behind her, trying to stifle their giggles. When the girl chosen by her friends as advocate finally lifted her head to look at him she was blushing.
Katara had told him earlier that girls around him behaved like that because they had a crush on him ā he hadn't believed her. After all, he was no crush material. But then again, he somehow had managed to have Katara fall for him, hadn't he?
The little girl opened her mouth, then just as quickly closed it. She looked back at her friends who nodded, and so she tried again. Oh yes, it was really an amusing scene to watch. Zuko put down the basket and crossed his arms, waiting for the finale.
"We made it for you!" She said finally, holding out something she pulled out from her pocket to Zuko. She held it as far from her body as it was possibly, like it was one of Hakoda's hand-sized seaweed bombs that was about to explode. She even closed her eyes. Her companions didn't dare to take a breath.
Zuko took the little object from her, and brought it closer to his eyes to inspect it. It was a little string of small polished bones and wooden beads, just long enough to be tied around his wrist. On each bead a character was written ā either painted with black ink, or burned into the wood -, all of them chosen to call in good luck: health, family, money, luck, among others. He even saw one bead for the Moon and one for the Sun. True, the work wasn't flawless, as the characters were a little bit sloppy - he could have easily read 'family' as 'bird', for example -, but it was the thought that counted.
He knew about these beads - Katara had told him about them earlier, and had even given him one a year before; they were given at the Poles around this time to friends and family, and they were supposed to bring you luck throughout the coming year.
"Wow, it'sā¦ it's beautiful, thank you,' he stuttered, really touched. Four years after the war, and he still couldn't get used to acts of kindness like this. Somehow, in his mind, the girl's behavior was completely out of place. He could accept somebody doing something like this for Katara, but for him?
The girls only smiled wide smiles, one of them showing a gap between her teeth, where one fallen out, but the new hadn't grown out yet. This, despite himself, made him think about that in a few years there would most likely be a child - or more children -, looking up at him just as sheepishly like these girls were doing now; a child he would call his own.
The thought was amazing and frightening at the same time.
He awkwardly tied the string around his wrist, then bent to pick up his basket again, but from the corner of his eye he saw that the girls were still standing here, one of them picking at the snow with her feet, obviously waiting for something. For a moment he didn't know what he was supposed to do, but then realized: they were waiting for a hug, maybe a kiss on the cheek. He gently smiled, and basket forgotten, turned to the girl who had spoken in behalf of the others, circling his arms around her small frame and giving her a quick squeeze. The girl giggled and threw her own arms around his neck, even pressing her cold lips to his uncharred cheek.
It was strange to him; people in the Fire Nation were quite apprehensive when it came to touching. In the capitol it would have been completely unacceptable for a stranger to hug you. Even a handshake was considered too much sometimes, and when it came to the family, things weren't that much different. He could remember his mother cuddling him when he was little, but then his mother had always been a gentle, loving person with a streak of rebelling against this formality. But with his father he had always had to be formal, bowing in front of him, touching the floor with his forehead when he wanted to express his respect for him; he could never even think of ever touching him the way like these girls were touching him now, and it was true for most of the noble families of the Fire Nation.
He had also seen Katara with her father, hugging and kissing him whenever she felt like it, without being afraid that he wouldn't accept this, and Zuko decided that he liked it. He liked this kind of freedom of touch, this freedom to show appreciation, the closeness and the intimacy. He had already decided that when he would have children, he would raise them this way, according to their Southern roots. No children of him will ever bow and touch their forehead to the floor in front of him.
He smiled at the thought of this earlier encounter as he continued looking for Katara. People greeted him on his way, and he even spoke a few words with some of them, mostly about the festival and other pleasant, neutral, everyday topics, but nobody seemed to know where to find the daughter of their chief.
In the end, he did manage to find her in one of the smaller community buildings, not far from the city centre. Usually this building were used by the women of the tribe for doing small tasks, for example mending clothes or fishing nets, together, talking and singing while working, helping each other. Now a big fire was burning in the middle of the room, and all around it children sat, their jaws dropped in awe, listening to Katara's Gran Gran telling a story.
"ā¦And then all the spirits invited came to the ball, dressed in their finest clothes, in all the colors that exist in the world, and started dancing high up in the air, swirling and turningā¦"
Katara sat amongst the children, not far from the door. A little girl was snuggled to her side, attached to her arm. If Zuko was not mistaken, she was some distant cousin of Katara's. Katara had her gazed fixed on Gran, but when she heard the door flap move, she turned to him and offered him a brilliant smile, then patted the unoccupied space on the floor on her other side, inviting him to sat with them. He went and settled beside her; Katara immediately leaned against him, resting her head on his shoulder. He took her hand ā the one which wasn't in the little girl's hold ā and started drawing small circles into her palm.
Gran also noticed him, and, like always, she looked at him with that secretive smile of hers, which somehow always made him uneasy; it was like she knew something concerning him, something he himself didn't know about. She went on with the story.
"But then Keelut," the name sounded unfamiliar to him, but several children around the fire cringed upon hearing it and gasped in horror. The little girl clutching Katara's arm cuddled closer to her, while Zuko found a boy, no older than four, snuggling up to him, trying to hide his face in his parka. He didn't know much about the deities of the Water Tribes, but judging by the reaction of the children, this Keelut must have been pretty terrifying. "The evil dog of the underworld crawled out of his lair, turned his ugly, bare head towards the skies, and saw the magnificent dancers above him. This angered him to no ends, since the other spirits didn't invite him to the ball. He let out a terrible roar in his anger, and leapt, up to the sky, to catch the robes of the spirits dancing there." The children gasped, no doubt imagining the great beast attacking the celebrating spirits. As soon as their shocked voices died down, Kanna continued. "But the spirits were faster, and quickly fled from the ball in the skies, leaving Keelut behind.
"The spirits were afraid of Keelut, but they didn't want to give up their ball. They didn't know what to do, so, in the end, they turned to Tui for help. The spirit of the Moon felt sorry for them, and offered them help: as long as they danced under her light, she would hid them from Keelut's wrath. The spirits accepted her gift, but they know that it would be very tiring for Tui to cast her hiding spell on them every night, so they found a new place to hold their ball: above the North Pole during one half of the year, and here, above the South Pole during the other half, since here, over our lands, Tui rules the skies for months. And so they are dancing here even today, hidden from Keelut, during our winter months, when Tui ā or, more precisely, Yue today - is high and bright on the sky, and we see their colorful robes swirl and swirl as they are dancing above us. Only, we call their dance the Southern Lights."
Kanna finished her story, and the children around them erupted in cheers. Even Katara's little cousin let go of Katara's hand to clap. But their cheers hadn't even died down, the children were already asking for another story, Zuko guessed that they had been doing this for some time now, always demanding just one more story.
"Calm down, little ones, calm down!" Kanna chided them gently, her hands raised, smile on her face. The children immediately went silent. "I didn't even want to stop here; I have one story I want to share with you." She stole a sideway glance at Zuko and Katara, and winked at them, causing Zuko fidget in his seat. Then she cleared her throat and started speaking.
"A long, long time ago, long before the first Avatar was born or benders walked on the land, once we had visitors from the North. Amongst the men of our sister tribe, there was a young man; he was no extraordinary creature, just a simple warrior in the guard of the Northern chief. But he was a kind and honorable man, his heart and soul pure.
"At the time of the visit of the North, the Southern chief's daughter had just come of age, and actually, the Northern chief's real intention was to win her hand."
"Was she beautiful?" Spoke up a little girl, pulling her thumb from her mouth from the other side of the circle; as soon as she finished speaking, she stuck her thumb back into her mouth.
"Of course she was," Zuko, who already had a guess where this story was going, whispered into Katara's ear. She smiled into his shoulder.
"Very much so," Kanna answered her. "She was known of her beauty in all the four nations."
"And what about the warrior, was he handsome too?" Asked another girl, about ten years old, interrupting Gran again. Katara chuckled and squeezed Zuko's hand, but didn't say anything.
"Do you want me to finish this story, or do you want to keep talking, cutting me off in the middle of the sentence?" Kanna huffed with feigned irritation, but then added: "Of course he was, why wouldn't have he been?" She stated, like it was the most evident thing in the world, causing all the children around her giggle. "So now that we know that both of them were gifted by the spirits with attractive looks, we can go on.
"The young princess was amongst the group greeting the Northern men when they reached our shores after their long journey. And when the warrior ā yes, the handsome one ā disembarked, she was the first person he saw, and immediately fell in love with her." The little girls around them sighed, while the boys gave noncommittal noises. "That evening a feast was held to in the honor of the visitors, and the young warrior used it to find the princess, talk with her, and win her affection.
"In the end, it turned out that he didn't have to fight that hard for her: after they had spoken a few words, the flames of love started to burn in heart too. They knew from the very fist day that the spirits had created them for each other."
"If only it happened this way!" Zuko whispered into Katara's ear, accompanied with a sigh.
"Well, yes. But you were an idiot back then, so it's mostly your fault." She concluded, causing Zuko chuckle into her hair.
"Thank you for explaining it this simply."
"But am I not right?" She turned her head to look at him.
"When are you not?" He answered, and used the new angle to press a quick kiss to her lips.
Someone cleared their throat, helping Zuko remember that after all they were not alone, but surrounded with children. He looked up and found many of the girls giggle into their palms, while the smaller boys tried to express their opinion that kissing was disgusting in different ways.
"Now, I thought that you two would know how to behave while listening to an elder telling a story, but it turns out that you aren't any better than these little ones." Kanna pointed at the children, who laughed at them; it was a nice change for them to hear somebody being scolded for once instead of being scolded themselves.
"I am really sorry, Lady Kanna," Zuko said, putting his hands together and bowing to her direction. All of Iroh's etiquette lessons had their worth in the end. Katara only murmured a quick 'sorry Gran'.
"Apology accepted," Kanna said, straightening her back. "But if you disturb my story again, I'll send you out!" She threatened them, but her light tone gave her away. "Okay, so, where were we?" She turned to the children
"They fell in love," said the little girl who was sucking her thumb.
"Oh, yesā¦" Kanna sighed, then went on. "So they fell in love on that very first night, and after that, they met every night, always in secret, without being seen, because they knew that their love wouldn't be approved by her parents and the chief of his tribe."
This part of the story sounded eerily familiar to Zuko ā it could have been easily about Katara and him during the early days of their courtship, when all they had were unseen touches and stolen kisses under the veil of the night, when no-one could see them.
"Meanwhile, during the daytime, the Northern chief courted the princess, but she always rejected him, because the only one she could think about was the young warrior. The Northern chief became suspicious, and told his fears that the princess had a secret to his father. At first, the Southern chief didn't want to believe him, but in the end he gave in, and promised the Northern chief that he would watch over his daughter during the night."
The children listened to Kanna in total silence, completely engrossed in the story. Zuko also kept silent, but slowly started to loose Kanna's train of thought. He had thought, when she had first started telling them this story, that it somehow corresponded with his and Katara's life. Well, the first part really did, but thisā¦he wasn't that sure about it.
"And the Southern chief did so; he hid by his daughter's room, and when she left to meet the warrior, he followed her, and caught the young lovers when they met. He became very angry, and dragged the girl back to their home." Kanna continued, causing all the children gasp at the last part.
"The next morning the Southern chief called the whole tribe and their visitors together, and told them all of the princess' and the warrior's love, speaking of it with great anger. He forbade them to meet again, and, without caring about his daughter's wishes, he promised her hand to the Northern chief.
"The Northern delegate soon left, with the promise that the princess would arrive at their land not long after to marry the chief. As soon as the Northern ship disappeared on the horizon, both young lovers felt the pain of leaving the other in their souls; they had no joy left in the world anymore if they couldn't be with the one they loved."
This was the point where Zuko started to fear that the story would end with the lovers killing themselves ā he had heard enough Fire Nation tales end that way. Thinking about it, he didn't know what he would have done if Hakoda hadn't let him marry Katara. Would he have lost all his reason and will to live? Would he have become bitter? Or would he have put aside what Hakoda had said, and eloped with Katara either way? Yes, he most likely would have done that; he could only hope that the lovers of this story would come to the same conclusion.
"But both of them had strong spirits," Kanna went on. "Soon after they had been torn apart, they realized that they couldn't live without each other, that they just couldn't let others rule their lives, telling them what to do." She cast a meaningful glance to Katara and Zuko's direction. "Now, pay attention, because the most important part is coming.
"So, they decided to find each other again, against the wishes of her father and his chief. On the very morning when her wedding dress was laid out to her and his ship reached the shores of the Northern Water Tribe, they both ran away, hoping to reach the other Pole, hoping to meet the other there.
"They didn't know that the other had also started this journey, and they most likely would have lost the other in this enormous world, did not the Spirits have mercy on them. They were impressed by the power of their love for each other, and decided to help them. They sent them dreams, leading them, showing them the right way, and they tried to keep harm out of their way, but even the great spirits couldn't keep them completely safe: bandits, greedy lords and ill-meaning spirits endangered their freedom and lives. So the spirits decided to give them another gift, to help them defend themselves: they showed them the way the Moon moved the oceans, and taught them how mimic her movements. The spirits taught the young lovers how to bend water."
There was a collective gasp erupting from the children; even Zuko found himself amazed. He didn't know if it had really happened this way, or was it just a story made up to entertain the youngsters, but either way, it was a fascinating story.
"Their journey was long and hard, with many challenges in their ways, but with the help of the spirits and their love for each other, they overcame all of them. And, in the end, they did find each other again, in the great wilderness of the Earth Kingdom jungle. Their reunion was sweet and long awaited for. They embraced under the shade of the trees, and on that very night, they vowed in front of the spirits that they would never live without each other again. They remained there for the rest of their lives, undisturbed in their love. Because darlings, they were not only the first waterbenders, but the founders of our sister tribe which today you might know as the people of the swamp." Gran concluded the story, and, for a moment, the children were stunned to silence.
Then hell broke out.
"And what happened after that?"
"Did they ever go home?"
"Did they have a lot of babies?"
"Were they really the first waterbenders?"
Gran just chuckled, raising her hands to silence the children; it took a few moments, but they ceased talking.
"Now, please tell me, what is this story teaching us?" She asked them, moving her gaze around the circle, her eyes resting on Katara and Zuko a moment longer than necessary.
Silence met her words. The children fidgeted uneasily, none of them knowing the answer ā or, at least, none of them wanting to speak up. One little boy opened his mouth as if he wanted to speak, but he closed it just as quickly.
"It teaches us that true lover conquers every obstacle," Zuko heard a clear, strong voice to his right side; it was Katara who spoke. "The lovers could have given up, could have let go of each other, but instead they fought, welcomed every hardship thrown in their way, and overcame them. And, in the end, the other was their award." Her voice was calm, serene, and she squeezed Zuko's hand while she spoke, as if saying 'they were just like us'. And she was right, Zuko realized; so, after all, this story was really about them.
Kanna smiled fondly at her granddaughter.
"Exactly, my darling," she said, then turned to the children. "This is something you must remember, always. Life is hard, there's no denying here, but if you fight for what's precious for you, everything will worth it in the end, and even life won't seem that hard." She finished, moving her all-knowing gaze around the circle again. Then she massaged her own hands, crackling the knuckles, and started to get up. "That's for today, my dears; this old head doesn't have anymore tales to tell you."
The children started speaking again, louder and louder, trying to make their voice heard over the racket, begging for only one more story. Kanna tried to calm them down, but her voice lost in the hubbub.
In the end, what silenced them was the bonfire in the middle of the room flaring up for a moment, the flames almost touching the ceiling. A little boy got so scared that, while trying to flinch away from the fire, he fell back, his legs sticking up to the air quite comically.
"I'll tell you a story, if it's okay with you," said Zuko when he was finally sure that his voice would be heard. It was a spur of a moment decision; it's not that he was a great story teller, no, he was quite the opposite. But while Kanna spoke an old Fire Nation folk tale came into his mind, one he had heard when he had been a small child himself ā had it been Ursa who told him it? He couldn't remember -, one that, after a small editing, could serve as a great counterpart to Kanna's story. And, after all, these children wanted only one more story.
Kanna smiled at him encouragingly.
"Well, then go on, we don't have the whole day," she urged him teasingly. He took a deep breath, stealing a glance at all the eager faces around him. When he hesitated a moment too long, Katara leaned in and pressed her lips to his cheek.
"Okay, soā¦" he started, trying to figure out how to start. "A long-long time ago ā but not that long ago as Lady Kanna's story ā there was this king."
"What was he the king of?" The thumb-sucking little girl interrupted him.
"Wellā¦ well, it's doesn't really matter, you see," he shuttered. "He could have been the king of Ba Sing Se, or he could have been the Fire Lord, orā¦"
"Or the chief of the Southern Water Tribe?" The little girl cut in again.
"Exactly!" Zuko said, rubbing the back of his neck. Next to him Katara was gently shaking with suppressed laughter. Apparently, unlike Kanna, he wasn't determined enough in storytelling to prevent the children always interrupting him. "Okay, so he was a king ā the king of Doesn't Matter, okay? He was a good ruler, I mean he could have been a good ruler, but he had a great problem."
Despite his obvious lack of skill in storytelling, the children seemed to hanging on his every word, leaning towards him. He could also feel Kanna's oh-so-annoyingly wise gaze on him.
"What was his problem?" Asked somebody from his left.
"Well, you see, he just couldn't find any pleasure in living anymore. He couldn't see the beauty of the world around him. He-" Despite being in the middle of his sentence, he was, again, interrupted.
"But why was he this way?" This time it was the girl clinging to Katara, leaning over her lap to get a better view of Zuko.
"Well, I think ā if I remember well -, it was because he'd lost his brother. Or was it his wife?" He questioned himself.
"Gran Gran," a little boy on her side tugged at Kanna's sleeve. "Why is he telling a story when he can't even remember it?" He 'whispered' loud enough for everybody to hear, making several members of his audience ā Katara amongst them ā chuckle.
He cleared his throat.
"Alright, so he was completely miserable because he had lost his brother," he put extra emphasis on the last word, trying to get at least a part of his dignity back and making it clear that it was his story, and so they should listen to him (all his 'civilized' arguments with his councilmen were paying off at last). "They always had been really close, growing up together, having no secrets, so his death had really touched him ā broken him, really. After his funeral he had become bitter, miserable; he was always angry and unsatisfied. If somebody dared to disturb him, he would snap at him, often sending him to prison. He hardly ate and slept, and didn't care a bit about his country. He would just sit in his room, looking out of the window, thinking. He had only one goal left: he wanted to bring his brother back, no matter what the price was." While Kanna was calm, almost stoic when she was recalling a story, Zuko gestured wildly. When talking about what the king was going to do, he swung his arm so vehemently that he almost knocked the boy sitting next to him over. There he paused for a short moment and looked sheepishly at the shocked boy ā after all, the arm of the Fire Lord had almost collided with his face only moments ago -, took a blink-long break, then continued from where stopped, but cutting his gestures back a little bit.
"Months and years went by, and his kingdom slowly started to wither. It was mostly led by his advisors, who only thought about themselves; they introduced new taxes, new laws, just to fill their own treasuries, and gave back nothing to the people. All around the country people were starving, yet the king did nothing. He didn't even realize it. For him, only one thing remained in sight: reaching the spirit world and bringing his brother back.
"His people started to loose all hope. They were angry, but weak and hungry; they didn't dare to risk a rebellion. So, in the end, they decided to send a delegation to the king's palace, to speak with him, to make him see what he was doing to his people."
He took a moment-long break, enjoying all the eager faces turning to him, hanging on his every word. And anyway, the best part was coming and he was really getting into this story telling business.
"When the delegation arrived at the palace, the king refused to see them right away. He only sent out his servants, telling them to wait for him. He was busy; he didn't have time for them. Every day, the head of the delegation would ask when the king would see them, and the servant would answer: 'tomorrow, my lord, tomorrow'. But, of course, the next day the same thing happened.
"A fortnight went by, and nothing had changed. The king didn't even spare a moment for the people who had come to see him. But then one fine morning, as he passed by the room where the members of the delegation were enjoying their breakfast, he peeked inside, without being seen. There, inside this room, he saw somebody who seemed to warm his ice-cold heart up."
He took another small break, just to create a little suspense.
"Who did he see?" Asked the thumb-sucking little girl. She was so lost in the story that she even forgot to put her thumb back into her mouth. Katara giggled beside Zuko.
"It seems like you have a new admirer, Zuzu," she whispered into his ear teasingly, pressing a kiss to his cheek. He wanted to come up with a witty comeback, but that had never been his forte. So, he simply went on with the story.
"It was a young girl, daughter of the head of the delegation. She was a frail little thing, with thin waist, pale skin, big eyes and thick, dark hair down to her hips. The king found her the loveliest creature in the world, but also the saddest. As she ate, she cast her eyes down, not speaking a word, hardly eating anything, only picking at her food.
"The king wanted to forget her. He retreated to his chambers again, searching for the way to bring his brother back, still refusing to see his people. But as the days went by, the picture of the sad girl found its was back to his mind again and again. He thought about how her eyes were shimmering with sadness and how the corners of her full lips turned downwards. He remembered the elegant slope of her neck and her long, slender fingers. No matter how much he wanted to forget her, he simply couldn't.
"Then one day, as the king looked out of the window of his bedchamber he saw the young girl in the gardens below, amongst the colorful flowers, sitting on a low bench, all alone. Looking at her, the king decided to go down to her and talk with her."
Zuko stopped for a moment again; he was nearing to the most important part of the story, but he didn't know exactly how to present it.
"So, he went down to the gardens, approached the girl, and, without asking, he sat down next to her. First, the king didn't know what to say to this girl, and she didn't speak either, only stared ahead, seemingly not even realizing that the king sat next to her. Then, after a minute or two, the king got tired of waiting, and spoke to the girl. 'Who are you, and why are you so sad?' he asked, not softly at all. In fact, rather rudely. And she, well, sheā¦ Ahā¦" He broke of, suddenly loosing his train of thought. He lifted his free hand up to massage the back of his neck. Now, how to continue?
"And what happened after that? What did she say?" A little boy on Kanna's left side spoke up, apparently thinking that Zuko's break was a moment longer than necessary. Kanna gently slapped him on the back of his head, just to remind him not to talk when he is not supposed to.
"She said that she was sad because her family was slowly dying," Katara came to his rescue, smiling softly. He looked at her questioningly ā did she know the story, too? She seemed to understand his unspoken question, because she simply shrugged and said: "Well, it's only logical."
Zuko smiled back at her ā their little exchange didn't go unnoticed, of course; some girls giggled, while a few of the boys made gagging sounds. Zuko paid no attention to them and went on with the story with a new go.
"So, she said that she was unhappy because her family was starving, and she was afraid that she would loose them. The king really felt for her, so he offered her to take in her whole family. He said that they could live in his palace and they would never have to worry about anything again. 'But what will happen to the people of my village? Would you let them die?' she said. The king furrowed his brows. 'Why would you care about them?' he asked, but the girl didn't answer, only got up and left him there without another word.
"From that day, the king always looked for the opportunity to spend time with the girl. Slowly, he developed a new goal: he wanted to see her smile, laugh even. Every day he would seek her out in the gardens, offering her magnificent gifts ā exotic foods, jewels, rare books, anything you can imagine. But the girl wanted none of them. 'And what will happen to my village? What will happen to your country? Would you let them die?' She would always ask when the king came to her.
"One day the king had enough. She ordered the girl to his rooms and cornered her there. 'What do you want from me?' He asked her, his voice rising, his anger and frustration bringing the worst out of him forward. "Name it ā and it shall be yours. Just be mine.' He said finally, almost begging. The girl only looked at him, unafraid, and the spoke defiantly. 'I have told you so many times, every day since you've been courting me, but you have never seemed to hear it.' She turned her gaze down and added quietly, almost sadly. 'You seem to hear nothing but what you yourself say." And with that she left the room without another word, the king staring after her hopelessly.
"The next day, the delegation left the palace. After their confrontation, the girl convinced her father that it was pointless to wait for the king, since he would do nothing to help them anyway; they could do more good at home.
"After they left, the king fell into great depression. Nothing moved him when he couldn't be the girl whom he had come to love. Not even the longing to see his brother again could match the longing to see the girl again. All day he would just wander around his palace, visiting all the places where he had met the girl. Then, after a fortnight, he realized: his brooding didn't make any good anyone; he just had to do something, something other than thinking about that girl and trying to bring his brother back. And, he realized, that was exactly what the girl wanted him to do."
"What was that?" spoke one of the girls near Kanna. "What did the girl want?"
Zuko smiled at her. "Wait a minute; I am getting there.
"So he left his rooms and sat on his throne again, calling his advisors together. In mere months, he repaired all the damage he had done in the pervious months by his negligence. In a year's time, his country was prospering again."
A collective gasps escaped from his audience. Alright, so he had warmed up a little bit ā storytelling, he concluded, was much like delivering a speech to his council. You just had to get a little practice and know where you were heading.
"Is this the end?" A girl asked him from somewhere to his right, somewhat disappointed. "If it is, then it's not a good one." She huffed, crossing her arms; some chuckled at her behavior.
"No, it's not the end. There's still a little bit of the story left to tell," Zuko said, smiling slightly. He wouldn't have thought when he started this story that he would end up enjoying it this much. "A year later, during the fruitful harvest season, the king visited the village of the girl for whom his heart was burning."
"I told you this king was a firebender after all," a boy told his friend sitting next to him loud enough for everybody to hear. "Since his heart was burning and all that stuff."
Zuko managed to bit back his chuckle, but he felt Katara beside him shake with silent laughter.
"Okay, so he went to the girl he was in love with," he continued, "He stood before her, and told her that he had figured out what she had meant, what she had wanted, and that he did it, just for her, just to make her happy. Then he told her that he knew that he didn't deserve anybody's love, because of his deeds, because of that he had forgotten his real task, but he loved her and wanted to be with her. He wanted her, the girl who had made him see his sins; he wanted to be with her. He wanted her to be his queen."
By then, most of the girls were looking at him with wide, dreamy eyes, while some of the boys were steadily loosing interest. But he hardly saw them ā he had eyes only for Katara.
"He went down to his knees in front of her, begging her to go with him, promising her everything: that he would never forget his nation and his people again, that he would be a good king, that he would he love her till the end of times. Then, to his utter surprise, the girl sank to the ground too, and pulled him softly against herself, soothing him, telling him how proud she was of him, and that yes, she would follow him back to his palace and become his wife. And, wellā¦ this is the end of the story."
He felt that the ending was a little bit awkward, but he honestly couldn't care less. After all, he had the woman of his dreams sitting next him, looking up into his eyes lovingly, their hands intertwined ā the world could have ended, he wouldn't have noticed it.
"And they lived happily ever after?" it was the thumb-sucking girl again, though by this point she had completely forgotten to put her thumb back into her mouth.
Zuko was about to answer her that really, it didn't work that way, because even though the king wanted to marry the girl, he first had to defeat his advisors who were dead set on not letting in happen, and that there were still ones who were not happy with the king and wanted to end him, and that there always were and always will be problems, problems to face and come over, and anyway, there was no such thing as 'happily ever after', since everybody dies one day, but Katara was quicker.
"Why of course," she told the little girl, "Aren't all good stories end that way?"
"Now, that this story is over," Kanna clapped her hands together, drawing everybody's attention to herself, "I would like to ask you what is this story teaching us?"
Unlike when Kanna asked this question at the end of the other story, now several children started talking at the same time, almost every one of them wanting to speak his or her mind. Kanna clapped again, several times, trying to make them stop talking. Zuko used the moment of chaos to steal a sweet, chaste kiss from Katara.
It took Kanna a full minute to calm the children down. When they quieted, she asked them the same question again, only this time asking them to raise their hands if they had something to say. At least a dozen of hands flew to the air at the exact same moment. Kanna moved her gaze around them, looking surprisingly smug, then pointed at a boy who was missing his front teeth, allowing him to speak.
"Well, I think it teaches us that we should never, ever forget what we had to do. Because, I mean, that king forgot that he had to care about his people, and everybody ended up starving, unhappy and hating him. And that's not nice." He concluded. Kanna nodded approvingly, then nodded to the direction of a very enthusiastic-looking girl, who was almost falling over in her endeavor to make Kanna notice her.
"The moral of the story is that love can change us in a good way," she sputtered. "I mean, he was a really, really bad king, not caring about his people, then this girl came around, and suddenly he wanted to do everything just to win her over. So he suddenly became good, because he had to be good for the girl to love him, and he started caring about his people and forgetting this silly obsession of his to bring his brother back and all. And then the girl loved him, too, so everything ended well." She said, with a silly smile on her face. She was also brave enough to turn her head to Zuko's direction for a moment; as soon as her gaze fell on him, an adorable blush colored her cheeks. Katara chuckled beside Zuko again.
"Very good, my dears," Kanna said smiling, slowly getting up, "But I think it's time we parted. We've had enough stories for a night, and anyway, this old mind of mine is simply unable to bring up any more of them tonight. And it's also getting late, so shoo, run home, before your parents start to worry about you!"
This caused quite an opposition ('But Gran!', 'How can you tell that it's getting late, when the sky has been dark for a days?', 'Just one more story, please, pretty please!'), but the children started to slowly get up as well, milling out of the building.
Zuko thought that they were going to stay in the building with Kanna for a little while, talk with her, maybe escort the old woman home, but to his utter surprise Katara grabbed his hand and started to pull him up from the floor, leading him out of the building. She quickly said good-bye to her grandmother over her shoulder, and ā this didn't escape Zuko's notice ā shared a secretive smile with her. Kanna raised her hand encouragingly and Katara's smiled turned sheepish.
This pretty much seemed like the two Water Tribe women knew something he did not, and it pretty much unnerved him. Experience told him that secrets like this usually didn't end well.
Katara lead him through the still busy main square of the city, occasionally stopping at a small alcove or side of a house hid by shadows, just to share a few kisses, like they were teenagers again, hiding from curious eyes, sharing something that was only half-accepted, half-admitted. They didn't stop in the city, even though Zuko had half a mind going back to the house where they were staying, especially to their bedroom, to snuggle up under the heavy furs that served as their bed, pressing, merging their bodies together, but Katara kept going straight towards the small hills surrounding it, going up their sides, breaking the surface of the untouched snow on them, always pulling Zuko with herself.
When they reached the top of the hill, he saw it: way above their heads, in its parade of colors, the Southern Lights was shining brilliantly. Zuko let out a low whistle; it hadn't been the first time he saw the Lights, but it still amazed him.
"It seems like the spirits are having the party of the year tonight," he told Katara softly, as he settled down beside her in the snow.
"Do you think Yue is there amongst them?"
Zuko didn't known Yue personally, but he had heard enough stories of her from Katara and Sokka.
"Sure," he answered putting an arm around her shoulders; "she's right there, can you see?" he pointed at a blur of almost-white-blue on the sky. "I am sure she's dancing with the handsomest spirit, just to make Sokka jealous."
The joke was weak and pointless, but Katara chuckled nonetheless, leaning her head on his shoulder. They sat like that for minutes, not saying a word, just enjoying each other's company. Zuko kept rubbing Katara's arm, while she played with the tie of his parka absent-mindedly.
"You were amazing today, you know that, right?" she said at last, turning her gaze on him.
"Really?" He asked, not really knowing what she meant.
"Uh-m," she turned back to the tie, twirling it around her finger. "No matter what you say, you're good with kids. The ones back in the community house completely adored you, and," she chuckled, pulling back his sleeve a little bit to reveal the beaded bracelet on his wrist, "I can see that they aren't the only ones. When did you get this?"
"This afternoon; but don't ask me who gave it to me. Three girls. I can point them out, but I can't remember their names even is you water whip me."
She let out an adorable laugh.
"Oh, Zuko!" She sighed, and Zuko could practically feel the smile in her voice. She reached out for his wrist, bringing it closer to her eyes. Zuko saw what she wanted to do and lit a small fire in his other hand, providing her some light. Katara inspected every single bead, trying to decipher what was written on them.
"Strengthā¦ Luckā¦ Sunā¦ Moonā¦ And what's this? Bird?" She giggled.
"No, I think that is supposed to be 'family', it's just a little bit sloppy," he reassured her.
"Okay, so family, that's even better," she smiled. "And fertility. Oh Laā¦" She laughed. Zuko didn't know what was so funny about that.
"Yes, and there are also things like safe journey here, which is good, because all that ice in the water around here unnerves me a little."
"You weren't afraid of it when you first came here years ago." She pointed out.
"When I came here first years ago I wasn't afraid of a lot of things I should have," he retorted. "And anyway, using your words, back then I was an idiot.
"That's true. But tell me more about the girls who gave you this," she pulled at the bracelet, having finished reading the characters on it.
"They were nice enough," he shrugged, putting out his fire. "You know, child-like; short, giggling, with long hair and high voices. And they asked for a hug."
Katara laughed whole-heartedly at this, throwing her head back, almost falling backwards.
"And what did you do?" She asked when she regained her composure.
"I hugged them," he said nonchalantly.
Katara pulled herself onto his lap, and encircled his neck with her arms, leaning close; Zuko's hands found their place on her waist on their own.
"You're getting soft," she said, kissing his forehead, temple, smooth cheek, nose, and finally, his scar. Zuko softly moaned in appreciation, pulling Katara closer to him.
"Well, someone is making sure I am getting soft. And sometimes hard, for that matter," he couldn't help but add this little innuendo. Before Katara could have answered something witty, he pressed his lips to hers, kissing her thoroughly.
When they finally pulled apart, Katara rested her forehead against his, their noses almost touching, gazes intertwined. They sat like that for minutes, none of them saying anything.
"You are going to be a great father, Zuko," she breathed at last.
Zuko cringed at her words a little ā nothing could erase the shadow of Ozai from his soul -, but kept his composure.
"Maybe, one day," he closed the small distance between their mouths and gave her a chaste kiss; the moment was too perfect, he didn't want to ruin it by arguing with her over the matter. "As long as you are there by my side, slapping me when I do something wrong."
Katara smiled sweetly, if not a little nervously at him, and he felt her playing with his hair, now pulled into a short ponytail behind his neck, twirling the strands around her fingers. It was a nice, soothing feeling.
"Wellā¦" Katara started, somewhat uneasily. "I don't want to freak you out, or get your hopes up, but that day might be a lot closer than you think." Her smile, what remained on her face all along, turned a kind of secretive, like she was telling him a huge secret, a secret just the two of them were supposed to know.
"Wait a minute. What are youā¦" He started, but his mind started to put the things together already. Katara wanting to talk to her Gran that morning. Kanna's knowing smile she had given them. Katara praising him about how he had behaved around children. Katara asking him about the girls who had given him the bracelet. Katara telling him that that day might be closer thanā¦ "Are weā¦ I mean, are youā¦ are you pregnant?" He stuttered out at last.
"Well, I think I am," she said, still smiling, still seeming nervous a little. "Gran thinks too, but it's not sure yet. It's too early to say for sure."
To say that Zuko was stunned would be an understatement. He let himself fall back, his back hitting the snow with a soft thud, pulling Katara with himself.
"Wowā¦ it's justā¦ wowā¦" That was all he could say.
He shouldn't have been that surprised after all: they had been married for half a year already; it was bound to happen sooner or later. And he couldn't say that it was a bad thing, either. Sooner or later he did have to produce a heir or two ā spirits, how business-like and cruel it sounded now, that it was possible that Katara was carrying his child ā to carry on his line, and according to his council, sooner was better than later. And he did mean what he had just told Katara: as long as he had her with him, he could make it work. Yes, he could raise his child. And anyway, hadn't he just thought earlier that day that how nice ā what nice, wonderful ā it would be when in a few years Katara and he had a child? Maybe a dark-skinned little girl with big, blue eyesā¦
He tightened his grip on her, pulling her flush against his body, burying his face in her curls, inhaling her scent.
"I think it's a good thing, after all," he said at last. He could only hope that he didn't offend Katara by saying this ā after all, pregnant women can be rather moody, at least he had heard so -, but his fear evaporated as soon as he felt Katara chuckle in his arms.
"That's all you can say?" she asked, rolling off of him, lying next to him, propping her chin on his chest.
"I could say a million more things, but right now, that's all I can voice," he answered, trying to solve the puzzle his mind had become in the last few minutes.
"Butā¦ are you happy?" Her voice wavered for the first time. He could only imagine what was going on in her head in that moment. She was not only uncertain about her own body, but about his thoughts as well.
He fixed his gaze on the parade of colors above them for a moment, speaking to them.
"I am. At least I think so. Iā¦ I still have to get used to the idea, I think."
Katara laughed again.
"What an odd pair we are, I must say: both of us so uncertain about things we should be certain about."
This was so true and absurd that it made Zuko laugh as well.
They spent a few more minutes there, just laying the snow, not saying a word. Slowly, Zuko's hand found its way to Katara's belly, touching it through her parka. Was there really a baby inside? Katara said it wasn't sure yet, that it was still too early to tell, butā¦ He could have sworn that he felt it now. Not the baby itself, as it moved inside Katara's womb, but something different, some power, something that was almost warmth coming from his beloved. So there really was a baby inside, he was sure. The idea was just so scary and amazing andā¦ and he couldn't even put it into words.
When their moment of serenity was over, Zuko got up, gently helping Katara to her feet as well.
"I think we should go back to the town; it's really cold out here, and I wouldn't want you to catch a cold. Especially sinceā¦ well, especially now." He didn't say it out loud. It was still too new to be said out loud.
Katara didn't argue with him; she could have told him that after all, she was the one who had grown up here, and that he had bigger chances of getting a cold than she had, but she kept silent. She wouldn't bicker with him; not no. She only nodded, and let him put his hand on the small of her back, as if to steady her.
As they were walking down the hill, but before the Southern Lights would have disappeared behind its peak, Zuko stopped for a moment and looked back once more at the wild array of colors painting the sky, the spirits dancing in the night and sent them a silent prayer.
Please, let everything be alright. Please, don't let me turn into my father. Please, protect my family.
Then, taking Katara's hand in his, he led her back to the city.
A/N: Gosh, it's finally finished :D It's just took me likeā¦ forever :) A little bit of explanation: in the beginning I wrote about several Water Tribe villages because I can't imagine that Katara's village is all that's left in the South ā mostly because in the first episode, it has only about a dozen inhabitants, but when Sokka finally meets up with his father, there are, I don't know, at least fifty warriors (they have several ships, at least). Thinking rationally, if Katara's was the only village in the South, there couldn't have been more than a dozen warriors in the Water Tribe 'army'. So my theory is that there are actually more smaller villages in that area, all sending some men to the war :P
Keelut: In Inuit mythology, Keelut is an evil chthonic spirit who resembles a hairless dog. (Source: Wikipedia)
I know that in the show it's said the Waterbenders learned bending from the Moon, but I hope that my version is okay for a fanfic's length :) And who says that they can't have more than one versions of it? :p I mean, for example the Greeks have two version of the birth of Aphrodite.
Lastly, I hope I didn't butcher the that much and you have liked it :) Thank you for reading!
