A/N: Hello there! Welcome to my second Avatar: The Last Airbender fanfic! I do hope you enjoy, since this idea's been sloshing around in my mind for a long time… Now we shall see the extent of a neurotic girlfriend's dominance!
Disclaimer: I do not own Avatar: The Last Airbender or anything related to it, otherwise Zutara would have definitely been canon. But in my mind, it already was canon. ^_^
Gilacorns On Heat
The ticking of the wooden clock on Iroh's desk might as well have been a time bomb for Katara's temper.
"What do you mean, I can't? Why shouldn't I? I'm the best healer you can find for miles – you can even ask Aang!" Her palms were upturned, fingers curled cringingly. The expression smearing her usually soft features was equally frightening; teeth bared, eyes filled with raw ire, brow twitching once in a while.
"Calm down, Katara," said Hakoda quietly. "We are dealing with this."
She let out a sigh, arms falling to her side as she collapsed back into her chair, her fierce expression somewhat cooling into a distressed one. "What is there to deal with?" she murmured, her shoulders slumping.
"My dear, it is not your fault that this has happened… okay, maybe it is." A glare from the young waterbender prompted Iroh on. "You did sneak into the infirmary by your own choice, I remember." Katara nodded slowly, and Iroh let out a sigh, but she was not sure whether it was out of relief or stress. "…But you just need permission from the Fire Lord for you to be doing this…" Ah, the meaning of the sigh. She understood perfectly.
"Like he would do it," she mumbled, propping her head on her hand and gazing sourly off to the side.
Without her knowing, Iroh shared a guilty glance with his friend – and drinking buddy – of recent, Chief Hakoda of the Southern Water Tribe. The man with hazel skin and the same blue eyes as the sulking girl knew of her abilities, but only consent from her master and the Fire Lord would allow her to become what no female ever has: a physician. It was not that Hakoda doubted his daughter, but more of the gender controversy it was bound to create. Surely it was unfair to other women who were older than she was, and were indeed fully grown. She was his little girl who had not even reached the age for marriage, but for this reason he was a just a tad bit biased in her favour. If he could, he would make her a physician right this instant. If only the two most important boys in her life would allow her some freedom…
A knock at the door roused Hakoda from his inner thoughts. Glancing at the clock, he noted that it was two o'clock. It was time for the appointment, in which he hoped to knock down another obstacle preventing his daughter from fulfilling her dream. He moved from his place against the wall beside Iroh's desk and went over to the girl. Placing his hand on her shoulder, he said, "Katara, would you mind stepping out of the office for a while? You can come back later when-"
"It's fine. I'm not in the mood to come back here today – not for another lecture from him."
"You got yourself into this, and now you're speaking as though you hate him?" Hakoda chuckled, withdrawing his hand and rising to his full height. "Now you choose to listen to me, when it's too late."
Katara cracked a smile. "See you later, Dad." She rose from the chair and went over to the door. Upon opening it, she nearly ran into her waterbending master and grandfather, Pakku. "Afternoon, Master," she greeted; it did not feel the same addressing him as anything but her master, though she knew the new bond.
"Good afternoon," returned Pakku without giving her another glance as she stood aside to let him into the office.
Katara frowned. Him too? "Goodbye, General Iroh," she said quietly.
"Address me by my name, dear!" called the old man as she disappeared down the corridor and Pakku closed the door.
She let out a frustrated huff when she left the narrow aisle that led up to the general's office and strode into the main corridors. Ever since last week, the men that found themselves in Iroh's study now had been treating her with delicacy – that is, they had been speaking to her as little as possible and trying to avoid her as often as they could. Her father was not as bad as them, though she could sense the awkwardness. If only this decision would be made faster… Last week, at the time of the cause for this strange manner, she had been making another of her early morning rounds to the infirmary to heal the wounded, take care of the sick, and cheer up the patients. At that time of the day, nurses and physicians were usually at their quarters, leaving the patients open for her to heal. But of course, they could not know about it, and so the task had to be done in secret. She always asked Toph to accompany her every two mornings when she would make her rounds. But that morning, she decided that Toph looked too content in her slumber to be disturbed, and had so set out on her own. Little did she know that Zuko had been up early that morning as well… And that was how she had been caught doing good for the people of the Fire Nation, stopped by their very own leader.
"Leave the physicians to their jobs, Katara. You shouldn't mess with these things – you'll get yourself hurt doing stuff like this!" he'd said.
"I know what I'm doing! I've been doing it since January when I got here!"
After sitting in a chair outside Zuko's study much like a child who had been up to mischief during class, she had been asked to enter at last. That was when she made her claim, one that set her for a week of careful handling by her father, brother, master, and Zuko… she wanted to become a physician, and work alongside the others at the infirmary. So the claim had taken that week to process – her father and Iroh had readily agreed, the latter noting how she seemed to take it very seriously and with a passion. Pakku had arrived at the Fire Nation palace the previous night by ship, after being mailed on the same day that she was caught. And then there was Zuko, whose decision was the most important. He did not want her risking herself, and because of his strength in this belief, she doubted that she was getting a desirable answer from him. Sokka had the exact same belief as Zuko – oh, but his decision did not matter much.
A long and tiring walk then left her slightly short of breath, and Katara finally turned into the elaborate arch of her open bedroom door and removed her scuffed boots. The bedroom opened with a small entrance area, in which there was a golden tapestry with red designs hanging upon the wall. Walking the short way down the open entrance area, she entered the main bedroom. There was a wide, floor length window with a bar running down its middle to divide it, but it was in fact the glass of clear doors leading onto a large circular balcony. The scarlet curtains on either side of the window were tied with amber ribbons, and the rest of the room was a duller red than the scarlet. The fireplace set into the wall on her left upon entering was the same bright red as the four-poster bed facing it against the right wall. Upon the bed perched Suki, legs spread out before her as she leaned on one of the carved poles. Toph sat on the floor – the carpet was nice and soft, apparently – with her back against the cushioned bench in front of the fireplace. The room was fairly small, but it was in between Suki and Toph's rooms, a door on the far side of the fireplace leading to Suki's, and a door next to the bed and closet on the opposite wall leading to Toph's, hence the reason why the two were in Katara's room.
"How'd it go?" asked Suki.
Katara pursed her lips and raised her eyebrows in response. "Is she giving you The Look?" questioned Toph. When the earthbender sensed Katara's neck muscles moving so that her head was turned in her direction, Toph held up her hands. "Sorry. Not my fault I can't see you."
"Well, there wasn't much progress," admitted Katara, moving to the bed and flopping down on her back. "Master Pakku just got to the meeting. I have no clue what he's gonna say because they're all giving me the silent treatment."
"That's not true. I bet they're feeling very bad about it," said Suki, trying to comfort her friend.
"Even Zuko's acting like that!" Katara lifted her arms skyward. "Him, of all people! He hasn't even held my hand since that morning."
Toph made a gagging sound. "Don't gross me out this early."
"It's two in the afternoon," said Katara.
"My point exactly. I should still be asleep! But no, Fangirl here didn't have anyone to mack 'cause Sokka was out in the square, so she woke me up and forced me to talk to her." Toph crossed her right leg over her left, folding her arms while Suki's flushed cheeks were perfectly visible without her Kyoshi makeup on. "And that's why I'd rather stay away from guys and relationships – they're all trouble in the end."
"So what are you gonna do?" Suki turned to Katara.
"About becoming a physician or my brooding relationship?"
"'Brooding relationship' sounds fun." Suki grinned when Toph let out an annoyed grunt.
"Uh, there's not much to it. He just wants me to be okay, but I know I will. I know what I'm doing – I'm at master-level waterbending and my healing is pretty good. At least I think so; no one else could've healed Aang or Zuko better than me. So I just want him to accept it and stop being overprotective."
"That's all?"
"Yeah… unless you want me to go on about how it all happened?"
"Your love story was always an adorable one," mumbled Toph.
Katara sat bolt-upright. "What did you just say?"
Toph sighed. "You heard me."
"You're so sweet sometimes, Toph. Whatever guy gets you is gonna be lucky," teased Suki.
"Ha, you're so funny, Fangirl. Do you think broken funny bones are also funny?"
"Only on people like Sokka," answered Katara with a grin, causing a laugh from Toph. "So, what should I do?"
"Well," Suki adjusted her position so that she was cross-legged and hunched over, preparing to formulate a devious plot, "we need to reel Sparky into the net. We need to get him to walk over that thick ice right to the thin part, and fall right into the cold water beneath that weak layer," she said with a sinister tone.
"Ooh, sounds like fun to me!" Toph crawled closer to the foot of the bed and lifted herself up so that her arms were folded on the edge of the bed, next to Suki's leg, with her head resting on top. "Add me to whatever's cookin' in your pot."
"Right. I have a plan if things get really desperate, but first we need to test just how strong his resistance is. To start off small, you're gonna have to make yourself more… appealing, Katara."
"Appealing?"
Suki eyed the girl's appearance: a faded tunic, rumpled with whatever strenuous tasks she had been doing, complete with a splotch of brown on the abdominal part; a pair of bulky breeches that distorted the lower half of her body, making her look overweight; hair messy and uncombed with two measly beads securing her bangs; and her skin looked as dry as a desert. "You aren't exactly the picture of perfection right now."
Katara's eyes glanced from left to right as she began to feel self-conscious. "I-I know I'm not dressed the most glamorously, but it can't be that bad, can it?"
"Honey, I'm blind and I think you need a makeover," said Toph airily.
"Okay, fine, I need a makeover. But I don't look bad all the time, do I?"
"Of course not! What happened to the saucy waterbender who looks like a Fire Nation dancer? You're still her, but you're dressed atrociously, so we're gonna fix that." Suki balled her fist and held it up. "I declare this the meeting place of the Girls Who Get Guys to Eat Out of Their Hands!"
Silence as Katara and Toph stared. "No offense, Suki, but that name stinks worse than a gilacorn on heat," said the earthbender.
Katara reached forward and smacked Toph's arm. "Where did you learn that language?" she hissed. "I mean, it's true, but still!" Toph snickered while Katara continued to glare at her.
"Okay, so why don't you two think of something?" Suki pouted and looked away, still proud of her name for this gathering.
"I know!" Toph waved her hand in the air. "It's a good one, for sure!"
"Well, what is it?" Suki turned to her.
"This is now the meeting place of… the Gilacorns On Heat!" Toph announced grandly, smiling broadly after two moments of silence.
"That's… not so bad, actually," said Suki, nodding.
"What? That sounds so… rude. We can't use that!" Katara tried to convince Suki.
"Sorry, Sweets, it's two against one." Toph closed her eyes, content. "Since I'm blind, I can't really help you pick out clothes, so I'm just gonna sit here and pretend I know."
"Or you could test whether the outfit's too bulky with earthbending," Suki offered, but Toph didn't make a response and it seemed the former was not expecting one either. She scrambled over the other side of the bed closer to the bedroom's exit, standing in front of the closet set into the wall in the space created by the bedroom's entrance passage. "Let's dress you up, Katara. After this, I can guarantee you'll be a hit tonight. Now, let the first mission of the Gilacorns On Heat begin!"
Mission 1
It was nightfall when all three girls were dressed. Dinners in the palace were only formal on special occasions and on the weekends, hence the reason why Toph despised both. The young girl crouched against the wall in the corridor beside Katara's room. Her parents had sent her bags and crates filled with kimono and hair accessories, squashed beneath the elegant attire. Today, she was wearing a simple celery-coloured kimono with a large, patterned bow to tie; her feet were covered with light, white leggings; and a thin jade headband held her thick bun together, only doing so much to train her bangs. Suki had placed a shawl over her shoulders in an attempt to cover up the enormous bow that Toph could displeasedly feel weighing her down. Suki herself had painted on her Kyoshi makeup like she did for these types of dinners, and was dressed in a deep gold kimono with a dark green tunic on top, heavy boots covering the entire length from her knees to her feet, and two fans tucked beside each other in her belt. As she waited for Katara to come out of her room, she fiddled with one of the dangling cords of her headpiece.
Letting out a sigh, she went to the door and gave it a good hammering. "Katara, for the love of arctic chickens, get out of there!"
"Okay, okay, just a minute." In the bedroom, a loud thump sounded before the door swung open. "How do I look?"
Suki ran her deep blue eyes over the waterbender… even though one who did not formally know her might mistaken her for a traditional Fire Nation girl. The top layer of her dark brown hair was twisted neatly in a loose topknot. The front portions were each tied with a red ribbon and fell over her shoulders, the rest of her hair tumbling down her back. The sleeveless, deep red tunic she wore was made of silk, falling gently down her figure to just grace the floor as she stepped out into the corridor. The fire lily pattern painted at the right corner in gold stretched up to her waist, at which a loose maroon belt tied. Her clingy leggings were the same colour, coating her legs until they met two deep red pumps to match the tunic. Flowing sleeves were attached by golden straps to her forearms just above her elbows, billowing down to her thighs, covering the whole half of her arms in maroon material. The gold on the outfit stood out beautifully amongst the red, another golden object being the pale chain of the pendant, made of hardened amber and mahogany-orange lava, hanging at her collarbone. "Perfect." Suki smiled.
Katara's red lips curved into a smile. "Good. I thought you wouldn't like my pendant."
"Where did you get that from?" asked Suki.
"Don't you remember?" Toph now stood. "Sparky gave it to her, and it's made of some real nice rock, too."
"You remembered?"
"How can I forget? I did steal it a couple times just to see what it was made of…"
"Nice. Can we go now?" suggested Katara. The whole point of this was to sweeten up Zuko.
"Duh." Suki linked arms with her and snatched Toph's, leading them down the corridor in the direction of one of the smaller dining rooms. "Let's run you through how to really butter him up again… what does he like you doing?"
"Besides not becoming a physician, he likes me to waterbend and…" Katara blushed. "He likes it when I massage his head…"
"Aw! I'm sorry, but that is so sweet. Sokka likes it when-"
"Can we please not repeat this discussion?" interrupted Toph.
"Fine," said Suki hardly. "You can't massage his head today 'cause this is a formal dinner. But you can find a way to help him out or something by using pretty bending, right?"
"I'll try."
"None of that, Katara!" Suki pinched her lips to the side in frustration. "You aren't gonna try; you're gonna succeed! If you don't, I'll throw my chopsticks at you."
"And I'll put pebbles in your soup," added Toph.
"Good threat."
"Thanks."
"Anyway, another way to butter him up is to make sure you act all girly and sweet in front of him. Like, when you walk in, give him a kiss on the cheek before going to your own seat, or hold his hand shyly and stuff." Suki looked as though she was making a checklist in her mind. "Oh, and to top off the sweetie behaviour, make sure you dab his mouth with a napkin after he's done eating…"
"Whoa, okay, Suki, we're not married," Katara stopped her. "I've still got a whole year before I'm even at the marrying age, plus we're not entirely sure about the future right now… You and Sokka can act like you're married because, well, you will be soon. But still, we're just normal-"
"I get it, I get it," said Suki. "I'm just trying to think of ways to soften him up for you. It always works with Sokka, mainly because he's got a thin resistance and is too easy… but Zuko, judging by his personality, might be a challenge."
Toph nodded. "And that's why, when you were changing, we came up with plans to-"
"Shh, don't tell her!"
"Oh yeah, sorry."
"What plans?" Katara frowned. She did not like where this was going. "Are you two up to something more than I know of?"
"No," said Suki shortly. "Let's just see if this works- oh, here he comes! Quickly, Toph, move!" Suki released Katara's arm and rushed ahead, dragging Toph on her short legs behind her.
They entered the dining room before she did. Confused, Katara looked at what Suki saw. Ah… there was Zuko, looking sharp his full Fire Lord attire, sweeping over to the dining room, in the direction Suki had gone. Katara dashed forward, catching up to him. "Hey," she said when he did not seem to notice her.
Zuko, his hair pulled up into a topknot, glanced down at her. "Oh, hey," he greeted. His pace quickened, and Katara found herself feeling offended as he left her behind.
She stopped walking. "Zuko, wait!" she called loudly, her voice firm, not buying into the sweetness Suki had suggested it take on. She scowled when he slowed down but did not stop. "Zuko…" This murmur seemed to penetrate him more, and he came to a stop with a sigh, turning around to face her. Her expression melted when she realized that he was not coming closer, so instead she moved forward, stopping a foot away from him. Her gaze locking onto his – the result of the action making her heart give a little flutter – she spoke. "Why are you acting like this?"
"What do you mean?"
"You're treating me as if I've got a disease," she said, only too late realizing her comparison did not help the situation. "You're distancing yourself from me. Is it because of what I want?"
"You really want to become a physician?" He raised his eyebrow.
"Yes, of course. I don't care whether there are other ones – I want to contribute myself. I want to help these people, and I have the power to, but I just don't have the permission."
"Why can't you help at the North Pole or in the Earth Kingdom?" he asked, even though he knew he would not approve any more of it just because it was in another region.
"Because the Fire Nation is still suffering the most. The Poles are fine because they weren't hurt too badly and the healers are already done with them. Now most of the healers have been sent to the Earth Kingdom. But I'm the only Water Tribe healer here that's actually close enough to help. They are just ordinary doctors and herbalists, but I'm a healer. I know every part of the human body and how to heal it. Bloodbending heals, too, and I know because you were the one who said so. So why can't you just say yes?"
"Because you'll have to give up everything. You'll have to leave home, spend your entire day with strangers, and because you're a waterbender the soldiers won't be very pleased 'cause they're still adjusting to the new peace. I'm only doing this to protect you, Katara."
"I know that, but I'm okay with it." She smiled lightly, breaking her gaze and letting her eyes rest to the side. "Because in the Fire Nation, I know you're here, and that's more than enough for me. I'll still get to see the others, but I care most about seeing you. And because you've been drifting away this week, it's not the same. So, I'm asking this not only as Katara the aspiring physician, but also as Katara the girl… can we please go back to normal?" She looked up at him.
Taken aback by her confession, Zuko was lost for words. After a stunned moment, he managed to speak. "I'm sorry, Katara. I didn't mean to…"
"It's okay," she said before he would begin a rant about how sorry he was.
He opened his arms, covered in draping material, and encircled them around her shoulders, pulling her into an embrace. She lifted her arms, moving them up and around his neck, holding him tighter. Eyes closed, he turned his head to bury in her hair. "You look beautiful, by the way."
Katara laughed. "As do you, Mr Fire Lord."
"I'm beautiful?"
"Everyone's beauty is special…" she joked.
"I can't believe I'm saying this, but you have my permission."
She pulled away to look at him. "What?"
"I'm giving you permission," he said simply.
"Really?"
"Yes-"
"Oh my gosh, thank you!" she squealed and nearly crushed him in another embrace.
"Sure. You're gonna enjoy being a nurse."
Her expression fell quicker than she could push him away to give him an irritated glare. "You…"
He smirked, brushing past her smoothly, successfully escaping her wrath. "See you at dinner."
When her eyebrow had begun a twitching parade and her teeth were threatening violence and the dining room door had closed with a mocking click, she let out an exasperated shriek, making the servant who was walking to the dining room nearly drop a tray of appetizers. She held her temples with two fingers, taking deep breaths. She let out an extra sigh; the food was already on its way inside – now there was no way she could poison Fire Lord Zuko's food.
Mission 1 - Unaccomplished
"Hm, I was hoping there wouldn't need to be a second gathering of the G.O.H after how you looked tonight." Suki poked at the fire with a black chopstick she had pocketed from dinner.
"Me too. All this relationship stuff is making me want to enter a submarine… and I hate submarines, Katara," whined Toph as she crawled under Katara's bed.
"Sorry. I wasn't expecting what he said…" Katara removed the necklace and gave it a painful stare as if it held the solution to the problem. She set it on the edge of the fireplace and removed the sleeves of her outfit, letting them drop to the floor in a messy heap. On the way to the bed, she pulled out the bands holding the two front portions of her hair together and set them on the bedside table, before promptly throwing herself on the firm mattress. "I don't think I was too convincing anyway."
"Of course you weren't. You're Katara, sugary sweet and believer of the best in people," came Toph's muffled voice from under the bed.
"I know." The waterbender rolled her eyes.
"Hm, there's only one more chance before we bring out the Ultimate Plan…" Suki quietly contemplated, her back to the others. "Girly flirting is done, so now we have to bring out the begging and sadness that'll make him pity you…" She stood from the bench, tucking the chopstick into her sash. "All right," she announced loudly, "it's time to move onto the next step." She looked at a suspicious Katara over her shoulder. "Bring out the best koalaotter face you've got."
Mission 2
Anyone in the right hand tower of the Fire Nation Palace would have heard a blood-tingling scream chopping the silence at four in the morning.
Suki held Katara by the shoulders as she shivered under her covers. "T-Toph, get that thing out of here," she whispered.
"Aw, come on, it's not that bad, is it?" asked Toph, shaking the scaly, wriggling leg of a mongoose lizard – how it was wriggling, Katara could not comprehend, but it must have been brutally separated from the creature.
"Now!" squeaked Katara.
"Okay, okay." Toph went over to the sliding doors and stepped out onto the balcony. With a small sigh, she let the leg fall over the edge to a fate unknown but not really cared about. "Sheesh, some chicks." She shut the doors after stepping inside again.
"Are you okay?" checked Suki, rubbing Katara's shoulder.
The girl cleared her throat. "Yeah, I'll be fine." Noticing Toph's entry, she scowled. "Why'd you shove that in my face? Where did you get it from anyway? And what time is it?"
"It's part of the plan, it's from Azula's old pet mongoose lizard, and it's four o'clock," Toph counted off on her fingers.
Katara narrowed her eyes. "Is this the Ultimate Plan?"
"Heck no!" Suki gave her shoulder a playful slap and stood from Katara's bedside. "This is just the last normal plan until we actually use the Ultimate Plan. So, you'd better dress quick while I get Zuko."
"What-"
"Just do it." Suki jabbed the chopstick in her face. "I'll be back in five- no, two minutes."
"That's hardly enough time for me to make myself presentable."
"Don't worry. Toph knows the drill."
"Drill? What drill?" Her brows furrowed with suspicion.
The corner of Suki's mouth turned up into something of a smile, and after darting out of the room, Toph came forward with a bundle of red that had been sitting on the bench the entire time, but only noticed now by the horrified Katara. "Put this on, Sweets."
Katara, conscious of not touching Toph's hands, took the bundle from her and started to examine it. "This is Suki's old prison outfit. Why-"
"For Spirits' sakes, stop asking questions and get dressed!"
"Fine, fine." She pulled the baggy short-sleeved top over her head and, with a sniff, tied the scraggy cord around her waist. She then stepped out of the bed, removed her sleeping pants and put on Suki's prison pants. With a sigh, she turned to face Toph, but was hit in the face by one of the younger girl's fists. "Ow!"
"That's so you can gussy down." Toph rubbed her foot over the floor and tilted her head. "Look's like they're coming. Fast, too."
The door was flung open, and Suki's dramatic voice rang throughout the room. "…And she was just screaming. We didn't know what to do, it was so bad! None of us could make her feel better. Please, help her, Zuko?" Her hands were clasped at her chest, and her face was worried, lip trembling at a mile a minute. Looking at Katara, her eyes flickered a bit to alert her.
"Oh!" Katara covered her mouth with a hand, eyes apparently turning relieved and anxious at the same time, but in fact, she was just struggling to act out an endearing emotion. "Uh… I'm so glad you came!" She threw her hands into the air and scurried to him, squeezing him without mercy. "What took you so long?" she sobbed with exaggeration. Head tucked on his shoulder, she signaled for Suki to leave.
"Come on, Toph. We'll come back when she's okay." Suki snatched the earthbender's arm and towed her into her bedroom, closing the door even though they were, without a doubt, pressed against it to listen.
Katara wasn't coping too well on her own, not having anything to say. And so Zuko, who hadn't managed a word in any of the two exchanges that had woken him up this morning, sighed heavily. "What is it now, Katara?"
Her face produced a frown – from his response and from the ache Toph had caused it – and pushed him away to stare at him angrily. "What's that supposed to mean? Don't you care? I'm practically having a mental breakdown! Aren't you going to say something to comfort me?"
"I'm sure it was just a nightmare." He shrugged, and let out a yawn into his hand. "Drink something and go to sleep." He waved the same hand and made to exit.
"H-Hey!" She sunk her nails into his other hand. "You can't just leave! Don't you want to tell me something… healthy? Because, my bad dream was that this… this mongoose lizard ravaged a poor man and I couldn't save him, because I was trapped in this room, because I couldn't get out, because someone who is oddly muscular for his age wouldn't let me out!" she babbled in one breath. "So, don't you know about a certain something that'll cheer me up?"
He turned his head and gave her a bored look. "You don't think I know about your strategies? The maids heard those two eavesdroppers talking about this very plan. I saw it coming, so you can go to bed now – that includes you two, behind the door," he called in the direction of Suki's bedroom. "I might see you later, and if you're lucky, I might even compliment you." He lifted Katara's clawing hand up and pressed his lips to it. "Sweet dreams." With a smug twitch of the eyebrow, he released it and breezed out of the room, closing the door behind him.
Mission 2 - Unaccomplished
Just then, Suki's door burst open and earthbender and warrior scrambled to get to the blushing girlfriend first. "What'd he say?" asked Suki, shoving Toph away by the face.
Katara touched her hands, the one he kissed still tingling, to her cheeks to hide her blush. "He's got maids listening in… I think it's time for the Ultimate Plan…"
"Very well," said Suki stonily. She went over to the bench and instinctively sat behind it, opposite Toph. "Join us, Katara. You've gotta oath that you want to go ahead with this."
"Tell me what you're gonna do first."
"I'm afraid we can't do that, Sweets," said Toph thickly. "You either take a seat, or end up like Azula's pet."
"You sealed your fate upon joining the G.O.H." Suki closed her eyes. "Now sit, Katara."
The girl gulped and clutched at her shoulder. "All right." She knelt before the vertical end of the bench closest to the door. "Let's do this."
Suki produced a blade from within the long-sleeved nightgown she wore, and put the hand holding the blade in the centre of the bench. "You in, Toph?"
"Naturally." Toph sent her a grin and held up a hand coated in dirt, much like a glove. She hammered it down on Suki's hand, causing a strangled grunt to sound in the latter's throat. "What?"
"Nothing," hissed Suki through forming tears. "Katara?"
"I suppose…"
"None o' that, Katara!" chided Toph. "Come on, say it like you mean it!"
"Okay. Uh… I'm in! Let's do this!" Katara dragged her hand in the air and pulled water seemingly out of nowhere. Even though it wasn't much, she let it cloak her hand and smacked her palm down on the pile; Suki let out a small whimper, and Katara concentrated the water onto her friend's hand, healing it after the silvery glow died down. Suki smiled at her in thanks before plucking last night's black chopstick from her belt.
"Ladies," she cast them an intense glare and tossed the chopstick over her shoulder and into the glowing dots that remained in the fireplace, "the mission carrying out the Ultimate Plan is now commensing. We attack at noon."
Toph chortled. "I feel like I'm part of an Azula-scheme."
The Ultimate Mission
Katara was surprised and appalled at how colourful Suki's imagination was. Now, as the sun peaked high in the sky, she loitered beside the shooting and bubbling fountain in the centre of a large courtyard in the Fire Palace, dressed in her faded tunic, breeches and boots. She was wary not to do anything embarrassing, for somewhere around her, Suki and Toph were lurking in the shadows, watching her carefully and ready to carry out their part of the mission. Katara chewed her lip and flexed her fingers, listening for the sound of a certain pair of Fire Nation boots. She took a deep breath, trying to communicate with her conscience on the matter of whether this was the right thing to do.
Tap, tap, tap…
Too late. Time for action, not consulting. She stopped fidgeting and stirred the water leisurely, idling until the footsteps behind her drew closer and abruptly stopped.
"What are you doing now?" Zuko asked in an exhausted tone.
She stopped stirring and turned around, not bothering to feign surprise. "I'm waterbending. Apparently, while you make your decision, I mustn't waterbend too often. They say it'll put you off."
"Isn't my decision obvious?" He sighed, the broad shoulders of his Fire Lord attire heaving with the movement. "I don't want you to-"
"Wait, so you're really saying 'no'?" She pursed her lips when he nodded slowly. Glancing up, she saw Suki's shape darting behind a chiseled boulder. Her mind was made up – the Ultimate Plan was going through. "This is even worse than that gilacorn I saw this morning." There was no response to the code word – 'gilacorn'. "I said, I saw a gilacorn this morning!" she half-shouted.
Behind the boulder, Suki clamped her hands down on Toph's shoulders. They had heard the code word twice, the second time only a confirmation of whether they had heard correctly. Toph jumped up in place, short enough to still be concealed by the boulder, and sunk right through the earth as though it were water. Suki let go as soon as she disappeared underground; she was only meant to help Toph's dunking. Silently, Suki withdrew a damp piece of cloth from a komodo leather pouch and stepped out from behind the boulder. As Zuko questioned Katara as to why she was screaming about gilacorns, the Kyoshi Warrior inched forward. Below her, Toph was sensing her every step through the earth, keeping track of her position. Now. There was a burst of sand as a cylinder of earth shot up from the ground, smacking Zuko square in the gut. The Fire Lord saw blackness before he hit the ground – Suki's hand was now firmly over his nose and mouth, letting him inhale the pungent scent of shirshu sap. He was unconscious before he could piece together what was happening.
"…Wake up," cooed a sweet voice. "You're okay now…"
Zuko had been sailing in and out of consciousness for a long while now, and when he opened his eyes and blinked the haze away, he found himself staring into the innocent eyes of Katara, the lamps in his bedroom lit and the curtains drawn; it must be nighttime. Her hair was falling over her shoulder, brushing his cheek as she smiled with relief. Usually he would have liked this picture, not having much of an excuse for staring at her other than the fact that she had a lovely face… but he remembered that this was an unusually happy Katara under not-so-happy circumstances, and he could sense that there was another motive behind that sweet smile. "…Wh-What happened?" he struggled to say.
"You came over to me in the courtyard, and then you stumbled and fell over right into this boulder when you were leaving. I asked a bunch of guards to help me bring you here-"
"No…" he interrupted her lamely. "I remember Suki and Toph there… Wait – did you guys do this?"
Katara surprised him by narrowing her eyes. "Oh, I was angry at you, hoping I can get my revenge, but then you fell into that boulder. This is just me," she paused, smiling eerily to herself, "and my abilities, nursing you back to health."
He flinched. "Why?"
"I spoke to Master Pakku and your uncle. They think that this is the perfect way to prove how worthy I am of the position."
"And how do you intend to prove your worth?" he ventured cautiously.
She grinned widely and left her stool, going over to the dressing table and choosing something that Zuko couldn't see. She came back and sat down lightly, as though he had never asked the question. She leaned over him once again, her hair slipping over her shoulder and next to his cheek, blocking his view of the curtain. "I'm going to handle you with the best care…" Her hand cupped his cheek, and her lips pressed softly to his, eyes closed. No matter how creeped out he was, he gave up and let her deepen the kiss. Suddenly he felt a sting on his wrist, making him flinch again. He decided to ignore it, but when he tried to lift his hand, he found… that it couldn't move. Sensing this, Katara pulled away, smirking.
"Why can't I-?" he stopped, eyes widening when she held up a long, brown quill.
"Shirshu quill. Paralyzes instantly. You should know from your adventures with Jun." Katara patted his cheek with her free hand and immediately drew it away to hold his other arm down. She sunk the quill only slightly into his wrist, making him wince. "And now the other half of your body is paralyzed!" she announced cheerfully.
"What are you planning to do now?" he demanded irritably.
"Trust me, Sparky." She got up and before exiting the room, told him one last thing darkly: "When I'm done with you, you'll never say 'no' again."
Katara was secretly very proud of herself. She had never thought that she of all people could be so intimidating – well, actually she could, but that was beside the point. She loved this feeling of control, of power. No wonder Azula had enjoyed scaring her older brother. And so she toddled down the corridor, a bounce in her step as she beamed at a pair of guards on morning patrol. When they bowed at her, she couldn't help but feel smug… again.
She had breakfast for him this morning. Before he had woken up, she had already done an assessment of his apparently self-inflicted wound, and declared that his condition allowed him to only eat liquid foods. The chef had insisted sending up something for the Fire Lord, but Katara wanted to give him a special meal. It might have looked suspicious, her prancing along the corridors with a small pot tucked under her arm. Nobody expected her to poison the food – why on earth would she do that? She needed him alive to give her consent, so that would be the dumbest move to pull. She had an even harsher thing in place, one that she hadn't needed Suki or Toph's help with. If they knew what she was about to do, they would beg her not to do it, for they wouldn't wish that upon their worst enemy…
The waterbender came to a stop outside the Fire Lord's private chambers, marked by the Fire Nation insignia. Without knocking, she pushed the heavy doors open and strolled inside. It was like a mini house in here, a whole portion of interconnected corridors dedicated to making up one enormous bedroom. Katara suspected that there might even be secret passages, but she could find that out later. Zuko would be more than willing to disclose later on.
"Zuko?" She opened another set of double doors, these ones with the pattern of the Fire Lord's headpiece painted on them in gold. She went inside to find him propped up on pillows, the curtains open and the maroon mosquito-nets on his bedposts bound; the maids had already been in here. "How are you feeling?" she asked as she occupied the stool at his bedside.
"Fine," he mumbled. "What's that?" His eyes flicked down to the pot she was cradling, unable to move his hand to point at it.
"This," she placed it in the centre of his lap, "is your breakfast."
"…I'm not hungry." He looked away.
"Aw, but I hear the chef never send anything up. Remember, Sparky, I have to take care of you."
"You do realize this game isn't going to work, don't you? I-" He was stopped when she shushed him and placed a finger on his lips.
"I should have paralyzed your mouth, but then I wouldn't have heard it when you say 'yes'." She took the lid off the pot and put it on the bedside table. The scent of seafood tangled with steam drifted into the air. "I don't believe you've had five-flavour soup before?"
"Is that something I should be scared of?"
"No, no! It's a traditional Water Tribe dish." She dipped a spoon into the pot and brought out a brown, ordinary-looking substance. "Try some – I'm sure you'll like it." She brought it to his lips without waiting for an answer and, having no other choice, Zuko swallowed the spoonful of soup.
"It's… not bad," he said as she filled the spoon again.
"Right?" She nodded. "I had to find substitutions for the stuff found back at the Water Tribe. It's got ocean kumquat, oysturtle, cabbage…" Another spoonful. "Hm, chili…" Another spoonful. "And the fifth flavour, which has to be a personal addition to the recipe…"
"Yeah?" He waited until she got out another spoonful from the little pot.
"My own choice…" She put the spoon in his mouth. "…whale testicle."
Fire Lord Zuko choked. The soup in his mouth was spurted out onto his front as he gagged and retched. "What the-"
"Don't swear!" she interrupted and shoved a napkin between his lips. "What's your problem? In my village, whale is a respected dish."
He did his best to spit the napkin out. "Yeah, but whale testicle? Where'd you get that?"
She lifted her nose indignantly. "I've been on fishing trips with my brother before. I think I'd know where to get them from."
"Ugh… You may as well have put Sokka's-"
"Uh-uh, don't bring that up! I was already debating it before I went out to get the whale, but then I might miss out on being an aunt." She moved the pot from his lap and onto the bedside table. Looking down at him, she clicked her tongue. "Zuko, you messed your shirt. Now we'll have to get you cleaned up before you attract flies."
"Oh, I've already attracted one, believe me…"
She stood up and cupped his cheeks. "Don't be like that. The easy way out will be if you-"
"No, no, and no."
"Fine then." She slid her hands down until they came to rest on his chest, Zuko's single eyebrow traveling higher. She shifted her fingers and undid the first button, working her way down his muscled front. By the time she got to the last button, Zuko's eyebrow may as well have fallen off his face. She pulled the cotton material off of his arms which flopped down uselessly after that. She tossed the shirt somewhere behind her and bent down to his face, planting a quick kiss on his cheek. "I'll be back in a bit." She straightened up and winked. "Don't miss me too much."
"Sure," he managed in a whisper.
"Spirits, help me now!" Suki squealed skyward as tears streamed from her eyes. She was knocked off of her feet when Toph, laughing her head off, started pounding the ground with her fist, simultaneously using earthbending. Needless to say, Katara's cohorts had been amused by what she had told them. Katara herself flopped down on the bench, offering her hand to Suki, who was slowly recovering in little gasps. Instead, at the Zuko-imitation Toph did between breaths, Suki was overwhelmed and yanked Katara to the ground with her.
Five minutes later the three girls lay in a star shape, heads close to one another with hair piled beneath them, chests heaving as their breathing eased up. Katara let out one more giggle before speaking again. "I think I know what I'm gonna do next."
"There's a next after that?" Toph questioned incredulously.
Suki cackled and hit her arm playfully. "Enlighten us, Katara."
"Well, Sparky was awfully dirty after spilling his soup… Maybe he needs a bath?" Katara broke off and snorted.
Suki flipped over so that she was lying on her stomach. "I'm so glad we're friends."
"Almost sister-in-laws, remember," said Toph.
"You're gonna be my sister-in-law, too. You and Katara are sisters, remember?"
"Oh yeah…" Toph chuckled, slightly worn out from all the laughter. "My sister from another mister…"
"Of course, Toph." Katara smiled. "Now, I promised Sparky I'd be back, so it's time to go and fill up a bucket."
"You're gonna make him strip down and stuff him in a bucket?" Toph raised her eyebrows and guffawed.
"No…" Katara gave her a flat look when she sat up, even though she knew it was pointless. "I'm going to give him a nice waterbending bath – I'll tell you all about it later."
"Oh, and Katara?" Suki grabbed the edge of her tunic before she could stand and walk away. "Put on your Fire Nation disguise to… spice up the occasion."
"Nice idea." Katara nodded at her and went into the bathroom after retrieving the change of clothes from the closet.
When Katara returned to Zuko's main bedroom, she found him asleep. Her conscience started to nag at her after seeing his peaceful, vulnerable face. She didn't let his scar decide how he looked, for she didn't mind it one bit. The only thing she had against it was the anger and bitterness put behind the blast that gave it to him, and the pain it had caused him physically and mentally. He had a handsome face, actually… And it was kind of cute the way his lips were parted slightly. She also liked that he didn't snore. Sokka snored. Her dad snored. Aang… nope, but he would only at certain times make a puh sound when he released breath. But Toph! Yeah, she snored sometimes. She didn't really snore when she had a bad dream… Wait, what am I doing? She had gone really off-track now.
She went over to the bed as quietly as she could and set the bucket of water in her arms at the foot of the bed. She untied one piece of Suki's rope from around her waist and knotted it to a bedpost, taking the other end and tying it around Zuko's ankles after lifting the covers. She crept around when it was secure and used the other piece of rope to tie it to the bedpost at the head of the bed, taking his arms and joining it to the rope. He stirred, a small frown forming on his face. When his eyes opened, they were startled to find Katara looming right above him. Quickly, she pulled the part of the rope dangling down, hoisting his arms uncomfortably into the air. She darted to the foot of the bed and tugged hard on the remaining rope.
And this was the Fire Lord, shirtless and in a pair of loose sleeping pants, curved awkwardly in the air, his whole body off of the bed.
"Katara, dammit, what are you doing?"
"Pardon me, Your Majesty, but it's time for your bath." She breezed over to the bucket and began streaming the water out into the open.
"M-My what?" he spluttered, a blush creeping to his cheeks as his hair fell away from his face. He winced in pain when he jerked his head to look at her, doing it a little too violently out of the belief that he was still paralyzed. "Hey… Hey, I can move!" He was starting to panic.
"Yeah." She put on a disinterested tone when in fact she was dying to laugh. Finally, all of the water was in the air below Zuko, an amount great enough to span the length of his body and more. "You can move all you want during your first waterbending bath, Zuko." His eyes widened. "Unless there's something you'd like to tell me?"
"N-Never," he murmured.
"Suit yourself." Goodness, she loved how jittery he was becoming.
Zuko forced himself to look at the space above him. He clenched his teeth together and felt the freezing coldness of the water come closer to his body – maybe if he closed his eyes, it would be over faster…
"…and tell General Iroh that his nephew is perfectly fine. He is doing so well, and also say that I think he's going to say 'yes'."
"Of course, Miss Katara." The maid bowed low and left the newly cleaned bedroom.
Katara smiled serenely as the maid went over to the door and wheeled in a two-level cart; the bottom level deep and closed, steam seeping through holes in the thick, iron surface; the top level open with round objects lined up neatly upon it. The maid bowed once again and left the room. "Thank you so much!" called Katara after her. The latter's arms were folded over her bare abdomen, and she only undid them in order to close the bedroom door. She came back into the main area and ran her eyes over the nephew that was doing so well.
Zuko was spread out on the bed, tucked underneath maroon covers lined with gold patterns, up to his waist. His eyes were closed, mouth open, looking particularly not well. His arms were at his sides, placed so by Katara, who had arranged it so that it looked like he was in a stable condition and tidy too. His eyes cracked open a smidge, and when his head – now on only two pillows so that he was flattened out – tried to turn to look at his quietly amused girlfriend-slash-caregiver, he found that he was paralyzed yet again. "Ka-Katara…"
"Zuko," she said fondly, coming closer to the bed, still keeping her arms crossed. "How are you feeling?"
He narrowed his eyes as best as he could. "Never better. Thanks to you."
"You're so sweet. I think you could feel just a bit better, though."
"Oh no," he muttered.
"Don't be like that. I asked your uncle earlier what else I can do for you, just for a treat. I said that I should probably give you a massage – that would be like the cherry on top, right?" She wheeled the cart closer to the bed. "And this time, I'm not trying anything funny." She turned her back to him and fiddled with something on the cart before facing him once again. She took him by the shoulders and pulled him up and, keeping one hand on a shoulder, placed one hand at his back and managed to turn him over onto his front. She giggled when she noticed that his face was shoved deeply into the pillows, and turned his head gently so that he could look at her while lying on his stomach. She then splayed her hands out underneath his well-defined shoulder blades, and pressed her fingers deep into the skin in a rippling motion, earning a sigh from him. After a few moments, she leaned down to whisper in his ear. "But your uncle suggested something else to make this massage more interesting…"
Katara took a step away from him and straightened up, right in front of the cart. She reached behind her back, still looking at him with a painfully sweet smile. Although she couldn't see it, his eyebrow was rising high for the second time today. His eyes widened – what was she…? A lot of things started to spring to Zuko's mind then, and if he weren't paralyzed, he would probably kick himself for thinking things that would make Chief Hakoda very angry and turn his uncle bright pink. But he relaxed when Katara produced a pair of prongs, with a round, smooth stone clasped between them – wait, what?
"Your uncle suggested that I give you a hot stone massage. He was even nice enough to heat the stones up for me, and have them sent here." She grinned widely and stepped closer to the bed. "You're his nephew – you should know what his nickname is, right?"
"The Dragon of the West," whispered Zuko.
"Exactly. He's a really powerful firebender, and able to cast lightning-" she twisted her wrists to show the red, hot underside of the stone "-and breathe huge amounts of fire… like a-"
"-dragon," Zuko finished.
"You're so good at this! So, Zuko," she continued, giving him a positively terrifying smile, "I hope you thoroughly enjoy your hot stone massage." She moved forward, and Zuko could see beads of sweat clinging to her exposed skin. She brought the stone closer to his cheek, teasing him, and he could feel the sweat quickly forming on his own skin.
"Katara…" He pleaded with his eyes.
He gulped as she lifted the stone higher, clasped between the prongs, so that it was next to her head. "Ready to surrender to me?"
It was morning of the following day, and there was a gathering in the office belonging to General Iroh, who sat at his desk. Hakoda stood at his right, Pakku on his left, and Sokka against the wall by his father. Zuko and Katara were standing in front of the desk; the latter with her hands joined loosely behind her back, and the former with his arms folded, fingers hopping up and down on his forearm.
"…Yeah… um, so I give her consent…" Zuko was saying, licking his lips and blinking continuously. "You can put it in ink." He nodded his head at the document on the desk before him.
"Fire Lord Zuko, you're the one that has to sign," said his uncle and slid an inked brush forward.
"Oh… o-okay." When he bent down to sign it, everyone took the chance to exchange glances. Zuko straightened up and took a step back from the desk, in line with Katara, hands clenched behind him, lips pursed before he began another rant on the subject at hand. Pakku took the document with him when he left the room in order to log it in the palace records, sighing at the young couple as he went.
Iroh, Hakoda, and Sokka glanced in amusement between the flushed, stammering Zuko and a smirking Katara. Whatever she had done to change his mind so quickly must have been more than effective… And so, when the meeting was over and Iroh and Hakoda took to drinking after the youth were ushered outside, it was final that Katara was an official physician. Suki and Toph were waiting for her outside the office; Katara and Suki took to a girlish squealing fit, while Toph merely beamed and, in her desperation to hear how it had all happened, dragged them away while occasionally using earthbending on the stone floors. Sokka and Zuko were left behind, watching their cheerful mini-parade drift away.
"So… Suki came to me today," Sokka started, scratching his head and grimacing. "She was talking about getting a new kimono before the wedding… And it was kinda really scary. I'm guessing she and my sister were working together…" He glanced at Zuko, who was now leaning heavily against the wall.
"Sokka, these girls will be the death of us."
The Ultimate Mission - Accomplished
A/N:
Oh wow, that was surprisingly long… Did ya like it? XD
Yeah… so I got that whale part from Avatar: The Abridged Series, of Bato of the Water Tribe. Check it out on YouTube – I couldn't stop laughing! :P Oh, and if you want to know how their relationship came to this, my story Love Amongst the Dragons is just a follow-up… I should probably go finish it now!
Thanks for reading!
~SuperSonic Violet