Happenstance

"What I want is for the two of us to meet somewhere by chance one day, like, passing on the street, or getting on the same bus." –Haruki Murakami IQ84.

Zuko cursed at the rain. It hadn't been in the forecast so he hadn't bothered to bring an umbrella. It wasn't as if it had even been cloudy. It was just one of those times when the clouds turned black and burst open on poor souls like him.

Quickly scanning the surrounding area, Zuko cursed again. Republic City was still a new city under construction and there weren't many structures to keep the rain off him. Shaking his shaggy hair out of his eyes, Zuko's eyes settled on a tunnel down the street. He didn't have to think twice before sprinting towards it, sneakers slipping on the slick pavement.

But he didn't even make it halfway there.

Skidding to a halt, Zuko's head whipped around to stare at the girl in the rain. She was just sitting there. On the sidewalk. The rain was streaming off the ends of her hair, her delicate nose, and she was just letting it. To say he was confused was an understatement. Zuko couldn't understand why anybody would want to be in the rain; especially, when it was coming down this hard. But there was this girl. Just sitting there with her face turned up to the sky. It was as if she welcomed it and he was stunned to see a smile slowly spread on her face. She was radiant. And in that moment, Zuko forgot about the rain. All he could see was this girl's tan skin and blue eyes. And that beautiful smile.

Awkwardly shoving his hands in his pockets, Zuko walked to her. She didn't turn to face him and he didn't say anything to her. Instead, he sat down next to her and tilted his head up to the sky. Neither of them said a word as the rain pounded into them. They simply sat there side by side letting the rain come down around them. They weren't touching, but Zuko was close enough to her to feel the gentle warmth from her arm. Eventually, Zuko's eyes turned to the girl next to him. Though she had yet to speak, there was no awkwardness in the silence. She had silently welcomed his company even though he was a complete stranger.

Since her face was still turned up to the sky, Zuko took a moment to stare. She was gorgeous. He was taken aback by the thought, but his golden eyes hungrily drunk in her tan skin, long wavy hair, and deep blue eyes. He was certain the expression on his face would scare her if she turned to look at him, but he couldn't help it. He had only one very serious girlfriend in his past and she had been as pale as porcelain with jet black hair. Zuko used to think she was the most beautiful woman he had ever met and ever would meet. This tan girl was the opposite of Mai and yet Zuko couldn't help but crown her the new queen of beauty in his mind.

"My name is Katara." Zuko blinked in surprise. He hadn't noticed that this girl… Katara… had turned her face towards him. An amused smile painted her lips and her blue eyes gently reprimanded him for staring.

"Uh… I'm… My…. Zuko…" He stuttered, thrusting his hand out. The girl's smile widened as she shook his hand. Zuko berated himself for being so awkward. He was normally a much smoother guy. This damn girl had taken him off guard.

"That's a nice name," Katara said, tucking her soaked hair behind her ear. Her eyes turned thoughtful. "Fire Nation, huh?"

"Yeah… Traditional kind of name. But what about Katara? It's a beautiful name."

"It's Water Tribe. Not traditional at all. But my mom didn't want an ordinary name for me. I think my parents were arguing about what to name me and my brother suddenly blurted out a combination of the names. I think my dad wanted to name me Katya and my mom wanted me to be named Kiara." Nostalgia briefly flashed in Katara's eyes as she told the story. If Zuko hadn't been so focused on her, he might have missed it. But then the girl turned her face back to the sky and that was when Zuko noticed that the rain had gone from a downpour to a drizzle.

"The rain stopped," he commented, following her gaze to the light gray clouds. "But… why were you sitting in the rain?"

Katara gave him a hard look as if she was trying to see into his soul before turning her gaze to her hands. "My mom. She always loved the rain. She called it the giver of life. She passed on that love to me. I've always loved the ocean and rain. Anything with water really. After my mom died, it rained for days. I would sit outside and let it fall over me because it felt like she was reaching out to hug me again."

Without hesitating, Zuko quietly told her the story of his mom's disappearance. As of yet, nobody could find her and Zuko had been lost under the care of a cruel father and mean sister. If it hadn't been for his uncle, he would never have found beauty in simply being. He was staring at his hands as he told her all this and was startled to feel her slender arms wrap around him. It felt kind of nice though and Zuko found himself instinctively laying his head on top of hers.

The sun was starting to shine and Zuko found that he was sad to see it. He couldn't remember the last time he had been sad to see the sun. Maybe it was the day after he found out his mom had disappeared. But he hated how this time it would be Katara leaving. Suddenly, he knew that he could not let this girl leave.

"Do you want to get some coffee?" Katara asked.

Zuko blinked in surprise. Was she a mind reader or something?

"I'll pay," She offered.

Zuko shook his head. "I have a better place to go. It's called the Jasmine Dragon."

He stood up and offered Katara his hand. Neither would ever let go.