Again The Titans Clash

Again the Titans Clash

7/12/08

Normal

"Talking"

Thinking

"'Long before there were any stories told in Greece or any poems sung which have come down to us, perhaps even before there were storytell'-Oh my word. Will someone please shoot me," Katara groaned in agony. "What is wrong with this lady? Does she like torturing teenagers or did she really have that much time on her hands?"

"Does it really matter?" Zuko snapped. Why he had ever agreed to help Katara with her homework, he didn't know. Well, he did know, but he wasn't going to admit to that. "Listen, everyone who takes this course has to read the book. It's called 'Honors English Hazing,' or 'Weeding Out The Weak.' Even I had to read it. Besides, it's your fault for not doing the reading in the summer like you were asked to."

Katara scowled at Zuko from across the couch. "I did do the reading. I'm sorry that my brain just so happened to betray me when it came to memorizing the boring material." With huff she slouched down into sofa and glared at the young man.

Note to self: Never help Katara with homework.

Though it wasn't like anyone thought someone would need to help her. Katara was a strait 'A' student and much better with her studies than Zuko, which why he was shocked when she asked him for help. It turned out that she had been assigned to write a paper about a myth and had no idea what to do it on. So, she assumed Zuko, who had already gone through the class, could help her. Thus, leading them to this night in which they were at Zuko's house, alone, studying.

I'm going to kill Uncle. As soon as Katara arrived, the jolly old man had spouted some nonsense about going shopping, given Zuko a mischievous wink, and left. That was three hours ago and he still wasn't back. And if I'm lucky, Sokka won't be the one picking her up and therefore he won't kill me. Though, knowing his luck, Sokka would come and Zuko would be killed because he was tutoring the girl he liked. As a friend! I like her as a friend.

"Well?" Katara growled, snapping the teen out of his thoughts.

"What?"

She fumed. "I said, "What myth do you think would be a good one to write the paper on?'" Zuko could practically feel the rage coming of her in waves. He knew she hated having to rely on someone when it came to schoolwork. It was what she was supposed to be good at, and she was… until it came to mythology.

So, let's fix that. "Well, which story do you find interesting?"

"None of them. That's why I'm asking you," she spat.

Zuko was surprised by the answer. "Really? Not even the one about Hades and Persephone?"

"Yes," Katara hissed. "Not even the one about Hades and Persephone."

"Hmm." Zuko thought back on all the myths he'd read, hoping to remember one that Katara would like. "What about the story of Oma and Shu?"

"Oma and who?"

"Oma and Shu," Zuko chuckled, before he was stopped by her withering glare.

"Oma was known as the volatile sun goddess," he began. "Every morning she would wash the blood of her enemies off in a river in the east, tinting the clouds red. She would then bend fire into her palm to light her trek across the heavens. When she reached the west, more enemies would meet her and she would slay them, and their blood would turn the skies crimson. Then she would begin her underground journey back to her camp in the east.

"Shu was the peaceful moon god. Every night he would join the stars in their migration across the pitch-black sky to light the way. Constantly he would call upon the waters of the earth to play with them. Though, no matter how far they reached, they could never make it. When the journey was over, Shu and the stars too went underground to return to the west.

"Then one night, the gods' paths crossed, and the two stumbled onto each other and were captivated. Shu had never met someone with such a fiery passion while Oma had never seen someone with such a tranquil aura. Oma did not hesitate to point her observation out, causing Shu to blush. After that, they corresponded through notes left with the clouds, and their love grew. However, they were doomed to love from afar until a day came when they met again and became one."

With his tale finished, Zuko turned his attention back to Katara, and what he saw caused a shiver to go down his spine. She stared at him with her intense blues eyes shining with awe while a delicate red hue had dusted itself across her cheeks. Zuko couldn't help but notice how cute she looked.

Nice! I meant nice.

"That story was…beautiful," Katara breathed. A smile formed on her lips. "I'm impressed you could remember all of that."

"Yes, well I aim to please," he joked, fighting back a blush.

"How do you do it?" she asked, looking honestly confused.

"Do what?"

"Remember all of those myths."

Zuko chuckled. "Well I, unlike you, actually liked the mythology course."

"Yeah but, how?" she pressed.

A smile eased its way onto his mouth. He knew he'd be pushing it. "I think their beautiful."

Something flickered across Katara's face. She seemed to hesitate nervously, then said, "Zuko-"

The bang of a door being flung open cut her off. It was quickly accompanied by the sound of her brother shouting, "Zuko? Katara? Where are you and what are you doing?"

"Quiet, Sokka," a devious female voice, obviously Toph, ordered. "You might interrupt them and their 'studying.'"

"They better not be studying," Sokka roared.

Zuko's heart sunk at the fact that she would be leaving so soon. However, it soon leapt up and lodged itself in his throat when he heard Katara mumble,

"Stupid Sokka and his bad timing."

A.N. Uhg, I thoroughly hate this one. The only remotely good thing in it is the Oma and Shu part and that's tiny. XP There's not even a lot of Zutara in it. I vow to make the next one MUCH better!

Disclaimer:I don't own Avatar, because if I did, Zuko wouldn't even own a shirt.

May I have a review?

P.S. The Oma and Shu story is a tweaked version of the Aboriginalmyth of the sun and moon. Very tweaked I might add.