Disclaimer: I own nothing. Well...okay, not so true, but i don't own Avatar...or Zuko...I wish I could own Zuko. I'd stick him in my closet, easy access. XD Enough of my babbling, on with the story!
Zuko walked out of the palace, denying the palanquin that was waiting for him. After all, he was just going down the street to Mai's. He hadn't seen her in a few weeks beyond the occasional glimpse in the palace corridors. It had been two years since the end of the war and he and Mai had been together ever since.
Zuko's duties rapidly increased, though as time went by, he was still dealing with the repercussions of the catastrophe Ozai had made. As he and Mai saw less of each other, tension grew. They had more fights in the last year and he wanted to make it up to her.
He brought hand picked panda lilies for her and wanted to spend the evening just being a real couple. Not the Fire Lord and his girlfriend. Zuko had picked up on cooking while he was in exile and planned to make her whatever she wanted. Sure, she was a little on the rough side, but he knew that she secretly loved this stuff.
He knocked on the door and waited. When no one answered, he knocked again, more insistently. Footsteps could be heard on the other side, amid curses and the sound of silk slipping over skin. The door opened to reveal Mai, feather soft raven's hair let down to tumble around her shoulders, slightly frazzled.
"Oh Zuko! I wasn't expecting you."
"I brought panda lilies," he said, gesturing to the flowers. "Mind letting me in? I thought I could make you dinner."
"Ah, sorry, now's not a good time."
"Why not?" Zuko leaned against the door, golden eyes deadly serious. "When can you not have time for your Fire Lord boyfriend?"
He suspected what was going on; of course it was obvious now. She hadn't opened the door wider than a sliver, her pale face flushed. But what gave her away the most were her eyes. They betrayed innocence and were instead filled with guilt and deceit.
He pushed the door open all the way, dropping the panda lilies on the floor. Mai was barefoot, a hastily thrown on robe tied with a silk belt. She didn't meet his eyes as he glanced at her, looking her up and down.
Zuko moved through her house, searching the rooms. "So where is he?" he asked her, calm voice lined with spite. "Where's the man that you've been cheating on me with?"
Mai fell to the floor on her knees, bowing low. Tears streaked down her frightened face. He entered her bedroom, where he knew her lover would be. Zuko hauled the man up from the floor by the collar of his shirt, throwing him in front of Mai.
"Is this him?" he demanded. When she didn't reply, he thundered," "Look at him! Look at him, Mai! Is this man your lover?"
She nodded, her entire body shaking now. "Get out of my sight," the firebender ordered the man, "you are exiled for life. If my guards don't see you at the docks in ten minutes, you will die." The man practically threw himself out the door in his urgency to get far away. The Fire Lord raked a hand through his hair, regaining a façade of composure. Zuko strode past Mai, speaking quietly, "Have some dignity next time Mai, and break up with your boyfriend before you cheat on him."
Katara sailed into the Fire Nation's capital, intent on getting away from Sokka and Toph for a week or two. She was going to visit Aang and Zuko, knowing that they could both use a friend. Aang was in the Fire Nation for another round of ceaseless negotiations.
It hadn't worked out between Aang and herself; he was young and impatient. The stress got to both of them and they parted with no hard feelings. She always thought of him as more of a little brother than a boyfriend anyway.
She boarded for the night at a respectable tavern, one of the ones much closer to the palace than the others. It was late and Katara highly doubted she'd be received warmly at the palace at this time of night.
The waterbender had just put her stuff away and was headed downstairs for a late dinner when she saw a familiar figure slipping out the door. "Excuse me. Please, I need to get through…" she dodged the crowd and finally made it to the door. Looking down either side of the street though, revealed nothing. No figure in a fine silk cloak with messy sable hair.
At random she chose left and started down it, searching alleyways and abandoned doorways. When she was just about to give up she spotted a fine leather boot peeking out from an alcove. She hurried towards it and knelt down, drawing back the midnight cloak.
Zuko glanced at her, liquid amber eyes dilated and focused. He gripped her shoulders suddenly, pitching her forwards on top of him. She gave a small squeak of surprise and tried to balance herself so she wasn't completely on top of him.
"Katara?" he asked, cocking his head, a puzzling expression spread across his face. His breath smelled heavily of sake, stunning her. Zuko was drunk? Why? And why was he here of all places?
"Katara!" Zuko happily shouted, evidently coming to the conclusion that she was indeed Katara and not some random girl. He wrapped a hand across the back of her head and pulled her closer, crashing her lips to his in a wild drunken stupor.
She reeled back in shock and slapped him. He ignored his burning left cheek and reached for her again, but Katara already had her canteen open and whipped him hard across the face with a tendril of water. His head snapped back, cracking against the wall and effectively knocking him unconscious.
Katara stared at him for a few seconds before wrapping am arm around him and hauling him up. "Good god you're heavy," she muttered, "What do you eat? Stones?"
Eventually, she got him back to the tavern, which had all but cleared out by now, and managed to carry him upstairs to her room.
Laying him on the bed she retreated to the washroom, splashing water on her face and arms before changing. Katara crossed the room to the plush vermillion chair in the corner, pulling an aureate throw from the end of the bed. Zuko rolled over onto his stomach and murmured something that sounded awfully like: "No, Mr. Hawk, don't eat my teacup..." before falling silent.
Bright light pierced through his eyelids and he groaned, covering his face in the pillow. Early, way too early. He rolled over and fell out of the bed onto his ass.
"What the…?" he mumbled, rapidly blinking his eyes and looking around.
"Where am I?"
"You're in room three at the Dragon's Den, half an hour's walk from the palace," someone spoke from the corner.
"Gah! Holy….Katara? What the hell happened?"
"That's what I'd like to know. I came to the Fire Nation for a nice relaxing vacation and I find you, sitting in an alcove, drunk on sake. Care to explain?"
She resided in the same chair as last night, satin red dress falling to her knees, mahogany hair still damp from a washing. Zuko eyed her up and down; the hauled himself back onto the bed, rubbing his face. He wasn't the least bit offended by her lack of formality or sympathy. They'd known each other too long for the former to be an issue, and the last…Well let's just say that Katara had absolutely no sympathy if you screwed yourself over.
"Ah…damn, Katara, I messed up so badly." He glanced at her, golden eyes meeting clear ice blue orbs and surrendering.
He told her everything.
"I felt like strangling the bastard, right in front of her," Zuko admitted once he retold the part of Mai's lover.
At the end, Katara pulled him into a hug, stroking his hair. Fire Lord or not; he knew he could always count on Katara. Mai had left a gaping hole in his chest, scorched in flames. And he was starting to realize that, like his exile, it would take a long time to heal, just like last time.
She pulled away and gripped his hand, worry for him punching her in the gut. Katara placed a chaste kiss on his cheek and stood up. She lead him downstairs for breakfast; during which Katara distracted him with tales of life in the Southern Water Tribe; like when Sokka got two fish hooks stuck in his thumb.
It was later that week and Katara was now staying at the palace. By now word had spread that the Fire Lord and his girlfriend had broken up, though not why. Inside herself Katara still fumed at Mai. How could someone willingly toss away Zuko? He was kind and sweet, utterly devoted to the Fire Nation, loyal and a great friend.
She worried about him, probably more than she should. But it wasn't a voluntary thing, she just did. Katara had always worried about Zuko; even during the war when he was after Aang. Zuko would slip into her dreams, the dark and mysterious man intent upon capturing her friend. She had ached to know the secret behind him. And when he joined their group, despite her hatred of him, she started to fret about him. He was a part of their group now, and Katara had more often than not, felt like a mother to them.
The misplaced worry seemed deeper now, going beyond the worry of a friend. She shook her head. No way. I don't like Zuko like that. He a friend, that's all.
But a really, really good friend, argued her other self. Don't deny it, you like him.
She forced the thought out of her head and continued now the hallway, thoughts of Zuko filling her head. No, no, no! He needs to heal after Mai; he's not ready for another relationship right now. I can't go and throw myself at him liked one of his obsessed subjects.
After that then?
After that we'll see.
Katara couldn't believe the conversation she'd just had with herself. I'm crazy. She would wait and give time for Zuko to heal. She would wait, and once he was ready…well, they'd go from there.
Need I go over this again? Pleasepleaseplease review. I have cupcakes this time with icing...chocolate icing...or vanilla...or...or...I dunno, halloween icing?