A/N: Long time, no see FF world. So I've been brainwashed by the evil zombies people call teachers and I would have to apologize for me not updating on my drabble series "Where There's Fire, Water's Not Too Far Behind." And instead of just making this a chapter there, I thought this would be a better one-shot. And if I have enough encouragement, maybe I could continue it. Who know's? Anyway, I know I have a pending request, and sadly...I just been blocked lately. It took me almost a month just to spit this...average?...one-shot out. So, I hope you enjoy and leave lots of reviews. Good or bad, I accept them both :)
I definitely didn't like this. There he was, ego and all, strutting around with that stupid grin like he's something special. I hated that he was here. I hated how everyone just bought his stupid charade and talked to him like the past never happened. I hated how easily Aang looked up to him. And most of all, I hated how he constantly tried to make "casual" eye contact.
Most of the time, he kept his distance from me, which was smart. But sometimes at dinner, he would brush his arm against mine or bump into me while cleaning up. It made me so angry! He was so foreign and it looked odd to see him mingled in our group. Every time I saw his face, my skin would crawl and I would have to hold in the instinct to freeze him in place. S most of the time, I did my best to avoid any contact with him. I was doing well until it was my turn to make rounds and check into everyone's rooms and make sure everyone was safe.
"And, yes, that includes Zuko," Aang had said to me as he left my room. I groaned out loud and pulled myself up from my cot.
I made my way to Toph first, considering she was only a few rooms from mine, and found her happily snoring on the hard stone floor. Sokka was pretending like he was fighting Fire Nation and was swinging his sword around his room while making swooshing noises. Teo, The Duke, and Haru were playing with stone chips in Haru's room and Aang was meditating with Momo fast asleep on his bed. All that left was Zuko. I scowled a bit as I walked towards his door.
I pulled my fist up to knock, but lingered as I listened to him shuffling back and forth across his floor. He was pacing and I noticed that he had delicate, hushed steps. Finally, I knocked a couple of times in a quick rap and I heard his quiet footsteps turn towards the door. It opened quickly and I jumped at his strength. Sokka even had a hard time opening the heavy steal doors and I was slightly impressed at how easy it came to him.
"Yes?" he asked politely and I noticed his face fall slightly when he noticed who it was. "Did you need something," he asked a bit more stiffly.
"Just checking in. It's my turn to make rounds," I said trying my hardest not to sound snippy. He shrugged and stepped back so I could come in, but I just stayed where I was. The last thing I wanted was to be with him in his room alone. We were both quiet for a moment and I watched as he sighed and glanced away before looking back at me.
"I'm not doing anything wrong, Katara. You can go to bed now if you want," he said. I knew I was making him impatient, but I honestly didn't care. He sighed again and let go of the door. I watched as it started to shut, and without thinking, I put my hand up to catch it. "What do you want?" he asked without turning around. "Because if you're just here to yell at me, you can-"
"You have quiet footsteps," I interrupted. He glanced over his shoulder and shrugged before meddling in his bag.
"I do. So what?" he replied and I stepped in and let the door close behind me.
"You were pacing just a minute ago. Why?" I was surprised at my sudden curiosity but mentally shrugged it away. He turned around and leaned against his bedside table.
"You have good ears," he said crossing his arms. I mimicked him and leaned on one foot. "I just pace when I'm trying to make a decision. I was thinking."
"Why not just meditate then?" I asked.
"I do that in the morning," he said looking at his shoes. He rocked his toe back and forth, and gave it a curious look before meeting my eyes. "Why are you so interested all of a sudden?" Darn.
"I'm not," I lied, shrugging my shoulders.
"Sounds like you are," he said pushing off of the table and taking a step towards me.
"Well I'm not," I said dropping my arms to my sides and clenching my fists.
"Then why ask?" He took another step. He was right in front of me now, but I wasn't going to budge.
"Because I can," I said with false confidence. He was so close that I had to crane my neck to look him in the eyes. I never noticed before, but his sharp nose was dotted with little tan flecks and his eyes weren't entirely gold. They had hints of brown around the pupil.
"Sounds like a bad excuse, if you ask me," he chuckled. I pinned a glare on him.
"I didn't." I took a deep breath and his unfamiliar scent filled my lungs. It was crisp, and smooth, and foreign. Like cologne that Earth Kingdom men would pay several gold pieces for.
"You have blue eyes," he said casually. I blinked a few times and felt my cheeks warm.
"W-what?" I stuttered. He pointed his finger to my left eye and looked at them like they were an ancient artifact just recently discovered.
"You have blue eyes," he repeated. "I've never noticed before." He lowered his finger, but in doing so, his palm brushed ever so slightly against my jaw line. When I gasped, he stepped back and mumbled a "sorry."
"Why haven't you ever noticed before?" I asked trying to shake off the tingling his touch left.
"I've only been close to you three times in my life, this being the third. Before, I had other things on my mind besides what color the avatar's girlfriend's eyes were," he said turning to sit down on his bed.
"Aang is not my boyfriend," I defended.
"Then you need to tell him that. He's got a pretty big attachment to you." I didn't know what to say, so I just shook my head and turned towards the door, but before I could even put my hand on the knob, Zuko had placed himself between me and my way out.
"I'm sorry. Please, don't get mad again," he said quickly.
"Then let me leave," I said and he stood there for a moment, contemplating on whether or not he should. After a moment, he sighed and reluctantly took a step to the side. "Thank you," I said and as I pulled on the knob, I felt him wrap one of his arms around me and yank me from the door. I tried to scream out, but he put a finger on my lips to shush me.
"Before you go to your room, I want to show you something," he said with a smirk. His arm was still securely wrapped around me and I pushed on his a few times before crossing my arms and glaring at him.
"And what if I don't want to see?" I asked. His smirk widened.
"Then I'll follow you around all day until you agree," he said. I didn't need Toph to know he was telling the truth and I sighed loudly.
"Fine, but let me go." With that, he released me and I landed on the ground with ease.
"Follow me," he said and we stepped out of his room.
I followed him through the halls quietly as we passed everyone's rooms. The only ones still up were Teo and Haru from the sounds of it, and I smiled at the loud talk they were having over who won the game. Finally, we came into a hallway I'd never been in before and I stopped abruptly. Zuko stopped too and turned to look at me.
"What?" he asked and I eyed him warily.
"Are you sure you know where you're going?" I asked. He nodded and gestured for me to follow as he turned to continue down the hall.
We walked for a few more minutes before he took a left down a dark hall. I hesitated for a moment before I wondered forward into the shadows. I was struggling to make out his quiet footsteps in the space and I looked around to try and find him. It's not that I was afraid of the dark, but I didn't like not being able to see wear I was going and I started to become frantic.
"Zuko?" I whispered and I suddenly bumped into something hard. I pushed away from it and immediately the hall was filled with light. Zuko was right in front of me holding a flame in his hand and I jumped back with a small yelp. "What are you doing?" I said through clenched teeth and he raised an eyebrow at me.
"You're the one who bumped into me," he whispered, his face twitching from holding in a scowl.
"Where are we going and why are we being quiet?" I asked quickly. Though my voice was low, I could hear it echo throughout the hallway.
"You'll see. And because if we're not quiet everyone will wake up and follow," he said with a mischievous smirk. I crossed my arms and raised a brow.
"Why can't the others see?" I asked and he shrugged.
"I want you to be the first," he stated simply. I felt my face warm slightly and I quickly looked down. At that moment the hall went dark again and I whipped my eyes up to find his face again.
"Zu-"
"Right here," he said quickly and I felt him coil his hand around my wrist. I tried to pull away, but he tugged me forward and continued down the hallway. "I want it to be a surprise so I'm keeping the lights out until we get there."
"How will you know when we get there if the lights are out?" I asked sarcastically.
"You and your logic," he said.
"You and your secrecy."
We were both silent as he pulled me along down the hall. We'd been walking for a while and I was getting irritated at the way he would tug my arm when I slowed. Every once in a while we would turn here and there and we even passed a balcony that let in the moonlight. I stopped for a moment and he let go as we both stared out at the stars and crescent moon above. It was so serene and I closed my eyes as I soaked up the light Yue caressed my face with. I glanced up at him and noted the content look he had. It was completely different from his usual glare. Before long we were back on our way through the darkness, but instead of my wrist, he linked a finger with mine and lazily pulled me with him.
I noticed the air flow change a bit and a damp breeze brushed at my face. I could feel the walls expand from the long hall to a large room and the claustrophobic feeling disappeared. I could make out huge figures casting out large shadows throughout the room and I suddenly felt nervous. Zuko released my finger and stepped away from me. He walked around for a moment before finally stepping behind me and placing his hands on my shoulders. I silently berated myself for coming here alone with a boy I barely knew.
I could feel his breath on my ear as he pushed me forward and I gasped slightly at his closeness. He turned me a bit and then let go. I reached behind me carefully to see if he was still there, but found nothing. The thought that this was all a trick and he had left me in the dark somewhere in the temple crossed my mind, though deep down, I didn't want to believe that.
After a moment, light filled the space and I blinked so my eyes could adjust. Zuko was in front of me, his hand ablaze, and had a soft grin on his face. He looked to his left and suddenly threw the flame in that direction catching a candle on fire. It then spread up in a spiral along the wall catching several candles all the way to the center of the ceiling. Looking around, I noticed the statues of the men and women before Aang. This was the temple's avatar chamber. I looked back at Zuko who was standing beside Roku and gave him a puzzled look.
"All that to show me the avatars before Aang?" I asked. He lifted a finger and shook his head. He then flicked his hand in Roku's direction and looked at me seriously.
"Katara, I'd like to introduce you to my great-grandfather, Avatar Roku," he said with a stone face and even tone. At first I couldn't breathe and I just stood there staring. Then I could feel my eyes widen as what he said settled in.
"Your what?" I shouted. He nodded and turned towards the statue.
"He was my mother's grandfather. His daughter married a nobleman who was friends with Azulon. That's how my mother and father met. When Ozai turned sixteen, he asked her for her hand. Uncle says they were happy for a long time. Even after I was born. It wasn't until after Azula was born that my father started to show signs of what he envisioned. When I was eight, my cousin, Lu Ten, died during the siege of Ba Sing Se. My uncle was devastated and left his post to return home to the Fire Nation.
"He mourned for a long time and my father thought he was being weak. That's when I really started to see my father become the monster he is. My mother disappeared that night as well and I haven't seen her since. The following day, my grandfather was found dead and my father took the thrown, even though Uncle was the crowned prince."
I watched as he spoke and I noticed his eyes fill with a pain I've never known. However, it wasn't the first time I've seen his eyes like that and I felt guilty for being prejudice against him.
"Why are you telling me this," I asked calmly and he turned to look me in the eyes. He took a step towards me and took my hand. He kept his gaze locked in mine as he lifted my hand to his face and pressed my fingertips to his scarred cheek.
"I'm trying again. The first time I was close to you, I bribed you with something that was special to you." He quickly glanced at my neck before returning his eyes to mine. "The second time, I thought I was ready to open up, and I let you get close as well, but I betrayed you and lost your trust."
I breathed in sharply at the memory and flinched at the image of Aang being electrocuted by lightning rolling through my head. I suddenly remembered why I hated him and snatched my hand from his cheek, but before I got an inch away, Zuko had my fingers in his grasp. I scowled at his reflexes and looked down at my feet. I knew that I couldn't run from him and I didn't want to use my bending in a sacred part of the temple.
"Please listen," he hissed and I slowly looked back up, but I didn't meet his eyes. "This time, I wanted to be completely truthful and I'm not afraid of being open with you. I've messed up before and I know that. I have regrets and things I'm afraid to admit. But I just needed someone to know that I'm not all Ozai. And if I could go back and fix anything in my life, Katara, I would go back to that moment in the cave before I choose Azula over you."
I was looking him in the eyes again. My heart was pounding in my chest as his words echoed in my head. He took a deep breath and closed his eyes before he placed my fingertips back on his cheek. I watched him close his eyes and he slowly let go of my hand. Neither of us spoke for a long time. We just stood there, frozen, both of us breathing rhythmically. I knew what he wanted, and he was waiting for it. He wanted my forgiveness; my trust. Finally, I slid my fingers numbly away from his face and he opened his eyes.
"Can we start over?" he said evenly. I sighed and crossed my arms as I looked away.
"I forgive you, Zuko," I said in a small voice. He looked hopeful, but I put my finger up to keep him quiet. "That doesn't mean I trust you." His face fell slightly and he looked down. After a moment, however, he looked up and nodded, a stone expression carved on his face. I felt bad, but I knew deep down it would take a lot before I could trust him again. And I still didn't like him being here or how the others felt so comfortable around him.
I stepped back and walked over to the lowest candle. I blew it out and started towards the way we entered. However, right before I stepped into the darkness, I stopped and looked at Zuko over my shoulder. "But I can try," I whispered in what I was hoping sounded encouraging. He looked up at me and waved his hand in the air, extinguishing all the candles in the room. I could hear him coming closer and then his fingers wrapped around my wrist. We then started through the hallway again and I could feel him slide his hand down to gently grasp mine. I didn't pull away. I decided to let him believe that the third time's the charm, though, I kind of wanted to believe it, too.
A/N: So after reading this again and again, I don't think it came out as well as I was hoping. Anyway, tell me what you think since you're already down here : Oh! And let me know if you think it's worth continuing :) Thanks for reading!