Author: akeyana
Prompt: #69 Seasons
Title: Metamorphosis
Word Count: 848
Rating: K+
Summary: Seasons bring about change; it is peripheral to the nature of the universe. After the hundred year war, Katara finds herself travelling all over the place. And somehow, she manages to bump into Zuko at each and every one of those places.
Author's Notes: Done for the Zutara100 community on LiveJournal. Zuko turned out OOC at the end. Which made me sad. And I don't think I spent enough time on this (is half an hour enough?).
Spring in the Earth Kingdom brings about trees laden with blossom and clear days and just a faint whiff of rain. Katara loves spring; always has and always will. Toph invites them to stay at her house in Gaoling (I don't care if my parents agree or not, I have the Avatar and the heir to the Fire throne on my side) - she accepts the invitation gratefully.
Aang has grown taller and Toph has grown prettier (though Katara notes Toph is still vertically challenged). She smiles at the two like she knows something they don't, and waltzes off to leave them alone.
Along the way she walks into Zuko. She manages a weak 'hello', a blush creeping onto her face for no real apparent reason. He responds happily (or as close as Zuko will ever get), and offers his arm to her.
She takes it. There is something oddly peaceful about it all; walking with one arm looped through his and the breeze making her hair fly around.
"Will I be seeing you in summer?" he asks.
She nods. Something flickers across his face, but it is gone the next second.
Zuko has grown wiser.
Summer comes in a gust of warmth and hot air. Katara finds Fire Nation summers highly disagreeable, and she spends most of her days there inside. The question of just how Zuko can stand the intense heat begs to be asked, but she never does.
It is another one of the questions that she has on her ever-growing list. There is no opportunity for her to ask; they are never alone.
One day Toph manages to drag Aang off and Sokka is trying futilely to get Suki's attention and she opens her mouth to word the question, but she is interrupted again.
Dragged off by a pretty ambassador from the Earth Kingdom, he mouths something to her.
She doesn't see it.
She leaves the next day.
Autumn drips leaves in russet tones and fading flowers. Katara decides that this autumn is the must eventful autumn she's had since the war. She finds herself whisked off to Kyoshi Island because of Sokka and Suki and an impending engagement.
Suki has Sokka wrapped around her little finger and Katara finds it sweet and charming and endearing and all other positive adjectives that mean the same thing.
Sokka still dislikes Zuko, so it is with shock that she sees him there, standing awkwardly off to the side while Toph teases Sokka and Aang flings himself at them.
"I came with them," he says by way of explanation, and she expects him to start shuffling his feet or something of the sort soon.
He doesn't.
Katara thinks it is her turn to haul him off on a walk. So she does, and the vague amusement that flitters across his face is all the 'yes' she needs.
"Aren't they cute together?" she asks excitedly.
"Who? Your idiot brother and the Kyoshi warrior or Aang and Toph?"
She glares and whacks him for the 'idiot' comment. "Both."
He shrugs. Giving up, she directs the conversation onto other topics. His eyes never leave her face.
She doesn't notice.
Winter at the North Pole leads to snowy days (more often) and a chilly aura that permeates the air and makes the temperature plummet. Katara does not find it particularly cold, but that is just her. For once in the year she is at home - she is the one with visitors.
"I do love tea on a cold winter's day," Fire Lord Iroh informs her, smiling benignly.
She smiles back and agrees, pouring Iroh and his nephew more of the jasmine tea. "I'd give you ginseng tea, but it's still steeping in the pot."
Iroh tells her not to worry; jasmine tea is his second favourite. Another aside about ginseng having certain side effects makes both her and Zuko turn bright red.
"Uncle! There's nothing - Katara - I - just friends."
She doesn't know he even thought of her as a friend, but the 'just' in front of it makes her slightly upset for some reason. Despite that, she agrees vigorously, adding her denials to his.
Days later, it is time for them to leave. She fights back the tears (she will see them again soon) and hugs Iroh goodbye. She turns to Zuko and her goodbye dies in her mouth.
"Take care, okay?" she says, voice trembling.
He looks at her and then, much to her happiness and astonishment, presses his lips to hers (she is of the firm opinion Iroh drugged the tea, because this is not like Zuko).
Iroh watches on from afar. His sole thought is 'grandbabies'.
Zuko pulls away and gives a kind of half-smile.
She returns it.
With seasons come change and with change comes happiness and sadness, but honestly, Katara is quite happy with the way things have played out. Spring is rolling around again and her travels as an ambassador and daughter of the Chief have started again, and things are simply going full circle again.
She doesn't think she minds.