Fortune Cookies
Full Summary: Fire Lady Katara has it all: the money, the looks, the power, the fancy husband. Somehow, she knows that her life is completely perfect, and she's sick of it! When a few old friends show up, Katara decides that she's had enough of the perfect life, and wants to experiment with another fortune. Rated M.
Author's Note: Just remember to review, everyone!
High noon struck the palace. Sunlight poured into the countless chambers, spread light and warmth on everything it touched. Katara lazily finished off her tea cake.
"Is that all, Fire Lady Katara?" the councilman asked. "Anything else you'd like to add to your husband's revisions?"
"No, no—enough of that," Katara sighed desperately, rolling the remaining tea around in her cup. "I suppose that everything that Zuko is okay with…I'm okay with it too, right?" Personally, she was sick of hearing all of the new laws Zuko had put into order. She couldn't care less what happened to the Fire Nation. She had married the prince because she loved him, but not necessarily loved where he was from.
"Of course, Lady Katara," said the gentleman, standing up to go. "The laws will go into action at the beginning of the month."
"Hm," replied the Lady. "Well, councilman Chang, a ward will show you out. Thanks again for visiting."
"It is my job," replied the man, and smiled heartily before gathering his scrolls and leaving.
Katara, distressed and rather bored, wondered what she would do with herself for the remainder of the day. She walked to the drawing room, tracing her finger along the silk furniture, gazing lazily out the window.
Mountains, springs, and graceful hills graced the palace city. Of course the view was grand, but she had seen it at least two hundred times before.
It was then that Zuko strolled in, came up to his wife and took her hand.
"I won't be here for the remainder of the day," he stated quickly, looking at the sky. "I have three meetings that I have to attend about the laws. It seems people couldn't care less about health care or our country's security."
Katara's eyes narrowed. She pulled her fingers out of his grasp. "You've been out for the past week, dearest. I barely even see you anymore!"
"It's not my fault," the Fire Lord muttered. "I have business to attend to. It's important."
"So you're not going to apologize?"
"Why on earth would I do that? I just told you it's not my fault!"
The waterbender crossed her arms. "Well! That sure makes a lot of sense. You're the one who went through all the trouble of making those damned laws—and now you're saying it's not your fault?" Katara was angered now. Angered by her husband's absence, and by the way he was almost always insensitive to what she felt and what she desired.
"Katara, I don't have time for this. I'll see you tomorrow."
"You won't be home, either? I'm not going to see you until tomorrow morning?" Her manner had grown small and passive. As always, she couldn't figure out what was wrong with Zuko's behavior, and if it had anything to do with her.
The firebender pressed his lips into a thin line before leaving the room in large strides. No kiss goodbye, no promise of missing her all the way through.
As Katara lay in bed that evening, she turned on her side and regarded with a keen interest the outline Zuko's body had made in the satin sheets. He always slept on his back, folding his arms across his chest and watching the ceiling until drifting to sleep. Katara had a habit of sleeping on her stomach—grasping the pillow so that it was under her chest and twirling around in the sheets until there was nothing left for Zuko. But he hadn't been in the bed for a week, and his outline was slowly beginning to fade, out of the bed and out of Katara's memory.
They had only been married for a year. It's too early, Katara thought, for us to be growing apart.
But she knew that their relationship now was strained. Zuko was being tempted by guarding and protecting his country, and by the many shameless girls who still pined for the sturdy prince. While he let himself get carried away with the pressures and pleasures of being Fire Lord, Katara had drifted until she was nothing.
She was sick of it all, she decided. Sick of Zuko, the Fire Nation, and the extremely limited amount of love she was receiving from her hubby.
Visitors were arriving the next day, as if to answer all of Katara's prayers. It was a large procession. Something, some large ornate gathering, was heading for the palace quite early the next morning.
At the window she usually gazed out of, Katara squinted, cursed her eye sight for falling in on itself so early in life, and finally caught a glimpse of what she needed to see: a massive, fuzzy flying bison clumsily walking on the main path.
"Oh God," she murmured, stricken.
Her mind flew around in circles. Where was Zuko? He should have been here by now. She couldn't face the procession alone! She couldn't! The Avatar—the boy she had left for Zuko years ago—was coming to the palace.
Her palms felt uncomfortably clammy. What was she to say to him? "I'm sorry, Aang. I finally did marry Zuko. Is that why you came? Just so you know, I sometimes still think about you, but I'm married. Why are you here, anyway?" The words fell like iron fillings from her thoughts. She couldn't face him—she wouldn't. It would be too strange, too awkward.
"Lee," she called to one of the servants. An older man appeared in uniform and bowed.
"Yes, Lady Katara?"
She tried to steady herself. "What, pray I ask, is going on about outside?"
Lee lifted himself from his bowed position. "Ah, it's a grand procession, Lady Katara. Simply marvelous. They are heading for the palace."
"Who?" Katara asked furiously. "Who is heading here?"
"Why, the Avatar. Surely you remember him, don't you, Lady Katara? If I recollect correctly, you had traveled with him for some time before marrying the then prince Zuko."
"That, Lee, is none of your concern," she stated. "Is Zuko in? He must've come back."
"No, my Lady. Fire Lord Zuko has had extensive business in the West District. He won't be back until, presumably, noon."
Katara felt her insides twist. "Well, what am I supposed to do with this…with the…with the Avatar?"
Lee looked strangely confused. "Well," he started awkwardly. "I would guess you treat him the same way you have treated other guests in the past, like Princess Azula, and Lady Mai and Lady Ty Lee, and your dear brother Master Sokka."
Katara balled up part of her ruffling dress in her fists. "Yes, yes…very good." She felt her forehead. "Is he alone?"
"I don't believe so, Lady Katara. It appears as though he has a woman with him."
"A woman?" The shock in her voice was almost too obvious.
"Yes, some sort of companion, it seems. Would you like me to prepare anything?"
Once again Katara steadied herself on the window sill. "Oh dear…"
"Lady Katara?"
"Please leave me, Lee," Katara ordered faintly. "Allow the Avatar and his bison and his companion to come in for morning tea. No processions, please. This is just like Aang to clunk in unannounced."
The servant did as he was told. Katara fell on one of the sofas.
Aang. She hadn't said that word in such a long time, it felt. Zuko usually referred to him as "the Avatar" or "that boy you used to run with." It felt as if, for a very extensive period of time, Aang no longer existed.
But here he was—coming to the palace—with a lady friend! Who on earth could it be? One of his fans that he decided to settle down with? Was he married?
The shock was almost too much, but another part of Katara was slowly emerging from her pampered, smooth skin: the part of Katara that could never be prim and proper and shoved into a palace. She shivered at the last image of Aang, after their argument. After a few choice words. After everything had come and gone, and here he was, coming to the palace.
She wanted more than anything, now, to see him. Excitement settled in her veins where shock and anger used to be. This was Aang. Crazy, loveable Aang. An argument so long ago could never change that.
She ran to the meeting room, made sure everything was ready. She told a few of the woman servants to check her dress over, to place the finest jewelry on her skin and in her hair. She shook the worry from her eyes, and replaced said worry with mascara.
The side of Katara that had really loved Aang—really, really, truly loved him—suddenly appeared out of no where. She wanted so much to see him, to hold him, to tell him of her travels, to hug him, to kiss him, to take him in and—
"What am I thinking?!" she cursed aloud, putting a hand over her mouth. "I'm married!"
"That you are, Lady Katara," Lee said from the doorway, smiling just in the faintest matter when Katara jumped. "Sorry to interrupt your soliloquy, but the Avatar is at the front gates."
Thoroughly reddened, Katara smoothed her dress over her knees. "Ah hem…of course. Yes, let him in, please, Lee. And do lose that terrible habit of sneaking up on people. It is terribly unbecoming."
"Yes, Lady Katara."
Excited, anxious, and unsure of herself, Katara puffed up her chest as well as she could and swallowed a large gulp of air.
And that is when he appeared in the doorway.
A tall, robust man with a thick, short brush of black hair took a step into the long hallway of the palace. A bare shoulder revealed that pale blue arrow she had often traced in her younger days, the same arrow that peeked from beneath his hair. Storm gray eyes peered at Katara intensely, searching her face, her body, her home.
"Oh! A—Aang!" The stuttering came out even though she had tried to settle herself. He was so…different! So much larger, and stronger, and handsomer and…so different.
The Avatar bowed, which reminded Katara that she also had to bow, and so when the two bowed figures stood erect again, there was a silence.
"Good morning, Katara," Aang started taking many steps forward. Soon they were in an arm's reach of one another. "You are looking, in a single word, ravishing." He winked and grinned—the typical Aang gesture.
"Good morning," Katara returned, unsure of what to tell him, of what to do. "You are well, I hope?"
"Yes, yes. All is well." Aang shook her off with his wrist.
"I uh…hope you've come with good news." Katara wished dearly that the stuttering would stop, that she could steady herself mentally as well as physically. "Please take a seat in the meeting room, Aan—Avatar."
The traveled to the meeting room and sat across from one another, and it was then that Katara remembered he had come with a female companion.
Aang took numerous tea cakes from the table and helped himself. "Well, I actually just came to visit," he began. "You know, after we fought, nothing felt right."
"I see."
"And so, I figured, might as well pay a visit to my two friends in the Fire Nation—see what they're up to." He smiled through mouthfuls of cake.
"We're fine, Aang."
He swallowed, reached for his tea. "No children yet, I presume?" His gaze drifted almost absentmindedly to Katara's thin, childless abdomen.
She blushed furiously when she realized where he was looking. "We've only been married a year," she stated icily. "Zuko doesn't want children this early on." Before he could ask more questions, Katara took the lead. "And how about you, Avatar?"
"I'm fine, Katara."
"I've heard you've brought along a…companion."
His eyes shined brilliantly before he placed his cup down. "So where is Zuko?" he asked. "I don't suppose you run this huge place all by your lonesome!"
Ah! He had refused to answer her question. "Zuko is attending a meeting," she answered shortly. "He won't be back until noon. Until then, Lee will show you to your quarters. How long to do plan on staying?"
"Not too long, Katara. Just a bit."
"Lee! Lee, please show the Avatar to his guest room." Lee strolled in with Aang's minimal luggage.
Aang's complexion suddenly ran pale. "Whoa! Wait up there, Katara. Don't I get to sit and chat with you first?"
Her blue eyes searched his face—wondered deeply why on earth he had shown himself here, in the middle of her home.
"I'm sorry, Aang," she said, using his childhood name endearingly. She couldn't keep calling him "Avatar" when he refused to call her "Fire Lady Katara," could she?
"So we can sit and chat, then?"
"No, I'm…busy. I have a meeting, also, you see. And I don't want to be late." Lee perched his brows upward. The lie felt disgusting in Katara's mouth—but she couldn't sit with him. Not like this. Not now. She needed time, more than anything, to think.
"Well, can I at least give you this?" Aang rummaged around the strapped bag he had brought inside with him and produced a small, flat box. "You can open it later. It's just a little gift, you know, for old times sake." He winked again. Katara felt like vomiting.
Her shaky hands took the box from him. Their fingers met for a moment, only a brief, brief moment that passed too quickly.
"I love you, Aang!" Katara wanted to shout. "I don't know why, but I love you! You've always been so close to me! So, so close!" She wanted to grab his well built face and kiss him deeply, wrap herself about her shoulders and apologize for leaving him.
But reality sunk in. The Avatar was paying a visit to the Fire Lord and his wife. He was producing a small token of his appreciation to the Fire Lady, and would probably also give a gift to the Fire Lord. It was customary for guests to bring gifts.
So Katara muttered thank you, bowed slightly, and retired to her room. She locked the door and stared with odd fascination at the small, flat, ornate box.