I'm back, and I have writer's block still! YAY! But, I figured I'd try writing something completely different and see if that helped me at all…So, I'm writing for a show I've never written for before, and it's also a songfic, which I will typically refuse to do. HOWEVER! It is not your typical songfic; this is going to be one of many for the same song. I love this song, and I showed it to my friend and we discovered that this could apply to many shows. So, I, kelly-of-the-moon, and my friend CoCoA-eyed-kitty118, will be writing companion fanfictions for this song for a bunch of our favorite shows. Mmkay? Love ya!
360º of You is by SheDaisy and I don't own it.
Avatar: The Last Airbender is not my property either. This is purely fiction with no affiliation to the actual show and I am not profiting from this whatsoever.
This will be AU. Don't like it? Too bad.
!!!!!!!!!!zutara!!!!!!!!!!
The Southern Water Tribe was a proud race, and one that had been dealt a terrific blow by the 100 Years War. However, now that the previous Fire Lord was mysteriously dead and his son had been named the new Fire Lord amidst a storm of controversy, the war was now over and the Fire Nation had been paying reparations to the countries it had ravished the worst. It was not because of any of the countries asking that the Fire Nation pay them back, but it was Fire Lord Zuko that demanded that his nation pay back for all the lives, villages, and families that they had ruined. The Southern Water Tribe was among the countries that received the most money and help from the Fire Nation to rebuild their once-great polar citadel. As has already been established, the Southern Water Tribe was comprised of extremely proud people, and they repeatedly declined the assistance from the Fire Nation. However, Fire Lord Zuko had sent emissaries with orders to get on their knees and beg the Water Tribe for their forgiveness, and plead to be able to help them with their plight. Only then had the Chief of the tribe, a brave and honorable man named Hakoda, agreed and allowed the Fire Nation to assist their reconstruction.
The dedicated members of the Southern Tribe and the people sent by Fire Lord Zuko worked tirelessly, and within four years of the end of the war, the Southern Tribe's capital was restored to its former glory, and was once again on par with their sister city in the North. In fact, many Northerners moved south in order to assist with the reconstruction, and most of them never left. The Great South City wasn't anywhere near as large as its counterpart at the North Pole, but she was just as proud and graceful. With the development of the Southern Tribe, the Fire Nation overflowed with trade from both the Water Tribes, and the Earth Kingdom also opened its doors to the Fire Nation. While tensions were still there, the respect and honor of the Fire Nation was restored, thanks to Fire Lord Zuko and the gratitude that other countries felt, thanks to his plans and the actions he had taken. As a result, both the Water Tribes and the Fire Nation entered a time of untold prosperity, and enjoyed an economic boom of historical proportions.
This also caused Chief Hakoda and his family to climb up to aristocracy. Before, Hakoda had not been Chief of much; a handful of warriors and a village full of women and children. However, he was now just as revered a leader as Chief Arnook in the North, with an entire country to rule. He was, at first, overwhelmed by the responsibility of leading and being responsible for so many people, but Hakoda was nothing if not quick and adaptable. In no time, he attained a finesse and natural talent for ruling. His children, too, felt the difference of being in such high positions. Sokka, for his part, adored his newfound status as Prince of the Southern Water Tribe, although he was still upset every full moon when he was reminded of the conversation he'd had with his first love, Princess Yue. Only after she was gone was he really considered a prince, and that nearly killed him. However, he made it through with the help of a certain very persuasive Kyoshi warrior. Sokka liked his newfound importance once he got into the swing of it, and found he really liked that his father's warriors would actually listen to his plans for the defense of the Tribe and his ideas for inventions. Not to mention he also liked the attention he was receiving from the women…until, of course, he got a fan upside the head. Katara, on the other hand, was not acclimating so well to being a princess. She liked the respect she received, but she hated the etiquette classes and the superiority of the Northerners and the whispers about her unmarried state. Her romantic situation had become a topic of wild interest, because she was the most eligible woman in either Water Tribe and she was eighteen and still not married. It was an endless source of grief, and she was really quite tired of everyone thinking that it was their business to get involved in her love affairs. Katara could understand if her father or Gran-Gran or even Sokka were concerned with her love life, but the fact that it was a topic of conversation for the whole Water Tribe, frankly, pissed her off.
However, the Gods seemed to hear and answer Katara's prayers as they saved her from her plight. She knew that if she was forced to hear one more snide comment about her lack of a husband that she would snap and cause an avalanche with her bending, which had also improved due to her status as Princess, as she was now allowed a private Waterbending tutor. So, her saving grace came in the form of her father telling her and Sokka that they would be traveling to the Fire Nation, and that they would be extending a formal thank-you to the Fire Lord, and that there would also be treaties signed and a party and a banquet and what-not, and that they were allowed to come as the only remaining Prince and Princess of the Water Tribes after Princess Yue's tragic and untimely death. Chief Arnook would also be there with a couple of his most noble men, and of course that meant that they'd be shoving Katara at different prospective suitors, but at least it would be a nice change of pace from the comments made too loudly behind her back at home. So, Katara packed her coolest clothes for the trip to the sweltering land of fire, and she also packed a traditional Fire Nation dress that she had bought the last time she'd visited the Fire Capital, although that had only been for a couple hours and she hadn't had the opportunity to meet anyone there at that time. Katara loved meeting new people, and she was extremely excited to attend the banquet and party at the fire palace. She'd be able to meet Fire Lord Zuko, who she knew nothing about other than what she knew of his actions since becoming Fire Lord, like ending the war and sending aid and begging for the forgiveness of the people his family had wronged. However, even knowing that little Katara liked him already, for of course actions spoke louder than words, and the new Fire Lord's actions spoke words that Katara liked. A couple hours later, Princess Katara, Prince Sokka, and Chief Hakoda, along with a small contingent of bodyguards, were on a boat, sailing for the Fire Nation.
!!!!!!!!!!zutara!!!!!!!!!!
Katara and her family were greeted by the former general Iroh, and he expressed his apologies that his nephew Zuko had not been there to greet them in person, but explained that the young Lord had a lot to do before the signing of the treaties mere days later. Hakoda and Sokka had seemed to expect it, but Katara couldn't help but feel a little disappointed. However, those feelings vanished when Iroh showed them to the rooms that they would be staying in, and she was astounded by the richly decorated room that she had been assigned. It was all gold and red fabric, with a huge window nook with a lushly comfortable window seat, and gorgeous dark wood furniture with exquisitely carved decorations. A servant offered to help Katara unpack her things, and looked shocked when the princess insisted that she do it herself. The Waterbender unpacked her things and entered her attached bathroom in order to shower and divest herself of her worn traveling clothes. She bent a stream of frigid water over herself to rid her skin of the sweat and grime accumulated from traveling, and then bent hot water into a bath along with perfumed soaps for soaking in. When she had relaxed long enough in the soothing water, she bent clean hot water through her hair, washed and conditioned it, and the bent water through it to rinse it out. When she was quite done, she bent all the water off of her body and out of her hair and back into the tub, making sure that there was no water on the floor for the maids to clean up later. Katara shook her head in amazement; she really had no idea how some people made it through the day without being able to waterbend: it really was incomprehensible to her. She dressed in a cool blue sleeveless tunic and a light skirt that fell to her ankles in a deep blue hue. She didn't really like skirts as a general rule, but her father's advisors and the rest of the people who had no right to meddle in how she lived her life decided that it was far too unladylike for her to be wearing pants all the time, especially in hotter climes than their polar palace. Katara sighed and put a belt on over her tunic and pulled her wild, wavy hair into a loose braid on one side of her head in a half-hearted attempt to tame the savage locks. Then, deciding she was bored, Katara grabbed a scroll and flung her curtains wide and situated herself comfortably on the window seat, enjoying the sunshine as she read. However, her peace was short-lived as soon she was completely distracted from her reading.
Several of the Fire Nation's Royal Guard entered the courtyard in their training gear and began running drills and sparring. Katara was fascinated; she'd only been allowed to do small things to help during the war, like tending the wounded and getting clean water for the warriors, so she'd never seen firebending up close. It was really the polar opposite of waterbending, and Katara found herself entranced by it. The only similarity in the styles was that both were like dancing; where the waterbending stance flowed and used rhythm, the firebending stance was stiff and required more strength, but both were distinctly dance-like. One man in particular caught Katara's eye; he seemed to be the best firebender there, but he also carried himself differently than the others. The rest of the benders seemed to give him immense respect, and Katara found herself watching him and only him. The scroll lay abandoned in her lap, and when the man took his shirt off Katara knew she wouldn't pick it back up any time soon. Katara must have spent an hour watching the firebenders before all of them left, save the one she'd been drooling ov—I mean, staring at a little. Katara could see from her spot on the window seat that he had a scar on his face, as well as one on his chest, but she felt somehow that he wouldn't be complete without them. The scars themselves weren't really all that disfiguring, and they didn't seem to hinder the firebender at all. Katara found herself wishing that he wouldn't ever stop training, so she could just watch him like this all day.
I wish you lived on the corner where I live,
So I could look at you all the day long.
Sadly, it seemed that the firebender was done training for the day, as he grabbed a towel from his pile of equipment and dried off his hair and chest, and then gathered his shirt and his broadswords and the other things he'd been training with besides just his bending and he headed back inside. Katara found herself sighing in disappointment and chewing on her lower lip as she returned to her reading, now completely not in the mood for being alone. After a few minutes she gave up on trying to read and left her room, looking for Sokka or someone that she could hang out with. However, the firebender remained in her thoughts throughout the remainder of the day, and she found herself hoping that he would train in the courtyard again tomorrow, so she could ogle—I mean, observe him some more.
Lickity lip, got me flippin' my lid,
Yeah, nibbling my thumb,
Cause I want me some.
That night, Katara went to bed early because, although she wouldn't admit it to herself, she couldn't wait for the next day to come, so that she'd be able to watch her firebender practice.
Ooo-oo-oo-ooo-oo-oo-ooo, just a little bit o'
Ooo-oo-oo-ooo-oo-oo-ooo…
Am I making you uncomfortable?
The next day, Katara gave up any semblance of trying to look like she wasn't staring at the firebender. He was so wrapped up in his training, that even if someone told him that she was watching, she seriously doubted that he would care very much. She sensed by his body language that he was a very confident person, and the fact that he trained shirtless most of the time told her that, in addition to being absolutely delicious, he knew he was absolutely delicious, and didn't mind sharing his goods with whoever happened to be looking. That worked perfectly fine for Katara.
And if you lived on the corner where I live,
I'd hang around like an apple in a tree.
Borrow some bread, stick of butter, cup of milk,
And some sugar for me…
I'm cookin' something sweet!
Katara wished that she could talk to him, but she didn't want to interrupt his training. He looked really focused, and he kept on training later than any of the rest of the benders. She knew exactly how he felt; she trained just like that every day, only she didn't train in the morning because she preferred the light of the moon on her back when she practiced. She also practiced alone, and fully clothed. So, while their training methods were very different, the core principles were the same, and while Katara desperately wanted to talk to him, maybe flirt very subtly, she definitely didn't want to interrupt him.
Ooo-oo-oo-ooo-oo-oo-ooo, just a little bit o'
Ooo-oo-oo-ooo-oo-oo-ooo…
Katara knew that staring was rude, unladylike, and totally a stalker thing to do, so every day she tried to look away and busy herself with other things. Unfortunately, she found that nothing really held her attention like the hot, shirtless firebender that she could see clearly from her window. Every time she looked away, she would see a burst of flame or the flash of his broadswords and she'd be pulled back in. She wondered why they had showed up a week early, because now she was being tortured by the sight of the firebender just outside her window.
Lookin' once, lookin' twice,
Better get me a bucket of ice.
Go on do whatever you do—
I'll just sit here enjoyin' the view.
Once, a servant had caught her staring, and Katara had been quite flustered by it. She stumbled over a lie that she was trying to come up with to mask the fact that she'd been ogling the man outside her window, but the maid had just smiled knowingly and agreed with whatever Katara was saying. After that incident, Katara made sure that she had something with her on her window seat so she could pick it up at a moment's notice, should anyone walk into her room unannounced, as her brother was known to do, and she really didn't need him to catch her drooling over a shirtless, sweaty, muscled, rugged firebender.
Whistlin Dixie, 360 degrees of
Yooouu-oo-oo-ooo-oo-oo-oooh…
Katara had received a worried, private lecture from her father about spending too much time alone in her room, so Katara quickly came up with the excuse that she was meditating, and that during the morning when her bending was weak meditation was a good way to keep the rest of her senses sharp. Hakoda had bought it and Katara gave herself a pat on the back for such a crafty and well-performed lie, but she did feel bad lying to her father, so she made sure that every day after that she left her room as soon as the firebender stopped practicing for the day. However, that night after the talk with her father she started seeing the firebender during the night as well as the day, as he started visiting her in her dreams.
I picture me twisted up in your t-shirt,
Pink lemonade and a squeaky porch swing…
Katara realized the morning after she woke from her dream that this was getting out of control; she was staring at a man for hours and she was even dreaming about him, and she knew absolutely nothing about him other than that he was a hot, talented firebender. She didn't even know his name! Why was she so drawn to him? It was getting pretty bad, yet though she was concerned Katara couldn't force herself to stop watching him every morning.
Don't know your name,
Yet I guess it wouldn't hurt
If you gave me a ring…
A big diamond ring!
Katara started daydreaming about him. She would see him in her dreams, in the mornings, and even when she was elsewhere with other people she would start to think about him. She now understood what Suki meant about boy-watching; it was obsessive! Katara had once asked Suki why she would stare at other guys even though she was involved with Sokka, and she'd been told by the warrior that it was obsessive, and almost like a sport; once you started, you could never really stop. Katara could now finally comprehend the true fun of boy-watching…and she liked it.
Ooo-oo-oo-ooo-oo-oo-ooo, well, a girl can dream…
Ooo-oo-oo-ooo-oo-oo-ooo…
Lookin once, lookin twice,
Better get me a bucket of ice.
Go on do whatever you do—
I'll just sit here enjoyin the view.
Whistlin Dixie, 360 degrees of
Yooouu-oo-oo-ooo-oo-oo-oooh…
By the sixth day of watching her firebender train, Katara realized that he'd gotten wise to her pastime. However, he didn't confront her about it; in fact, it seemed he was rather enjoying the attention. And, while she had no idea who he was, he seemed to know exactly who she was, because she'd passed him in the hall once and he had inclined his head as she passed, mumbling and acknowledgement of, "Princess…" Unfortunately, this only furthered Katara's infatuation with him, because his voice had been oh so sexy, and it made her want him. Before, it had just been appreciation of a talented bender with an impeccable body, but now Katara wanted him.
Lookin once, lookin twice,
You're a splash of Tabasco on hot apple pie!
Baby, girls like it too—
Like to sit around enjoyin the view.
Whistlin Dixie, 360—
Whistlin Dixie, 360 degrees of
Yooouu-oo-oo-ooo-oo-oo-oooh…
It was finally the day of the banquet and party thing, whatever it was called, Katara knew it had a name, but she so despised her etiquette classes so she rarely paid any real attention to it. She wore the Fire Nation clothes that she had, as a symbol of peace and friendship, and her father approved of the gesture, even if he didn't like that the clothing was so…revealing on his daughter's frame. Katara was never allowed to show her midriff or her shoulders at the South Pole (not that she would even if she could, it was freezing there…), and the fact that her outfit showed both wasn't really comfortable for her father or for Sokka. However, since it was in the name of friendship, they didn't comment. She wore a Water Tribe circlet on her head, contrasting with the Fire Nation clothing, that signified her status as Princess. It was a beautiful ornament, almost a tiara, made of sapphires and carved bone. In order to make it look less strange, she wore all Water Tribe jewelry and that made it even more like she was portraying the unification of the two countries.
The banquet was extravagant, and all the most important people there received an announcement of their names and titles as they walked into the hall. Katara listened to and noted the people that she was likely to have to know, and prepared for when her name and titles were announced at the same time as her father and Sokka. This was going to be her first public appearance as the Southern Water Princess outside of the South Pole, and it was giving her the butterflies. She was also supposed to bow or curtsy as her name was called, and she wasn't sure which to do. She struggled to remember, because she knew that as the Princess she should curtsy, but all Master benders bowed, regardless of gender. She couldn't remember which took precedent, her bending prowess or her lineage. She almost asked her father, but decided against it. She was eighteen; she needed to be able to remember these things and to figure it out herself if she didn't. She decided that she would bow, because she'd been a Master Waterbender before she'd ever been considered the Princess of the Southern Water Tribe. Suddenly, it seemed, they were at the front of the line, and their names were being announced.
"The most honorable Warrior Chief of the Southern Water Tribe, Hakoda, and his children, the Honored Warrior, Prince Sokka, and the Master Waterbender, Princess Katara!" They strode through the grand entryway, Hakoda in the middle and slightly in front of Sokka and Katara, and all three of them gave formal bows amidst the polite clapping that was thundering through the room and echoing off the marble walls. They continued on into the room and proceeded to mingle, Hakoda easily making small talk with whomever he needed to and Katara politely greeting Chief Arnook as he strode over to her immediately and asked her to meet some of the men he'd brought with him. Sokka, of course, went straight for the food, but in the process he was making fast friends with some people from the Earth Kingdom. Katara was in the process of politely speaking with the most honored warrior in her age bracket from the North when their host decided to arrive.
"Ladies, gentlemen, and honored guests, please welcome your host, Fire Lord Zuko!"
Katara turned away from the warrior she'd been speaking with and was clapping enthusiastically enough to fit her excitement, but demure enough to be considered ladylike. She was glad that the room was so crowded, because her jaw nearly dropped when she saw her firebender enter, wearing ceremonial robes and a topknot, but it was definitely him. The object of her obsessions, the man she'd been thinking about for an entire week, the man she wanted to have, the Fire Lord. Zuko. He was in the process of waving gracefully to all of his guests, golden eyes scanning the crowd. When Zuko's eyes found Katara's, the smallest of smirks played across his face. He proceeded to mingle with his guests while Katara excused herself from the flirting warrior to go get herself refreshment from the buffet. She was mortified! The Fire Lord?! She'd been ogling the Fire Lord?! And he KNEW?! She pretty much wanted to die on the spot, but she contained herself and masked her embarrassment pretty well, all things considered. She didn't know how long she'd been standing at the buffet, drinking punch, but apparently it was long enough for a certain Master Firebender to show up behind her and spook her.
"Princess Katara," he began in that sexy voice that she loved, but hated so much right now because of the smugness she could hear in it, "we finally meet, officially."
Katara plastered on her best fake, sugary smile as she turned to face Zuko. "Fire Lord Zuko, it is truly an honor to have been invited to your establishment for this event. I know I speak for my whole family when I say that I thank you for your hospitality." She said it in a tone that was transparent; she was being nice and polite, but only just. The sarcasm was practically dripping from her words underneath the candy-coated formality. Her etiquette teacher would've had a heart attack and died had he seen or heard her speak that way to the Fire Lord. However, Zuko smiled, liking that she was being snippy.
"You may call me Zuko," he said. "And yes, I have observed that you have been enjoying your accommodations quite well." He was teasing her; that much was obvious. However, Katara figured she'd go with it, so she began flirting not-so-subtly.
"Yes, indeed, the view from the room you lent me is absolutely marvelous," she said, smiling coquettishly. "It's wonderful to wake up in the morning and see such a beautiful…courtyard."
"Well, Katara—may I call you Katara?" When she nodded, he continued, "You know you're always welcome to come out and…enjoy the courtyard in person, Katara."
The Princess smiled. "Well, Zuko, thank you very much. If you'll excuse me, I have to speak with my father, but I'm sure I'll see you again."
The Fire Lord smiled right back. "I'm sure you will."
Just a little bit of
Yooouu-oo-oo-ooo-oo-oo-oooh…
Gotsta, gotsta have
Yooouu-oo-oo-ooo-oo-oo-oooh…
Just a little bit of
Yooouu-oo-oo-ooo-oo-oo-oooh…
Oh I'm gonna have you…