Sukoshi no Shiawase

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the Avatar: The Last Airbender characters.

So...this is Zatura fanfiction all the way, but I hope I'm displaying the two characters all right. Well, their argument sounds like one they'd have at some point in the show, but oh well. The song she sings is completely made up, too. It'll pop up a lot in the story. There's a biblical reference near the end, and I figured you might get that if you read the chapter title. Ha. Well, it pertains to the story a bit, so I used it. It's also one of my favorite verses. The title, by the way, should mean "A little bit of happiness" in Japanese. If I wrote it wrong, please tell me! My Japanese isn't very good, since I just started...sigh

Flame me and you die a thousand deaths. Just constructive criticism alright? Thanks.


I. Isaiah 40:31
" ...but for those who hope...will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint."

Katara was beautiful. And gifted. And strong. She was everything she believed she should and had to be. She was pure in every way imaginable; she had not even had her first kiss. And that was how she thought it should be. But hidden within her were tears she would not shed in the face of anyone or anything; hidden in the corners of her sapphire blue eyes were hidden tears, as pure as she. And so she was strong. She must remain so, for her brother, and for Aang. She would not be weak. She could not be weak. In the face of Ty Lee, with her bending useless and her body weak, she would not cave into the maddening fear raging in her heart. Even now, as she sat in the room of the one man she hated the most, she would not show fear or weakness of any kind, for that is exactly what he wanted.

But the way he held his hand out to her when he came to retrieve her from her prison cell was almost...gentle. He stood in the doorframe, light beginning to trickle in from behind him, holding out his hand for her to take in his, the most sorrowful of looks painted on his handsome, but marred, face. His lips formed soft words, words she wanted to hear but dreaded.

"Come with me."

And she wanted to hear him say more, but she hated him and everything he represented to her. Katara hated that he was one of the most attractive men she'd ever met, with a hidden charm beneath a hard exterior, and yet he was her enemy. Her enemy. She could not fall for her enemy. She could not ever love her enemy. And so she fought against it.

"I cannot."

His face twisted in pain almost, like a hurt that was unexplainable and inexpressible. He wanted her to just take his hand and take her away to...wherever it was he was going to take her. But she wouldn't give in that easily to him. Oh, no. Katara was strong; she would fight back against this man she loathed so much.

"Please. Just take my hand and away we go. Do you wish to stay here forever?"

"Here isn't the problem," she replied.

"If here isn't the problem, then come with me." He was so insistent.

"Here isn't the problem. It's you. You're the problem."

And that twisted face grew worse, the pain deepening to something Katara could not name. She wanted to take his hand; she wanted him to say that things would be okay and that he would save her. And yet, she knew it was not to be, for he was Fire Nation, and she was Water Tribe, and they would never be. With magnets, opposites attracted, but in reality, was not so the case.

But she could not say why, nor could she say no forever to this insistent man. Instead she hesitantly took his hand and was pulled to her feet, feeling his body heat radiate off of him. She liked it, for it was cold in the hard and empty cell, and she wondered if he was doing it on purpose. He smelled nice, like spicy cinnamon, she thought. Was he thinking the same thing? His face was unreadable, but then, it always had been. A few small words she never thought she'd hear him say were said.

"Thank you."

And suddenly, Katara nearly forgot everything that had happened here in Ba Sing Sei. But she could not simply forget! No! She could not! Not after what he did. Not after she offered to heal him, to give him a chance, and he threw it back in her face. It would take more than just rescuing her from a dungeon to win any of that back. It would have been delightful to say that he was releasing her, or taking her to some place that she could escape. We would be able to breathe such a sigh of relief, you and I, my dear reader. But then, no story would be told, and you would have no point in reading this now would you?

And so Katara now sat in the room of Prince Zuko of the Fire Nation, half-afraid of what was in store for her. Would he torture her until she told him where Aang was? Would he rape her? The possibilities were endless, but Katara ruled rape out. Zuko wasn't that horrible...was he? No, the prince may be Fire Nation, but he wasn't that low. She held her breath as the young boy entered the room stiffly, looking tired and worn down. He was not standing tall, as Katara was accustomed to seeing him. Instead, he slumped slightly forward as though a heavy weight was put on his shoulders. He wore the earthen green robes she had last seen him in, and his dark hair stuck out in odd ends.

The young prince seemed to completely go around Katara, as though she was not there. After a few minutes, the Waterbender cleared her throat to catch his attention, and she wondered, "Why do I want his attention? I could just sit here without him noticing me and that would be perfectly fine with me!"

As if startled, Zuko turned to face Katara, forgetting for the briefest of moments that he himself had fetched her from the dungeon. He rubbed his head, feeling more than somewhat awkward and unsure of what to do. He hadn't thought it out very far, as was slowly becoming apparent. He let out a sigh and tapped his chin in a most thoughtful manner before moving over to a dresser and opening it. He pulled out a plain dress of the same green color and held it out to Katara in an expectant way. When she failed to understand, or rather, failed to move or make any notion that she was going to do as he expected, Zuko cleared his throat the same way she had.

"And what is it that you expect me to do, Zuko?" Katara asked in a coldly polite way. She would make his life as miserable as possible if it would help her forget him.

Zuko, of course, could be just as polite, for he had learned in courts after all. "I would like you to put on this dress. It would allow you to roam the palace as you like, though you would not be able to leave without my assistance," he said simply. "And if you wear it, it signifies you are under my protection."

"And where should I get dressed?"

"Here."

"You are dreadfully ignorant."

"No, I am not," Zuko replied indignantly.

"Then where am I to dress?" Katara asked again. "I can't simply let you see me when I'm dressing."

"Then I shall leave the room for a few minutes."

And with that, the prince was gone and Katara was capable of getting dressed without worry of being seen. It was just a simple gown, nothing fancy or intricate about it at all. And that was fine by her; she was not one for heavy dresses or any of those sorts. She liked the freedom and mobility she possessed in a simple dress. The colors were not exactly to her liking, but if it kept her safe for now, then so be it. And it seemed Zuko had such interesting timing, for when she finished dressing, he returned with a plate of food and a cup of a drink, presumably for her. He set them down in front of her and retreated to his bed, sitting with his back to her, just as he had in old Ba Sing Sei.

Katara ate and drank, her icy eyes on the prince's back. He did not move and she almost thought she could hear another sound coming from him. But she wiped it away as nonsense, since she believed Zuko was not capable of emotions at all anymore. All he had said in old Ba Sing Sei she no longer believed, for shortly after he had betrayed her.

"What do you want with me?" she asked Zuko. "Why did you rescue me from the dungeon? I would have been fine on my own. I didn't need, nor did I want your help! I hate you, Zuko! I thought you had changed. But I was wrong, wasn't I? I mean nothing to you."

Zuko failed to answer and Katara bent the liquid in the cup into a whip and hit Zuko with it in the back of the head. It was only a small amount, enough to sting, but certainly not enough to do any real damage! The Fire Nation prince did nothing to stop it at all, allowing the liquid to splash on him and drench him. When Katara had her fun, when she was finished abusing him with the little liquid in her cup, she sighed and turned away, retreating to the small couch where a blanket awaited her. She pulled it over her head and hid in it, not wanting to face the fact that she was a prisoner, stuck in a room with the one man she hated the most. Zuko stood from his bed, walking to where Katara lay hidden. He knelt in front of her, so that he would be level with her, should she reveal her face from the blankets.

"I'm sorry," he said softly. He wasn't sure what to say anymore. She didn't deserve this, and he knew that. "I'm sorry. You don't deserve to go through all of this. I can't ask you to forgive me. All I can do is give you the best I can. I'm sorry."

When she did not move or make a sound, Zuko tried one last time. "You are worth much more than I am. I don't want you to get hurt."

From under the blankets came Katara's reply. "Are you sincere?"

"I am."

Katara peeked out from her hiding place under the blanket and sat up, wrapping it around her instead. "Then I suppose I can trust you a little. I would think it was sweet of you, but you are Zuko, after all."

Zuko sat down, turning away. "What is that supposed to mean?"

The young Waterbender looked at the sulking Zuko. She would think he was handsome, scar and all, but what kept her from doing so was the idea that he was the enemy. And she most certainly could not love the enemy! What was Sokka to say should she fall in love with Zuko? And of course there was Aang. Certainly she still liked him. Her crush had all but dissipated.

"It means nothing," she replied to his question. Katara slid to the floor next to Zuko. If she could be nice to him, maybe he would be so kind as to let her out? Or maybe be a gentleman and escort her. "Zuko...if I may call you that—"

"It's fine so long as you're alone with me like this."

"—yes, of course—why did you...I mean, why betray even your own uncle? I mean...just a few weeks ago."

Zuko suddenly heated up in rage. "Listen, I did not wish to betray Uncle. I don't know what else I could have done! What was I supposed to do? I just want to go home now. And I have my chance," he said. "And why should it matter to you?"

"Why?" Katara asked, her temper rising like his. "Because I tried to help you and you threw it back in my face, Zuko! And your uncle as well! I wanted to help you! I wanted to heal your scar—"

"Stop it! Shut up! You do not know what it is you're talking about," Zuko shouted at her, beginning to rise from his spot on the floor. Katara grabbed his hand quickly. To her, even his company, the company of the enemy, was better than no company at all.

"I'm sorry. Please...don't leave me here alone again."

Zuko groaned and sat back down. He looked away from her. "For most of my life I've been running. I want to stop. I'm tired of it. Sometimes...I even forget what it is I'm fighting for."

Katara looked at his hand for the briefest of moments before taking it in hers and stroking his palm gently with her fingertips. "Then stop running."

"I wish it were that simple."

"If you keep hoping, then you will learn to run and not grow so weary, Zuko," Katara whispered softly.

"I wish it were that simple."