Katara wasn't able to sleep that night, seeing as many things were on her mind. She decided to head out to the beach and do some practicing on her water bending. She felt relaxed as the cool water lapped at her bare feet as she manipulated the water maneuvering it around her, she was too focused on her work to even notice Zuko walking up to her "pondering over something?" he asked looking at her form
Caught in surprise, out of defensive reflex. She froze the streams of water into icicles and aimed them at the intruder, Zuko set a burst of flame melting the icicles "easy, it's just me" he reassured her and saw her out a sigh in relief as she placed her hand over her heart
Katara then glared at him "don't do that" she said as her erratic heartbeat settled down
"Something's on your mind" he said, it wasn't a question…but a statement that he clearly knew. She hadn't spoken a word since the Gaang had left the theater, not even a word by the time they went to bed either, he just knew by then something was bothering her
"No there isn't!" she replied a bit to quickly and saw him arch a dark eyebrow and gave her a look that clearly said 'oh really?'. Who was he to just say that, he didn't know what if she was quiet for a different reason, like she didn't feel like talking. 'Who does he think he is? Questioning me like that?' She thought and then her conscience decided to reply to her 'your boyfriend, you ignorant twit!' It screamed
He saw a dumbfound look appear on her face "Katara, you've been quiet since we left the theater and you been chewing your bottom lip constantly as if your were deep in thought, something's bothering you" he said as he kept his golden eyes focused on her
If Katara knew one thing about her boyfriend….it was that he is a hot head – no pun intended. Since the first time she had ever met him, she knew he had anger issues….how would he react if she had told him another boy had kissed her? When she knew he was clearly the jealous type "you'll get mad if I told you" big mistake to say that, his face darken with a serious look
He looked at her with an intense gaze as if staring at her would pry the answer "what did he do?" he asked voice gruff. Quickly coming to the assumption that it had to do with Aang, if that kid had done something to upset Katara, he would be sure to do something to him….Avatar or not "what did he do Katara?" he repeated taking a step toward the water bender
She ducked her head, not able to look back at his intense stare "he was just upset about the scene of the catacombs in Ba Sing Se, asked me if that stuff really happened" she flicked her eyes at him noticing he was getting rather impatient "he then asked me about me and him and what we were, I was gonna tell him about us but…." She bit her lip as she gave him a considering look before letting out a sigh "he kissed me" she finished and suddenly felt an intense heat radiating off him
He was ticked off, steam was seeping out of his nose as his anger was building up "he kissed you?" he asked in a low tone of voice, sounding eeriely calm as he eyed her
She swore he was turning red "Zuko, please calm down. You know I don't feel that way about him anymore" Katara said placing a cool hand on his bare arm, it was then she had noticed he was only wearing his pants….she probably hadn't noticed then, cause she was focused on either his face or the water "he was just upset" she added
"And that's an excuse for him to kiss you?" he asked his nose twitching as if to make a sneer, he gently grasped her arms despite his anger "Katara, you know my patience is already lacking. Its driving me insane to see that kid acting like a love sick polar bear puppy around you when he shouldn't be, all because you care to much about his feelings" he said tilting his head to look her in the eye "either you do something or I will" he added narrowing his eyes
She was sweating, not because she was nervous...but because of the heat he was letting off "you know better than to hurt him Zuko" she chided as he let go of her arms and turned to head to the house
He stopped for a moment and turned his head to look at her "if he kisses you again, I'm not sure I can make that promise" he said walking off leaving a worried girlfriend behind
Katara scoffed 'men, always the jealous type' she thought, walking after him. Feeling worried of what might happen the next day when Zuko would catch his first glimpse of Aang.
Aang yelped as he dodged yet another sphere of flame. Zuko had taken the excuse of a sparring lesson to take out his anger on the young monk….all this was apparent to the other additional Gaang members with the exception of Aang himself. He blocked a burst of flame with one of his own and gave Zuko a worried confused look "why am I getting the feeling that you're mad at me?" he asked only to yelp in surprise as he swiftly dodged a flame whip
Blocking the ball of flame with his foot "fight back! You'd be roasted by now if you hesitated" Zuko spat, his arm already engulfed in flames for the next attack
Sokka, Suki and Katara winced when a ball a flame nearly grazed Aang's right arm, Toph just sat by...feet flat on the ground as she 'watched' the show. Katara had told them the reason of Zuko's bad mood when he woke up….and the reason for his hostility directed at Aang, they didn't know if they should be amused or worried
Sokka stroked his chin for a moment before pulling his precious fake beard and mustache from out of nowhere "flying mammals and ladies, we have learned a very important lesson today" he said with a fake toned voice "Prince Zuko of the Fire Nation is a jealous type and we are given a demonstration of prince Zuko's short temper" he continued in a very teacher like manner, ignoring the wierd looks he was getting "it is by instinct that he would react with hostile jealously if seeing his significant other with another man that is not related and thereby react violently" Suki and Katara gave him a weird look "what?" he said slowly taking off his beard
They ducked out of the way when a burst of flame suddenly came at them "maybe you should stop Zuko before he decides to roast Aang alive" Toph said picking her nose as she stared at the direction of the two sparring boys
Katara let out a sigh and looked at the two boys, she stood up and slowly walked toward them. If she knew better -which she did- it was best not to catch any of them by surprise or she'd probably end up roasted. Zuko blocked a burst of flame sent at him until he felt a cool hand on his bare shoulder, he whirled around in surprise about to attack until he saw it was Katara. She gave him a look, daring him to make a next move "I think you guys should take a break" she said as she looked up at him with a calming look, earning a sigh of relief from Aang and saw him trot off towards the others
Zuko turned to give Aang a look, annoyed to see the kid run off when he hadn't finished taking out his anger at him. As if sensing his reluctance "please? For me" she said quietly looking up at him with a pleading expression
He let out steam through his nose and relaxed. Grabbing his shirt and tunic sitting on a rock nearby, he ignored Aang and the others and gave her and fleeting look "I'm gonna take a walk" he said walking off flexing his shoulders
Yep….Zuko was still pissed off and he hadn't finished blowing off steam, so perhaps taking out his anger on Aang because the kid kissed his girlfriend wasn't the only best solution he knew of. Apparently Aang was still recovering from the sparring lesson and seemed to notice Zuko did have a problem with him "did I do something wrong or something?" he asked wiping away sweat from his forehead
Katara stared at the direction Zuko walked off to, looking on with a worried look on her face "I'm gonna check on him" she said before heading off after her boyfriend. Aang wasn't sure what was going on and figured that it was just Katara being concerned and motherly over everyone
Toph picked at her nails and looked at his certain direction "he's still pissed off about the play" she replied and sat back "you know, since it threw all of his mistakes at his face and all" she added nonchalantly as she picked her ear…Sokka muttered something like 'nice save' and luckily Aang was to distracted to hear the comment
Aang put an understanding look, suddenly replaced by a brightened up smile "I'll go tell him that maybe we should quite Firebending lessons for today" he said sprinting off, Suki and Sokka cringed…for all they knew, that Aang would probably walk in on them and things could get ugly then if he did.
The young monk saw the two and was about to call out to them until he heard them talking….and noticed the strange way they were looking at each other, he ducked behind a tree and watched as their conversation lead on "I told you it meant nothing Zuko" Katara said looking at her boyfriend with an exasperate look on her tan face
Zuko ran his fingers through his dark longish hair and sighed in frustration "well tell that to him then" he replied looking back at her. Aang didn't know what was going on…what were they talking about? Were they talking about him? "I'm getting quite frustrated to see Aang always giving you longing looks and goofy grins when he shouldn't be doing it" he growled out
Katara then put a teasing look despite the fact her boyfriend was seething "you could ignore him, not become a super jealous guy who wants to burn alive every guy who flirts with me" she said taking a step closer to him, Aang's blood went cold….he was not hearing this, it was all just a horrible nightmare, have they been dating behind his back? He wanted to storm in there and stop them from becoming anything or doing anything….but the growing ache in his heart refused to let him move
Zuko arched his only eyebrow "I would be much calmer if the kid wasn't making googo eyes at you" he said taking a step closer to her "you know pretty darn well that I can't help myself, if a kid is making eyes at you….they'd regret it" he said taking a step closer with each passing word
Katara coyly played with her hair "I'm not sure I like it" she said looking up at him with half lidded eyes, Aang's heart wrenched and shattered into pieces when he saw Zuko pull her flushed against him and heard him mutter something like 'get used to it' into her ear before kissing her. Aang's heartbreak soon turned into anger, not able to stand there watching them kiss passionately...unknowing of his presence
He turned away from the couple and stormed back to the house. He didn't give the others a chance to say anything when they saw him storming in "you guys knew?" he yelled at them making them wince at the harsh tone
Toph rubbed her sensitive ear "knew what? That it was a bad idea to spar with Zuko when he woke up in a bad mood?" she asked coyly glad to not able to see that he was glaring at her. Of course she had faced Aang when he was angry before….never made her flinch even then
"This isn't a joke Toph!" he yelled at her as his face turned red and turned to all three "you guys knew? You knew about them? And you never said anything?" he asked in disbelief finally lowering the volume of his voice a notch
"It wasn't our place to tell" Suki spoke with a calm voice
Sokka slowly stood up "they were worried how you would take it" he said holding up his hands in defense in case Aang would act up again, his anger slowly diminished and once again replaced by sadness as he looked at the direction where Zuko and Katara were. Suki nudged Sokka on his side "what?" he asked looking down at his girlfriend
"Talk to him" she said giving him a serious look. For all they knew, Aang could be thinking about the whole situation at hand and be developing a sudden hatred toward Zuko….heck they were surprised his Avatar state wasn't triggered by the loss of his love interest
Letting out a sigh "c'mon, we need to talk" Sokka said gesturing his friend to follow him inside. He knew he should take this matter seriously, it was not a situation to be joking around with. Sokka was relieved to find Aang gloomily following him. Once in Aang's room to ensure Aang wouldn't act up if Zuko showed up "Aang I know its upsetting to find about it this way" he started and saw the young monk cross his arms over his lean chest
Aang huffed and paced around the room like a caged animal "why him huh? Why did she choose him? We kissed at the invasion and yet she decided she wants to be with him?" he ranted pacing around the room
Sokka was almost taken back by the revelation, he had no idea his sister and Aang kissed the day at the invasion "I simple kiss doesn't establish a relationship Aang" Sokka said leaning against the door frame as if wanting to block the boy's exit "things can change" he added
"Yeah, well…I don't like it. I had liked her longer than he had" Aang said glaring at the balcony entrance "I knew her longer than he had, and she spent most of her time hating him….how can she choose him over me?" he asked wiping his nose
There was no getting through with this kid "things change as time passes Aang. And they really like each other, it's not like Zuko decided he liked her then and there and decided she was his. He actually cares about her, he doesn't want to get her in his bed or anything"
"He what? She was supposed to be with me, I had hoped we would get together when this war was over. Why did he steal her from me? Hes supposed to be my friend, friends do not steal what's mine" he muttered angrily, Sokka watched with near amusement as tiny puffs of steam came out of the kid's nose...apparently Zuko's habit rubbed off on him
The last comment really bothered Sokka though "Aang, I'd really appreciate it if you don't speak about Katara that way. Shes not some prize to be won okay?" he said eyebrow twitching in annoyance "and you don't know the whole story Aang, Zuko had actually come to me and asked MY permission to court my sister…he wants to take care of her and love her…not just shag with her in the sack, he actually cares about her" he said sounding almost in disbelief at the memory of Zuko actually confiding with him, as if his consent were important
"Why did you say yes to him? I had come to ask you for her a ton of times and you always blow me off, it's not fair" Aang said as he started to pace again…it was apparent he wasn't the one loosing the patience
Sokka stopped the boy's pacing when he placed his hand on his shoulder "Aang, you are twelve years old….your too young to even consider this kind of stuff, Zuko is near seventeen…around Katara's age range" he spoke logically
"And don't think I wasn't considering your feelings Aang. I really was. But I was also thinking about Katara's happiness too, she wanted to be with Zuko…and as long as shes happy with Zuko. I'm fine with it" he let out a sigh noticing the kid's eyes watering up "I'm sorry Aang, but I'm just thinking about what makes her happy" he said looking at the boy one last before deciding he would want to be alone.
Zuko and Katara emediantly knew something was up when they came back, Suki and Toph gave them weary looks when they had came back to the house and knew what was up. Suki had told them Sokka was talking to Aang about the whole thing, Katara felt horrible...knowing for sure Aang was a heartbroken mess and she and Zuko were the cause. When Sokka showed up he had a grim look on his face
Katara looked at him expectantly "is he okay?" she asked as he sat down the steps
Sokka winced and shrugged a single shoulder "I guess, he didn't throw rocks at me…Zuko is still in one piece je je. He just wants to be alone" he said with a sympathetic look as he looked up at his little sister.
Katara stood on the balcony in their room with a concerned look on her face. She was worried beyond belief, Aang still hadn't come out of his room to eat and not even to come out for Water bending practice. Brushing her hair away from her face she decided to check up on him…..with a sigh, she left the room.
She knocked lightly on Aang's door carrying a tray of his dinner they saved for him "Aang?" she called out walking into the room, seeing that everything was still intact in his bedroom "I brought you dinner" she lightly said and saw him sitting in the balcony of his room
Aang just sat there as if he didn't hear here "why?" he whispered, he spoke so softly it almost escaped her ears
"You still need to eat Aang, I know you must be…." She was cut off when he turned to look at her
"No, I mean why him? Why did you choose him over me?" he asked standing up but never took a step toward her "what happened to the war excuse? I thought you were just waiting for the war to be over…I never thought it was because you were already with someone else" he said bitterly and turned away from her
She sighed feeling awful and set his tray on the bed before walking up to him "Aang…it's just…I don't know, things can change a lot in time. It just happened…I…I…" she kept stuttering, suddenly losing the abilitie abilities speak correctly
"You fell in love with him didn't you? And when I thought you felt something for me, were you just leading me on then? Letting me believe you had genuine feelings for me" he said turning away from her
"No! I would never do that to you Aang" she said looking at him with an assuring look "I did feel something for you….I really did, but it was just a crush and I well. I'd never lead you on like that Aang" she said raising her hand to place it on his bare shoulder only for him to jerk away "please Aang, I cherish our friendship….I don't want something like this to get between us, I don't want to lose what we have" she tried reaching for him, sighing in relief when he gave in to her embrace feeling tears wetting her bare shoulder
"I thought it was destiny. I thought we were supposed to end up together….. but I guess I was wrong" he murmured against her shoulder and with a long shaky sigh, he pulled away from her "I just need some time alone" he lightly said wiping his tear streaked cheeks and his blurry gray eyes
She didn't realize her eyes had welled up with tears until she felt a tear run down her cheek "sleep well Aang" she whispered before lightly closing the door behind her.
Zuko found her standing on the balcony of their room looking out at the ocean, he walked up to her, wrapping his arms around her bare waist and placed a kiss on her shoulder "you okay?" he asked as she turned to face him, locking her hands together behind his neck
She placed her head on his broad shoulder and sighed "I'm just worried about Aang" she murmured nuzzling his jaw receiving a kiss on the cheek in response "I was so worried about how hurt his feelings would end up and if things turned badly, that I never thought for the fact that he could find out by himself" she said playing with a lock of dark hair "I messed up" she added letting out a long sigh
He ran his hand up and down her back "he'll be fine" he murmured pulling her at arms length and gave her a reassuring smile "hes been through worse" he added pecking her lips lightly
She looked regretful and unconvinced "pretty sure this is the worse hes been through" she said gesturing to the both "what if its to much for him by the time the comet comes? He'd probably be…" she was cut off by her boyfriend
"He'd have to get over it by then Katara" he said giving her a serious look "he knows he can't be thinking about what he lost by the time then" he added caressing the exposed flesh of her smooth back "he'll be fine" he said pressing his forehead against hers
She let out a sigh and nodded reluctantly "its late, we should go to bed" she said pulling away from his warm embrace "good night" she whispered giving him a chaste kiss before heading back inside, Zuko stood there for a moment relishing the cool air on his warm skin and turned his head to see Katara snuggling into her pillow, with a deep sigh….he went inside.
The passing week was insufferable and beyond tense; the tension between the three was unbearable. It was troublesome when Aang decided that getting in a fight with his friend would solve things between his conflicted feelings a few days ago. Zuko was just glad Aang only gave him an accusing look earlier that morning and didn't plan on dissolving him into a pulp with four elements; still he didn't put it as an excuse to avoid training Aang…even if the kid was resenting him
Aang was swinging his arms letting flames loose with a concentrated look on his face. Zuko stood not far away, watching with stern eyes with his arms crossed over his chest. Aang flung his leg and arms letting flames loose "more ferocious!" Zuko yelled keeping a watchful eye on the monk's movements. The young Avatar would have remarked back if they weren't on training session….surely he knew his resentment on Zuko had to come last…his training always came first. His fist engulfed with flames looking concentrated "imagine striking through your opponent's heart" Zuko said keeping his eye on the kid
Aang shot a ball of flame before turning to Zuko, looking quite frustrated...barely able to control the urge to send a sphere of flame at his teacher "ugh! Im trying!" he said with a glare planted on his childish face
Zuko ignored the boy's complaints and continued ordering "now let me hear you roar like a tiger – dillo!" he spat eyes narrowed watching as the kid huffed in agitation, Aang stretched out his arms and roared rather softly as fire came out of his mouth a hands….it was rather weak "that sounded pathetic! I said roar!" he spat narrowing his gold eyes at the kid
Aang repeated the motion again, roaring ferociously strong spurts of flame coming out of his mouth and his hands making Momo screech in fear and run behind Zuko's legs for refuge. Zuko crossed his arms over his chest and nodded in approval. When Katara offered watermelon juice, Aang eagerly went off for the offered break….either he took the chance to get away from Zuko or what not…and he kept his distance from Katara after she gave him his cold beverage.
Zuko was annoyed to find everyone lounging at the beach instead of preparing themselves for the time the comet comes, it was a tense and shocking moment when he had attacked Aang to get the kid to fight back and at least learn something…..he was shocked and disappointed to hear that they changed the war plan…deciding to attack after the comet – Katara had looked guilty for not telling him anything about it – that was until he told them about Ozai's plan. After the training the for the events of the upcoming comet – and where Toph had portrayed the Fire Lord a bit to well - they were all then left upset when Aang was doubting himself on ending Ozai's life.
Dinner was a lot calmer opposed of the earlier events that day, Aang had sat not far from the others….either it was to avoid Zuko or he was pondering on how to defeat Ozai without killing him, Katara was out about who knows where probably looking for useful utilities to use
It was until Katara suddenly came walking in with a secretive smile on her tan face as she held a scroll in her hands "I have a surprise for everyone!" she said sounding cheerful and excited...catching Toph's attention with the wrong assumption
"I knew it! You are pregnant with Zuko's baby" she said with a wide smile on her pale face, at hearing this...Sokka spit out his food and started coughing as Suki patted his back trying to get him to stop while looking quite surprised herself, Zuko's eyes widen and looked either shocked or horrified…Aang's face just paled at the thought
Katara's blue eyes were wide "err, no" ignoring the sighs of relief and watched as they went back to eating "I was looking for cooking pots in the attic and I found this" she trailed off throwing the scroll downward as it rolled open "look at baby Zuko!" she gushed as they stared in surprise and disbelief at the image of a baby with a wide smile arms wide open as he enjoyed himself at the beach "isn't he cute" she coddled, it was either the responses of laughter or gushes that bothered Zuko beyond belief
Zuko groaned and closed his eyes shaking his head all the while "oh lighten up, I was just teasing" she said coddling her boyfriend and looked down at the picture "you looked so cute" she commented, he looked adorable as a baby…she had to admit…it had her thinking of how their kids would turn out one day
He set his bowl aside and let out a annoyed sigh….he wasn't sure if he should have felt insulted or what not "that's not me, its my father" he said looking at her direction. The place filled with uncomfortable silence as Katara quickly rolled up the scroll and gave him a sheepish look
The silence lasted for a few moments until Suki pointed at the scroll and looked at her friend "but he looked so sweet and innocent" heck even herself couldn't believe that such horrible monster looked so adorable when an infant…once naïve to the horrible and terrible things in the world….she could only guess he grew up in his father's footsteps to continue such malevolence
Zuko scoffed at the idea of his father once being such "well that sweet little kid grew up to be a monster. And the worst Father in the history of all Fathers" he said hatred inking his deep voice
They were all surprised by the reply Aang gave in defense to the lord "but hes still a human being" they weren't sure what was wrong with him. Katara was practically seething at this, Ozai was anything but such…he caused nothing but pain and destruction in the world…she hated that man for many reasons….causing Zuko pain was one of them
Zuko looked at the boy with disbelief written on his face "you're going to defend him?" he asked sounding disbelieved at such
Aang stood up and looked at his friends who were looking at him with disappointing looks "no, I agree with you. Fire Lord Ozai is a horrible person and the world would probably be better off without him. But there's got to be another way" the young monk said looking away from the group as he tried thinking of such way to defeat the man without taking his life
Zuko didn't know for sure if he was sneering or not "like what?" he asked looking at the monk with a look that wasn't entirely nice looking
Aang twiddled his thumbs together as in thinking and shrugged "I don't know. Maybe we can make some big pots of glue and then I can use glue bending to stick his arms and legs together so he can't bend anymore" he said with a look that said he probably liked the idea, they looked at him as if he lost his mind
Zuko resisted the urge to beat the senses into the kid "yeah. Then you can show him his baby pictures and all those happy memories would make him good again" he said voice inked with sarcasm as the others laughed and snickered
Aang failed to notice the sarcasm in the comment "do you really think that would work?" he asked naively with a wide hopeful smile on his childish face
"No!" Zuko snapped looking at Aang with a serious look on his pale face gold eyes narrowed, why had Aang even considered that? Ozai could never change….it was simple fact everyone in the world knew about "why would you even consider it? The Fire Lord is never going to change and that's something you should know by now" he said in a stern voice looking at the monk with a serious look
"I know" Aang said feeling irritated at Zuko for having a good point. He started pacing with a worried look on his face "this goes against everything I learned from the monks" he said looking down at his linked hands as he paced "I can't just go waltzing around wiping out people I don't like" he added with a frown on his face as he looked at the Gaang
"Sure, you can. You're the Avatar" Sokka said failing to notice the young monk's hands balling in fist as he struggled to contain his temper "if it's in the name of keeping balance, I'm pretty sure the Universe will forgive you" he finished it was then Aang snapped at him
Aang turns to his friend and snapped making Sokka jump up in shock "this isn't a joke, Sokka! None of you understand the position I'm in!" he yelled glaring at the others
"Aang, we do understand. It's just…" she was rudely cut off by the angry twelve year old Avatar
"Just what, Katara! What!" he snapped glaring at her
Katara got annoyed by the rude interruption "we're trying to help" she said sternly looking at him with an annoyed look on her tan face
He pointed at her with a angry look "then when you figure out a way for me" he pointed at himself "to defeat the Fire Lord without taking his life, I'd love to hear it!" he snapped raising his arms in the air in exasperation and walked away, leaving speechless and shocked friends behind
Katara stared at his retreating back sternly "Aang, don't walk away from this" she said walking after him until she felt a warm hand on her slender shoulder
She looked up to see Zuko looking down at her with a calm look "let him go, he needs time to sort it out by himself" he said with a calm voice despite the fact that he was upset at the boy's outburst. They all looked at the direction Aang disappeared off to.
Aang was in the balcony of his room looking at the view before him; he paced around the area like a impatient Tiger – dillo locked in a cage as he was deep in thought. His mind was all scrambled up with thoughts on how to defeat the Fire Lord without taking away his life…and Katara and Zuko's sudden revealed relationship.
"What do they know how I'm feeling, they don't understand….no one does" he muttered as he continued in his pace, ignoring Momo who looked up at him with a look that could have been concern "they were never forced or expected to take someone's life….what would it prove anyway?" he mutter bitterly, leaning against the railing and looked up at the dark starlit sky "Roku I'm confused, I need your advice….so much is going on right now and I can't handle it…..everyone is expecting me to kill the Fire Lord and the one girl I ever loved is in the arms of prince Zuko" he said with a sad confused look on his face….he frowned when Roku didn't make his appearance
'Zuko' Aang's gray eyes narrowed at the thought of the firebender, he didn't know how long his two teachers were seeing each other….or how long they have been interested in the other
The guy at least must have known Aang liked her, he bet Zuko just went in for the kill the moment he got the chance. Aang wished he hadn't let them go to find her mother's killer, wished he hadn't let Zuko join them…or wished Katara to forgive him. Everything was clear as glass now that he knew, all those affectionate gestures, those subtle flirtations, the reason of Zuko's anger at him the week before…..and the fact that Zuko had her room located closest to his
He felt stupid for not seeing this any sooner….it could have been more obvious to anyone else to see the two were in a relationship, but he had been so god damn clueless to even notice the most subtle hint. Aang wanted to go to Zuko's room and give the guy a piece of his mind….at least give him a warning if he ever tried to hurt Katara, he knew he already lost her to Zuko….a thing he never wanted to think about again….so he at least wanted to make sure she would be well taken care of
He stood up, ignoring his questioning flying monkey and jumped swiftly to one window sill to another going through a few balconies on his there….why he didn't just walk down the halls? Simple, as far as he was aware….Zuko may as well hear the door opening and…well…he doesn't take night visitors nicely 'except if it was Katara' Aang thought bitterly
After a long while of jumping from balcony to balcony. Nearly waking Sokka and Suki in the process. He finally reached his destination. He quietly walked in, opening his mouth as if ready to speak up until his blood went cold at the sight in front of him, Zuko was already asleep but curled up on his side was Katara, her upper body was practically sprawled over him face buried in his neck with his arm wrapped around her bare shoulder protectively
How long have they been sharing a room? as far as he knew, Sokka shared his room with Suki...but the thought of Zuko and Katara sharing the same room? He paled at the thought of what they might have been doing previously. He remembered an embarrassing moment when he had walked in on Suki and Sokka - doing spirits knows what - but they were a tangled mass of limbs at that moment. Then Sokka threw his boomerang at the confused monk, yelling at him to get lost. These two were still clothed in their undergarments….so perhaps they weren't doing what Aang saw Sokka and his girlfriend do
He then felt a sudden urge to yell at Zuko to take his hands of her, but then realized that it wasn't his place to say such. Aang felt his heart ache for his loss of the one girl he ever loved…now in the arms of a guy much older than him…..what made her fall for Zuko anyway? Was it because he was older? Taller? Was it his deep voice? What was it? His mind was scrambled up in a heap trying to figure out what it was. Until he suddenly felt the temperature rise "is it me, or is it getting a hot in here?" he asked himself tugging the collar of his shirt
Aang suddenly ducked at the last moment when a ball of flame was aimed at him, he yelped scrambling for the exit to see Zuko in a sleepy heap aiming balls of burning flame at him. He knew very well that Zuko wasn't doing any of this voluntarily….as far as he knew, the guy had been caught by surprise many times to attack a person without knowing it….and he noticed Zuko was rather sleep deprived.
Zuko skidded after the intruder to find the balcony empty. He looked around the large balcony, looking for the little imp that sneaked in...failing to notice the eight fingers gripping on to the balcony surface. Aang would have swiftly left if it hadn't been for his lack of breath, so he hung helplessly as he tried to catch his breath. Waiting for the prince to disappear back inside and resume his sleep
Hearing the shallow breathing, Zuko's eyes turned to the certain direction. He slowly walked over to the railing, arm engulfed in flames ready to attack the intruder…..at the moment he was about to look over the railing a voice stopped him "what are you doing up so early?" Katara asked brushing a strand of dark hair from her face as she gripped his red tunic closed around her body; he turned away from the railing to look at his girlfriend and groaned to see her wearing his tunic...which reached solely up to her knee
Must have woken her by that harsh jerk when he jumped out of bed, he nearly cringed at the thought "thought. someone. was out here" he replied looking around the area all the while as he said this
Once Katara saw that the place was empty and his disappointed look "it's late, come to bed" she said looking at him with a tired look before heading inside. Zuko followed her only to look back with a suspicious look before heading inside; Aang was still hanging from the balcony before sighing in relief when he heard them head inside but his mind was screaming 'how long did they start sharing rooms?' He pushed the thought aside and headed back to his room.
It was then the next day they found out he had disappeared, they had looked over every inch of the area, every corner of the house and every alley in town…yet they had found no signs of him. They were all worried something might have happened to him and even in the worse situation ever imagined….the comet was coming in a few days
The Gaang had then turned to Zuko for help, knowing that he was by far the best at finding Aang….something he wasn't proud to admit. It was then he flew them to the Earth Kingdom…everyone questioning him for this reason. The Gaang then decided that all of them coming along would catch unnecessary attention, so only he and Katara went in to search for whatever he brought them here for.
Katara was confused as to why Zuko brought them to a bar, she looked at her surroundings with disdain. Seeing a bunch of drunken men fighting, it was then she felt Zuko wrap an arm around her waist and looked up at him questioningly….he gestured to a group of men staring at their direction – no at her direction - with leering looks, disturbed...she looked away from them feeling his hand tighten its grip on her waist reassuring her "and the reason you brought us to a seedy Earth Kingdom tavern is what now?" she asked giving him a look
Zuko lifted his arm pointing at a certain direction "June" was the only thing he said. Katara followed where his arm was pointing and shivered when she saw a young woman taking down a burly man with no effort…all the while drinking her tea
She remembered her alright, and her giant mole creature that paralyzed her and Sokka once back then "and the reason your came here for her?" she asked giving her boyfriend a look that wasn't at all pleased
'Was she jealous?' He thought nearly smirking "her shirshu. It's the only animal that can track Aang's scent anywhere in the world. It's the one shot we have of finding him" he replied as they watched June fight a bunch of men for who knows what reason
"So, you think she would help us?" she asked looking at June's direction with an analyzing look
He let out a long breath "I sure hope so" he said as the walked toward the woman, who finally sat back in her seat as most men were on the floor groaning in pain. As June refilled her cup she noticed an all too familiar young man and rolled her eyes "oh, great, it's Prince Pouty. Where's your creepy grandpa?" she asked smirking when his brow twitched in annoyance
Zuko took a deep breath, deciding it was best not to take the bait "he's my uncle, and hes not here" he said looking down at her
She noticed the arm around Katara's waist and the smirk on her face broaden "I see you worked things out with your girlfriend" she said smirk widening when a very noticeable blush appeared on the couple's faces "so what do you want?" she asked sipping her tea as she watched the couple closely
Zuko removed his arm from his girlfriend's waist and looked down at the woman with a hopeful look "I need your help finding the Avatar" he said and eyed her closely waiting for her response
'He's still hunting that kid?' She thought rolling her eyes in mild annoyance "humph, doesn't sound too fun" she replied smirking in her tea as she noticed his angering off look
Zuko's brow twitched as annoyance washed over him. He looked down at her with a serious look as his hands slowly balled into fist, both girls were nearly caught by surprise when he slammed both fist on the table "does the end of the world sound like more fun?" he asked with a sneer on his face looking down at the woman who simply stared at him for a moment cup of tea in hand.
Sokka, Suki and Toph kept their distance as Appa and the shirshu growl at each other. Upon coming across the deadly creature, Sokka had a pretty good guess as to why Zuko brought them here. It was then they saw Zuko and Katara walking out of the bar…accompanied by June who somewhat looked reluctant
June pulled out a large piece of meat and waved it attentively at the shirshu "Nyla" she cooed...emediantly catching the animal's attention and threw the chunk of meat at him, watching as he instantly snatched it and swallowed. She walked up to him and stroked him affectionately "who's my little snuffly wuffly?" she coddled until stepping back when he suddenly shot out his long tongue….she shut his snout closed "careful there" she chided him
Sokka pointed at her and gave Zuko a look "I remember her. She helped you attack us" he said glaring at his sister's boyfriend
Zuko looked simply kept a stoic expression "yup, back in the good old days" he replied and walked up to June
"Okay" June turned to the group expectantly "whose got something with the Avatar's scent on it?" she asked holding her hand out and flicked her eyes to the giant bison to see Katara browsing around the saddle
She took out Aang's staff and looked down at the older woman "I have Aang's staff" she offered, holding it out to June
June showed the staff to the shirshu to take in the scent. Nyla takes in a deep breath and started sniffing around the area moving around the Gaang and his master when he suddenly plopped down to the ground rubbing his nose making whining sounds all the while. Zuko crossed his arms over his chest and looked at the animal with a disappointed look as Katara and Toph stood behind him looking bewildered "well, what does that mean?" he asked looking at June
She stroked her shirshu's head and looked at the group who were looking down at her expecting an answer "it means you're friends gone" she replied looking back down at Nyla
Toph put an exasperate look and crossed her arms, looking at the direction where June and her shirshu stood "we know he's gone, that's why we're trying to find him" she letting out a huff of breath
June stood up from her spot next to Nyla and gave them a serious look "no, I mean hes gone gone" she trailed off and crossed her arms over her lithe body "he doesn't exist" she finished as the Gaang looked puzzled and worried.
They had been shocked and somewhat confused to find out that Aang had suddenly vanished from thin air. June had almost been ready about to leave until Zuko had come up with someone who was able to take down the Fire Lord in Aang's replacement…..it had left the Gaang nearly retching when he came back with his uncle's old sandal that scent nearly knocked out everyone near it
June had then lead them all the way to Ba Sing Se where her Shirshu had tracked Iroh's scent to. After a short farewell from June, she left them at the broken down walls of Ba Sing Se...where they knew Zuko's uncle would be located and they could seek help from him
Zuko looked at the broken down wall and sighed wearily "its late, we should camp out for tonight" he said looking at the others as they got off Appa "we'll start our search again at dawn" he added as each of them got comfortable on Appa's legs while Toph took the comfort of sleeping on the ground.
O0o0o0
They we're all sleeping peacefully, trying to get as enough rest as they can without any discomfort of what they knew what would be coming soon. Katara turned in her sleep wiggling closer to Zuko...looking for warmth in her sleep as he sleepily threw an arm over her waist pulling her close to him, Sokka was sleeping on Appa's large tail snoring loudly with his arm tucked around Suki's shoulder as she turned away from the disturbing noise
Toph slept soundly on the hard ground until she snapped her eyes open feeling the ground, sensing someone was coming their way. She was about to warn her friends until a ring of flames surrounded them, frightening Appa awake in an instant
They then turned to the sound of a maniacally laughter, only to find four adults on top of the rubble with surprise "well well, look what we have here" Bumi said laughing all the while, sounding like the maniac that he is. Katara and Sokka smiled once they recognize who the four men are.
The Gaang was beyond relieved to find help from a group of master benders known as the Order of The White Lotus, Zuko almost chuckled out loud at realizing why a lotus tile had been so important to his uncle Iroh. Katara had been glad to find out that Master Pakku had found her grandmother again and had married….though Sokka had been disappointed to see the older man didn't want him calling him any of the names he had suggested
The four men had told them of the things they have done on the day of the black sun – Suki was impressed to know Bumi had conquered back his city all on his own – all the while as they lead the teens to their campsite. Katara was well aware that Zuko was nervous at the moment of arriving to the campsite, it had been awhile since he last seen his uncle and he still thought the man would resent him.
She excused herself from her new grandfather and Piandao and walked away, heading for her boyfriend and thought she heard Pakku utter something like 'remind me to have a chat with that boy' she just shook away the thought. She sat next to him and ran her fingers through his hair affectionately and as if comforting him "you okay?" she quietly asked placing her hand on his scared cheek and looked at him with concern
He turned away from her and her affectionate gestures and looked down at the ground with a frown on his face "no, i'm not okay. My uncle hates me, I know it. He was the only one who ever cared about me and supported me in every way he could and I repay him by turning against him" he said balling his hands in fist, only for Katara to gently loosen them up "how can I even face him after all that?" he added hanging his head in shame
Katara looked at him with soft blue eyes and took hold of his warm hand in her cool one "Zuko, your sorry for what you did, right?" she asked gently massaging his knuckles
Zuko let out a sigh a looked slightly her way "more sorry than I've been about anything in my entire life" he replied running his fingers through his messy dark hair
Katara gave him a comforting smile "then he will forgive you" she said looking at him as he looked at her with an unsure look "he will" she added giving him a reassuring look. Zuko looked at his girlfriend for a while and stood with her following close behind, she gave him a reassuring kiss on the cheek that left him somewhat calmer him as he headed toward the large tent
He took a deep breath before entering his uncle's tent.
The group had been glad that Zuko had worked things out with his uncle that morning, Toph and Katara knew before then the old man would forgive his nephew. At the current moment, Iroh was having a nice chat with Toph as they drank a cup of tea….Toph was giving him a heads up of the previous events that happened to the Gaang
Taking a sip from his tea, Iroh then noticed in the corner of his brown eyes...his nephew and Katara talking not so far away from where he sat and arched an eyebrow. Interesting.
Toph clearly noticed the man staring at the couple and smirked "I swear those two are stuck together like glue, they're never far away from each other these days" she commented taking a sip from her tea not sensing Iroh look at her in surprise and flickered interest
He looked back at his nephew and Katara as a gleeful smile developed on his wrinkled face "are you insinuating that my nephew and Miss Katara are in a relationship?" he asked looking at the blind earth bender sitting next to him
Toph smirked, she could obviously tell the man was curious about his nephew's relationship….she felt a sneaky sensation rising up wanting to see what the results would be if she told the man of Zuko and Katara "I tell ya something Iroh….those two are more in control of their hormones than Sokka and Suki, but that doesn't change the fact that when they're alone and out of sight that they are still in the 'hots for each other, lets shag in the sack' faze. They're just like being more private I guess" she said accepting another cup of tea, ignoring the shocked look on his wrinkled face
A part of Iroh would consider it inappropriate to be committing in such actions during a war, such activities would bring unwanted consequences for the girl…..but another part of him – the part that has been begging his nephew to get a lady friend – was practically screaming in the inner desires of his mind 'yes! Grandchildren!'
Toph arched an eyebrow at the man as if she had read his own mind….it was pretty much readable with how fast his heart was beating with excitement "it is nice to know my nephew has settled down with such a lovely lady" he commented when he noticed the girl expecting a response
She rolled her blurry green eyes and set her tea cup down "I guess" she muttered and smirked when a sudden thought popped up "you should go talk to them" she said sitting straight with a mischievous smile plastered on her face "I'm sure you would love to get to know your new future daughter in law" she added and was not aware of the happy spark in his brown eyes
Iroh stood up and smiled down at Toph "it was nice having this chat with you miss Toph" he said and with a respective bow he walked off, heading strait towards his nephew's direction.
Zuko and Katara were in a middle of a conversation until they noticed Iroh walking toward them, it was then Zuko noticed the amused look on his uncle's face "what is it uncle Iroh?" he as quirking his single eyebrow at the older man
Iroh smiled at the young couple before pursing his lips as if in thought "I'm afraid you haven't introduced me to your new lady friend, dear nephew" he replied looking quite disappointment but his eyes sparkled with the same amusement as before and sent Katara a friendly smile, receiving a smile back in response
Zuko's face heated up with a blush and shook his head "who told you…" he trailed off when he noticed not far off behind his uncle, Toph had a mischievous smile on her pale face as she looked at their direction waving her fingers at him. He put a glare and cleared his throat "never mind" he finished until noticing Iroh had mentioned something to Katara that made her blush
"You always did seem to catch his interest" he said with an amused smile on his face when he noticed his nephew's eyes widen and a blush became apparent on his face "he used to stay in his room in the ship all day and stare at your necklace, and I did recall seeing him observing you quite often back then" he added as she let out a giggle. Before she might have found it slightly creepy…now? It was quite flattering really
"Uncle" Zuko hissed at the older man
Katara placed a hand on her chest "it's nice to know he was still a typical teenager behind that entire angry serious demeanor" she said arching an eyebrow at the look on her boyfriend's face
He decided to change the subject then and there before his uncle mentioned other embarrassing things "uncle you met Katara" he said smiling at her before giving his uncle a indignant glare
Iroh just smiled seeming already have gotten used to every look his nephew made "yes, I have. And she's a lovely lady" he commented smiling at Katara who was blushing at the complement "hopefully she would stick around a while. I'd like to see how my future grandnieces and nephews would turn out" he added and smiled when he saw the two teens faces darken with a blush
"Uncle" Zuko nearly shrieked but kept his voice low, though it had high pitched up a notch
Katara placed a hand on her heated face until she heard Suki calling her "if you excuse me. It was nice seeing you General Iroh" she said bowing at him and nearly sprinted off
Zuko let out an exasperate sigh pinching the bridge of his nose and gave his uncle a disbelieved look, Iroh just smiled and folded his hands in a fist "I like her, very sweet girl. Stick to her Zuko, she'd make a fine Fire lady someday" he said winking at his red faced nephew and walked off, Zuko let out a groan and followed after him.
When the Gaang and Iroh sat around in a circle eating breakfast they had discussed the coming events of the plan and what they would do in part of Aang's sudden disappearance. They had been shocked and disappointed to find out that Iroh would not defeat his own brother in place of Aang. Zuko was left shocked and speechless when his uncle said that he would have to be the one to take the thrown instead of him once Ozai was defeated.
Everyone was getting set and prepared to leave. Piandao had gave Sokka, Suki and Toph a giant Eel hound to travel on as they would head for the airship base not far on a small island just off the Earth kingdom shore. Katara and Zuko prepared themselves on Appa, just about ready to face Azula back in the Fire Nation
Zuko took the reins in his hands as he seated himself on Appa's head and looked down at his uncle "if I'm going to be the Fire Lord after the war is over, what are you gonna do?" he asked looking down at the old man curiously
Iroh smiled holding a lotus tile in his hand looking down at it "after I re-conquer Ba Sing Se, i'm going to re-conquer my tea shop and I'll play Pai Sho every day" he replied flipping the tile and catching it.
Zuko just smiled down at his uncle "goodbye General Iroh" Katara said and with a snap at the reins and a 'yip yip' Appa flys off as Sokka makes the eel hound run off the opposite direction leaving Iroh and the other members standing there.
The comet was already making its horrible appearance on their flight to the Fire Nation. Katara would of thought it was a beautiful sight to look at if she didn't know someone was going to use it to harm and destroy for his own bidding. Katara looked at Zuko for a moment and noticed that he looked slightly worried, she could only think it was about facing his sister Azula "Stop worrying Zuko, we can take Azula" she reassured him, placing a calming hand on his arm
He turned his head to look at her in the eye "I'm not worried about her" he said looking down at the reins in his hands for a moment before looking ahead "I'm worried about Aang, what if he doesn't have the courage to take down the Fire Lord, what if he loses?" he said looking back at her with worried gold eyes shimmering brightly with the glow the comet was giving off
Katara gave him a serious and somewhat reassuring look "Aang won't lose, Zuko" she said looking at him for a moment longer before looking at the view ahead of them "he's gonna come back. He has to" she murmured, looking determined and very sure of herself that her words were true, Zuko looked at his girlfriend a moment longer before looking back ahead
"Let's just hope so" he murmured as his grip on the reins tightened as Katara leaned against his shoulder, closing her eyes as she thought of positive things...spirits knew how both of them needed the reassurance.
The entire city was filled with an eerie silence when the couple arrived, no sign of life anywhere as far as their sight could see. Zuko's eyes narrowed when he saw the leader of the sages coronating Azula in the plaza. He was not gonna let that happen.
The sage was about to place the diadem on Azula's head until he and the other sages caught sight of Appa and astride him was Zuko and a water tribe girl. They were left shocked at seeing the banished prince coming back. The long pause caught Azula's attention and she snapped her head to glare at the old man "what are you waiting for? Do it!" she snapped impatiently until hearing Appa growling and narrowed her eyes when she recognized who was astride the flying beast
Appa landed not far away from the group as Zuko stood up "sorry, but you're not gonna become Fire Lord today" he said glaring at his sister and jumped off of Appa "I am" he said barely noticing how mussed up and out of place his sister looked
Azula let out a laugh and looked at Zuko with amusement "you're hilarious" she wiping away an invisible tear of mirth
Katara then stepped up glaring at Azula "and your going down" she said looking up at the other girl as she stood by Zuko who never took his gold eyes off his sister, almost seemed like he was analyzing her of some sort. The sage looked at Zuko's direction hesitantly before resuming putting the diadem on Azula's messy bun before she shot a hand out gesturing him to stop
Azula stood up with a wicked look on her pale face "you want to be Fire Lord? Fine. Then let's settle this brother. Just you and me. The showdown that was always meant to be. Agni Kai!" she exclaimed with a insane smile that would have beaten Bumi's
Zuko narrowed his eyes as he stared at his sister "you're on" he replied never moving his gaze from her. He had a good shot at winning, he just knew by the way Azula just stood there looking like she was trying to stay in keep with what little sanity she had left that he had a chance at winning
Katara looked at her boyfriend in surprise, not noticing Azula's mouth curl into an evil smirk "what are you doing? Shes playing you. She knows she can't take us both so shes trying to separate us" she reasoned with him feeling now really worried about him….he wasn't really considering engaging in an Agni Kai with his sister was he? He could get hurt, she knew Azula wasn't one for mercy and would eventually do something horrible to him
"I know, but I can take her" he replied watching his sister closely as she stood there looking at them with the same creepy look she had since she saw them arrive. She was losing it. He knew that much
Katara gave a Azula a considering look before turning back to look at Zuko, trying to convince him out of battling with his ruthless sister alone "but even you admitted to your uncle that you would need help facing Azula" she said giving Zuko a worried look…..it didn't go past Azula.
Zuko finally turned away from studying his sister and gave Katara a reassuring look "there's something off about her, I can't explain it but shes slipping" he said and gave his girl a serious look "this way, no one else has to get hurt" he added giving her a fleeting look….
He worried more about her than over himself. He didn't want Katara getting severely injured under the hands of Azula, he'd rather get hurt himself than see her injured or killed. Katara looked at him with a worried reluctant look before slowly nodding her head in reluctance…..yet they didn't realize Azula's analyzing looks studying the two bender's interactions
Her smirk broadens at the realization 'he fell for a repulsive water peasant? Oh this is just pathetic, Mai is gonna have his neck when she finds out' Azula thought mentally cackling at the thought of Zuko suffering under the hands of Mai….not after finishing him first herself.
~0.o.0~
Katara felt worried beyond belief as she watched Zuko and Azula positions themselves in the courtyard. Not far away, both siblings kneeled just about as ready to get it over with….Azula all the while imagining the horrible things and damages she would inflict on her brother…and then with a evil smirk….make him watch as she would burn the water wench alive
Zuko stood up and faced his sister. Getting in his stance, he was prepared for any attack she would make….Azula smiled wickedly at Zuko as she took off her robes "before I finish with you brother. I have to comment on the horrible choice you made of falling for that water peasant, can you seriously go that low?" her mocking eyes twinkling when she vaguely noticed an anger spark in his gold eyes
He never faltered his stance as he sneered at her "at least they're not afraid of me" he replied never moving his eyes away from her, it was a simple fact he knew Azula was horrible when it came to liking guys….it would always end with them cowering or running in fear
Azula didn't like the comment at all, she then spinned and thrust her palms out shooting blast of blue flames at Zuko. He brought his hands up jumping forward and brought his arms out in front of him bending tow large burst of flames. Blue and red waves of fire collide into eachother. Azula leaped forward on a jet of fire kicking forward; shooting a blast of flame at his direction, she didn't stop as she did three spinning kicks sending out waves of heat at Zuko.
Katara looked at the battle before her with worry flecking in her blue eyes. Zuko had been right about Azula, the princess' movements had been more awkward than accurate as she fought….at some point it might have settled Katara a little to know that perhaps Zuko could win the battle between his sister.
The whole place was illuminated with blue and red flame as the Agni Kai continued on, flames flickered on some of the buildings surrounding them. Even yet she had to dodge a few burst of flames that had nearly grazed her general direction
Zuko sent a blast of flame as he blocked out Azula's attack. They keep the stream of flames at each other, not thinking a minute of stopping such. Zuko's foot then started to slid and with a low grunt, he strengthened his stance and sent a stronger wave of fire at his sister. The fire simmered down as they slowly came to a stop…Azula looked back in shock to see the damage he had caused on the plaza….looking back at him with a scared and angry look
She charged forward and leapt upward on a blast of flame aiming it at Zuko. Just before the attack could be inflicted on him, he spinned around and thrust his palms out to the sides that creates a wall of flame blocking the blue flamed attack. Azula stayed crouched for a moment trying to catch her breath not being able to believe that her brother was gaining the upper hand in the battle. She gritted her teeth at the thought and put a determined look
Zuko then rears his fist back with his other fist placed in front of him, he then thrust his fist forward sending a large blazing ball of fire at Azula. She looked at the approaching attack with fear inking her gold eyes and it had nearly grazed her foot when she tried to dodge it.
Azula then thrust herself forward while in the air, rocketing over the ground on jets of fire from her hands and feet….she punched forward twice sending two large balls of flame at him. Zuko placed his hand near the ground and shoots a blast of fire, thrusting himself up in the air as he avoided her attack…he spinned in mid air swinging his heel downward creating an arc of flame blocking her next attack.
Katara watched in near awe by the display of Zuko's great skill. Watching as he made a flaming sphere around himself as he blocked out Azula's persistent attack. It was then Zuko made a spinning movement with his feet sending out heated waves of fire….Azula barely tripped dodging it until his next attack had sent her tumbling down harshly.
Azula gasped in pain by the contact even yet seething. She was not going to let her brother and that filthy wench beat her in a battle. Where was that peasant anyway? Oh yes, following her beloved's orders and keeping a safe distance not so far away from the battle scene. She stood up glaring at the young man not giving a care if her hair was a horrible mess or not, or if she resembled an angry animal baring its teeth at its enemy
Zuko let out a breath and looked at the mess of his sister waiting for her to attack "what. No lightning today? Afraid I'll re-direct it?" he mused trusting his palm forward as if emphasizing his point, he didn't notice Katara come out of her hiding spot and stood a few feet away from him
Azula practically snarled at such "I'LL SHOW YOU LIGHTNING!" she screeched and waved her fingers in arcs preparing to attack, her movements were far more dramatic and irregular than before. Zuko took a deep breath and entered his stance, ready for the lightning he knew would come. Azula felt all charged up and ready as she poised herself….she was then ready to shoot the mass of lightning at Zuko until her gold brown eyes flickered to the left as she noticed the water peasant not far few feet away
A smirk appeared on her face, just imagining how distraught and heartbroken her brother would be once seeing his oh so precious loved one burnt into a crisp as her life would be whisked away. And then he would join the wench as she would then kill him herself. Smiling wickedly at the idea she extended her arm toward the girl
Zuko was prepared for the lightning. What he wasn't prepared for was that his sister had aimed the lightning at his right, he turned his head and to his shock and despair….Azula had aimed the bolt at Katara. Not giving in a second thought, he ran in front of her...ready to re-direct the danger away from his girlfriend
Katara was frozen in fear to see that glowing bolt of lightning aiming right at her. She would have moved, but fear and shock had kept her from even moving a muscle. It was then she heard Zuko's voice "No!" he yelled getting in between her and the upcoming danger, everything seemed to be going in slow motion at the very moment
She watched in shock as he reached his hand out, absorbing the lightning in mid leap. The entire plaza being illuminated by the glowing light the lightning was giving off, Zuko tried aiming the bolt of energy somewhere else and luckily most of the electric energy was aimed off to the sky….unfortunately a small part of it had grazed his heart making him tumble down to the ground in a heap. His body lay twitching as energy surged through him, he let out a pained groan as he rolled on his back, clutching his chest
Katara's blue eyes swelled with tears at the sight, she felt frightened and distraught for his life "Zuko!" she cried out running toward him ignoring the maniacal laughter Azula was letting out. Azula was laughing like a maniac then, she hadn't expected him to do that…but it was oh so delightful to see the traitor in pain. It was then she noticed the peasant making her way toward him 'ah ah ah' she thought ready to get rid of the wench as she rushed toward her.
Katara ran toward Zuko who was struggling to get up and covered her hands with water preparing to heal him until a wave of blue fire cut her path as she jumped back. She could hear Azula cackling like a mad woman and turns her head to find Azula charging up another bolt of lightning, Katara reluctantly turned away from Zuko, running as she dodged the lightning being aimed at her. Breathing heavily, Zuko looked up trying to get back on his feet desperately as he watched Katara barely dodging the constant attacks of his deranged sister
She somersaulted away from the impact catching her breath, looking back to see Azula perching herself on the roof charging another bolt of lightning "I'd really rather our family physician look after little Zuzu if you don't mind" she said making wide arcs of lightning as Katara got up and turned away before Azula shot the bolt at Katara, she summoned a wave of water blocking the attack and ran as Azula shot burst after burst of flame at her
Katara ran from the burning attacks and hid behind a pillar, barely dodging Azula's attack with her hands on her head. She cringes when a burst of flame hit the pillar she was hiding behind. She opens her eyes and stood up peeking behind the pillar to see what Azula was up to….she then noticed Zuko withering in pain, whimpering in dispair at the sight of his suffering form "Zuzu, you don't look so good" Azula mocked
It was then she shot a bolt of lightning at Katara's direction. Katara ran behind another pillar as the bolt made contact with the other pillar she had been hiding behind. She looked at the destroyed pillar with shock only to turn into determination as she turned away and summoned a large stream of water from the nearby fountain….bending the water towards the roof where she thought Azula still laid
Katara looked at the roof with confusion until she heard something behind her and ran when Azula shot a wave of fire at her; she summoned a large amount of water freezing it as she surfed across it, escaping Azula's fire. She surfed across the perimeter just out of reach of the flames pursuing her, Azula dropped to the ground rolling as she fire bended wildly at the peasant surfing on ice away from her reach
It was then Katara stumbled out of Azula's reach and breathing heavily she looked down the drain to find a great amount of water, she nearly smiled in relief as a plan formed as she then looked up and saw a metal chain looped around a handle. Katara stood up and went to grab it.
Azula growled as she noticed the little wench had gone out of plain sight; she headed for the pillars where she saw the peasant disappear off to and glared when she saw Katara appear from behind a pillar with a chain in her hand "There you are you, filthy peasant. I forgot to give you my welcome into the family" she spat at the girl clad in blue narrowing her gold brown eyes with hate
Katara put a determined look. She then send streams of water at Azula, the princess dodged them as she rolled across the drain, Katara slowly made her way to ward Azula as she tried to stand up. The princess then thrust her fingers forward ready to attack making Katara step back….just about ready to shoot the peasant, Katara thrust her arms upward bending water from the drain….engulfing them in water until she froze it…stopping the both from making any move
Azula darts her eyes around, looking surprised as she then looked back at girl in front of her. Katara looked down at the fingers pointed inches away from her face before breathing through her nose….the ice around her body melts as she proceeds to chain Azula's arm. Katara chained the princess's arms together, pulling her down as she ignored the weak struggling. Wrapping the chain around the gratings on the drain it was then she bended the water back into the drain leaving them gasping and coughing
Katara took hold of the chains, tightening them ignoring Azula who was left annoyed and outraged, making sure the chains are tightly held in place. Katara ran towards the direction where Zuko was left laying on the ground in agonizing pain. She kneeled besides him looking beyond too worried, Zuko groaned in pain as she carefully turned him so he could lay on his back….revealing his tunic to be burnt and revealing a harsh red burn over his stomach
She cradled his head looking down at him with frantic eyes brushing his hair away from his forehead…she turned away from him and bended water gloves around her hands and gently placed them on the wound. Zuko winces in pain at the contact trying to ignore the pain….it was then the water around her hands started glowing...doing its work in healing his wound
Zuko grimaced in discomfort before finally relaxing…no longer feeling the scorching pain the lightning had inflicted on him, he looked up at Katara with a faint smile on his face "thank you Katara" he whispered noticing the tears pricking in the corner of her shining blue eyes. Katara smiled in relief looking down at him before wrapping her arms around him careful not to put him in any discomfort and felt him wrap an arm around her waist
He placed a kiss on her neck as he felt her shaking slightly "I thought I lost you" she murmured against his neck and pulled away from him looking down at him as she ran her fingers through his disheveled dark hair. It was then they heard the quivering heaving breaths coming from Azula, she helped Zuko up his to feet and turn to see Azula – in all her pride and willpower – in a broken down fit. Bending fire out of her mouth as she trashed around in desperation
It was then they saw her land on her back as she had finally broke down in tears, screaming in a fit as big fat blobs of tears streamed down her cheeks as she whimpered with a quivering breath. Katara looked at the broken down princess with shock and looked up to see Zuko looking at his sister with an expressionless face.
O0o0
They had left Azula chained there for the guards that would come by to take her away; with Zuko's help…Katara had helped him through the halls of the palace taking him to his room. She looked around the large empty halls, feeling slightly intimidated to be in the Fire Lord's own home, she felt Zuko's hand tighten its grip on her waist...making her look up at him questioningly wondering if he was okay or not. She was met by a reassuring smile.
She would have been lying if she said she wasn't impressed by the immense size of Zuko's bedroom – to say the least it was larger than the one at the beach house – as she helped him sit down on his bed. Katara looked around the large room, taking in every detail before turning to face him….she blushed when she noticed he had been looking at her the whole while "nice room" she commented with a cheeky look making him let out a chuckle
It was then a shy young woman with short dark hair clad in brownish red clothes appeared by the entrance looking down at her feet "may I be of service, sir?" she asked quietly, not yet looking at either of the two teenagers...as if afraid she might provoke the known short tempered prince
Zuko then straightened up, ignoring the numb pain in his chest and looked at the maid "I've noticed there's a lack of servants and guards in the palace. What happened?" he asked not taking his eyes of the young woman
She kept her hands clasped in front of her "princess Azula thought them untrustworthy and didn't work hard enough, so she banished them from the palace sir" replied with a quiet voice "anything else sir?" she asked wetting her lips and looked at Katara for the first time questioningly
He held up his hand and look at the maid "that's enough, thank you" he replied. Katara felt a bit surprised to see Zuko acting like this, he spoke to the maid with a voice of authority and sternness…yet he didn't sound as harsh as he did back when he was pursuing Aang
The maid looked at Katara with curiosity "may I lead the miss on her way, sir?" she asked brushing a strand of short dark hair behind her ear
"She will stay as long as she likes" he replied giving Katara a fleeting look, it didn't go past the maid…simply by the way the two stood close to one another she knew something was going on. Yet she didn't question it as it wasn't her place to do such, Zuko gave the maid a look that told her to ask Katara if she needed anything
The maid lightly cleared her throat and looked at Katara's direction "would you be needing anything miss?" she asked with a polite voice
Katara swore she had never been spoken to with such politeness by any person of the fire nation – minus Zuko himself – and smiled lightly at the young woman "bandage wrapping will be fine thank you" she replied looking down at Zuko. The maid had been surprised by use of manners the water tribe girl had – clearly the told stories of water tribe being nothing but savages was a lie
She nodded her head and looked at Katara "right away miss" she replied before bowing respectively and left the two of them alone in his room. Katara then noticed Zuko looking at her with curiosity keeping his hands dangling between his lap
Katara then felt a pang of worry overcome her when the thought of her friends popped up into her mind "do you think the others are okay?" she asked running her fingers through his course dark hair
He placed his hands on her waist pulling her closer until she was nearly on his lap "I'm sure they kicked enough butt to last them a life time" he replied smiling up at her "and I'm well sure that Aang had defeated Ozai" he said noticing the look of worry cover her tan face
She looked down at him affectionately brushing his bangs away from his face "you should be resting" she caressing the scar on his face "you are, after all. The new Fire Lord who would be taking charge of a lot of responsibilities" she said with half lidded eyes as she placed a small kiss on his forehead not aware of the thoughtful look on his face
He looked at her for a moment "you're not going to leave, are you?" he asked looking up at her with near panic on his scarred face, she just giggled and placed a small peck on his lips leaving him well satisfied to know she wouldn't be doing such.
After the maid came back with what Katara had asked for, she left a set change of clothes for him and Katara on the couch placed in front of the bed before leaving. Katara had carefully bandaged Zuko and helped him change into his night wear….she was left a little unsure if she should change out of her normal clothes, she looked down at the red night dress before deciding to just put it on.
She stood there looking out at the large window looking at the comet that was now slowly disappearing off…toying with the small gold bow placed on the front she let out a sigh. A smile appeared on her tan face when she felt Zuko place a kiss on the top of her head and wrapped his arms around her.
The morning was nice and calm with no war to worry about any longer, Zuko and Katara had received a message that The Avatar had finally defeated the Phoenix King Ozai, yet they were left in surprise and shock when they were told that Aang hadn't taken the man's life.
Zuko was standing close to the large window in his bedroom while Katara sat on the large bed nearby, he had told her he was perfectly capable of putting on his own robe. She let out a sigh when he let out a moan of pain as he struggled to put his arm through one sleeve…she shook her head "your impossible" she murmured with a light smile on her face as she walked toward him
He sighed reluctantly as he let her help him with his robe "and yet your still here" he replied jokingly with a smile on his face, chuckling when he noticed her roll her eyes. She tied the belt around his waist and straightened out any wrinkles on his shoulders
She looked at him with a satisfied smile and took a step away from him "there" she said looking happy and looked up at him with a loving look….he tilted his head slightly coming close to her until the sound of someone clearing her throat broke them out of it, they turned to see Mai leaning against the doorway looking at them with an ugly look
She then turned to give Zuko an accusing look "I interrupting something?" she asked with the same monotone voice she always had
Zuko cleared his throat and looked down at Katara for a moment "not at all, Katara was just helping me out" he replied and yet the sour look on Mai's pale face didn't vanish as she looked at the two, he let out a sigh before looking down at Katara "can you give us a moment?" he asked looking at her
Katara emediantly nodded her head in response "of course" she replied and headed for the entrance, avoiding Mai's cold dagger look as she walked past her
Zuko looked at his ex girlfriend for a long moment as she looked back at him with a hurt and accusing look "we have to talk" he finally said secretly hoping she didn't have any of her daggers on her, Mai sneered at him and scoffed...her hands clenching into fist as as her nails clawing at her sleeves
"Of course we do" she said as she didn't move away from her spot by the entrance "so the moment I save your sorry butt, you go back with those Avatar sidekicks and replace me with some water tribe peasant" she accused never moving her gray eyes away from looking into his gold ones "I'm guessing you had a lot of fun on your little 'mission' with the bending Gaang squad am I right?" she asked sneering at him
He let out a long breath and took a careful step toward her "Mai try to understand" he calmly said looking for any sign that she might take action and throw a knife at him.
Katara was very sure the conversation with Mai wasn't at all pleasant, her thoughts were confirmed when she noticed Toph cringing every once in a while "like throwing knives so, that gloomy girl sure can throw some ugly words" Toph commented laying down on the grass as Suki – once again dressed in her Kyoshi uniform - and Katara sat on the stone bench placed close by "and by the looks of it, Zuko is already in a unpleasant mood" she added scratching her cheek
Suki looked at Toph with surprise and looked at the pond in front of them "do you think he's okay?" Katara wondered looking back at the certain direction
"Mai had already gotten out of jail with her uncle's help, I don't think she gonna risk going back there again by attacking the Fire Lord" Suki reasoned feeling a little weird by calling Zuko 'Fire Lord', she'd have to get used to it. Katara let out a sigh throwing a piece of bread at the turtle ducks mentally thinking how cute they were until the three girls noticed Mai walking out with a expressionless look on her pale face
When Mai noticed the three….her cold glare was directed only to Katara as she headed for the palace exit, never moving her gaze away from Katara. The three sat there in a bit uncomfortable silence once Mai had disappeared out of the sight, Katara looked down at her lap as the other two simply kept quiet….not exactly knowing what to say in this kind of moment "at least she didn't aim darts at ya" Toph said trying to lighten up the mood
"I'm sure she'll get over it" Suki offered with a meek smile
Katara just shrugged nonchalantly, tossing another piece of bread at the pond watching as the group of turtle ducks returned for the offered snack. A voice that wasn't Toph or Suki's then caught her attention "Lady Katara?" a shy voice called out, the three girls turned to see a maid standing alone…..looking unsure as to how to behave toward others from different nations
"Yes?" she replied standing up and looked at the older woman with a questioning look
The maid cleared her throat and looked down at her feet "Prince Zuko is asking for you, hes waiting for you in his chambers" she said not once lacking respect toward the water bender. Katara stood there for a moment before nodding her head
"Thank you" Katara replied dismissing the servant who quickly left to do undone chores in the palace
Toph looked impressed as she picked her ear "'Lady Katara'? Wow, they're already treating you like a queen, Sweetness" Toph commented smirking at her friend….Katara just rolled her eyes until she noticed Suki nodding in agreement "now go on, don't leave your Lord waiting" she added with a teasing grin on her pale face
Deciding not to let Zuko wait any longer, she left her friends as she walked off back inside the palace. Was Toph implying that she'd be the next Fire Lady? She'd have to be married to Zuko to be called that, and she needed another year to reach marrying age of course. She blushed at the thought of becoming Zuko's wife….it was something that had past her mind a couple of times back at the beach
She chewed on her bottom lip in thought as she walked through the halls. Not one servant looked at her rudely or disrespectfully as she passed by them.
Katara peeked in his room. Nothing looked wrecked or ruined, and there was no sign that knifes had been thrown. She then noticed he was standing on his previous spot by the large windows, already dressed and ready in his royal robes "somehow I expected to have a calm conversation with her" he said absently not once turning to look at her. His voice catching her by surprise "I tried to be calm and reasonable, but she just made things to hard to keep myself from being such" he added turning his head to the side looking at her
She slowly walked up to him placing a hand on his shoulder "I'm sure she'll understand sooner or later" she said quietly not saying anything else as he took the hand on his shoulder in his and pulled her closer….
He just let out a snort "pretty sure Aang took the revelation better than she did" he commented, rubbing his thumb in circles on the palm of her hand
"Of course we weren't there when Sokka explained the whole thing" Katara said looking up at him straightening out wrinkles on his robe "and he had been avoiding you and me mostly after" she added receiving a small 'hmm' in response. She decided that she needed to take his mind of his previous argument with Mai "you look handsome" she commented looking up at him
He just let out a short chuckle at the random comment and kissed the crown of her head "and you're going to be a great Fire lord" she added smiling at him proudly. He smiled at her before tilting his head and pressed his lips lightly against hers, he pulled her closer to him as she wrapped her arms around his neck
They stayed in their passionate embrace a moment longer before Zuko gently pulled away; he then looked down at her with a suddenly shy and nervous look on his pale face "I've been thinking lately….if you'll stay here with me, help me rule the fire nation" he mused pressing his forehead gently against hers….the blush on his face still fairly noticeable "of course you could go back to the south pole whenever you like….to visit your family. Just saying I'd like for you to…"his ranting was cut off when she pecked his lips
She smiled up at him brushing a tiny strand of hair from his forehead "I wouldn't mind" she said playing with the small hairs on the nape of his neck careful not to mess up his top knot "wouldn't want to leave you here alone to stress out over the heavy responsibility of being Fire Lord" she added with a small giggle as he let out a chuckle
Zuko smiled affectionately at his girlfriend. Glad that she decided to stay here with him "I love you" he murmured against her lips gently
Katara's smile widen at the three words he said to her "I love you too" she replied before pressing her lips firmly against his.
Zuko walked out through the corridor to find Aang sitting by the entrance, sitting there utter silence as he meditating. Zuko didn't know if the young monk would want to talk to him, seeing as the girl Aang loved was now in love with the Fire Lord to be. He looked down at the boy for a moment before deciding to give it a shot "I can't believe a year ago my purpose in life was hunting you down" he said noticing Aang look up at him with a calm look….that's a good sign "and now…." He trailed off awkwardly….
Aang smiled at the older boy "we're friends" he finished almost as if reassuring Zuko. As much as he still loved Katara, her happiness was more important to him than anything….and if Zuko made her happy…he was okay with it. Took him a long while to let it go….but a long talk with previous Avatars brought him to peace
Zuko put a tiny smile on his pale face "yeah, friends" he agreed. He felt relief wash over him at this…by the looks of it…the Avatar was no longer resenting him or silently accusing him for taking away someone he loved, it was a great relief to see that they were back to good terms as well as friendship.
~o.0.o~
Katara was standing between the crowd as anticipated the coronation, she stood beside her father and Sokka until she saw Zuko appear. The crowd had then emediantly cheered as he stood there for a moment, they slowly silenced when he had raised his hand "please, the real hero is the Avatar" he said moving aside to reveal Aang stepping forward looking out at the cheering crowd "Today, this war is finally over. I promised my uncle that I would restore the honor of the Fire Nation, and I will" he continued with his speech
She looked at both Zuko and Aang with a proud look yet giving her boyfriend an affectionate look behind her proud expression. Hakoda noticed the quite hidden affection and thought she was aiming it at the Avatar, following where her eyes directed he was caught near surprise when she was looking at the Fire Lord to be instead. As far as he remembered, Katara had treated Zuko with hate and distrust before they were separated….of course he had been gone for most part to see any change between them
Hakoda looked at his son with a questioning look, the young man looked back with an arched eyebrow silently asking what was wrong….his father nodded his head at Katara's direction and then Sokka put an understanding look. Clearly the man had noticed the affection she was showing for Zuko 'I'll tell you later' he mouthed out
"The road ahead of us is challenging. A hundred years of fighting has left the world scarred and divided. But with the Avatar's help, we can get it back on the right path, and begin a new era of love and peace" he finished the crowd cheered on joyously…..Aang stood by his side with a content smile, Zuko searched through the crowd and smiled when he saw Katara within the crowd smiling proudly at them.
~o.0.o~
Katara walked along the palace garden as she looked at the exotic flowers and other beautiful plants. At some point, she wondered how could there be such lovely garden in a palace where people like Ozai and Azula used to live in. Everyone was surely celebrating the end of the war….as inside the grand palace room there was a party going on, Sokka and Toph had made bets that the celebration would most likely last weeks to no end…she had left outside for fresh air by then.
The maids had insisted that she'd wear a red gown instead of a blue for the party, taking the part of being the Fire Lord's lady…..a light silky long dress trailing close behind her as she walked….thin strapped dress with gold trimming and a fancy half ponytail hairdo with tiny little gold stub pins adorning her dark hair. It was enough to make anyone believe she was of Fire Nation. The only thing that kept her from being such was her tan skin and bright blue eyes…she felt more comfortable to see that her friends had dressed in red as well
She reminded herself that she'd have to get used to this, living in a palace and being treated with respect for being the Avatar's water bending master….and the expected Fire Lady by the upcoming year. Her father had sure been surprised to find out that she was dating Zuko, she knew darn well that Hakoda had had a serious conversation with the Fire Lord….and probably menaced him as well counting by the fearful look Zuko had.
To think that a year ago she had been living in a isolated little village of the South Pole, wishing for an adventure and someone to teach her how to master her element….and come to becoming part of assisting the Avatar and help ending the war and be the significant other of the current Fire Lord
"Still getting used to being treated like royalty?" a deep familiar voice almost caught her by surprise, she turned around to find Zuko walking up to her with a loving smile on his pale face. Instead of his Royal robes, he was wearing something similar to an armor, albeit looking like something suitable for a royal like him, his top knot and diadem was still in place….kind of surprising since Sokka and Toph had been previously jostling him out of pure blissful cheer
She played with the small gold rhinestones placed in the front of her dress just underneath her chest and smiled back at her significant other "I'm not royalty" she reminded him and saw him put a thoughtful look for a moment before a smirk had replaced the expression
He gather her in his warm embrace and nuzzled her slender neck "you will be" he whispered in her ear smirking when he received a shiver in response "how did we come to this?" he mused, kissing her cheek and placing a chaste kiss on her lips before looking her in the eyes. Marveling how her blue eyes shined under the sunset, it was times like this when he pondered on what he ever did to have her in his arms
"Kind of hard to believe huh" she said looking up at him as she clasped her hands behind his sturdy neck playing with the tiny hairs on the nape…..captivated by the fiery glow of his gold eyes under the sunset "that a year ago, we hated each other with a heated passion….at each others necks all the time and being against each other because of our beliefs" she murmured caressing the scar on his face…he leaned into her gentle touch "to a lovesick pair who are practically stuck together like glue, and would be expected to be married soon enough by the coming year" she finished smiling at the thought "that's some twisted love story" she added with a giggle as he let out an amused chuckle
Zuko let out another chuckle as he looked down at her with a loving look "call me cheesy if you must" he replied slowly gripping the silky fabric of her dress in his hand pulling her closer to him "but its our twisted love story" he added laughing quietly as she let out a small laugh
She let out a content sigh relishing the warmth radiating from his large form "I love you" she murmured and received a content growl in response. He titled his head and pressed his lips against hers, she let out a content sigh as she caressed his jaw. He ran his fingers through her long hair gripping it lightly...as he pryed her lips open with his tongue. She shuddered when he let out warm breath through their connected lips...both in their own little world ignoring whoever might walk by and see them.
They stayed there in their passionate embrace under the glowing sunset.
THREE YEARS LATER
It was a warm peaceful morning in the Fire Nation, silent and calm as the first rays of sunrise peeked over houses and sakura trees. Birds chirping happily on their spots in trees tending to nest or their young. A young man of age twenty came walking out onto the balcony only dressed in a pair of red gold trimmed sleeping pants….his broad chest bared to the fresh morning air
Zuko ran his fingers through his dark longish hair looking out at his kingdom with a peaceful look on his pale face…..everything all settled down with no war to have anyone worry about any lost lives. No need to fight others to survive. He let out a content sigh not noticing the slim figure of a young woman behind him standing by the entrance "still proving the 'I rise with the sun' theory?" a gentle voice teased, Zuko turned around and smiled at the sight of his wife Katara standing there dressed in a powdery blue nightgown….blue eyes shining happily as they looked back at him
He looked at her for a moment and opened his arm wide invitingly "c'mere" he said smiling even yet as she walked up to him with no hesitation, it had past two years since their marriage…in all thought it took him a while to convince Hakoda to accept the desire that he wanted her hand in marriage when she reached the age sixteen, it was difficult at first considering the nobles were still accustomed to the previous laws….that he had to marry a noble woman instead of a girl from the Southern water tribe. A menacing threat of lose of status had them forget everything
Zuko tilted his head and placed a chaste kiss on her lips, it was then he noticed the purple clad bundle resting in her arms….their second born Princess Jia slept peacefully in her mother's protective embrace, he was sure that their first born. Two year old Prince Kuzon. Was still resting as well in his chambers, hugging that stuffed polar bear dog he loved closely.
Young Kuzon came into their lives just a few months after their wedding, Zuko was unsure of the idea of conceiving a child just months after the had married….Katara thought otherwise…she wanted a child just as much as their kingdom wanted an heir to the throne. The little Prince was almost a replica of his father if it hadn't been for the dark brown hair and a shade darker than his pale skin….yet he had inherited the same gold eyes from Zuko.
Looking down at the infant currently resting in his wife's arms….he smiled tenderly at the small baby, her skin was a shade lighter than her mother's and darker than his, she had a head full of dark brown hair that was almost always clipped with a tiny gold bow, and both parents knew that she had bright blue eyes underneath those closed eyelids
He gently ran a thumb over his daughter's tiny forehead, the sudden warmth of his skin stirring the baby awake. Jia scrunched her tiny button nose and with a tiny yawn, she slowly opened her eyes blinking rapidly for a moment adjusting to the sudden brightness….she looked up at the familiar figures of her parents before reaching up and grabbed hold of his thumb giving them a gummy smile…..both parents smiled affectionately at the small infant enjoying the peaceful morning.
結束
(The end)
