AN: Shorter chapter today. Still looking for that collab partner. In other news, my trend of alternative interpretation of words continues! Hope you enjoy!


Reincarnation


'A new version of something from the past.'

It had been nearly two years (actually make that a year, eleven months, thirteen days and approximately ten hours – not that she was counting) since Katara had spoken to Zuko. It had been over two years (two years, five months, three days and twenty hours – no really, who was counting, certainly not Katara) since she had last seen him in person.

Which was why is was entirely appropriate that the old, easy friendship of Katara and Zuko was reincarnated as, well, a right hook to his scarred eye.

"Ow."

...

Katara glared at Zuko she shoved the frozen peas onto the rapidly blackening eye.

"Shut it Anakin Skywalker. You deserved that."

So it was a little unfair to call the eye scarred, not that Zuko didn't have a scar. He did – a deep, thick, red, keloidal thing that refused to fade. It ran from the corner of his left eyebrow, just beside the left eye, down to the edge of his lower left earlobe. Almost like someone tried to slice a quarter of his head off (and failed, somewhat miserably, it was more like an eighth). Hence the Anakin Skywalker reference (except you know, it was on the left instead of the right).

The funny thing is that Zuko had been wandering around with said scar for a year before he uncovered what his father and sister moonlighted as. It was utter irony that he only figured out that the kidnapping situation that gave him his scar was entirely orchestrated by them – after he ran away and joined the WHL0. His kidnapping had done its job in removing suspicion from Foh Tech (somewhat). Ozai and Azula had played the part of the worried, desperate family very, very well.

"You left. You know, I knew Aang and Toph were prone to doing so but you? I expected better."

Katara tapped her foot impatiently on the ground, in full on lecture mode.

"You left. No number, no contact, no 'hey, I'm going under the radar for a good long while'. Who was it that lectured us on knowing where our group members were at all times? Oh that's right. You."

Zuko winced.

"Katara."

"No. You don't get to talk. You left. You left me with Aang's confused 'where's Zuko?'s'. You left me with Toph grumbling about you missing her graduation from A-Level college (by the way, she received three A*s and a B). You left me with Sokka (who for your information is still wondering if your bromance is dying, you better thank high heaven for Suki)."

"Katara."

"You left me without my best friend."

They froze. Katara was panting slightly from her little rant and Zuko just sighed.

"I'm sorry."

"Zuko. I never took you for a coward – I still don't. But I never thought you'd become a hypocrite. You were obsessed with making everyone check in. All the time. And then you went against your own rule."

Zuko remained silent as Katara finally slumped onto the breakfast alcove bench next to him. A couple minutes passed in an awkward-comfortable sort of silence before he finally spoke.

"You know – I realised, we never got to be teenagers. Not us. Not properly. Sokka, Aang, Toph, they got somewhat of a semblance of an adolescence. We basically leapt into the roles assigned for us and forged ahead. We missed out on an entire period of figuring out who we are."

"So you decided to cut yourself off from everyone you knew and run away?"

"No."

"Oh really?"

"I talk to uncle Iroh over the weekend."

Another pause.

"So that's why he's been telling us that he knows that you're alright. How'd get him to not tell us where you are?"

Zuko just shrugged. In truth, he had expected the team to come crashing into his quiet little existence for some time now. He had been rather surprised that they didn't during the first two months of the 'Great Disappearing Act', and maybe a little depressed and lonely. Truthfully, a couple of years ago he may have thrown quite the tantrum about it, now he was just… disappointed.

"Don't you shrug at me."

Zuko sighed. "I told him I needed to get away from it all. Just away from, well, you know? And having to deal with all that boardroom mess was draining. And so I told him I wanted a break. How was I supposed to know he decided it meant from everyone too? Now," he continued as he pulled out a bowl and dumped the defrosting peas in, "Don't you want to see your flat?".

Katara resisted the urge to drop her head in her hand (honestly, it was a fondly exasperated action that only members of their Team could evoke in her). "Yes. But about that. Zuko. You don't list a yearlong contract on AirBnB. Didn't you read the contract?"

"Ummm… Kind of?"

"You scanned the thing didn't you."

"I might have."

"Zuko…"

"I came here to escape needing to read contracts in depth on a daily basis! Now come on. The flat's this way."

...

When Zuko bought the property he didn't actually realise that he didn't have an upstairs. Not until he ran into a small walled off area that jutted into the floorplan downstairs.

The trouble with putting all his focus into the smithy was that he actually forgot that there was an actual traditional front door from the original design, and not the modified front door (which was more a side door really) that was the closer of the two to the smithy.

This is where he led Katara.

"As I mentioned in the ad," he said while opening the front door and climbing the stairs, "It's a first floor flat, separated from my own living area. Also..." He flung open the floor length curtains. "It has quite the view."

Katara said nothing. Because he was right. Her main living area had a clear view of both the large pond and the rolling hills. It was peaceful – suddenly she could understand why Zuko thought it was easier to rest here.

And suddenly she had plans other than 'laze around and see if anything comes up'.

"Hey Zuko."

"Yes?"

"Is there an art supply shop somewhere in the village here?"