A/N: So, um, wow. When I first wrote this, it was just kind of on a whim. Not that I didn't try my best with it, but I didn't really expect to have anything close of a response that it did. Th-thanks, guys! I really mean it. It means a lot, so I'm going to really put my nose to the grindstone with this so I don't disappoint. Because I'm only a little over a month into the fandom having just watched the series last July, I got my friend Mai - ha ha, the IRONY! Okay, I'll stop being stupid - to beta the chapters for me from now on so she can club me over the head with a few baby tiger seals if I stray either from characterization, canon-ish details, and my own plot. This is the first long-shot I've attempted in a long, long time as I'm more of a quick one-shot person. But I'm having a lot of fun with this. As many a manga-ka has said in the past, I hope you watch over these two knuckleheads as they try to establish a comfortable place next to each other.
I have plaid socks. Which as nothing to do with anything, I just love plaid so I'm quite excited about my socks. Ahem~
I apologize in advance if updates seem slow. I work every day during the week so I might be a little too tired to work on anything when I get home. But I will try to keep updates within around a week of each other.
Please enjoy!
Disclaimer: Characters are not mine, I just borrow them for a little while.
Critical Point
Ch. 2
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When Zuko had said the island was remote, he hadn't been kidding. It wasn't in the middle of oceanic nowhere per se, but it was definitely far away enough to discourage people from wanting to make the trip out unless a severe emergency occurred, like the volcano suddenly erupted from beneath the palace. Which was the idea since this was supposed to be the island where the Fire Lord spent his - Katara still couldn't get over it - honeymoon with his new wife. The island was also very small. In fact, it probably didn't have enough significance to even be called an 'island'. More like a pile of floating rock with some sand, a few trees, and a house. Katara could probably run the entire perimeter in less than an hour if she tried hard enough. Most likely it had been a chunk of volcanic rock that had drifted away the last time the volcano erupted and had just enough kick to start its own little ecosystem.
Katara had drifted off to sleep while the ferry carried them on a two hour ride to the island, and so was very drowsy when she stepped onto the dock. The reception had lasted for longer than she would have thought possible. Now the sky above was dark and heavy with deep night. If her mind wasn't fogged and stuffy with sleep, she would have understood why they had to leave the reception straight for the island instead of returning to the palace. It was just traditional for all the guests to see the new couple off as they went into the world to create their new lives together or something like that. It would also save the embarrassment of having to face the smug smiles of the somehow omniscient servants the next morning. Even if they would be drawing the wrong conclusions. Island or palace, at the moment, all Katara cared about was finding the bed, climbing into it, and sleeping until high noon. Heck, longer if she could. They had a week of freedom, after all. There would be no servants here. No tourists. No wealthy families with their snobby brats taking up the beach. Just the newlyweds. And some various wildlife.
The house was barely bigger than the one they used to have in Ba Sing Se, back when they were trying to tell King Kuei about the eclipse. It looked new, not a crack or mar to be seen along the pristine white marble walls, not what Katara expected from a house that was supposedly used for every Fire Lord who got married ever. "This is nice," she mumbled, taking in the newness of the house and not having enough energy for anything more than an offhanded glance.
"It's always refurbished whenever the Fire Lord gets married," Zuko explained as he guided Katara up to the door with a hand on her shoulder and holding a lantern in the other. "New foundations, new walls, even the furniture hasn't been used before."
Good, because the idea of sleeping on the same bed where countless Fire Lords and Ladies established their physical bonds was not something that sat well with Katara no matter how sleepy she was right now. However, getting in a bed with a small promise that she might actually get a decent rest for the first time in a long while spurred her forward and she had stopped walking just shy of the doorway only because Zuko had also stopped. "What's wrong?" she had asked, trying to stifle her yawn and her impatience. "Something the matter?"
"Uh, aren't I supposed to do something?"
"Something?"
"Y-yeah, like, I think I'm supposed to pick you up and carry you over the threshold… or are we supposed to jump? Or maybe…"
"Zuko, shut up and get inside. I'm tired. I'm not standing out here debating wedding traditions with you all night."
With a grip on Zuko's sleeve, Katara tugged him into the house and down the hall. She noticed from the corner of her eye something sitting on the table in the living room. It looked to be a fruit basket from what little detail she could make out in the dim light. She was just about to go inside the bedroom when she stopped dead in her tracks, snapping wide awake.
It was so small.
The bed.
So small.
Back at the palace, Katara had already seen the room she would be sharing with Zuko as his wife. The bed was big enough to fit six people comfortably which was why she had no problems sharing it with him. This bed looked like it could only fit a person and a half. "Zuko!" she cried, whirling around, her fierce blue eyes piercing into his. The room was big enough to fit more than a few of that same big bed back "home". There was no excuse for this.
"What?" He honestly had no idea what she was riled about this time and so just stared back at her in surprise.
At first, Katara was so flustered that all she could do was point and wave her finger at the bed. "Th-that!" she finally choked out. "That! What is that?"
"The bed?"
"Yes! The bed!"
Zuko looked at the bed and then back to Katara like he had no clue where she was getting at. "It's a bed," he replied at length, shrugging.
Katara snapped. "I know it's a bed! I want to know why it's so small! Why isn't it big like our bed back at the palace!" She was too tired and too stressed to flinch at the phrase 'our bed'.
Zuko rolled his eyes. "I'm so sorry, my Lady, I didn't realize you wanted a luxurious bed big enough to fit a lion turtle in! Please forgive my insolence." With this biting remark, he bent a little at the waist in a mocking bow which only served to fuel Katara's crankiness more.
"You said this place was refurbished just for us!"
"Yeah, but I didn't oversee any of it. I couldn't care less what kind of furniture they put in here so long as everything is clean. If you wanted a big bed so bad, you should have said something!"
"How was I to know they were going to put a small bed in here? We're royalty, aren't we?"
"And you call me the pampered one," Zuko muttered under his breath.
"What was that!"
"Nothing. Look, Katara, it's a small bed. Get over it. In case you've forgotten, this is supposed to be our honeymoon, at least in the eyes of the public. I'm pretty sure most normal couples don't care about the size of the bed. And I think the size is supposed to encourage us to get close, anyway."
"Well, what if we're the kind of couple that likes to roll around a lot and make passionate love in every corner of the room?"
"All the more reason to not care about the bed size."
"That's ridiculous; I would never make love to you on the floor."
Katara's felt her face grow hot when the words slipped out of her mouth. They… they were totally having this conversation right now, weren't they? She turned around, trying to hide her embarrassment. "I… I, um…" She began wringing her fingers, completely at a loss as how to recover from saying something like that.
"Yeeeeeah…" was all Zuko said in a small voice, indicating that he was just as embarrassed as she was.
Unable to help herself, Katara began to giggle. It was just a really funny and random thing to say when she thought about it. A second later, Zuko snorted with amusement. Maybe he found it funny, too. Or maybe Katara's laughter was catching. Anything to lift this tension constantly shadowing them.
Katara felt Zuko brush past her as he placed the lantern on the night table. "I know what you meant, Katara," he finally said, opening the closet door. "A small bed would be very uncomfortable for us. But no one else knows that we're not exactly a normal couple." He reached up and took something down from a shelf inside. In the dim light, Katara saw that it was blankets. "I'll be on the couch."
"Zuko."
She didn't know why she said his name, her gaze dropping to her feet and her voice silent. She wanted to apologize for blowing up on him like that, but the words wouldn't come. She wanted to tell him that she was trying her best to make this work out somehow, but those words wouldn't come, either. She looked up at him when he placed his hand on her shoulder and said softly, "Sleep well."
"Yeah. Night."
Closing the door, Katara flung herself on the small bed and threw her arm over her eyes. She was too tired to take her gown off much less change into bed clothes. What was going to happen now? Were the two of them just going to hang out on this island for a whole week with no one else around? Hmph. How boring. Zuko wasn't exactly the king of entertainment.
Or, a snide little voice inside spoke up, you could, you know, use the opportunity to bond with him more seeing as you completely wasted the last one!
Katara rolled over and buried her face in the comforter. She didn't want to have this conversation with herself right now especially when she was sleep deprived and had all the mentally of rice pudding.
You've been running from him for the past year, the voice continued, not caring about Katara's mental wellbeing. Isn't it about time you stopped?
Okay, it was true that she hadn't been forced into this marriage, even if it did feel like she hadn't much of a choice to begin with.
And it was also true that they had been engaged for a year, but Katara had a very good reason for not bonding with Zuko as much as she should have. All that Fire Lady training, of course! That took up a lot of time! Katara didn't know how many hours she lost sleep in favor of cramming queen duties under her belt, trying to catch up on almost eighteen years worth of etiquette, hosting, ceremonial practices, public speaking, and general education that all other Fire Nation nobility were learning from the moment they were born. And don't, smartass little voice, even go there about the dancing! It took Katara months to learn how to do the Push Pull. How did those people expect her to memorize all these weird steps and twists and bows in a single day? Just because she was a Waterbender didn't mean she could twirl about like an elegant Se Tu. Unless that same Se Tu happened to be the jaws of a platypus bear. Then she could see the similarities.
And as if all that weren't enough, she had to learn military strategy and regulations, and was appointed as the Fire Lord's Chief Advisor. One couldn't exactly bond with her fiancé during a long and involved military meeting.
Bottom line, Katara was much too overworked and too cranky to really have an in-depth heart-to-heart with Zuko. From last summer until just five minutes ago, they said their goodnights while fighting yawns and went their separate ways. So, see? A perfectly reasonable explanation. And it wasn't like Zuko was making any effort to pull her to the side and chat. Why should she be expected to do all the work?
There. You see? It's that attitude right there that's going to guarantee a very long and miserable marriage between you. Have fun.
With a growl, Katara shut the voice out as she dressed into a simple robe and then crawled under the covers. She buried her head under the pillow for good measure, determined to not even let her own thoughts ruin a chance for a good night's rest.
'\'
Zuko didn't feel the slightest bit drowsy. He had a bad habit of not sleeping for at least two days or more if he felt particularly tense. While he was rolled in a blanket like cotton Fire Lord sushi, he could not get comfortable enough to even doze.
Mai. She was always on his mind. Haunting him. Zuko bit his lower lip as he remembered their final words to each other the day he got engaged. She hadn't cried when he told her he had to break off their relationship, true to her reserved nature even then. Just when he had started to see her smile a bit more. She really did have a beautiful smile, and he was still amused by the memory of how she had blushed and became flustered when he told her so.
He could still hear her voice in his mind, the excited tone of one who was caught between embarrassment and warm surprise. "I-I don't smile, you know that," she had exclaimed, her pale face turning the most lovely shade of pink. "Don't say weird things like that!" She had punched his shoulder while he laughed, and he could tell by the amount of fuss she was making that she had actually been very happy with his compliment.
Zuko was glad Mai hadn't cried. It had taken every ounce of strength in him to let go of her without bursting into tears himself. If she had sniffled once, he probably would have broken apart.
"Fine," she had said after a moment of silence and then pointed. "The door's that way."
Zuko had learned a long time ago that this didn't mean Mai hadn't cared about the circumstance. On the contrary, she simply didn't want him to see her reaction. Whenever she was on the verge of losing it, she always drove the people around her away. That was just how she was.
He could still feel her with him, still smell the scent of wild raspberry in her hair. She had felt so light and delicate in his arms - once the arsenal of knives and ninja stars were removed from her clothes. Sometimes the clothes would follow. And then it got to the point where all she had to do was mention "fruit tart" and he unraveled at the seams.
Zuko flopped over on his back, blanket and all, staring up at the dark ceiling. Damn. This was not helping. The little "argument" over the bed he had with Katara felt like a taste of things to come. He understood why she had freaked out over the size of the bed. Honestly, he didn't blame her. He wasn't sure how he could handle being that intimately close with her, either. However, he had been so tense these past few weeks when their wedding day became more and more certain that his temper grabbed at what it could and exploded. In fact, they probably still would be screaming at each other if Katara hadn't said something so embarrassing and out of place that it was actually rather funny. And they had only been married a day.
Feeling a headache coming on, Zuko sat up - or tried to when he discovered he had tangled himself quite a bit in the blanket and it took a few minutes to unroll himself out of it. Tea. He could use some tea. Whenever he felt distressed or at a loss of where to go, he could always rely on a cup of hot, calming tea. It made him feel close to his uncle, his only steady foundation in this chaotic world. A basket filled with fruit and light snacks and tea bags sat on the table, delivered and put in place to give off a welcoming atmosphere before the royal newlyweds showed up. A small spark from a snap of his fingers lit a candle and Zuko took the slip of paper sticking out from amongst the treats.
Fire Lord Zuko,
I made sure to send only the best of my tea. I think you two will greatly appreciate them. First is your favorite, jasmine. What better way to relax than sipping your favorite tea and watching the sunset with your new wife? How I envy your youth. Do not take it lightly, Zuko. Before you know it, you'll be a cranky and decrepit old man like I am.
Zuko snorted. Iroh was anything but cranky. Or decrepit.
Second, I have also sent along a batch of my special tea. This tea isn't served at the shop. Customers have to special order it. It's quite popular, in fact. It's a delicate blend of cinnamon, citrus, and a very very minimal dosage of the rare mandrake root.
Zuko blinked. Mandrake? He wasn't exactly the guru of herbs like his uncle, but wasn't mandrake poisonous?
I know what you're thinking, Zuko. Mandrake is poisonous to be sure if you consume too much of it. This is why it's only available through special order. However, just the right amount and it has quite amazing and effective aphrodisiacal effects. Usually ginseng works just as well, but it's not nearly as potent and given that the two of you seem a little tense with each other, I figured you might need a little boost in the right direction. Did you know that the jasmine tea you love so much can also have this same effect on women? I am certain Lady Katara would be very happ-
As his face grew bright red and burned with what felt like the heat of a thousand suns, Zuko crumpled up the note and shoved it back into the basket. Damn that old man! Much as Zuko appreciated Iroh's insights and advice, there were just some things the ancient coot needed to keep his nose out of! With that thought, Zuko's eyes narrowed as he eyed the fruit suspiciously. Strawberries, mangos, peaches, and a clump of some kind of yellowish looking nuts. No doubt foods to boost him and Katara "in the right direction". Thanks but no thanks, Uncle Iroh.
Basket in hand, Zuko was just about to slip outside and toss the whole offending gift into the ocean when he heard movement in the room. "Oh!" Katara exclaimed, stopping where she stood in surprise. "I didn't know you were still up. What is that? A fruit basket?"
"Um, well, ah…" Feeling like a kid with his hand caught in the cookie jar, Zuko could do nothing more than stutter like an idiot, fighting for an explanation as to why he was about to pussyfoot out of the house in the middle of the night carrying a fruit basket filled with natural hormonal enhancements.
"Hey, isn't that from yo- uh, Uncle Iroh?"
He blanched. "H-how did you know about it?"
"He told us about at the reception. That was part of his wedding gift to us."
"He did?"
Katara rolled her eyes. "I swear, Zuko, you have the worst memory ever." Then she tilted her head as if she just now noticed something. "Zuko… why is your face all red?"
All the blood that had drained from his face when Katara revealed that she had known about the basket already had come rushing back without him realizing it. "Nothing, it's nothing, it's just really warm in here!" Zuko replied, flinching at how breathless his voice came out. Katara just raised her eyebrows. To see Zuko acting as jumpy as a fox antelope was weird, even for Zuko. However, she shrugged the idea away. It was late, after all.
"Well, since we're up, why don't we have some of that fruit?" she suggested with a smile, hoping that it would get him out of whatever weird mood he was currently in. "I can't sleep so tea sounds great right now-"
"NO!"
Katara took a step back. Did he just say "no" like that to her? Realizing that he was about to drift into hot waters by the way her eyes were beginning to darken, Zuko backtracked. "I-I mean, this basket isn't from Uncle Iroh. It's a fake, poisoned, an assassination attempt to get me off the throne permanently!"
Her eyes widened. "By a fruit basket?"
"It would be too risky to do it in person. This island is too small for a person to hide on without being noticed, especially when the Fire Lord and Lady are both Benders."
Katara supposed he had a point and assassination using a fruit basket didn't sound that farfetched now that she thought about it. "How do you know?" she asked.
"The note that came with it says it's from my uncle, but it's not his handwriting at all," Zuko clarified. Which was entirely not true, but there was no need for her to know that.
"But Uncle Iroh said-"
"He must have been overheard! I mean it, Katara, I wouldn't trust it all. We shouldn't accept gifts that aren't delivered to us in person, anyway."
Katara didn't answer and Zuko silently applauded himself with his quick thinking. Whew! Out of the fire at last. While Katara just stood there in silence, Zuko took this as a good opportunity to make for the front door and let the sea wash this whole mess away-
"Let me see it, Zuko."
He froze. "Huh?"
"The note." Katara held out her hand, the other on her hip, her expression meaning business. "If someone just tried to kill us, that note and that basket are evidence to track this person down. Maybe we can even find clues-"
"Katara, this sort of thing is going to happen a lot," Zuko interrupted with an exasperated sigh. "There's no need to-"
"Are you an idiot!" Katara exclaimed, cutting him off completely. "Of course there is a need! You squash uprisings at the source, not sweep them under the rug like they don't happen! You can't keep peace that way."
"Don't tell me how to rule my own country, Katara."
"How dare you!" she exclaimed advancing on him like an agitated animal. "I am the Fire Lady, your wife, in case you've forgotten about that, too! And in case you've also forgotten, one of my duties happens to be your CHIEF ADVISOR. Therefore, as your wife and your advisor, I have every right to tell you my opinion on how to rule this country now give. Me. That. Note."
Close enough now, she flung herself on him, reaching around his body to grasp for the basket he was hiding from her. Zuko twisted and turned to keep the basket from her grasping fingers. Undeterred, Katara tried to climb him which caused Zuko to twist in such a way that he lost his balance which caused them both to go crashing the floor. Fruit bounced and rolled out of the fallen basket next to a tangle of robes and limbs. Taking the opportunity, Katara stretched out over Zuko's body and snatched at the crumpled note before he could react. Too worried with the idea that she and Zuko might have just been taken out by assassins to revel in her triumph, Katara opened the note and read the message inside.
For a long moment, Katara just stared at the letter before she burst out laughing. "Oh, Zuko," she managed to gasp out, wiping a tear from her eye. "Is this why you were trying to hide it from me?" She laughed harder, almost completely consumed by it. Didn't the silly boy know that such things had to be consumed in regular quantities over a period of time before they actually worked? She didn't doubt Iroh had sent this basket to lighten the mood between her and Zuko but not in the way the clueless Fire Lord had been thinking. In fact, when she thought about it - and she couldn't believe she was thinking about it - Zuko's reaction was actually, rather, kind of, well, cute.
"Um… Katara," Zuko muttered, drawing her attention. She saw that he was keeping his face turned away and that it was as red as his crimson robe.
"What?"
"Um, ah, um." While struggling through his lack of words, he pointed, still refusing to look at her. "Your, uh, your robe-"
Confused, Katara glanced down and immediately noticed two things. First, she was straddling Zuko's hips. Second, in their struggle, her robe had loosened. Opened. Exposing everything that she would rather not be seen. With a small scream, Katara jumped to her feet, almost tripping over Zuko's leg in the process and as she fought for balance, she tightened her robe around her waist enough to nearly cut off circulation. "You saw nothing! Nothing!" she cried as if insisting it in a loud enough voice would make it the truth.
"I-I didn't," Zuko assured her, but the redness of his face betrayed otherwise. Her own face on fire and never having been more embarrassed in her entire life, Katara did the only thing she could. She fled to the safety of her room, afraid that if she stayed a second longer she was going to indulge in physical violence. Gouging out the eyes of the Fire Lord probably wouldn't do much for reforming the world.
Alone in the living room with only a bunch of fallen fruit and teabags for company, Zuko sighed as he sat up and rubbed his head. Well, that had been pleasant. He almost wished that he hadn't said anything but then figured that he would be in worse shape if she had found out on her own. He wasn't going to lie. Katara was very, erm, attractively built. She had filled out quite a bit since he met her almost four years ago when she was little slip of a thing at only fourteen. Quite. Still blushing, Zuko extinguished the candle on the table and slipped back under the covers piled on the couch. Finally, it seemed his brain was catching up on the sheer exhaustion his body felt.
One day down.
A lifetime to go.
This was going to be a long, long marriage.
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"We're heeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeere~!"
Sokka nearly jumped out of his sandals when Toph decided to announce their arrival at the top of her lungs. "Must you be so loud!" he demanded, rubbing the inside of one ear with his finger.
"What? It's a vacation, how often do we get one of those these days?" Toph shot back.
"Toph has a point," Aang pointed out as he jumped off of Appa's back. "It's very rare that we get to go on a vacation, not worrying about anything for once." He grinned broadly as an very delightful and devious idea came to him. "I'm totally making Zuko ride one of those koi fish. If that doesn't loosen him up, I don't know what will."
As Toph and Aang snickered together over the pranks they planned to pull like neither of them had grown up at all in the past three years, Sokka could only manage a flicker of a smile. Truth be told, he wasn't exactly fond of Zuko at the moment, mostly because he felt the young Fire Lord was directly responsible for his baby sister's unhappiness for the past year regardless of how swell the guy had turned out to be. What was that saying? Sisters before misters? Something like that. All Sokka knew was that Katara wasn't leaping about with joy every time he saw her. That meant Zuko was doing something wrong. But every time Sokka had tried to get an audience with the Fire Lord to knock some sense into him with his trusty weapon "Neo-Boomerang", he was always stopped. Mostly by Katara herself. "Just let it go, Sokka," she had finally told him with a firm tone that slightly stung. "I'm fine. We're going to be fine. You don't have to interfere."
Sokka stopped trying to interfere at her request but that didn't mean he had stopped worrying about her. He had been spending the past year with their father Hakoda as a liaison between the Northern and Southern Water Tribes, and the biggest object of concern was trying to establish an effective trade route between the two, using the Earth Kingdom as some kind of collective middle point. When he had time to think, his thoughts mostly drifted to Katara, wondering how she was faring.
On the surface, he had found she was actually doing very well. Her job was, in short, "to assist the Fire Lord" and that had a lot more to it than what the rather demeaning phrase suggested. Sokka learned that Katara spent many hours in the throne room at Zuko's side, discussing and debating with the Fire Nation council and other national royalty over matters of treaties, trade routes, occupations, relinquishing of territories, all enough to make Sokka's head swim just hearing it secondhand. He heard echoed throughout the palace city of how Katara was going to make an amazing Fire Lady. Honestly, it made Sokka beam a bit with pride hearing how well his sister was doing. Despite the circumstances by marrying someone she didn't love, she seemed to be taking to her new duties like she did everything else - with fierce determination and pride.
Now if only she were happy.
"HEY!" A sharp punch to the shoulder brought Sokka back to reality and he saw the bright brown eyes of the one and only Ty Lee glaring up at him. "Aren't you gonna help poor Suki down?"
"Ty Lee, I'm fine, really!" Suki called, still in Appa's saddle. "I'm not made of glass! And besides, Mai's here-"
"Oh no you don't!" Ty Lee shot back. "Sokka is your husband, he should be the one to help you down. Mai, don't you dare move an inch!"
Suki sighed and gave Sokka a small what-can-you-do grin.
Besides Katara always being on his mind, Suki was there, too, now more than ever. Sokka had married Suki shortly before Katara had gotten engaged to Zuko. Now Suki was pregnant. At first, when Suki had suddenly and completely without warning vomited all over Sokka's lap to avoid the breakfast on the table, they had thought she had gotten sick. But after a few days, the symptoms wouldn't go away, they thought maybe her menstrual cycle was coming in hard and fast this time around. A few weeks and a missed period later and still no relief from the fatigue and the vomiting and the strange desire to lick salt blocks, Gran Gran decided it was safe to assume that Suki was with child. With his liaison duties, his sister in a sad situation and a new baby on the way, it was little wonder Hakoda often saw his son literally drop onto the floor at the end of the day, too tired to even bother crawling for the bed.
With the help of Sokka and Mai, Suki managed to get off Appa with little difficulty. "Thanks, guys, but seriously, I'm fine," she said with a slightly embarrassed flush.
"Leave it alone, Suki, people freak out when it comes to new life brewing inside a woman's belly," Toph remarked with a dismissive wave of her hand. "Speaking of which, where are those two? I don't want to be stuck in that powdery world you water people call a home any longer than I have to be. I swear, snow is worse than sand." Suki frowned and muttered something under her breath about how she wasn't showing yet and people needed to quit acting like the baby was about to pop out of her at any second.
Meanwhile, Katara stood by the window, staring out in shock and pleasant surprise, seeing her friends had suddenly appeared on the island. When she woke up this morning, Katara had been prepared to not be prepared in dealing with Zuko and their little "incident that would never be spoken of again" last night. She had been so caught up in trying to figure how she was going to face him and resist the urge to blind him that if it had not been for Toph's ear shattering announcement of their arrival, she never would have known the rest of the gang was outside.
A cough caught her attention. Zuko was leaning against the wall, arms over his chest, and she knew immediately that he was responsible for their friends being here. "A… a wedding present from me," he said quietly, not looking at her as he shifted his weight from one foot to the other. "In a way. You probably want to go home for a bit, don't you? We might not ever get another chance like this for a long time."
Katara's heart jumped as she gawked at Zuko, hardly able to take in his words. Home? As in home home? The South Pole home? Katara had been there a few times since the war ended, but always as a diplomat and sometimes to help Sokka and their father with trade negotiations. The FireNation had taken quite an interest in Tiger Seal blubber recently. The village did hold a tiny engagement party for her last year, but she and Zuko were on a tight schedule and could only stay for two days. But this, what Zuko was suggesting to her, saying, it took her breath away. She was going to go home. As herself. As Katara. Not a liaison or a diplomat or whatever. Not as the Fire Lady. Just Katara.
And yet, she didn't spend the past year in vigorous study to be an acceptable Fire Lady just to sweep it to the side at the merest suggestion of a vacation. Avoiding Zuko was merely a perk that came with all that training. Katara had a genuine determination to be the best she could be for her people. As overwhelming as the idea of having a people was. "The honeymoon only lasts a week," she pointed out. "It's going to take us maybe that long to get to the South Pole and that's if Appa doesn't stop to rest." She kept her words delicate so she wouldn't come across as ungrateful because this was probably the best present she had ever received since she was given her mother's necklace.
"You could say I extended it. Due to the current circumstances. The Council was quite understanding." He gave her small but very boyish grin. Katara decided she didn't want to know what exactly he had said to make the Council understand.
"For how long?" she asked instead.
"As long as you feel you need."
She stepped toward him, her brow creased a little with worry. When one's maternal instincts were growing to national proportions, she couldn't help fretting over the little details. "What about the Fire Nation? What if something happens while we're gone? Zuko, are you sure this is okay?"
She paused when she felt his hand on her head. "It'll be fine, Katara," Zuko assured her. "Uncle's going to stay at the palace to take care of things while we're away. The Council also isn't going to let anything happen. And if something does happen, we'll know about it. Come on, it's no worse than if we were to go to the Earth Kingdom for a peace meeting. The only difference is that only a select few know where we are so no one will get in our way from relaxing for once."
When Zuko put it that way, Katara did feel better about it. And she definitely liked the idea of finally spending some time away from politics and royalty and eating with seven different sets of chopsticks for one meal. Her heart beat faster with excitement as his words sank in. Home. She was going home where she could eat blubbered seal jerky and penguin sled and tell local ghost stories by the fire and just be Katara and no one else. Then, forgetting everything else except this moment of ecstasy surging through her, she threw her arms around her husband in a tight hug. Too choked up to really say much of a thank you, she gave him a bright beaming smile before rushing out the door to meet up with the gang coming up along the path.
For a moment, Zuko just stood there where he was, trying to recover from her hug. He had been hugged by Katara before, being the affectionate girl she was, but this one felt different from all the others. It made him feel rather warm inside that he had made her this happy. This was quite the accomplishment given he didn't really know how to make other people happy and most of the time whenever he tried, he just made things worse somehow. Whoever thought of the saying that "it's the thought that counts" should be strapped to the backside of a hungry saber-tooth moose-lion. In his experience, no actually the thought hardly ever counted.
However, this time, he hit and didn't miss. Zuko knew what it felt like to be far away from home for a long time and how he could miss even the little things about it that hadn't mattered to him that much before. He had been right in assuming Katara was feeling the same way about her home. The smile she had given him - that very bright, vivid, warm, and somewhat amazing smile that made his heart beat just a little faster than normal - confirmed he had done good. For now.
'\'
End 2
