Chapter 2 - Similarities
I'm very sorry for the super-duper-mega-uber late update. Thank god, my finest beta reader hihazuki managed to send the document back on time! (Thank you so so so soooo much!)
Speaking of whom, for you guys who haven't read her fictions yet, you seriously ought to. Otherwise you're forbidden to read this story. (Definitely kidding. Please do read, I beg of you!)
I hope you still want to read the second chapter, so there you go! Enjoy :D
Disclaimer: Own it. Not.
Zuko slammed his fist repetitively on the table, drawing attention from the entire shop. Ignoring the looks and whispers that started to surface from his outburst, he continued pounding relentlessly, not caring less about the inconvenience he was causing. It was only then he stopped when he realized the cup of tea that spilled -more than half of its content- all over the table and dripped onto his Armanipants.
With a scowl, he stood up and roughly snatched what seemed like a 5 dozen sheets of tissue paper and dabbed it angrily at the stained spot on his lap, only to widen the blotch on the silky cashmere fabric. He cursed halfheartedly; those pants were new. But much more significant things were at stake. Not long after, a panic-stricken waitress rushed up and hurriedly proceeded to clean the table, making a point not to look his way as she did so.
It was then he realized the trouble he had caused and glanced around at the paralyzed eyes looking back at him in a mixture of fear and curiosity. Aggravated, he stormed outside, cell phone attached to his ear as he continued the source of all his fury in a barely contained, sharp tone of chagrin.
"I don't want to hear any of your petty excuses! We had an agreement, and I expect you to abide to it, like professional businessmen! Bottom line is, you will be paying your debt to the bank in two weeks time. Otherwise, I am afraid the company will be out of your hands. You should be grateful that I'm the one signing the deal and not my father, or he'd have you good-for-nothing fools sued at a moment's notice! As a matter of fact, that will be the course of action I have no choice but to take if you don't fix this whole shittymess in the extended time allotment. So whatever excuses you have to offer will be none of my concern!" He yelled, losing all composure midway and slammed his phone shut, punching the same fist at the moss-colored wall with a sickening crack. He hardly felt the pinch of pain blooming in his knuckles; too consumed by his rage to bother pulling away. He didn't care if his phone consequently got crushed -he could always easily buy a new one. Hell, he didn't care much about anything other than the frustration that nagged at him for several days.
Feeling the fight draining out of him, he fell back against the wall, his shoulders slumping from the toll of his burdens, both spoken and unspoken, his other hand sliding up to hover the left half of his face, which emitted a dull, phantom throb of his scar. He sighed deeply, not realizing he'd been holding his breath, and began to remember its origins. Failing this mission was intolerable. Floundering it this time would earn him another delightful scarring on his face. His father would not be proud, and he would shame himself as one posing to be the company's successor.
"Agni, be with me." He prayed solemnly as he pinched the bridge of his nose. The pressure was extracting too much on him lately, and he began to lose control much more frequently. Patience, Zuko. To lead a company, you must retain forbearance,the familiar voice of his uncle echoed meaningfully in his ears.
Taking a deep breath, he closed his eyes and willed himself to calm down and regain serenity. He managed to count to five before sensing his uncle standing two feet away from him and opened his eyes reluctantly, half-expecting the reaction he was expecting. Sure enough, the old man's intense stare incited him to cower in mortification. He need not say anything, but that was more than enough to tame the young man, for the man in question adored the old parent figure that much. He couldn't bear to worry him. Beneath the agonizing scrutiny, he couldn't help but look away guiltily.
"Nephew, what's wrong? I heard quite the uproar in there, and one of the waitresses-" He began, stepping closer.
Zuko shook his head rapidly, still not looking at the concerned elder. "Nothing. Nothing happened. I'm perfectly fine."
He was obviously skeptic, but did not pursue the topic any longer. "Well, whatever it is you're going through, you might want to consider where you let off steam. The customers seem quite disconcerted by your sudden display of... incoherence." He raised an eyebrow at the last word.
His cheeks burned as his gaze dropped to the floor. He couldn't feel more ashamed than this. "R-right. My deepest apologies, Uncle. It won't happen again."
"I know there's something you're not telling me, son. Why don't you try talking to this trusty old man? He might be able to offer you some advice, or an ear, at least."
"It's... really nothing. Just some trouble I ran into at work. I don't want to inconvenience you any longer. I should leave." He spoke quietly as he made way to leave, but was stopped by his Uncle, a frown replacing his concerned look.
"Leave? You haven't even tasted your tea yet! You're coming right back in." His wrinkled hand grabbed his wrist firmly, hauling him back into the shop and sitting the immensely reluctant young man back in his seat. His table was now tidy, donning a new tablecloth and coaster, and the atmosphere returned to its former comfortable breeziness, yet a few still spared a confused glance at him, to which he avoided uneasily.
His Uncle continued, seemingly unaware of his nephew's growing apprehension. "You know how I feel about wasted beverages. Stay right here, I'm going to go get you a new one. That'll teach you not to waste ingredients next time." He left to the pantry, waving his hands to the few customers who still snuck glances -apparently he did notice- and effectively telling them there was nothing to look at.
As his uncle disappeared behind the green flaps separating the kitchen and room, he rested his elbows on the table, leaning forward and massaged his now throbbing temples. The flutter of pain tingling on his knuckle finally became palpable, and he gritted his teeth as he swallowed a groan.
Inwardly, he wished nothing more than to divert his mind from the depressing nature of business and think of something more interesting. Eventually, he came across a rough patch of skin he didn't realize he was also massaging, and it wasn't much later until he realized he was rubbing his scar.
The effect was immediate. All of a sudden, the voices around him faded entirely, leaving him in complete prey to his own mind. The feeling rushed back, that horrible feeling he wanted more than ever to dispose of. He knew what was coming next.
Slowly, another familiar voice rang sweetly, yet urgently in his ears.
"Listen to me, okay, sweetie? Everything will be alright."
He hissed. The memory was overtaking him again, and he was vulnerable to it, as he had always been every time it chose to embrace him.
"Go, Zuko! Take your sister with you!"
A pool of tears started forming underneath his closed eyelids. He was reliving the nightmare all over again. It was appalling; how he wished he could rewind time all over again if he knew this was going to happen.
"Don't look back. Don't worry, I'll be right behind you."
Lies. He never ceased to loathe adults' nature to lie to their kin. It hurt them. It made him put false hope in what was not meant to be. He loathed himself for putting his belief in her so easily. Otherwise, it wouldn't have turned out the way it had. It was all his fault, his naïveté. He was to blame.
He let his head fall to the table, face down, trembling fingers clawing at his face in a frenzy. A deep pain stored within the confines of his chest reemerged, reclaiming him. He felt like living in a sinful shadow. He couldn't face himself. He didn't deserve to live after the crime he felt he committed. Death would be the only mercy to him now. So he could at least meet her again, apologize profusely, plead for her forgiveness.
Escaping the prison of his mind by the merciful embrace of death seemed to be the only thing appealing to him at the moment as he fumbled his way for a knife -anything sharp he could find, basically- on the table.
He was pretty sure he'd have done it there and then if she wasn't there, just there, all of a sudden. Right across from him, leaning back, those glistening orbs looking outside the window, an unpleasant look etched oddly on her delicate face. Yet, she still managed to look...stunning.
He lay there, his notion of suicide abandoned and forgotten, his eyes only for her.
His uncle filled the silence as he served up an order, placing the empty cup on the table and expertly, swiftly tilting the kettle in his hands so the contents filled up quickly.
"You're here quite early today, Miss Katara. Would you like to order now?" Iroh asked pleasantly, handing out the menu with a mysterious smile on his face. At the same time, her mobile phone rang, and she nodded at him regretfully, her hand gestured at him apologetically as she held the ringing phone in hand. "Leechi, please. Excuse me." Not bothering to consider the menu, she stood up, and in a similarly convincing fashion to Zuko's previous outburst, stormed her way out of the shop, a less than happy expression on her face.
He thoughtfully eyed the purse she left behind on her chair. Not long after, a sharp tone in crescendo was heard from the front porch.
His uncle couldn't help but hold back a chuckle. "It seems we have another troubled individual here." Patting Zuko's shoulder, he returned back to where he came from.
The young successor honestly didn't mean to eavesdrop, but he couldn't very well ignore the despair and frustration in her voice and he automatically tuned in. Besides, he couldn't help but notice she had a shrill voice akin to that of a banshee when she was enraged, but he knew better than to tell her that, unless he would be better off forfeiting his life. Rather fortunately, he only caught a few words such as 'blew', 'you should have', 'screw you', and other colorful vocabulary he didn't know she had the capacity to say.
Before he could ponder, he heard her sob, and her voice dulled to a hum he couldn't make out. Concern overtook his thoughts, and he had half a mind to go after her and give her the comfort she needed, but he thought better of it.
It would be terribly inappropriate,he cringed to himself. Awkward, and I'd be poking my nose in where it doesn't belong.
He gripped the corners of his table, resisting the strong urge of his feet to take him to her. He loosened his grip when he saw her walk back into the shop and to their table. Once she lifted her head to meet his gaze, he looked down at his cooling tea and stirred, pretending like nothing happened.
She cleared her throat as she let herself collapse on the chair, and he felt slight alarm. Taking off her coat and draping it behind her, she let her hair cascade over her face, blocking her features. Yet, for some reason, he still didn't look away. He couldn't.
Iroh came back to serve her leechi tea, smiling at her warmly, sneaking a cold eye through his peripheral vision at Zuko -who only looked at him nonchalantly- and left without a word.
They remained in silence.
"If I tell you what's wrong, will you stop staring?" She finally spoke as she lifted the cup to her mouth, sending a disapproving glare at him as she did it. "Unless you have noticed, it's starting to get on my nerves."
Zuko shrugged, not feeling threatened by her condemning stare. In fact, he seemed to take a liking to her enchanting azure orbs glued to his own, monochromatic golden hues. It made him think how perfectly balanced it made his look; how it harmonized with his. "Whatever makes you feel better."
A long sigh escaped from her lips and she took another sip of her tea. But nothing came out of her mouth. Silence. Another sip. The silence still continued.
He almost gave up and opened his mouth to end the awkward silence and divert her attention to something else, right before she spoke, after her fifth refill.
What she said was the least he had been expecting. "I'm having a problem with my boyfriend."
Just a single sentence, and he felt his entire world crumbling. Vaguely, he wondered if he could have possibly heard wrong. She was speaking a little too quietly for his taste. But his mind told him otherwise. Out of the million possible reasons why she could be so upset, it just had to be that one. He wasn't even expecting it in the slightest. He always thought...he had just assumed...
His mind shattered into a thousand little pieces.
Boyfriend. The word felt like it was capable of becoming his apocalypse.
He felt like being struck over by a lightning bolt, over and over again, striking him down, down, and down. But who was he to feel that way? He couldn't have actually thought a girl as breathtaking as her wasn't taken already. And since when did he feel that sort of attraction to her? They had only just met. They were two completely different strangers with only one thing in common; the tea shop they most commonly frequented. That was all.
He had no right to feel that sudden, overwhelming urge to hunt down that insensitive bastard of her boyfriend and kill him a thousand times for making her cry like that.
"Today's our two-year anniversary, and we were supposed to have dinner together earlier this evening. Which is why I'm looking a little different today." She motioned towards her outfit; a strapless beryl gown that brought out her eyes, refined with a gingerly, billowing fishtail skirt that aired the ethereal colors of the sea, and accentuated with a radiant jewel embedded at her hip, bringing light to her soft curves. He didn't notice when she came; he was too preoccupied with her worrying countenance. But now that he had a closer look, Agni, she looked absolutely gorgeous.
"My father is in town too, so I thought of inviting him along. It would be the ideal opportunity to introduce them to each other since he's rarely home -he works as a mariner on the seas. It's a really important first step since then we could show him that we're actually serious about this relationship and that hopefully we can move on to the next level smoothly as soon as we have his consent. I was thinking by then that the idea of marriage wouldn't be so far over the horizon." She paused to take another sip.
"Just when I thought things were finally going right for once, something just had to come up at work and that he said he'd be late. But I didn't make too big a deal about it, since he was still planning to come. He should know the severity of my father being with me here. Most of all, he should have known about the importance of today." A pang of hurt struck past her face. "After that, me and my father decided to go on ahead to the restaurant and wait for him there. And so we waited. After an hour passed, he still didn't come, and by that time I'd become so anxious. But then he called, saying he couldn't make it, and that he had to work overtime! He actually put his work ahead of me, even just for tonight!" She balled up her fists and hung her head, her shoulders slightly shaking.
"You have no idea how much that crushed me. Crushed our only chance -no, hisonly chance to meet my father. And he blew it. He crushed everything. I had everything planned; it was supposed to be perfect. It was a miracle that my father even agreed to come in the first place, since he had to fly back to work by 9PM and I thought he needed the rest.
"I know we can't expect everything to go smoothly. It's probably not even his fault that he had to work overtime. But I was really upset. I guess even when no one is in the wrong, there is always someone we need to blame. It makes us feel more secure." She hugged herself tightly. "But anyways, I was very upset. I was really looking forward to meeting them together. I was already imagining them getting along. I was expecting my father to think that oh, this man would definitely be a great son-in-lawor maybe my daughter has chosen the best man for herself. Now there's no doubt that he has a bad first impression of him and I can't do anything in his defense, because I am also very disappointed in him. Everything just went awry in an instant.
"So when we finished dinner, just the two of us, he took off without a word to the airport, but most likely thinking how much of a child's play this is." Her eyes watered as she scowled angrily. "I took my car and drove all the way here. I need to be somewhere where he couldn't find me. My boyfriend would probably go to my place to apologize after he's done with everything. And seeing him right now is the last thing I want. No apology is going to fix this."
On cue, her phone vibrated as it lit up, showcasing a picture of an enraptured Katara, resplendent and divine, kissed on the cheek by a man with a peculiar butch haircut, his boyish features contrasting sharply with her elegant beauty. Above was the caller ID; Aang.
Aang, He read silently. Peaceful soaring. Guess that's him.
Scoffing, she grabbed her phone and answered, cursing and rambling, shouting and degrading him, returning to the violent phase of argument.
As he drank in her winding altercation, he lifted the cup to his mouth, pondering the information just presented to him, hiding the small smirk now blooming on his face.
The tea tasted sweeter than ever.