If It Makes You Happy
Chapter 2
Let Yourself Be Helped
Warning: I finished this chapter late at night whle playin itouch truth or dare I was too lazy to edit this chapter so I'mrry fr any spelling or grammar errors.
The nights in Ba Sing Se were soothing. It had been something ex-General Iroh had always admired of the Earth Kingdom capital. He sighed contently after he took a sip of a white jade tea, because it was very rare he usually didn't serve it at his tea shop. "I think we should start cleaning up," A young girl Iroh was now very familiar with suggested, idly touching her messy bangs.
He smiled back jovially, "As soon as I finish my tea, Miss Jin." He gestured to the seat in front of him, "Please, join me."
She smiled back perkily and took off her apron. After Zuko had to return to the Fire Nation after their short break after the war, Iroh hired Jin as his new waitress. She had proven to be many times better than Zuko. She was friendly toward most of the customers (those who weren't staring at her as unashamed lechers) and she didn't brew bitter tea. He gingerly served her a cup of tea before smiling amiably and taking another sip of his tea. "Nothing lightens the mood after work than a nice cup of tea," He commented peacefully.
"It is pretty nice," Jin agreed taking a sip of her own cup. Her pinkies twiddled absently around the empty air beneath her cup. "I was happy when I found out you would keep running the tea shop here in the Earth Kingdom. I was afraid I'd never have such good tea once you and your nephew returned to the Fire Nation."
He chuckled heartily, holding onto his round belly. "Oh no, I no longer have business in the Fire Nation. My nephew has the duty as the new Fire Lord and I will help him along the way, but I'd much rather make an honest living in this tea shop than sit around in a stuffy palace."
She continued to smile at the old man, "I'm sure it's beautiful there."
"It is," He smiled reminiscently. "But I prefer my humble tea shop. I lived there all of my life, so it is nice to know something else than the palace and war."
Her head jerked toward the door when a rapping at the entrance echoed through the empty tea shop. Iroh continued to drink his tea, but kept his attention alert in case something were to happen. Before long Jin shut the door again saying 'thank you' and walking back to her seat with a scroll in her right hand. "It was a messenger," she answered his quiet inquiry and handed the scroll off to the wiser man. Lifting her cup again she kept her eyes on the man as he read. When he sighed she grinned brightly, "I take it Lee—I mean Zuko is having a hard time readjusting to the palace life."
He shook his head with a slightly amused grin and rolled up the scroll, leaving to the side. Iroh took another sip of tea and sighed, "There are therapeutic properties in tea, you know. Tea is said to cure all sorts of alements." His cup now empty, he set it down on the table before excusing himself from the table. "I am afraid I must ask that you clean without me, Miss Jin. I need to begin packing tea leaves for my nephew."
She nodded, still smiling brightly, "No problem. I got everything under control."
That same night Aang was sitting on the roof of the old house he and his friends had previously shared. He stared ahead into the dark skies at the bright full moon and hugged his knees closer to his chest. Momo rested around his shoulders chirping at the air bender but receiving no response. He closed his eyes and all he saw was Katara, he opened them and the moon reminded him of the water bender. Yue had always been kind in life, he wondered why she'd suddenly changed on him.
His eyes were tired and burning, and his head hurt more than when Toph trained him. He was exhausted. Aang never learned about heart break with the monks, and throughout his travels during the war he only ever felt it momentarily when he learned about the demise of the air nomads. This was completely different, maybe because he wasn't distracted by the war to think too much about the subject or because he truly loved her with all his being, but now he felt like he was collapsing into himself.
The worst part was that it wasn't just pain from getting burned by a fire bender or any other type of attack, it lingered in him and even grew slightly as time passed. The more and more he realized that what had happened was in fact reality, the more and more he felt himself be torn apart inside.
His ears perked when he, for the first time, noticed a sound behind him. "Relax, twinkle toes, it's just me." Toph rolled her eyes to herself at the statement.
Aang's shoulders dropped but he made no move to turn, stand, or respond. She sighed and went to sit next to him, "I know I'm not good at this, but I figured I'd at least keep you company." In her mind she sighed again and held her head, More like keep you from doing something stupid like kill yourself.
They both sat still, their legs pressed against their chests and their heads propped on their knees. Toph silently made sure his hear rate remained constant and not raise with a a sudden adrenaline rush, while Aang quietly watched the moon.
After hours of sitting under the moonlight Toph noticed Aang's heart slow down. She sighed begrudgingly standing and dragging him by the collar further onto the roof before setting him down to lay down so he wouldn't hurt his neck sleeping sitting down. She rubbed her eyes with her forearm soon after doing so, realizing she was also tired; far too tired to go back down into the house. Besides she couldn't bend her way back down as tired as she was now.
Groaning, Toph moved to lay down next to the air bender but hesitated slightly hearing him move. She stared off in his general direction, not seeing him exactly, but feeling his heartbeat and listening to his body move as he breathed slowly. Then she heard him whisper the name of his pain and dropped next to him sadly. The guy was broken. She wasn't sure what happened between the two but he wouldn't be over this too soon. She turned her back to him and tried to slow down her own breathing.
All she really got out of Sokka was the little he knew, Katara broke up with Aang. Personally, she never really got all that Twinkle Toes saw in Sweetness. From what she could tell she was sure Katara was beautiful; but she was also bossy, a total kill joy, way too responsible, and way too mothery for her tastes. Then again those were probably all things he liked about her.
She wasn't really shocked that it didn't work out to be honest. Toph always had a feeling that Sugar Queen didn't actually like Aang. More of a literal feeling, really, Katara's heart never really raced around Aang like it did around Jet. Maybe, she finally owned up to her own feelings. Well at least half. Toph also knew Katara's heart picked up pace around another guy. Knowing her it would take her ages to own up to that one though, she guessed.
Hearing another moan of pain come from the boy next to her caused Toph to cringe and shut her eyes tighter. "Come on, Twinkle Toes." She whispered. "She's the one missing out, not you."
A silence engulfed them both as soft breezes wrapped their separated bodies. If Toph were no longer blind and had opened her eyes, she'd notice the moon hide behind looming clouds. A little before she finally fell asleep, Toph heard him somehow reply to her previous comment; "You're wrong." His whisper barely made it through Toph's lowering senses. "You have to be..." The last whisper was quieter. The next day she swore she dreamt it.
Zuko absently stared at the meal presented before him during breakfast, cobra-shark soup with noodles. It was usually a meal he enjoyed very much, cobra-shark was very rare after all, but the days were going by so slowly that he didn't have much of an appetite. It was day 12.
The part that sucked most about day 12 were as follows (in order from bad to worst): the Fire Council were having second thoughts about letting him depart so soon, Mai was pestering him about moving in earlier, his letter to Iroh was sent on day 9 so he must have received it on day 10 but there was still no response, and of course finally Katara kept looking at him imploringly. That's right, Fire Lord Zuko, most powerful man in the Fire Nation, which remained the most powerful nation in the world, was unable to give an answer to one of his best friends on a simple yes or no question. Well rather, now that he recalled her words exactly it was more of a request.
"Fire Lord Zuko?" a servant asked nearing him. He looked up questioningly. "Sir, your soup has cooled. Would you like me to heat it for you?"
Usually Zuko, would have declined the offer and done so himself but he really didn't feel like heating it and then letting it cool again. He stood and shook his head, "No, thanks. It seems my appetite hasn't woken up yet." Unbeknownst to him Katara giggled lightly at his attempt at a joke as she excused herself from the table, already having finished some time ago. The servant nodded. "I'll probably return later to eat." He turned to the remainder of his guests at the table and bowed respectfully, remembering momentarily that both his grandfather and father never excused themselves after eating and feeling a sense of pride at the fact that he wasn't like either men. "Excuse me."
He decided to go to the garden and feed the turtle-ducks. That always made him feel calm and closer to his mother, so maybe it would help his current state of mind. He needed a break from writing treaties and dealing with stupid peace stuff. Peace required a lot of paperwork, he'd learned. The garden would clear his mind of all the repetitive legal jargon. Just as he began to walk into the garden, however, he regretted it. Paperwork might have been a better choice.
One of the things he wanted to avoid and forget for a couple of minutes was standing beside the tree hugging her arms tightly around her body. He would have left had he not seen the small water bender's body shake slightly.
He stood there still, wondering what to do. Leave and not deal with her asking for an answer (knowing there might possibly be some nagging involved) or stay and comfort the crying girl before him. He really wanted to be selfish and leave but his feet stayed still forcing his eyes to watch the beautiful girl in front of him. The barely risen sun was making shadows dance along her curves and hair in the most hypnotizing manner.
He forced his eyes shut realizing where his mind was going. Of course he'd had thoughts such as those before, he was still a teenage boy after all and it was perfectly natural considering Katara's effect on nearly all males who met her. But it was unacceptable, nonetheless. He figured with his eyes shut he could now force his feet from gravity and compassion's bind to the floor.
A sob escaped Katara's lips and Zuko's resolve crumbled, eyes snapping open and feet moving forward.
"Katara," a soft and soothing voice caused her body to grow rigid in embarrassment. She honestly didn't understand what power possessed her to return to this place, and now she cursed it. The last thing she wanted was someone to see her like this. Knowing his golden orbs were probably staring at her right now only made things worse, because the last person she wanted to see her like this was Zuko. Especially, since he knew why she might be like this. Sokka would be far better, she decided.
Holding onto some dignity, Katara opted to waterbending the tears on her face and pooling in her eyes away rather than wiping them with her arm. She let one arm drop to her side and held onto her elbow with the opposite hand. Giving up on trying to turn when her body felt like it would drop she kept her back to the Fire Lord. "Hey, Zuko."
Her forced response only made Zuko feel more inclined to help her. Half of him screaming in worry while the other screamed in panic. He knew that the default question of 'are you okay' wouldn't be good enough so he placed a hand on her shoulder in what he hoped was comforting.
Katara tensed for a second, feeling his warm touch run down her arm, before relaxing. She tried to swallow the thought that Zuko was actually trying to help her. She trailed her thumb around the inside of her elbow. She felt herself grow weaker and weaker now.
Screw dignity. Sokka wasn't around and she couldn't really be expected to turn to her father about a problem like this. She turned around and grabbed hold of Zuko's torso before her knees gave way. Luckily, before either of them fell Zuko grabbed her quickly and pulled her into an embrace. It wasn't much, but for him it was a start.
"Sorry," she mumbled into his chest. He just lifted a hand, carefully, from her waist and ran it over her hair to calm down her cries.
Minutes passed between the two as they embraced. Zuko suddenly got an idea and slowly lowered them both to the ground. His back leaned against the large tree in the garden while her remained resting against his chest as tears continued to flow. Her hands were gripping tightly onto the fabric of his tunic, holding her in place. He hesistantly whispered, "Is this ok?"
"Yeah," she whispered back. The sun moved above them as they stayed on the ground. Zuko's hand idly ran through her head in rhythm as she slowly, but surely, calmed down.
Zuko was shocked at how the situation wasn't bothering him like he thought it would. He actually found some peace in knowing he was helping Katara, again. It was strange how fond he'd become of her and the others throughout the war. Her strong nature had always intrigued him though, from the beginning. Thinking about that only made this situation feel stranger than it was to begin with. But then again this was a side of her that almost turned him around the first time in Ba Sing Se, when she let her vulnerabilities show through a mask of control. It made him realize how small she really was, how much hurt she'd felt throughout life. It made him remember how much pain he was really in back then, and now it just reminded him that she was not just a waterbender but also a girl. Zuko admitted that sounded chauvinistic, but under all that independence and strength she was still fragile.
She sat up, noting it was nearing noon. Bringing her knees up to her chest she decided something, "That's the last time." He watched her confused but let her be for the most part. "It's been two weeks now, I should stop crying. So...this is the last time." Katara reaffirmed sternly.
He smiled at her amused, noting the irony in the connection between her statement and his previous thoughts. "No it's not."
Her eyes turned hard and cold as ice, "What makes you say that?" Almost as cold as her tone he noted.
"I know you," Zuko replied simply but before she could snap at him snidely he continued. "You're too compassionate to let this be the last time." She stared down at the grass beneath them now. "He's your best friend, right? You've been taking care of him since you found him? This, right now, is killing you with guilt. And if I know you as well as I think I do, which isn't all that well anyways, I know you won't feel better until you know he is better."
Katara stared at him as he finished before turning her eyes to the sky. "You don't know that."
He grabbed the closest of her hands to him and squeezed, "I do." He smiled retreating his hand, unaware that it caused her hand to feel strange little sparks of energy. She blamed his bending. "I also know, that things will turn out well. For both of you. He will learn to get over you and find himself someone else who is capable of returning his feelings." He noticed her tense but shook it off knowing it was because she felt guilt for not being able to do so herself. "And you," Her blue eyes stared at him expectantly. "You will find someone who makes you feel like no other and you'll live happily ever after, or whatever." Zuko finished lamely suddenly feeling very nervous and self conscious. What am I doing? This is stupid. The worst advice you've ever given. You should have just thought like Uncle or left while you had the chance.
"Thank you," she said hoarsely hugging him tightly and retreating almost as quickly as she initiated the hug.
He shrugged, "You're welcome." I can't believe that worked.
She nodded and stood up looking at him a bit awkwardly. "I'm going to head inside." He nodded in return. She turned to walk away but right before she left she turned back to him, "Right, you never really told me whether I can go with you or not."
He gulped, realizing he didn't get away with it yet. "Well you see...Katara, I don't really know how to answer you yet. There are a lot of things I have to deal with right now, and I really need to give this some thought—"
She raised a hand stopping him, "It's fine. I understand that this is something big I'm asking so I'm not expecting too much." His eyes were wide in shock. "Just let me know soon, please. I still have to talk to my Dad about things and I have to pack so don't wait until the day you leave to tell me." Katara smiled warmly before actually leaving this time.
Zuko stared incredulous. He had really expected a similar explosion like he'd received from Mai when she asked to move in.
Speaking of Mai. "What are you doing out here?" She asked walking toward him, watching Katara leave warily. She quickly turned to Zuko and narrowed her eyes. "With the water tribe girl?"
He really wanted to groan right now, but instead he kept his eyes on her steadily. "Katara's been having some problems—"
"I'll say," She grumbled jealously.
Zuko's own good eye narrowed. "I was helping her, that's it."
Her stare showed him she didn't believe him. Much less trust him, he noted aggravated. "Here," She tossed a scroll to him uncaring. "It arrived last night."
Zuko opened the scroll quickly, anxious to read his Uncle's response to his letter. Maybe now he could get things done around here.
Nephew,
I will arrive at the palace soon.
P.S. Please have some Ginseng tea ready for your dear uncle.
Iroh
Iroh smiled contently drinking his afternoon Ginseng tea with Zuko. It was extremely relaxing and, he was sure, helped settle both of their anxieties. "Ah, wonderful tea. You have gotten better at brewing," he praised the scarred teen sitting across from him.
They were currently in Zuko's room, better for privacy Iroh had stated. A servant had brought in a table and some cushions for them to sit on, as well as a porcelain tea set and Jin Sang leaves for the tea. Zuko faltered slightly at the compliment, remembering how many times his Uncle had taken over making tea because Zuko's was too bitter. "Thank you, Uncle."
"Hm," he hummed happily sipping again. Letting out some boisterous laughter after his sip he said, "Maybe, I should still brew it myself, though."
His shoulders slackened in embarrassment. Uncle has only been here an hour and I've already made a mistake. Zuko still managed to smile, always enjoying his time with the old man. When he was confronted with all his problems there was no one else he'd thought about contacting than the closest thing he had to a father. "Uncle, there are more serious matters I'd like to talk to you about than tea."
Iroh grew silent and serious. Zuko felt a sense of triumph thinking that now they'd get somethings resolved. "There is nothing trivial about proper tea making."
Zuko groaned, actually dropping his head this time in frustration. He snapped his head back up stretching his arms toward the sky, "Uncle, this is serious! Tea can't compare to my mission in finding my mother."
He nodded setting down his cup, "Zuko, the first step to achieving such a great goal is to let go of all your stress. I find that tea the best way to clear a twisted mind. That is why we are drinking tea before we try to find path to resolve your problems."
Zuko's golden eyes lowered and he sighed submissively. Arguing would get him nowhere with Uncle. "Fine." Iroh smiled and raised his cup to his lips, urging Zuko subtly to do so as well.
After Zuko picked up the cup and took a drink himself they both exchanged smiles. "See, now isn't that better?" His ex-pupil chuckled taking another drink, but Iroh took his reaction as agreement. "Now, about your letter." Both of their faces turned serious again. "I came here because I know a letter would not suit the given situations. For you, nephew, face to face conversations are best when dealing with burdens."
"I appreciate you going out of your way to do this, Uncle," he smiled bowing his head slightly.
"Do not thank me yet. I can only assist you in finding your path, Fire Lord Zuko. You must decide if you will take it or not." Iroh served himself more tea as he spoke evenly. "For starters, your current situation with Lady Mai can only be resolved through two consequent steps." Zuko perked up and listened carefully. "You must decide what your heart is telling you, not what would be best suited for the Fire Nation or her. You are in charge of your own destiny, therefore you are in charge of who will ultimately shape the turns your path will take. Whether Lady Mai will be such a key part in your life is something only you can decide."
Zuko sighed. Destiny never liked being easy, did it? "What's the second step?"
Iroh looked at him sternly, knowing this would be the hardest part for Zuko. "You must tell her how you feel. If ultimately it is something you know will upset her you must tell her soon. Letting her fantasize about something you have no wish to be a part of will only make her angrier."
"How could she get angrier?" Zuko asked incredulous. As things were now he knew Mai was capable of...removing something very important to him. He cringed at the thought.
"She could mutilate and then kill you," Iroh chuckled finding humor in his nephew's facial expressions.
Zuko ran a hand over his face. "Good to know."
Iroh continued laughing, pausing only to finish his new cup of tea. "Now," he said serving himself a third cup. "Your problem with the council should be the least of your worries. Zuko, you are the Fire Lord now. The Fire Council is there only to serve you and give their opinion. If you disagree with them, that should end any argument. They are not in charge of the Fire Nation and much less what you wish to do while ruling it. If you have decided to search for your mother and take a momentary leave of absence, leaving the Fire Nation under the trusted hands of your friends and family then that is what should be done." Zuko nodded in response. "Do not let others look down on you because you are young. You have proven yourself worthy many times now, and far more wise than half of the council."
He smiled, somewhat bashful after the man's compliment. "Thank you, Uncle."
The tea shop owner grinned back at him proudly. "It goes without saying." He put a hand to his chin thinking over the last problem Zuko had slightly addressed through his letter. "Lastly, this confusion you have on allowing the water bender Katara assist you on your mission...I sense there is more to the situation than you expressed in you letter, nephew."
He nodded, avoiding the man's wise gaze. He went ahead and told Iroh about all had happened in Ba Sing Se and after he joined the Avatar and his friends. After he went through the details of how much Katara had hated him, how he'd worked hard to gain everyone's trust especially hers, how he finally got it after they chased her mother's murderer, and how he'd taken the shot of lighting from Azula he stared down at his hands worried. "I feel like she feels like she owes me, even after all she did for me and all I'd done to her. And I just found out about some personal dilemma she and Aang have gone through, ending their relationship. I just think she might be offering her help to avoid her problems and settle some nonexistent debt between us." He sighed turning back to his Uncle. "Would it be right for me to let her come with me?"
"That is not for you to decide," He countered sagely. "It seems that by her asking to join your mission she has decided on her own that it is a right choice." Zuko dropped his gaze again, quickly downing his cup of tea. "But the question remains, will you let her go with you?"
He felt a barrage of thoughts and 'what if's' pass through his mind and ran a hand through his hair frustrated. "All these years I've always thought that finding my mother was part of my destiny, my destiny alone." He felt a bit of his old self take over at his next statement, "I don't need help. She was my mother, so I should do it on my own right?"
Iroh stared at his nephew unfazed. When Zuko turned to him again pleading for an answer he remained stoic. Even as he spoke, "If that were the case you wouldn't be so torn about letting her accompany you." There was a silence between both royal family members, full of thought. Zuko decided to stare at the table between them, tracing shapes along the wood with his eyes, and Iroh thought about what would be appropriate to say. "After everything the war has put you through, I thought that by now you'd realize the most important things in life."
His shoulders stiffened, feeling even more in error than before. "What? What am I missing?" He questioned desperately. He had to do things right. He only had fourteen days remaining before his trip now, so he couldn't go about things in a manner less than perfect.
Iroh smirked, remembering the advice he had once given a young girl that reminded him a lot of Zuko, and recited the advice like it had been a line in a book rather than one of his views in life; "There is nothing wrong with letting people who love you help you."
The next day at Kyoshi Island was springing with joy and happiness. As it turned out after Azula had captured Ba Sing Se she didn't hesitate too long before sending more Fire Nation to the Island, it wasn't broken but it was less than it had been the last time Sokka had set foot on it after Zuko had first burned it down. The Fire Lord had of course ordered the troops to return to the Fire Nation and remove any trace of Fire Nation hostility on the island.
It had only been a week at most since the Kyoshi Warriors and Sokka had returned but things were already under control and close to its original state.
Which was why, at that moment, Sokka was working dutifully on his new project in the room he'd been currently occupying in the local inn. He'd found a smooth stone near the beach that was a deep shade of green with navy blue undertones. It was beautiful and he was sure it'd be perfect for Suki.
Sure he told Katara he'd wait, but that didn't mean he had to wait on carving the stone for the betrothal necklace. He soon realized it was a good thing he decided to start early, it wasn't as easy as he thought it would be. Heck making his space sword was easier. The tools he was using to carve the necklace kept slipping off the smooth surface and cutting his hands.
He dropped everything on the ground frustrated, "This is hopeless!" The stone was too small! It was hard to keep a good hold on it, and it was completely different from the stones used in the Northern Water Tribe. "Oh, good job Sokka! You can make a sword from a giant boulder, armor for a giant flying bison, but you can't make a small little betrothal necklace."
"Ooh!" Sokka jumped as soon as the new addition to the Kyoshi Warriors somersaulted in front of him. "What's a betrothal necklace?"
He was so shocked he actually answered her question, "It's tradition for men to carve a stone for a necklace to give to the woman they wish to marry."
He regretted his automatic answer after a high pitched squeal escaped Ty Lee, "Oh my gosh! Suki will be so happy! How cute! You want to marry—!" He quickly covered her mouth with his hand.
"Keep it down, will you!" He whispered urgently. "I'm just barely carving the stone. But I'm not doing it very well yet..." Sokka turned his attention to the pretty stone and pouted.
Ty Lee looked at the stone too before smiling energetically, "I could help."
The strategist looked at her warily, "I'm not sure that—wait, why are you even here?"
She turned her body and rested on her forearms with the rest of her body in the air, "Oh, Suki told me to get you because one of the kids fell into a well! I probably should of told you that when I got here..." She giggled bashfully.
His eyes were wide as saucers before he stood up and vaulted his way out of the room sprinting toward the well.
After Sokka had left Ty Lee noticed a poor drawing of what Sokka wanted the necklace to look like. She turned her head several times before noticing that the stone was oddly formed and in his design, Sokka drew the stone as an oval type of thing.
She looked down at the tools he had and then back at the pretty stone before deciding to help him, even if he kind of indirectly said he didn't want her help. After all, Ty Lee reasoned, she was only getting him started on the thing.
Katara was shocked by the rumors going around the palace. According to the servants, Zuko had been pestered multiple time about his leave by the council and suddenly snapped the other day. She found out that at first he had really considered postponing it for awhile but then told the council he had made up his mind. The council disagreed and continued to bother him. The day after his Uncle had arrived he finally lost his temper and kicked the whole council out of the room, yelling and even fire bending until they left.
It made her a bit happy for him that he'd stood up to the council like that, but she wondered if he really had to react so strongly. She knew Zuko, so it must have meant they had really persisted on the idea of postponing his trip and only added to his load of stress and responsibilities as Fire Lord.
Hakoda had told Katara about how much work Zuko had put on the project for aid being sent to the Southern Water Tribe, the work she hadn't seen, and she knew the council was piling work on him like they would pile bags on an ostrich-horse. That could have been why he snapped.
Maybe it just bothered him that he only had a week left to wait to leave and that's why he reacted like that. "Katara!" She turned her head back as she walked through the corridor that led to her room at the call.
"Zuko," she really hoped she managed to not smirk too much at seeing him after thinking about him blowing up during a meeting. "You didn't come here to yell at me, right?"
When he reached her he avoided her eyes, saying through his tight teeth. "You heard about that?"
She giggled, "Relax, I'm sure it wasn't that bad." He chuckled darkly remembering that it actually had been bad enough to burn off one of the men's beard off. "So, what do you need?"
Straight to the point. Zuko smiled, noticing she was returning to her old self again. "You seem better," he commented, unintentionally stalling.
Katara smiled back and nodded, "I thought about what you said, and realized you were right. Things will get better so I should relax. I mean, we have all this post-war stuff to handle so my mind should be on that instead."
Zuko felt his chest swell with pride at the thought that he had actually comforted Katara, the default mom of the group before the war, of all people. "I'm glad I could help," he answered sincerely.
Their eyes locked amidst a welcoming silence. It had recently dawned on both the fire and water benders that the two had developed a close relationship, and if the morning in the garden didn't prove that they'd come to trust and lean on one another when confronted with problems than the evening at the stairs when they spilled all their troubles to each other when they couldn't tell the others. And as Katara watched Zuko's now warm and understanding golden eyes and Zuko watched Katara's own kind and compassionate sapphire eyes they could tell the feeling was mutual.
This only served to add to Katara's case in accompanying him. After she noticed that they must have been staring quite some time Katara averted her gaze to the floor distractedly, trying to suppress the blush creeping up her neck and face. She looked up at him teasingly after a bit, "You never answered my question."
The boy in question only blinked in confusion, "Question?"
She laughed lightly, "Did you need something from me? Or did you just want to check up on me." After making that statement she realized that could have very well been his actual intention and felt stupid.
He however didn't notice that and fumbled as he spoke, "Uh, I wanted to talk to you about you going with me to find my mother."
Katara instantly perked up, "Of course!" She took hold of his wrist and started heading back to her room like she'd previously intended, "We can talk in my room."
He made no actual move to stop her, but Zuko felt himself grow wary at the thought of going into a girl's room. Especially since the girl wasn't even his girlfriend. Remembering Mai just made him even more nervous.
Katara didn't notice his anxiety, though, and took a seat on the edge of her bed. Since she still held onto his arm she ended up pulling him next to her on the bed.
He threw a quick look around the room before turning his attention back to Katara. He was honestly shocked that the room was still red. When he looked back at her he felt his throat close, he forgot what he was going to say. "Um, I..." he trailed off still trying to figure out how to end his statement.
She noticed his lost state and smiled encouragingly, "Your mother."
He nodded, his eyes downcast. "I was talking to Uncle about...everything and I thought a lot about the trip." He shifted closer to her and fixed his posture to give off a more confident air and stared straight at her eyes. "This is really important to me, you know that, so at first I thought that it was my destiny to find her on my own. I always thought that this was something I had to do for myself, by myself."
Her eyelids closed slightly, feeling a bit of resignation; "I understand."
"But," Zuko added with an almost nonexistent smile, "I know that I'll need help." Katara's mood lifted a bit in anticipation. "I don't think I could trust anyone more to help me than you, to be honest." He chuckled. "But I know you've had lots of time to think about this so it's all in your hands. If you sincerely feel that you should come with me and want to help me find my mother, then...would you be willing to postpone your postwar business in order to find my mother?"
Katara's face lit up in a bright smile. She only noticed she'd launched herself at Zuko in a hug when she felt him stumble steadying her. She laughed lightheartedly against his shoulder, unaware of the boy's frantic heartbeat and red face, as she answered.
"You're kidding, right?" Mai droned in a careless tone while her eyes spoke otherwise. She was furious, and the object of her eyes' current attention was Zuko. If her glare wasn't enough to make the Fire Lord nervous then it was the fact that he knew inside her sleeves, Mai was holding onto several throwing knives.
He sighed, he'd figured out that sighing and groaning had become a habit around the noble girl lately (and not from pleasure either), taking out his old pack from his travels before Sozin's Comet. "I wouldn't kid about anything that has to do with my mother, Mai."
Her eyes narrowed even more, "So that's it then. I have no say in the matter?"
Zuko looked back at her sitting on a couch in his room and dropped the worn out pack on his bed. "Please, try to understand;" He started walking toward the couch. "I can't do this alone."
He moved to sit next to her but she responded angrily, "So you asked her instead of me?" This froze Zuko to his spot in front of her.
He returned her glare, tired of her victim act, "It's not like you were in a hurry to volunteer either!" There was a silence that hung over them as she continued to glare at him coldly causing him to snap again. "This is what I'm talking about, Mai! You're angry at me because I'm letting Katara go with me, but you never even offered some sort of help!"
"I'm sure you'd rather go with her, anyways." Mai retorted with a tone laced with dry ice.
"She asked to go," He hissed through grit teeth.
This made Mai scoff in return and turn her eyes in a different direction than her infuriating boyfriend, "And you just jumped at her offer, didn't you Zuko?"
His anger was becoming increasingly harder to hold back, "I thought about it for several days. Don't you dare insinuate something like that."
Anger got through her walls though, "Insinuate what? Huh? Tell me Zuko!" They stared off for a few seconds before she continued, "That you'd rather be around some common water tribe peasant than me? That as soon as I walk into your line of sight you frown or your smiles become forced? That even though I try hard to make you happy I only ever see you smile anymore if you'd just talked to that stupid girl?" She began to swing her hand to slap him across the face but Zuko caught her wrist in time.
"Katara is just a close friend," He tried to drill the statement into her head by saying things slowly and low. "You're my girlfriend."
Mai swallowed back tears that were pricking her eyes and snatched her hand back, "Yeah, well maybe you should start treating me that way more instead of treating me like an annoying spider-fly."
"Maybe if every once in a while I didn't have to worry I would."
She turned her back to him, "What is that supposed to mean?"
"It means that I don't just have to worry about the Fire Nation but also about what you want!" He exclaimed throwing his arms in the air. "'I want more fruit tarts, Zuko', 'the palanquin bearers are too slow and incompetent, Zuko', 'I want to move in, Zuko', oh and let's not forget 'pay more attention to me, Zuko'!"
"Yeah, I'm sure the water bender's more bearable." She muttered barely audible to him.
"We're back to her, again," Zuko groaned. He clenched his fists and knew what to say for once, "Look, Mai, if you can't trust me maybe we should forget about you moving in for now."
She felt tears pour from her eyes, "Maybe you should forget about ever being with me again."
He watched her resigned shoulders in shock, "You're breaking up with me?"
A moment passed as she passed her fingertips carefully under her eyes. She attempted to subtly clear her throat, though both actions didn't go unnoticed by Zuko, "Yes. Isn't that what you want?"
"I..." He took a step closer to her. "Mai, you're being unreasonable."
She turned to glare at him for the last time, "Well then, at least you won't have to worry about me anymore." With that she left the room, slamming the door shut behind her.
Day 27. It had been eight days since Mai had last been seen around the palace. Zuko was surprised that the very next day everyone in the capital had become aware of the break up. He was infuriated at first with the lack of privacy until Katara managed to lighten his mood when she found him in the garden. Later on that day they even managed to convince Hakoda into letting Katara accompany Zuko.
Today, however, his mood had been lifted completely. This morning Sokka and Suki arrived at the palace and joined him and his other guests during lunch. Two hours later he'd entered his last meeting with the council before his official departure, there was little to no protests against his decisions and the room had actually come to some productive decisions about the newly arriving soldiers. The main one being that as long as none of the soldiers, generals, or admirals showed any actual signs of hostility against the other nations or the new Fire Lord they would not face consequences. After the meeting lunch was interrupted by Aang and Toph's arrivals. The rest of the afternoon for Zuko was spent on catching up with his friends and finishing his last few pieces of paperwork before departing anything new would be in the hands of his uncle and Aang.
Things were finally falling into place and, though he would never let it show, Zuko had actually grown giddy. After he'd placed his signature on one last document he realized he had nothing left to do, and an extra hour before dinner. He had already packed everything for the journey, and a Fire Nation ship would be ready for their departure tomorrow to the Earth Kingdom city his mother was last known to be at.
Standing up, Zuko decided to go to Katara's room and check that she'd finished packing as well. He was blissfully unaware of his smile while he walked through the palace halls until he reached the hall with the guest rooms. "Hey, Sparky," Toph greeted coming out of her room.
He stopped to return the gesture, "Hi, Toph." His smile fell as soon as he saw her smirk.
She laughed openly, noticing the change of pace of his heart suggesting he'd grown uncomfortable. "Going to see Sugar Queen, huh?"
Instead of asking how she knew Zuko decided to talk to the earthbender before going to Katara's room, only a few feet away. "Uh, yeah. I wanted to check that she had everything packed for tomorrow."
"And...?" she just loved the way his heart sped up. It made Toph happy, cynically so, that she could now tease the boy about Katara. Back when Aang and Gloomy Girl were still part of the sick love square going on she knew she shouldn't spark anymore tension. To be honest, even though it had hurt Aang a great deal, she was glad that both Katara and Zuko no longer had to deal with their previous brief and unfulfilling relationships.
"What do you mean?" he asked somewhat confused but having an idea at what she was implying.
Toph grinned, it was also fun that she knew what all the buffoons around her actually felt but they themselves had no clue to their own feelings. That was the main reason she gave up her little crush on Sokka, he loved Suki and didn't feel more than brotherly love for her. "Never mind. Just remember something, for your own good, you, my friend, are tredding on very dangerous waters." She paused noting the pun. "No pun intended."
Zuko was even more confused now. "What?" He sighed and took a step back in the previous direction he was going, "Forget it, I don't think I really want to know. I'm just...gonna go check on Katara then." He said carefully.
"Wait," she stopped him with her hand on his sleeve, reminding both of them the difference between their sizes. "Sokka's in there right now, and I think they're having one of their family moments. I'd wait at least half an hour if I were you."
He nodded in understanding, "So how was Ba Sing Se?"
She rolled her eyes and threw a punch at the older boy's arm, "Didn't we already go over this? Reconstruction of the city is almost over. Though, the King seems pretty depressed about returning to the city." Toph chuckled remembering something Zuko had no knowledge of.
He rubbed his arm, really tired of her love taps, and shook his head. "Don't think because I can't see with my feet means I can't tell when you're hiding something."
She frowned and checked the hallways for life before turning and walking away from all the bustle inside the various rooms. "I don't think we should talk here," she answered simply.
Zuko's face grew somber as he followed her away from the servants, the water tribe siblings, and most of all away from Aang.
They walked back the way Zuko had initially come, and then past the Fire Lord and future Fire Lady's chamber, past Azula's old room, past Zuko's, past a flight of stairs, and to a small balcony overlooking the Fire Nation capital and ocean.
Looking down at his companion Zuko silently wished that she could see what was presented before her. It wasn't a sight most people had the honor of viewing and he knew that despite her ability to 'see' with her feet the view was something incredibly special and unique.
He was snapped out of his reverie when Toph sighed, actually sighed in a somber and resentful tone, "Did Katara tell you what happened?"
After a sharp intake of air he nodded. "Yeah."
She nodded as well, though this nod she was aware of, "He got worse before he got better. Blocked Katara's old room in Ba Sing Se with a giant wall of stone." She chuckled dryly taking hold of the railing on the balcony, "I, of all people, had to comfort ol' Twinkle Toes." Zuko stiffened when he saw her crush the metal in her hands but kept a constant look of seriousness across her face. "He was usually in one of those moods that only Katara could fix, if it hadn't been her fault to begin with."
At first Zuko thought about interrupting Toph to tell her it wasn't Katara's fault, but stopped when he noticed the girl looked pained. "Sparky..." she whispered softly. "He cried in his sleep for the first week, didn't talk the next, and now..." He started seeing a tear actually fall from her eyes. "I think he's getting over it, now. He seems to have accepted things." She took in a sharp breath and wiped her eyes are harshly, "But I'm still scared."
"Scared of what?" he finally broke in.
Toph shrugged, "I'm probably just paranoid, but there were times I thought he was ready to take his life." Zuko's eyes widened in shock at that. "Or at the very least...disappear again."
The pain laced through her voice finally brought a realization home to Zuko. Toph probably had feelings for the monk. He took her in his arms, now knowing what to do to comfort someone in pain, and let her cry into his chest.
All she saw was white. How the room was supposed to help her 'mental state' was a mystery to Azula. All it actually did was prevent her from firebending, the stupid room was cooled like the cages in the Boiling Rock. It made bile rise through her throat at the thought.
There was one upside to the wretched place, though. She hated to admit it, even to just herself, but the therapists had actually helped. Her state of mind was back to its old self, back before Sozin's Comet.
Which now meant she knew what was the cause of her episode. Azula had figured it out after one of her 'sessions'.
"Miss Azula," no 'Princess' was added before her name with respect and fear (she hated it), "Your dinner is ready." She glared at the nurse through the small barred window at the top of the door. No cringe either. They treated her like a diseased woman, someone to pity, around here. It drove Azula mad, and by mad she meant rage not insanity. A slot was pulled open and a tray of food was pushed forward, Azula made no mental note of the fact that the woman's keys were dangling by her waist teasingly. "Goodnight," she knew the statement was a formality.
Azula stood up from her small cot and walked over to the tray. It was made of plastic so mental cases couldn't hurt themselves and she wasn't allowed any utensils for the same reason.
She groaned grabbing a scoop of gruel in her palm and bringing it to her lips. They'd reduced her to an animal. She could hear them laughing at night in her dreams, the officials in the mental institute and the band of idiots that assisted the Avatar.
Taking another scoop of gruel Azula found herself daydreaming of torture and revenge. She did so often. Almost as often as she dreamed of escaping this hell hole.
Zuko had done this to her. No, Zuko and that Water Tribe Girl. No, that still wasn't right. It had all started with her mother, always favoring precious little Zuzu. That was why she turned to Ozai, her worthless, pathetic father who in the end failed when facing the Avatar. To think she ever looked up to that stupid man.
But that didn't matter anymore. All that mattered was she had a plan.
Azula would become an only child, if it were the last thing she did.
AN:/
Moody1656: Okay I worked really hard on this again, and if you guys can't tell yet the final couple are: Zutara, Taang, and Sukka. And yes, I brought back Azula! Hahaha!
Anyways, next chapter the journey begins!
Oh and I have two treats for all of you guys out there!
I have posted a trailer on youtube for this story, so you guys even get a few previews for what's to come haha. Just look up the title of the story and zutara and it should show up. Or try this link:
.com/watch?v=0NXSeUQ-7Ec
And for the next treat! I have decided to try and let you guys interact with the story creation more so I've decided to do more polls.
The new poll is!
What would you like to happen most in the next chapter? Yeah, I know, it's not creative.
Here are your options:
-Aang does something crazy like disappear again.
-Sokka loses the necklace after he completes it with Ty Lee's help.
-Either Zuko or Katara gets drunk.
Or
-Iroh and Hakoda have a nice little chat about Zuko and Katara's growing relation-friendship.
Vote now! The poll on my profile will close after three days!