The Teahouse
Post-"Tales of Ba Sing Se"
Rating T (PG-13)
Chapter 2
Katara sat next to the small wooden bucket sloshing with water, slowly bending the clear liquid to her scraped elbow. Slowly moving her hand back and forth over her raw skin, she willed the water to enter the wound, healing it from the inside out.
The apartment was small, but she was used to confined quarters. It was a palace compared her igloo back home. It was sparsely furnished, but for refugees, it was home.
Speaking of refugees, one stood staring at her at intently.
Katara looked up from her arm. "Zuko?"
He shook his head, blinking. Scratching the back of his head idly, he turned quickly away, he had been caught staring.
Noise at the door to the apartment then stole his attention.
The shabby door opened slowly.
"Li, where is your uncle?" A tired looking woman, clad in brown peeked into the doorway.
Zuko, or rather Li, shook his head and shrugged his shoulders. The woman sighed, placing a hand on her head, trying to think.
Katara sat in the same place, blinking as this woman looked distressed. "Can we help you in any way?"
"Mushi offered to watch my daughter for an hour... I've got to get some paperwork to the officials; they're trying to deport us again."
Katara stood up with a smile. "I'm sure he'll be back soon, but I would love to watch your daughter for you. Li would be happy as well, right Li?"
Zuko paled. Yet as the weary woman looked his way, he made a horrible attempt at a smile as he nodded his head. The woman sighed in relief, disappearing from the door again.
"I thought you needed to get back to the Upper Ring. It's safer up there."
Katara fully comprehended the Prince's comment for what it really was. She wasn't that dense not to realize that he wanted her out. Now. The aforementioned statement was his pitiful attempt at masking the fact that he hated her guts.
This 'truce' was going to be the death of them yet.
"The Lower Ring is swarming with Dai Li, I'm in the middle of healing myself, and I can't get back to the Upper Ring...I don't have the paperwork."
Zuko growled, his patience obviously wearing thin. "I have absolutely no skills with children...why did you have to volunteer us?"
"You have no skills with people if you want to go down that road. Besides, your Uncle said he would watch the child. Since he's not here, it's our responsibility." Katara retorted, dabbing her healing skin with a damp cloth, "How old is she?"
Zuko shrugged his shoulders, "I don't know. You had better be good with children."
"I am excellent with children." Katara scoffed, glaring back at the Firebender.
The woman from only moments before again entered the small apartment, a swaddled bundle in her arms.
She looked at Zuko, then down at Katara. Zuko, or rather, Li, stood in the same spot, with a dumb look on his face. Katara rolled her eyes, dropped the cloth back into the basin, and stood up, walking over to the woman.
The woman smiled, and it was only then that Katara realized that this woman was not too much older than herself. The child was obviously her first, but the woman's face looked weathered, beaten by time and circumstance.
A hard life, one of a refugee.
The woman made a slight bow before transferring the bundle into Katara's arms. "I don't know how I can repay you, Miss..."
"Katara. And don't worry about it."
The woman nodded, "Katara," turning to Zuko, "and Li. You are lifesavers."
Zuko dipped his head in appreciation, crossing his arms over his chest. The woman headed for the door. "I should be back by nightfall, but if I get delayed..."
Katara piped up. "I can watch her for as long as you need."
The woman bowed again. "Thank you so much." Humility was obviously one of her character strengths. She exited through the door, her footsteps fading as she walked further down the hall.
The waterbender slowly sat down, the bundle in her arms. Crossing her legs, she rested the child in her lap, and began to uncover the light blanket that surrounded the girl.
She could not help but to sigh, an amiable breath as a smile crossed her face. The child slept soundly in her arms.
"She's beautiful." Katara looked up at Zuko, but he had already gone to the other room.
She dared to touch the child's face, her skin so soft under Katara's fingers. Her skin was a much lighter complexion than Katara's own, typical of the Earth Kingdom race. The child had a head of dark brown hair, a shade close to black, reminding Katara of Toph.
Unraveling the entire blanket from around the child's body, Katara found her clothed in a dark green smock-dress, a brown sash tied around her waist. The fabric was not the best material, but it made due, reminding Katara of the time she spent traversing the globe.
The girl could not be much older than a year, maybe a year and a half. Her dark hair was pulled back into two short pigtails at the nape of her neck, the hair not even reaching her shoulders.
The child smacked her lips in her sleep, shifting slightly. Katara scooped the child up, supporting the baby's head in the crook of her elbow. She could feel tiny fingers grasp onto her the end of her sleeve.
Katara knew the weight in her arms knew nothing of war or enemies, or hate or circumstance. This baby was the epitome of innocence, yet born into this life of running, fearing, and simply getting by.
Somewhere in the back of her heart, Katara felt pity.
"Just keep her asleep."
Katara cringed. Zuko spoke much too loud and she could tell by the shifting of her arms. The child stirred, grimacing before her eyes opened. She moaned softly, yanking on Katara's sleeve as her eyes fluttered open.
Luckily, she did not start screaming. Katara glared back at Zuko. "Smooth move, your highness. You woke her up."
The girl made a pouting noise, scrounging her nose as she became accustomed to her surroundings. She turned her head, following the eyes of the woman who held her.
Hey, there was that guy again. The guy who was with the fat man. The fat man made her laugh and giggle, and gave her treats. This guy, on the other hand, didn't seem to like her too much.
This woman, though, was new. But the woman held her right, just like her mother did. She didn't sense anything wrong. She did want to get up though.
The child yanked harder on the woman's blue sleeve, and the woman looked down inquisitively.
Katara held the child up, standing her on the rug in front of her. The waterbender wasn't sure if the child could walk or not, so she held the girl's arms out, supporting her weight.
The teenage babysitter was right in her speculations. As soon as she let go, the baby fell to the floor, straight to her bottom. Katara was able to catch the girl as she fell, as not to let the child hit the floor hard.
The baby girl giggled, in turn causing an amazed smile to cross Katara's face. Leaning over the child, the waterbender laughed as the girl slapped her tiny hand against Katara's dark cheek.
"Oh you're so beautiful, little one." Katara said playfully, letting the child play with the end of her braid, which had then been resting on her shoulder.
Katara looked up at Zuko, who had been cleaning out a teapot next to the basin. "Li."
She obviously did not have his attention, for he kept scrubbing the porcelain pot.
"Zuko."
At that, the Prince looked up. He raised his eyebrows, cocking his head as Katara tickled the child into plentiful high-pitched giggles.
Women, they were such strange creatures.
"Do you know her name?"
Zuko blinked, wiping his forehead with the back of his palm. "Something starting with 's'...Shi...something or other. Weird name though."
Katara looked down at the child in her arms. "Shi...shi..." She tried pacing through all the names she knew of in her head, but was stumped. "No clue."
"It was something like Shihong...yes, yes. That was it."
"Shihong?"
"I told you it was strange."
"Shihong means something along the lines of 'the world is red'." Katara said, peering curiously at the child. "What does that have to do with you, sweetheart?"
The child, unfortunately, could not respond. And Zuko would not respond either. It was time for a change of subject.
"Does your Uncle watch her often?"
Zuko didn't like all the questioning, he would rather throw this girl out into the street, march the baby back to its mother, and go to sleep.
"I don't usually pay attention. I've seen her here more than once."
Katara rolled her eyes. Prince Zuko probably did have better things to do with his time than watch a baby.
"I see the mother around a lot, but I've never seen the father." Zuko continued, still scrubbing away, moving on from the teapot to the tea cups, "She's always having problems with being deported...I don't know why though."
Katara's eyebrows furrowed. Wait; there was something she had noticed before...
She picked the baby up off the floor, propping her up on her lap. Shihong looked up, confused by Katara's actions.
Katara blinked, her eyes widening.
The child had golden eyes. Earth Kingdom citizens didn't have golden eyes, Fire Nation citizens did.
The mother didn't have golden eyes. The father was never heard of.
Perhaps the father was from the Fire Nation.
That would explain the deportation. And the woman's weary state.
Yet it left a story to tell.
A yank brought Katara painfully back to reality.
Katara yelped, causing Zuko to look back up again. Shihong had her fingers entangled in Katara's hair, and was trying to pull them out. Katara gritted her teeth as she untangled her hair from the child's fingers.
Setting the baby on the ground, Katara flipped her braid over her shoulders, so it trailed down her back again.
"Do you know where your uncle is?"
"Not a clue."
Little did they know that Iroh stood in the window, his elbows on the wooden sill, and a tired smile across his features.
That spirited waterbender was sitting with a baby in her lap, the baby that he would often watch for the frazzled woman down the hall.
Why that waterbender was in his apartment, he did not know. But why his nephew wasn't tearing her to shreds and she wasn't doing the same... he did not care to know.
It was a strange sight, but a welcome one. They could never comprehend what it meant.
They didn't know, they didn't know.
END CHAPTER 2
Author's Note: I apologize for the hiatus, but now that break has arrived, I have some spare time.
Reviews are highly appreciated
Arcadiana (Formerly Lady Windsong)
December 22, 2006