A:TLA is not owned by me, as it is owned by Mike and Brian and Nickelodeon.
As a few of you may have noticed, the title of this fic changed. After going over my ideas with a friend, we decided Summer of Fire fit what we want the story to become better than Sunrise. I promise it won't change again and apologize for the switch so early!
CHAPTER TWO: EXCUSES
You can't understand what lies ahead if you don't understand the past. – Satellite by Rise Against
ZUKO
A light hand on his shoulder gently shook him awake. His eyes met the blue eyes of the waterbender as he felt a light ocean mist on his face.
"We arrived a few hours ago, but I felt it best you get your rest," Katara whispered cautiously. "We need to take care of Appa now though, so you will need to move."
She had bathed since last night. The dirt no longer covered her face, and she had changed into clothes that weren't singed and covered in blood. Her hair had been pulled back into the signature braid and it fell down her back. He could tell she hadn't slept, because of the dark bruise like circles under her eyes.
"I know you don't have any extra clothes, so I got you some of Sokka's old ones." Katara spoke with a blush rising on her cheeks. "I can have your other ones washed."
Zuko looked down at what remained of his outfit. His pants were covered in dried blood and dirt, where he had wiped his hands. His sleeve had been burned and there was a rip over his abdomen, filthy skin peeking out. He felt disgusting, and reeked of sweat and burnt fabric.
"Thank you Katara, is there somewhere I can clean up?"
The blush darkened on her face, "Oh yes, I'm sorry. There is some privacy over by those rocks." Katara pointed away from the warrior's camp. She stood up, brushed her skirt out and stepped off the giant saddle. He watched her walk towards the warriors, her small feet leaving the slightest indent in the sand.
Zuko was left alone with the sky bison. He picked up the neatly stacked pile of clothing and slid over the saddle, dropping to the sand. Appa looked at him with a twinkle in his eye and grunted approvingly. He smiled a half-smile back and walked towards the area where Katara had pointed.
KATARA
The night had been a long one, and she hadn't been able to sleep. They had arrived at her father's camp later in the morning. Aang was resting peacefully in a tent, and Sokka and Toph were just waking up. While they were sleeping, she snuck away to bathe, cleaning the evidence of the horrible night from her. Thoughts were racing through her head all morning, and many of them were about Zuko. Why was he here with them? Was the stuff he said about his mother true? Was this some elaborate trick to capture Aang? Well, she thought, he would have had his chance the previous night. Aang had actually died because of the psycho fire princess. She had sent that bolt directly at Aang, stopping his heart and killing him. Katara shuddered involuntarily as she walked towards the camp. Looking back over her shoulder, she saw Zuko slide out of Appa's saddle and walk towards the spot she had bathed this morning. Had he really changed?
She turned and faced her father's camp, the water tribe men sympathetically smiling in her direction. Her father's longtime friend Bato walked towards her.
"Hey Katara, how are you?" Bato and her father had a long friendship, and she had always considered him like an uncle. It was nice to have a little piece of home after how shaken she still felt from the previous night.
"I'm okay, thanks Bato." She attempted a smile in return.
"Your father asked to see you in his tent." Bato continued.
Katara swallowed and nodded. She stepped towards the tent, knowing exactly what her father wanted to speak to her about. When she stepped in the tent, she noticed Sokka pacing around the small tent and Toph sitting on the edge of a table covered in what looked to be war plans. When her father noticed her entrance, a smile crossed his face.
"Ah, Katara. Thank you for coming." It was still strange to see her father, as it had been so long since they last saw each other. However, their reunion was not what she expected, with the drama of the previous evening taking everyone's attention.
"So I trust everything went well with the Fire Prince."
Katara nodded. "He is bathing in the cove behind the rocks."
"Listen Katara, I understand you feel differently, but I don't trust him, after everything that has happened."
"Well you mean after he attacked our village, sent pirates after us, and kidnapped Aang? Because, I'm sure before that, he was a real stand-up guy." Sokka's voice dripped with sarcasm.
"Yeah Katara, what gives?" Toph spoke up. "Why would you bring him with us after all that jerkbender has put us through?"
"I don't know," Katara sighed. "He helped us down there, and something just seemed…different about him."
"Katara, how do you know this isn't some trick him and his psycho family planned to get Aang?" Sokka protested, waving his hands in the air.
"I don't think they need to do that Sokka, because if you didn't already notice, Aang DIED last night. He was dead!" Katara could feel her patience wearing thin, the lack of sleep getting the better of her. "Zuko helped me get him out of there! If he was just in this for Aang, don't you think he would have, I don't know, LET THEM TAKE US?!" Her voice was a shout now, her fists balled in anger at her side.
"Let me talk to him Sweetness. I can tell if he is lying," Toph cracked her knuckles as she slid off the table. "This could be fun." The shorter girl stepped around Katara and out of the tent, leaving a tense family reunion behind her.
Katara looked from her brother to her father angrily. Did they bring her here to harass her about bringing Zuko? She could understand them not trusting him, but they weren't down there. They didn't see what she had seen.
"Well now that you are done badgering me, I'm going to go prepare something for us to eat." Katara started out of the tent, but stopped and turned to face her father and brother. "I get that you don't trust him, but why don't you trust me? I'm not the naïve little girl you left behind Dad." Letting the acid drip in her voice, she turned and stormed out.
ZUKO
Stepping behind a rock, he pulled what was left of his shirt from his torso, letting it drop to the sand. He unlaced his boots, and removed his pants placing them next to the rock. His fingers fumbled with the tie at his shorts and he checked one last time that he was alone. He pushed the shorts down past his hips and quickly kicked them in the direction of his other discarded clothes. Before he was able to change his mind, Zuko charged into the water. It wasn't as cold as he thought it would have been, but still sent an involuntary chatter through him. Pushing his hands into the water, he brought the temperature up in his hands, resulting in the surrounding water warming up also.
He allowed his body to relax as he dipped further, bringing the water to his chin. Using his hands, he rubbed the dirt off his arms, wishing for some soap. Once his body had been cleaned to his best ability, he took a deep breath and pushed his head under the water. His fingers combed through his black hair, rinsing the sweat and grime from the long night previous. He resurfaced, facing the vast ocean.
"So are those the family jewels, eh?" A mocking female voice said from behind him. Zuko whipped around, his hands immediately covering himself. The voice came from a young dark haired girl dressed in green.
A suspicious smile crossed her face. "Hey Sparky, it's not like I can see you or anything. Don't worry, your secret is safe with me." She laughed, waving her hand in front of her milky blue eyes.
Swallowing loudly, Zuko felt a bit of relief, however, he still kept himself submerged in the water. At a loss for words, he spoke the first thing that came to mind. "Umm, hello. I'm Zuko, but uhhh, you knew that already, I guess…" His voice trailed off, followed by an awkward silence.
"Oh I know who you are. Your uncle doesn't shut up about you. So why are you here?"
The question caught him by surprise. Well, he wasn't quite sure himself. One moment he was ready to attack the avatar, and the next he was blowing up the ground at his sister's feet. He wanted to be good, but if it weren't for Katara, he wouldn't have made the decision to come with them. His uncle had shown him how to be good in the months previous, but none of it had clicked until his eyes locked with Katara's.
"Well, uhh, you see, it's kind of a long story."
"Well I have time. Aang doesn't seem to be waking up any time soon."
Toph faked a yawn and stretched her arms, leaning back on the rock behind her.
Zuko sighed. He knew this would come, the chance to explain himself. Not everyone was going to be as welcoming as Katara had been. He did deserve it however, as he hadn't exactly been a great person. Stepping towards the shore, he stopped, looking expectantly at Toph.
"Well I need to get dressed, could you maybe turn around, and then I will tell you what you want to know."
Toph laughed. "I'm still blind you know, but as you wish your highness."
Once she was facing the other direction, Zuko rushed to gather his clothes. This would be an interesting conversation.
KATARA
Katara spooned some rice from a large pot into separate bowls when she noticed Toph heading towards her, followed closely by Zuko. The knot in her stomach returned, causing her to completely miss the bowl, spilling rice at the ground by her feet. Cursing herself for being clumsy, she dropped and began scooping the hot rice into the bowl. It burned her hands, leaving bits of sand and sticky rice.
"Nice one Sweetness, is that your bowl?" Toph laughed with a joke before continuing towards her father's tent.
This left her alone with Zuko and the mess. The air thick with tension, Zuko was the first to break the silence.
"Would you like any help with that?"
"I'm perfectly capable of cleaning up my own mess, THANK YOU." Katara snapped, causing Zuko to step back, eyes wide.
Great, she thought. Your moodiness is going to scare him off. Good job Katara. She turned back to the pile of spilt rice, using her hands to continue scooping, trying not to get burned.
Another pair of paler hands joined her, grabbing the rice without recoiling from the heat. She looked up and blue eyes met gold, causing them both to stop.
Her eyes rested on his scar before quickly returning his gaze. The two remained that way for moments, the rice forgotten. She remembered the feeling of his skin before her fingers just last night.
A throat clearing from behind her brought her back to attention. She turned to notice Sokka, Toph, and her father eyeing her skeptically.
"Ooh, lunch!" Sokka reached out and grabbed one of the upright bowls.
Rolling her eyes, Katara grabbed the remaining bowls and handed one to Toph. She looked away handing another to Zuko. His warm hand brushed hers and the knot in her stomach returned. She suddenly found herself not hungry, and instead had the urge to go throw up.
"So Toph says you have something to say to us jerkbender." He said between chewing mouthfuls of the rice.
Zuko stood, brushing the sand off the knees of his pants. "Uh yes, well it's a long story."
Katara found herself listening eagerly as the Fire Prince began his story.
ZUKO
Zuko began explaining how he and his uncle had been banished from the Fire Nation, branded as traitors. He described the confrontation with Azula, and how she had almost tricked him and his uncle. He described the young girl Song and her mother and how they took them in. He left out the part about stealing her ostrich horse, guilty and self-conscious of what they would think. He described leaving his uncle behind, to find his own way.
"That's when I met your uncle. He was following you after you took off on your own." Toph spoke up. Zuko nodded, "A mistake on my part. I shouldn't have left him alone."
He continued to the part where they were ambushed by Azula, and Iroh was hit by lightning.
"My sister attacked us, you guys were there." Zuko swallowed back anger. "My uncle suffered an injury that day, a cheap shot from Azula."
"I remember that. I tried to heal your uncle, but you wouldn't let me." Katara added.
"I know, and I'm sorry. I was arrogant and stubborn. I shouldn't have treated you that way." Zuko apologized. "Thankfully my uncle made a full recovery, and we were able to continue to Ba Sing Se."
He described the trip, his meeting the Freedom Fighters, and his dealings with Jet. The memories of Jet caused his temperature to raise, the anger boiling inside him. He had never done anything to him, and yet he was so intent on ruining Zuko's life.
"You knew that slimy jerk?" Sokka said, disgust apparent on his face.
"Yeah, unfortunately I did. He sorta attacked me while I was at work."
"That explains why the Dai Li had him," Toph added. "I know they don't tolerate fighting in the city."
Katara pushed her lips together. "You don't have to worry about him anymore, he's gone."
Not wanting to push what was obviously uncomfortable for her, he continued on. He told of finding the missing posters for Appa, and how he broke into Lake Laogai and set Appa free.
"Wait, you were the one who set Appa free?" Sokka eyed him suspiciously. "Why didn't you just leave him there, or, I dunno, steal him?"
"Well I could have, but I didn't. I wanted to do the right thing, even then."
He told them of Uncle's teashop business. He then told them of being ambushed in the palace by Azula and the Dai Li, getting thrown into the catacombs with Katara.
"So that brings us to last night," Katara said.
Zuko nodded. "Last night, everything clicked. I don't want to side with Azula. She doesn't decide my destiny. My father can't restore my honor. It's something I need to do myself, which is why I want to come with you. I want to do the right thing. These past few years I have spent, angry all the time. I am tired of being angry, and I am tired of being my father's puppet."
Zuko's fists were balled and he could feel the anger pulse through him. He could feel the eyes watching him.
"He's telling the truth guys," Toph spoke up. "I can feel it."
Katara nodded a happy look in her eye.
"I understand it's hard to look past what I've done before, but I have changed. I want to help you take down my father. Please let me join you to do that. I can even teach Aang firebending. My uncle was amazing, and he taught me much of what he knew, and I can teach Aang."
Toph and Katara smiled, but Sokka still seemed skeptical. "Let's see how this plays out. When Aang wakes up, he can make the decision."
It was a start, Zuko thought to himself. He would show them all they weren't wrong. He thought of his uncle, and a pang of guilt stabbed into his stomach. His uncle would be proud of him, and he would make sure to rescue his uncle so he could see the man he was becoming.
Thank you for reading chapter two! I was amazed at all of the follows/favorites, and it just inspired me to write more. This chapter was originally meant to be longer, but at the advice of my awesome friend TF, I split it, so the action in the next chapter doesn't feel so rushed! Hopefully this allows me to post chapter three sooner. A special thank you to Little-Angel-22 and rae8807 for your kind reviews and to deathking00 for offering to become my beta!