Translator's Notes: Eek, this chapter took quite a while to be finished, huh? Well, I think I'm getting better at translating, seeing how this one went along fairly smoothly :) Anyway, seeing Secret of the Fire Nation really spurred me on to finish translating this chapter, seeing how certain scenes from it… well, I won't spoil it for those of you who haven't watched it. ;D

Anyway, I'm a bit pressed for time, so if you see anything awkward in this chapter, or any sort of weird mistake, please point it out. And both Samara and I really appreciate reviews, so feel free to leave 'em :D The review notes below are for reviews to the Spanish version, but I decided to include them in case anyone was comparing this to the Spanish version and wanted to know what it was saying. :)


Mimiru: Many thanks for your review! As the first to read this chapter, I'm eternally thankful :) and I'm happy to know that you like it, as I thought that it was trash T.T But bue…XD I'm excited and I want to continue because I see that there are people who appreciate this :P So here you have the next chap and I hope that you like it. Sayounara.

Itzumi-chan: Thanks for the review, and although there will be Zutara, you'll see that I have some surprises up my sleeve XD. And I still don't know if Aangy will show up o.o I'm still trying to organize my ideas. We'll see :P

angel-lali: Thanks for reading, and I hope that you like this chapter :P.

angelx310: Thanks friend, and no, no need to be cautious :) I'm happy that you decided to leave me a review, and I'm happy to know that you also like Sokka/Suki, xD I promise that I won't disappoint you and that I'll continue. Sorry for the delay with this fic; my inspiration fell into a coma so I'm going to continue to try to revive it. Sayounara :P

Now, there'll be more explanations at the end. But I can't continue without first writing the disclaimer.

Disclaimer: No, Avatar isn't mine, but I still love Zuko XD.


HEART ON ICE
By -Samara-Lestrange-
Translated by helium lost

Chapter 3. 'Interesting'

It was still very early, but considering that it was Sunday... any time of day would have been considered 'very early'.

The place was deserted, and he sincerely liked it better this way... It was enough for him to feel the cold of the ice to feel accompanied; it was enough for him to know that soon, the girl would arrive and he would sit with her… His blue eyes looked at the rink where only the lights illuminated the cold air emanating from the white surface. An almost invisible smile formed on his lips as he remembered the message that he had heard that morning on the answering machine… Having his sister back again was a bit of good news for him; it was time to change his monotonous and boring life. Well… at least that was what he thought. "You have a marvelous sister and a marvelous father even though they aren't here, and you're lucky to be independent." He'd heard that a million times… but it was something that didn't cheer him up.

"According to Haru, I'm a very lucky guy…" said with pity the dark-haired boy, supporting his elbows on his knees and letting his face rest between his hands. "But the truth is that I… I'd give up everything to be in his place…"

And so it was; Haru was a guy who didn't stand out much from the crowd, but he was happy… Living with his mother and getting visited monthly from his father who worked outside the country… The presence of his complete family compensated largely for his not having siblings. But for Sokka it was very difficult to continue forward, since he was the only member of the Masahiko family who had been strong enough (or stubborn enough) to stay in this city.

Katara had her life in London; she studied there with their father. She was very perceptive and intelligent… with a strong personality like that of their father: Hakoda. She was in her last year of high school, and soon she would look into universities, and although Sokka wouldn't admit it before her, he would love it if his sister studied in the same university as he and if she kept him company at home… because although Katara always denied it whenever she had the opportunity, she bore a strong resemblance to her mother.

But through illusions one doesn't live; he had learned that when he was very young. Now the only thing that he could do was to continue on with his life, and hope that his sister had a good flight here. And enjoying a little bit of familiar warmth… His breath slowed and calmed as he warmed his cheeks with the smooth skin of his palms.

"Good morning Masahiko," greeted Suki's song-like voice behind him as she touched him on the shoulder. "I hope that I didn't make you wait for too long…"

"No, not at all," he reassured, lifting his face from his hands and standing up as he smoothed out his coat and brushed a few strands of hair from his forehead. "Ready to begin, I suppose… that is, if you even still want to."

"I came, didn't I?" responded the skater, seating herself to take off her tennis shoes and change into the pair of skates that she brought in her backpack. "If I came, I think that that's more than enough to show that yes, it matters to me… and that I don't plan to be conquered, Masahiko…"

"Whatever you say..." Sokka simply watched as the girl tied the laces of her skates... in a way that he considered to be incorrect. He snorted before he ducked to her side and took her hands in his gloved ones.

"What... What are you doing?" she said pulling back immediately and looking bewildered at her skating teacher.

"I wasn't going to do anything to you; it's just that you don't tie your laces well," he said, smiling, before he began to untie the laces. "You have to tie them in a comfortable way. If you have to tuck your toes in at the front after a while, it's because you've tightened your skates too much… but if you can move your toes around while you're standing it's because you haven't tightened them enough…" whispered the dark-haired boy, concentrating on tying the skates. The girl simply looked overwhelmed at the blue-eyed boy who was on his knees, tying the skates… He was weird; in fact, the whole situation was weird.

Suki snorted.

"What?" murmured Sokka as he tied the other skate.

"Well... it's just that it fells like a clichéd version of Cinderella, with the servant of the prince looking for the maiden who was the owner of the glass shoe," replied the brunette. "It's just that the shoe is a skate and that it isn't made of glass, and that the prince, well… You aren't exactly a blue prince yourself." Even though he has very pretty blue eyes, thought the skater to herself.

"And of course, you aren't exactly a fair maiden, either," he laughed as he finished tying the lace. But as a response he simply received a friendly whack on his head on the behalf of the offended girl.

"You're hilarious, Masahiko."

A couple of seconds passed and when Sokka looked up he found himself face-to-face with the beautiful eyes of the skater... The two blinked, a bit surprised at finding themselves so close. The two remained in this position, her examining him with those profoundly deep eyes of hers, submerging the boy in the depths of her pupils which revealed an extremely intelligent woman. He, without changing his expression, just parted his lips to say something, but the words were never heard… or, at least, Suki didn't hear them.

"Well..." he murmured, closing his eyes and cutting her from his sight, "I've finished..." announced the boy, standing and avoiding the gaze of his companion. "Now it's best that we see what you've got, and I'll see what I can do to help you improve…"

"Are you always this confident?" muttered Suki, frowning slightly before she began to walk toward the rink with slow steps.

"You could say that. Still, you're still inexperienced, so I won't think about expecting too much."

"Oh, stop, you're flattering me," said the girl sarcastically before she began to carve the ice with the blades of her skates. Her graceful figure moved with caution along the circumference of the rink as Sokka watched her movements… They were almost perfect, and there wasn't much that he could do concerning her personality inlaid in her turns and spins… That dominant personality, but at the same time tender, was the key that made her movements a delight for someone who knew how to appreciate skating.

The girl began to warm up while she traveled across the fine layer of ice, stretching her arms while she turned and her legs began to wake as she carried out some movements that required a great capacity of agility… She pulled one of her legs back with an arm that was also turned behind her back.

"Not bad, Masagi..." Sokka murmured to himself, leaning on the rail at the edge of the rink, without missing a single detail of the skater's feminine movements… She had a lot of talent, and he could help her perfect it. He wanted to help her perfect it… in addition to the fact that every turn that Suki made was recorded into the mind of the boy that was, in a sense, almost obsessed…

Again the eyes of the boy passed over the well-formed legs of the girl, which were outlined to perfection through the fabric of her pants. His eyes wandered over the perfect proportions of her nubile body. Without being very voluptuous, she was attractive, because she was well-proportioned in all the right parts.

"Masahiko? How are you going to teach me anything if you don't even step onto the rink?" asked the girl, coming toward the edge. "Or perhaps you're scared of the ice?" she joked, sticking out her tongue.

Sokka's features hardened. Yes, in a way... you could say that it scared him... but not the ice, but rather, a past that had embittered his life from then until now for a good amount of time.

"Look Masagi, if you want to learn, and if you're a good student and I'm a good teacher... We won't even need to go onto the ice, or at least, not yet…" he said, smiling satisfied as he saw how as she huffed and puffed, her breath lifted a few rebellious strands of hair close to her face. "Show me that you're as talented as you say…"

"So I will; you won't doubt that."

"Good, we'll begin. Warm up," he said, while she looked at him, annoyed.

"But I already did!"

"You'll do it again, but this time, following the advice that I'm going to give you," explained Sokka, assuming an arrogant position. Suki simply stopped and stood, looking at him defiantly. "You have to do these exercises; they'll help you progressively tone your muscles and your tendons. And with them you'll avoid sprains, or the chance of twisting something. The gradual increase of the intensity of the exercises will make your muscles more effective."

"Yes, yes, my oh-so-calm teacher."

"Now flex your knees and ankles," ordered the boy. "Bend your knees and your ankles, your feet in a comfortable and level position. The weight should be on your heels…" The brunette began to skate, following to the letter what Sokka was saying to her. "The right of your body… Look forward and not below. Now transfer your weight from one foot to the other, your hips always in the direction of your heels. Masagi, you need to lift up your head."

"I can't believe it. It looks like you know what you're talking about, Masahiko," huffed a bit admiringly the skater as she felt how her joints began to warm up in a way that was much more effective than just a few seconds ago. She let the dark-haired boy continue to show her how to continue with the exercises, some which were more complicated than the first… but equally as functional. And thus the boy began to win the secret admiration of his chestnut-haired student.


The enormous buildings of London were bathed by the rain that had fallen yesterday in he afternoon and which had continued until that night. The enormous drops of water fell like stones onto the enormous windows of that small apartment in the heart of the city. Inside, the air was warm, and one could breathe the silence in the apartment. The decorations were simple, and only a clock accompanied with its eternal tick-tock the melody that this place composed.

The lights were on, and a light sound of the ringing of cutlery, plates, and cups came from the small kitchen. There, seated at the table, were a dark-haired, blue-eyed girl, and a man with graying, chestnut-brown hair. Both ate in a suppressing silence, save for the slow chewing of the food laid out on the table. The young girl maintained her serious expression, reflecting excellent manners when she held the fork and knife. The knee-length skirt that she wore was of a pale pink color, and her blouse was white with a few letters embroidered in sky blue, while her dark brown hair was firmly braided. Katara simply cut the meat of her dinner under the restless gaze of her father.

"So, Katara... How was your day?" murmured the man a bit insecurely, drinking a sip of water.

"You seriously want to know?" responded the brunette without letting herself look at him. "Well, dad, today I began to pack my bags for Tokyo…" she whispered, enjoying her portion of rice.

"Yes... you already have the ticket, right?" said without much importance Hakoda.

"Of course. At least I'm concerned about seeing Sokka..." she said dolefully, pushing to the side the small piece of meat that remained uneaten on the plate.

Her father looked at her, bothered. "Yes, I am concerned about him, it's just that I haven't had time to…"

"I know. Your meetings, your business, Jane... They're all more important to you than my brother."

"Enough, Katara, I know that you're still bothered but that doesn't give you the right to talk to me in that tone of voice. I don't know anymore what it is that you want... I'm giving you permission to go to Tokyo again. I work very hard to let you two continue with your studies; I work with effort as a man so that you two can have a future… especially you," replied Hakoda.

"Sokka doesn't need money; he needs a family..."

"We offered for him to come, but he didn't want to..."

"Perhaps he did what you never could have done, Dad..." whispered the blue-eyed girl, taking her plate and standing, walking over to the dishwasher. "Maybe Sokka actually loved Mom, or at least he did more than what you and I did."

"I don't want to talk about that, Katara..." said the dark-haired man, pushing aside his food so that he could look with more determination at his daughter. "Tomorrow at three I'm going to see Jane… when is your flight?" he said with a halting voice, putting his hands on the marble of the kitchen.

"My flight is at three thirty, Dad, and thank you very much for remembering. Don't worry, because I can go alone to the airport, and of course, your beloved business partner will miss you…" she murmured sarcastically as she let the water run from the faucet to wash her plate. The peal of the drops washed the last bits of the food off the plate and wet the smooth hands of the brunette. "I hope that, in my absence, you and Jane will enjoy a little bit of 'privacy'," she murmured, filling the dinnerware with detergent, washed it, toweled it, and dried it before turning around and walking toward the door of the kitchen.

Her father simply remained quiet while she washed. Suddenly, he appeared to regain the ability to talk. "Jane is a good person, Katara, and I also deserve to be happy, right?" he said to her as loud as he could so that she would hear.

"But... at what price?" she murmured, and with these last words she left the kitchen, leaving the man to finish eating in solitude. Katara closed with annoyance the door of her room and, once she was inside, she lay on her bed, letting the pillow receive all the weight of her head while she stared at a blank point on the wall.

Jane was a colleague of her father, and it wasn't long ago that he had introduced himself to her. And not too long ago he began to view this woman as something more than a friend from work.

Jane Smith was blonde, tall, with pale skin and dark eyes, with a sweet character, a personality very secure and attractive... So why did Katara feel this knot in her heart whenever her father mentioned her? Perhaps it was because she felt that the memory of her mother was being hurt by the presence of ANOTHER woman in Hakoda's life; maybe it was the resentment of knowing that someone else was going to take the place of her mother. The memory of Natsuki was in danger of being forgotten by her father because of those dangerous curves that were Miss Jane…

The blue-eyed girl turned, looking at the whitewashed roof, sighing heavily at remembering that her bags were still only half-packed, but she didn't feel like packing them… Thinking about the possibilities of having a 'stepmother' didn't please her. Hakoda, Sokka, and she had always been a family; divided, yes, but still a family in the end. And now Jane planned on coming and putting herself in the middle of the lives of the three people without even knowing any of them all that well… What would Sokka make of this? …He had always loved his mother, and certainly he would explode once he found out…

No, it was better not to think about it... They were just the children of Hakoda, and if their father loved that woman like he had said, then there was no sense in Katara opposing the inevitable... nor could she remain quiet… but it was what she was looking for, going to Tokyo… remembering her mother and remembering that no one could ever take the place of Natsuki in her world. Katara hoped that she could leave her father so that he could clarify his thoughts… and so that she herself could clear her mind…

She needed someone's support, and that someone had to be her brother... The bags waited for her; Tokyo waited for her. Katara smiled sadly before turning off the lamp on her bedside table, and losing herself in the darkness and in the pounding of the rain on her window. With the thoughts of Natsuki, Jane, and Hakoda in her mind, she fell into a restless sleep… Tomorrow would be her nonstop flight to Tokyo… and, behind her, what she had fled from.


The hits resonated throughout the empty room and the light of the morning penetrated through the thick curtains that always covered the windows of that old house. The Persian carpets, the fine, antique decorations, the glassware in the priceless wooden stands well-polished and well-preserved, although the thin layer of dust over some objects showed that the place was thus: it was a relic.

The portraits were dark due to the lack of light, and a spider had made itself home on the roof over the years of its disuse… Further on, following the ample wooden floor, there were various doors, which must have led to more passages in the stately Yamazaki home.

The hits began again to be heard at the end of one of the passages; one door remained half-opened, letting a thin ray of light escape from the room... The room was large, almost like a lounge… only that the floor was almost entirely upholstered with what appeared to be rubber gym mats, the kind that only professional gyms had.

The windows were sealed, and inside there hung only an enormous punch bag, which didn't move. At the sides there were only a few wooden swords, and a pair of white martial arts uniforms, like the kind that the boy was wearing as he trained in the middle of the room.

Below, he only wore the pants of the suit, tied with a black belt, and above, he wore just a white shirt that stuck to his shirt from the sweat. His muscles were tense and his body burned from the heat of training. The sweat ran down his pale forehead, and his amber eyes were fixed on a point as if he was studying the nothingness before he made any movement, while his breathing was agitated, his muscular chest heaving up and down.

The teen yelled before he launched a strong punch following the various impulsive, aggressive moves from his strong arms. He spun and jumped into the air before returning to throwing powerful punches that were received by the emptiness. And thus he continued… rehearsing techniques, improving what he already knew, trying to perfect his agile movements…

"Zuko... as always, you're training, nephew. Don't you respect the weekend at all?" said a tired voice behind him, making the boy fall to his knees on the ground while he took in a few gulps of air to steady his breathing.

"I didn't mean to wake you... sorry," grumbled the bad-tempered teen as he stood and walked toward the old man, who had a cup of steaming tea in his hand.

"Oh, no... It's nothing; I was already awake a while ago. It's just that… you should calm yourself a bit, nephew; the competition is in two months. You have enough time to prepare."

"My team has to be the best; I can't have the luxury of resting for single a moment, and neither can those idiots that will be working as my 'team'."

"Yes, I understand, but at times I think that you're a bit too enthusiastic…"

"This is how it has to be; I don't want to be anything mediocre... My sister always manages to please my father, and she always brings him medals and trophies for his repulsive 'collection'," murmured the boy. "And now it's my turn; I won't let this award escape from my hands. Last year, it was carelessness on my behalf…"

"Of course not..."

"Yes, but this year, it's different. I'm going to improve the college team, and we're going to get first place... I'm not going to let Azula win the spot that's rightfully mine, being the first-born," he said, huffing.

Zuko left the room, a serious expression on his face.

"Well... But, you need to eat! A man needs to eat and sleep in moderation," said his uncle, smiling widely as he followed Zuko to the kitchen.

"I know... but I'm not hungry. I'll drink some juice and then I'll leave for a walk. I have some things that I have to do… My father has a martial arts academy with his name, my sister has been decorated with honors from him himself, and I haven't been able to get first place in anything, which has made me mediocre in their eyes… It's motivation to continue forward," he murmured.

"I understand, but... I'll repeat it. You exaggerate... You'll have your chance, Zuko..."

"You should pay attention to Mr. Iroh... Zuko," laughed a voice that was quite familiar to the two men. There, on the marble counter of the large kitchen, sat a boy around eighteen years old, biting into an apple and smiling, amused. His green eyes shone like emeralds in the light of the sun that entered through the windows of the dining room, and his hair shone like the same sun. His reddish hair stood out like his clothes: baggy blue jeans with a thousand and one pockets in them, and a black T-shirt with the words "Bad Boy" written on them. His red mane was tied into a ponytail, but a few locks managed to rebel and escape loose, falling onto the white skin of the green-eyed boy.

"What are you doing here, Janus? It's too early in the morning for you to start making a scene," replied Zuko, smiling.

"Good morning, Janus. Are you going to stay for breakfast?" asked Iroh.

"I'm sorry, sir, but I can't stay for long. I just came to see if Zuko was ready to go see the competition… Ahh, and it pleases me to see you again, friend…" replied the redhead, jumping off the counter. "So… Are we going to go, or not?"

"Wait for me to shower and change," grumbled the amber-eyed boy, returning toward the stairs that would take him to his room.

"You're worse than a stupid girl. I'll die waiting for you here," complained the green-eyed boy, examining the kitchen with an air of boredom. On the table, there was a teapot that steamed peacefully; to the side, there was a breadbasket with a few small pastries. And on a ledge of the kitchen there was a box with cereal and various cookies, which were taken by Janus while Iroh took a pastry from the breadbasket and ate it in a single bite.

"If you didn't come so early, you wouldn't have had to wait for me. Plus, if you want, you can go by yourself," said Zuko strongly while he escaped up the stairs. Janus simply sighed with frustration while he examined the contents of the cereal box. He took a handful like a small child before shoving it into his mouth, leaving various grains of sugar on his face.

"Milk?" asked Iroh politely as he passed him a cup with the milk carton.

"Thank you, sir," said the redhead, sitting at the table with his friend's uncle. "Does he always wake this bad-tempered?"

"You already know the answer, Janus..."

"Yeah... Dunno why I asked," said the boy, taking another handful of cereal.


"Well, you've improved much faster than I'd hoped," said Sokka, watching as the chestnut-haired girl came toward the banister anew to leave. Her first session had been entertaining for the two of them, the girl smiling because she had learned something new, and him smiling because Suki's warmth made him feel good; her charm made him happy.

"Does that mean that I've surprised you?" asked the girl, moving clumsily off the ice to reach one of the banks so that she could take off her skates.

"Well... you could say so, although if I were you I wouldn't build up my hopes," laughed the dark-haired one, taking her hand to bring her closer to the seat. The skater was rather surprised that he took with much confidence her hand to help her, and more surprised that he was chivalrous, although with his attitude he was rather arrogant… Sokka Masahiko was a strange contrast, very different to the other men she was around with. Half-conscious, she sat, and took off her skates before putting them into her backpack again.

"Well, Masahiko, you also surprised me; I truthfully didn't hope that someone totally random to me would know so much about skating... Are you a skater?" murmured the chestnut-haired girl, standing to leave with halting steps toward the loud streets, where the sun had already begun to illuminate the scenery of the city.

"I... well, I'm not... my mother," he murmured tersely before putting his hands in the pockets of his jacket.

"Ohh, I see..." she said, examining his changed expression, there again... It was a brusque, abrupt change, his features tensing whenever they spoke about skating, his eyes clouding over; his voice became hoarser… Everything about him changed, and on this occasion, it had been more than the usual. Suki lowered her gaze, trying to understand what could be going on with him.

Sokka had just looked away, gazing instead at some point on the cobbles of the street.

"Well... I owe you a cup of coffee, right? It'd be better if we go soon because it's almost nine, so we can still get a hot cappuccino..." laughed the girl, adjusting her backpack on her shoulders. She felt much better being with him, and she still didn't know why… She knew that she had been surprised about Sokka's knowledge of skating, and by how interesting and 'weird' he was. No… she was thinking nonsense. Him, attractive? No, it couldn't be; he was an older guy, the kind that would never be interested in her... well, even so, nobody could guarantee that. But the subject matter was that HE couldn't be 'interesting' and much less…

She laughed while she walked a little more with him.

"Hurry up, slowpoke, I've been skating all day and I'm tired, and I'm still faster than you."

"Perhaps standing around and telling you what to do doesn't seem to be at all a bit 'exhausting' to you?"

"Well... to be honest... no."

"How cruel you are, Masagi..." said jokingly the boy as he came closer to her. "Just because of this joke, I now want a double-cappuccino as payment."

"Hey! Don't tear a hole in my wallet, you scrounger."

"All right, all right... so then I'll invite you to the second round of coffee, how about that?"

"Sounds like the best idea that you've suggested this entire morning, Masahiko." The girl smiled, turning at the corner. "You're very smart."

"Thanks, and I too like your ideas," replied the dark-haired boy, smiling at her as well. She wasn't like the annoying girls at the university; she was young, but very balanced and charismatic…

"This looks to me to be the start of a beautiful friendship, Masahiko."

"Yeah, I think so, too..." agreed the dark-haired boy, and, lagging behind a bit from the girl, all of a sudden, he pulled the hood of Suki's jacket over her head so that she couldn't see.

"Masahiko! Now you've gone too far," she retorted, taking off the hood while he exploded into laughter. "Idiot…" she added, smiling before pushing him. The girl's cheeks were flushed red… of course the blush was because of the momentary anger from Sokka's little joke… right? Or perhaps… from something else?


To be continued...

XD okay, you see, you see? O-O I wrote something that left me a bit disconcerted ¬¬U It can't be that bad, right? Tell me that it isn't u-u because I'm at the end of the idea that I like but I don't know what the readers want :) so to find out what you guys think, you should press that little button at the bottom and leave me a review. I'm begging you on my knees T-T leave me your opinions; I want to continue with this fic, which I have the feeling that I need to improve but oh well :P…I hope to see them soon and don't worry :D Zutara will come soon.

Sayounara, bye, bye.


Translator's Notes: Any and all reviews will be translated and forwarded to Samara, so review away:D