All throughout the meal, Sokka had been watching 'the couple' discretely, and so far, he hadn't seen anything unusual. Sure, Zuko was sitting next to Katara, but he always did that. If not in between her and Aang, then settled on the opposite side of her so that the two boys flanked her as they did now. They were like peas in a pod, those three; it was rare to see one of them without another or both of the others nearby.
Of course, currently, the young Avatar was on his feet, regaling the newcomers with the tale of when he'd tricked Zhao into burning his own boats, much to the uproarious delight of the insurgent Fire Nation soldiers.
Almost simultaneously, Zuko and Katara both reached for the last peach, but the prince was an instant faster. Oblivious to her disappointed pout, Zuko began to cut the fruit in half as he listened to Aang's story.
"But the best part was when I told him that Zuko was a better fire bender. That one really got him!"
"You actually said that?" marveled Zuko, turning to his friend in disbelief while absently setting the pitted portion of the peach on Katara's plate.
Sokka observed with some satisfaction that there were no grand overtures in the gesture, no show of significance to his giving Katara half the fruit. Surely, if Zuko liked her, he'd have made at least some fuss over it. But instead, the act was done without thought or consideration and with no recognition whatsoever for the pleased and appreciative grin Katara gave him.
"Yeah, I did," laughed Aang, his arms animating widely as he continued. "You should have seen his face too! It turned so red I thought he was going to explode!"
Zuko was chuckling now, shaking his head as he pried the pit from his half of the peach.
"I'm surprised he didn't considering I'd beaten him in an Agni Kai just a few weeks before. Served him right to be insulted about it…and you didn't even know."
"Whatever happened to Zhao anyway?" wondered Katara aloud as she prepared to bite into her fruit. "We never saw him again after he ran off from the Spirit Oasis at the North Pole."
The smile on Zuko's face suddenly died, his expression turning serious.
"The Ocean Spirit took him."
A pall descended over the courtyard as everyone waited patiently for details. After a moment's hesitation, during which he set the rest of the peach on Katara's plate, having apparently lost all interest in eating it, Zuko briefly relayed the events that followed after Zhao killed the Moon Spirit. How he had chased the Admiral through the icy streets and confronted him only to have their duel interrupted by a massive, watery fist.
"And yet, even after everything he'd done, I still wanted to help him…try to pull him free. But he wouldn't let me," Zuko mused sadly. A tinge of bitterness crept into his voice as he added, "Apparently death was a better fate than being saved by a banished prince."
After a long, uncomfortable pause, Lo'Khi finally spoke.
"My grandfather once told me that a man without mercy in his heart is just as likely to refuse it, as he is to give it."
Zuko nodded solemnly, the torchlight in the courtyard dancing grotesquely over the furrowed lines of his scarred face.
"So I've learned."
Another awkward silence followed, during which most of them contemplated their empty dishes. Sokka, however, didn't miss the quick, reassuring squeeze Katara gave Zuko's hand, and the warrior watched with interest as their eyes met for barely a moment. He was almost certain he saw something lingering in Zuko's gaze after she looked away.
But, no sooner had it appeared, it was gone - forcefully squelched only to be replaced with practiced reserve. It was so fleeting that Sokka half-wondered if it had been there at all, or was merely a figment of his overactive imagination. Unfortunately, he didn't get a chance to ponder on it for long because Toph's sardonic voice broke the silence.
"Wow…that was a real mood killer."
Her dry remark elicited sheepish chuckles from the rest of the group. Even Zuko smiled apologetically.
"Sorry."
"Hey, not your fault," the blind girl replied dismissively. "I'm just glad I never actually had to meet the guy. He's not even here and he's a complete party pooper!"
Despite the rather morbid humor behind it, the teens couldn't help but laugh at her joke, the cheerful sound chasing away the somber atmosphere. Finishing the last bite of her peach, Katara leaned back with a sigh.
"Well, I guess these dishes aren't going to clean themselves."
Without a word, Zuko began stacking the bowls and plates nearest to him, and again, Sokka saw nothing unusual about this. The prince had never hesitated to pitch in with chores; gathering the firewood, filling the cooking pot with water, making sure the canteens were topped off before breaking camp for another day of travel.
Of course, Zuko had been especially industrious during those rough first weeks shortly after he'd joined them, back in the days when Katara had been practically hostile toward the poor guy, because he was merely trying to earn her approval. But the more Sokka thought about it, the two were on good terms now, so he was forced to wonder (with some suspicion) why Zuko continued to do these things.
It couldn't possibly mean…
"Hello! Earth to Sokka!" Toph's voice cut through his ramblings as the ground trembled underneath him.
"Huh? What?"
A stack of bowls rattled slightly as a smirking Zuko set the pile down in front of him.
"See what you get for not paying attention," he remarked cheerfully, "now you're on dish duty."
"What? Me?! Why?"
"Because, if you'd been listening before," answered Katara smartly, "Ty Lee and I cooked, and Aang and Zuko are tired from training all afternoon."
"Well, what about Toph?"
The blind girl crossed her arms as she replied sarcastically, "Would you prefer that I stand on them, or whack them with my new stick?"
"Oh…right…"
"Besides," continued Katara, "she spent all day cleaning up that mess of a cold cellar to store the food Renzu and Lo'Khi brought."
As if to reinforce this statement, the petit earth bender raised her hand to stifle a sleepy yawn.
"So it's all you, Buddy," finished Zuko, sliding another stack of plates in Sokka's direction.
The water tribe warrior was now surrounded by the empty vessels of a feast for a small army and, realizing he had no way out of it, he let out a doleful sigh.
"Lucky me."
"Don't worry," offered Ty Lee consolingly, "Renzu will help you with them."
The teen in question sputtered in his teacup, swallowing quickly to keep from choking. "I will?"
"Sure," she answered brightly as she rose to her feet and stretched. "I mean it's not like you did anything strenuous today."
"Ha-ha, she's got you there," laughed Lo'Khi. "You did have a pretty easy day."
"Ha-ha," he returned good-naturedly before picking up a stack of plates. He thrust the pile into his former subordinate's hands, smiling triumphantly. "And so did you; so hop to it, Soldier."
With that, Renzu picked up another stack of dirty dishes and headed off toward the kitchen with a grumbling Sokka.
"You know," mused Lo'Khi, petulantly following along behind, "technically speaking, you aren't my commanding officer anymore."
"Well now that that's settled," Ty Lee giggled, "I think I'm going to bed. I'm beat! Goodnight, everyone!"
"Night, Bendy," mumbled Toph, the others calling their 'goodnights' as well.
As Ty Lee left the courtyard, Zuko glanced discretely at Aang and Katara before walking over to where Toph was sitting heavy-eyed against the fountain. He nudged her foot lightly with the toe of his boot.
"It looks like someone else is ready for some shut-eye too," he remarked companionably.
Toph picked up her walking stick with a grimace. "Can't I just pull up a nice spot of earth out here in the courtyard?"
Smiling indulgently, Zuko grabbed one end of the cane and used it to haul the girl to her feet.
"Come on, I'll give you a ride," he offered.
"Well…in that case…" she yawned.
With no further argument, she let Zuko drape her arms across his shoulders, hoisting her up onto his back.
"G'night, Aang. 'Night, Katara," she called sleepily as she rested her head against Zuko.
"Goodnight, Toph," they replied in unison.
Aang watched the two of them go. And just before Zuko walked inside with his charge, he turned and caught Aang's eye, giving his pupil a meaningful glance in Katara's direction: 'Now's your chance to talk to her.'
The young Avatar nodded in understanding.
The next morning, Aang strolled into the courtyard where Zuko was already meditating beside the fountain, a snoozing lemur basking in the sun nearby.
"Good morning, Sifu Hotman!"
Zuko quirked open an eye. "Hotman?"
The younger boy merely settled into a meditative position across from his teacher and grinned in reply.
"Aang, no one has used the term 'Hotman' in over a century," explained Zuko in mild exasperation.
"Well…if you prefer, I could always call you Gran-"
"Hotman is fine!" snapped Zuko testily before Aang could finish, giving him a glare before closing his eyes once more and taking a deep breath.
The two sat in silence for a while, letting the sunrise warm them, filling them with energy as they breathed in tandem. Zuko waited until they were both calm and relaxed before venturing the question tormenting his mind, keeping his eyes closed and his tone casual.
"So, did you talk to her?"
A long pause, then, "Not yet."
Zuko's eyes flew open, alarmed, and slightly irritated.
"What's the matter with you?" the prince demanded, trying to keep his voice low. "You had a perfect opportunity to talk to her last night!"
"I know! I'm sorry! I just-"
"Aang, the comet will be here in a week. You don't have time to be timid about this!"
"I'm trying! I really am!" pleaded Aang. "But I don't know what to say or how to say it. The few times I've tried in the past, it was a disaster. Either she didn't get it, or it came out completely wrong. What exactly am I supposed to tell her?"
"How should I know?" shrugged Zuko with equal frustration. "In case you weren't aware, this isn't exactly my area of expertise. Just…" he let out a short sigh before suggesting at a loss, "Maybe you should just ask her how she feels about you."
"I'm afraid to," Aang said quietly.
"Afraid," echoed Zuko blankly.
"What if she doesn't feel the same way?" asked Aang, his voice nearing panic, "Then what am I supposed to do? How do I make her love me back?"
"Aang…"
"Wait! I know!" cried the boy in sudden epiphany. "What if you told her for me?"
Whatever thought Zuko had just a moment before suddenly evaporated as he tried to comprehend what he hoped he had not just heard. It took every scrap of will power he possessed to remain calm at that moment.
"What?"
"You wouldn't need to tell her you're doing it for me," Aang was explaining excitedly, "just sort of…ask in general, and see what she says."
Taking a deep breath, Zuko said with all the patience and geniality he could muster, "So let me get this straight. You just want me to go up to her and say, 'Hey, Katara, I was wondering, for no particular reason of course, whether or not you're in love with Aang'?"
"Exactly!" crowed the boy. He was both thrilled and surprised at how accommodating Zuko seemed to be at the idea. "So…you'll do it?"
Immediately dropping his pleasant façade, Zuko glowered. "No."
The prince rose to his feet and began to leave the courtyard, heading for the garden outside and Aang quickly jumped to his feet and followed.
"But you said before that you would help m-"
"I said I would help you, Aang," hissed Zuko as he spun around. "But I'm not going to do it for you. This is just…I can't…"
He was beyond flustered now, unable to divulge the truth about why he simply couldn't do this. It was painful enough to love the girl and not be able to do anything about it, but Aang's suggestion…it would be torture.
Holding a breath to try and regain his composure, he finally stated firmly, "This is something you have to do for yourself, Aang." He pointed back toward the kitchen, continuing in a low, commanding tone, "Now go in there, and talk to her. And don't come down to the beach to train until you do what you need to do."
Before Aang had any opportunity to protest, Zuko turned and strode away, the grim ultimatum leaving the young Avatar stunned and speechless.
Commercial break
Author's note: Well, the big project at work is (technically) done. So, barring any nasty fallout from it (which is very likely), I should be able to get back to posting more regular updates (hopefully!).
I also want to apologize for not having any artwork up for my selected reviewers. I picked two people instead of one and I am working on the illustrations. With any luck, they will be up by the next 'commercial break'.
Thank you all SO much for being patient with me. I know many of you are really looking forward to my 'finale' and I feel terrible for keeping you all waiting.