Elemental 3
Katara ran after the retreating figure of Zuko, his back barely visible in the darkness.
"Zuko, wait!"
He turned around and saw her, coming to a stop.
"What do you want, Katara? I need to do something."
"I want to know about the song you were singing. What were the words in Japanese you sang?"
He sighed.
"Katara, please. I need to do something really important."
She saw the glimmer of tears still hidden beneath his black hair.
"Why?"
His hands clenched into fists.
"Because! Now leave me alone and quit looking at me like that!"
She frowned and grabbed his arm.
"No. I'm not scared of you, and if we're working with each other, than I want to know. The others obviously know; I can see it on their faces. Tell me why you sang that song so powerfully. Tell me why you're so ashamed of that scar."
He sighed and ran a hand through his hair.
"Fine, but we're going outside. It's too stuffy in here and I can't breathe right."
He led her out to the back and they sat down against the wall.
"Why are you so scared of people seeing that scar?"
He closed his eyes, a hand going up to touch the scar.
"Because it's proof of what a horrible man my father is, and I don't want people to see it. It feels demeaning and it reminds me of my mother."
"What happened?"
He shook his head.
"That's a story for another day. Don't try asking any of the others, only Azula knows, and she's never spilled a secret in her life."
"Dad's going to kill you. Really, he is."
"But she's lied hundreds of times."
Katara looked at him.
"I'm sorry."
"For what?"
"For asking you those personal questions."
"It's okay. My mom, I guess, well, she's gone."
Katara looked down at the asphalt ground.
"I guess that's something we have in common then."
He looked over at her.
"My mom was killed when a gang broke into my house. We were out at the time and only got back in time to say goodbye."
Just as Zuko was about to say something, the back door opened and Azula stood over them, golden eyes staring down. She wore a darker red jacket over her dress.
"If you don't plan on walking, you'd better get in the van. We're leaving, Dum-dum."
Zuko sighed, helping Katara up, and they walked back to the van that was painted black and had decals of blue fire on the sides.
"Well?"
Azula sat in the passenger seat, the door open. A brown haired guy in a green shirt is stood next to her, his arm around her shoulders. She fixed them with a gold gaze.
"Get in or walk. Your fangirls are approaching."
Zuko turned and saw two girls running toward him, squealing. About a dozen more were following.
"Great."
He grabbed Katara's hand and pulled her into the van. The long-haired guy next to Azula jumped into the van and she slammed the door.
Mai, sitting at the wheel, clicked her seatbelt on and yelled a warning in her low voice.
"Buckle up, crazies!"
They all put their seatbelts on as the van tore out of the parking lot. The two girls stood on the sidewalk, Mai driving down the road and pulling into the highway.
"Katara, where do you live?"
"Uh, on 19232 Drive."
Mai nodded imperceptibly and they sat in silence until the van pulled up at the edge of the street. Zuko looked over at her, surprised.
"This is really close to where I live!"
Azula smirked from the passenger seat.
"Well, then, dear brother, you can walk her home. I'm staying at Mai's tonight."
They got out of the van and it drove away. Zuko turned to her.
"Well, I might as well take my sister's advice. C'mon."
They walked down the sidewalk. Katara noticed that her brother's van was missing from the driveway next to her house.
"I guess Sokka's gig isn't over yet."
Zuko nodded. An uncomfortable silence took over the street.
"Katara!"
Just then, a van pulled into the side street from the main road, parking next to her house. It was painted with huge Japanese waves, like the ones painted in pictures.
"Dad!"
She ran over to the van as six people got out, two carrying guitar cases. Zuko was left on the sidewalk, feeling a bit awkward as she greeted them all, hugging, laughing and questioning. Finally, he walked over and put a hand on her shoulder.
"Katara."
She turned around, a look of mild surprise on her face, and then it turned into an honest smile.
"C'mere! I want to introduce you to my dad!"
He stepped forward and Katara pulled him toward a tall man with his hair in a ponytail. He wore a V-neck shirt and blue jeans, and he wore a strange necklace made with shark teeth and other things.
"Hello, I'm Hakoda. I don't believe I've met you before." He said, holding out a hand for Zuko to shake.
"Zuko Draconis. I'm Katara's fellow band member. Nice to meet you, sir. I really admire your work."
Hakoda laughed.
"It's Hakoda, son. I don't bother with honorifics like that. Same with the rest of the band. It's great to know Katara's finally found her place."
She grinned up at her dad.
"Thanks, dad. Sokka's gig was after ours, so he'll be back a little later."
Zuko smiled and tapped her on the shoulder.
"Katara, I'm going to go home now. I don't want to make my uncle worry."
She nodded and smiled at him as he left the group and walked down the street.
Katara had a family that he wanted. A peaceful, happy, family, with joy, happiness, and siblings that didn't try to drag you back to your abusive father and your broken home.
Why couldn't he have a family like that?
Why couldn't his mother still be here?
Why did she have to leave?
End.