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Zuko was sure he had been sentenced to hell.
The odds of his owner being from some remote area in the water nation digging in the desert were strange, but possible. The flight to the South Pole, by Hot-Air-Balloon-Express, had Katara and Sokka home in three days. Snow covered the land they lived on and icebergs littered their sea. The cold weather wasn't bitter, but still chilly.
Zuko was pleased that these people had evolved past igloos and finally invented houses. Their buildings were still primitive, being made of stone. The windows appeared to be smothered by furs, but the doors were made of wood. Their roofs were lined with gutters so that an abundance of melting snow wouldn't collapse their structure. They were still lacking no matter how their buildings appeared. He couldn't wait to see their plumbing.
He had spent the trip studying those she surrounded herself with. This consisted of only her brother, so he had watched her brother. Sokka kept his hair styled in a way that reminded Zuko of the past, apparently it was a traditional warrior's cut that men in their tribe continued to style. Katara and Sokka had given back the clothes of the desert dwelling and put on their blue parkas with black leather boots and blue pants. Her brother had complained most of the trip only to be silenced when she really glared at him.
'Spirited female,' Zuko thought to himself.
They passed the main entrance to the nation. This was a port where the ships would dock, something that was still used, but they no longer relied on as much. The hot air balloons that the fire nation provided were more than enough to do quick transport. The ties that each nation held were wonderfully helpful. The balloon landed just a bit outside their village. Her tribe had yet to construct a proper landing port for the balloons. The size variances were a matter and her leaders didn't wish construction without a proper plan.
Katara stepped onto her homeland with a smile. Months spent in the desert had left her with an ache to return home. She loved to travel, like her brother, but unlike him, she always wished to return. She didn't inherit that 'wandering gene' from her father. The urge to return home was always great; the cold weather gave her a peacefulness that other climates couldn't offer. Turning her gaze upwards she smiled softly, the Water Tribe was the nation with the darkest skies at night. The Fire Nation owned sunrises and sunsets that glowed like fire. The skies in the Earth Kingdom gave the land warmth and the Air Temples used to be kind enough to share the skies.
"Move it, Katara," Sokka grunted as he lifted their luggage. "I want to see Dad."
Her calm face settled in a casual scowl as she walked forward. Her brother was surely the oddest in the Water Nation, both North and South. He resembled a raging sea, especially in times of hunger. Sokka was always on the move and constantly unable to settle. It was a nature that he couldn't ignore.
"Savor the moment...we're finally home," Katara softly said.
Sokka was already steps ahead of her. He stopped and turned his gaze to the snow. It was so easy to forget that Katara enjoyed moments that she could savor. She didn't use that expression often, but she used it to express her want...no, her desperate need to take the moment and tuck it safely within a memory that she could call upon. Sokka closed his eyes in frustration that was aimed at himself. He hated being the bearer of bad news, but he was just as confused.
"We have to hurry, Katara," Sokka dully spoke. "You need your medication."
"Oh." She had turned to a single utterance that didn't normal fit into her vocabulary.
A soft crunch told Sokka that she was following behind him.
He sometimes forgot that she needed these moments.
"I can't wait to see Dad," Katara solemnly said.
The moment was gone, but not forgotten.
'Home, sweet home.'
Katara and Sokka had gone their separate ways once they reached home. Sokka had gone to the market to visit an old friend since their father hadn't been home. This left Katara to her own devices. The house they lived in was modest; her family wasn't poor, just simple. Her father preferred his life upon the sea and Sokka...was just Sokka. Their family didn't need much because they were always out. A few furnishings were all they had, yet they managed to make it work.
Shutting the door behind her, she reached up to grasp her new pendant. A sudden beeping and she glanced at the small watch upon her left wrist. It was the timer that notified her of the ritual, her medication time. She pressed a small button and made her way up the stairs in front of her.
"You live here?"
Katara had only reached the second step when she turned around. There stood that strange man leaning against the door. His golden eyes were taking in the living room to the left. He studied everything from the pelt couches to the small low table in the center. There was a painting to the far right, almost hidden by a portion of the wall.
"Is there a reason why you're out?" Katara questioned.
His train of thought was broken and he turned to the woman standing upon the stairs. Her bag was held over her shoulder.
"I can come out as long as you don't seal me inside," Zuko answered as he moved forward. He vanished once more and Katara grimaced as she felt warmth pass through her. She moved her gaze to see him standing at the top of the stairs with her luggage in hand. "Are you coming?"
Katara's mouth fell as she walked up the steps only to press against the wall to avoid touching him. It was a childish manner, but he had passed through her and grabbed her. Physical contact was not something they were lacking in. She turned to the right and entered the room at the end of the hall. Zuko followed her and noticed that there were few pictures upon the wall. All the pictures were just of her, Sokka, and an older male. He dropped her bag on her twin bed.
Her world and his weren't very different, except that he could conjure what he needed. These mortals seemed able to build what they needed regardless of lacking control over their element. At the sound of a faint click, he turned back to Katara. She was picking up a bottle and taking out two pills, another bottle for a single pill, another two pills, and finally she pulled out a shot.
"What is all that for?" Zuko questioned as he crossed the distance and picked up the shot.
"Medication," Katara replied, slightly irritated. She took the pills dry and quickly snatched the shot from him.
"What's the medication for?" Zuko questioned as he watched her roll up her right sleeve.
Katara paused to glare at him. Being untrustworthy was one thing, but feigning ignorance about medication was another.
"Don't mock me," Katara snapped at him as she wrapped the tourniquet around her arm above her elbow.
Zuko's eyes narrowed in confusion at her offensive stance. He knew humans had medicine to treat ailments, but this was extreme. His mouth went to speak again only to snap shut as she pressed the needle into a vein. A quick adjustment and the liquid was gone and into her. Katara removed the needle and tossed it into her trash. The tourniquet which was just a thick rubber band followed. Zuko moved across the room and jumped into the air above her bed. He crossed his legs and watched as she turned to stare at him.
"You really are real," Katara muttered. 'He's not some delusion induced by these medications.'
Zuko crossed his arms and remarked, "I bet you're an overachiever."
Katara scowled. She still didn't know what to make of him. Zuko, Prince of the Jinn, is a living being that is real. This she could accept. There was something otherworldly in her room, she accepted it. He claimed to be able to give her whatever she wanted with his power for no price. Katara just didn't know how to react.
"You're the first mortal not jumping at the wishes," Zuko remarked. They both were suspicious, Katara more so than him.
"You can't give me what I want anyways," Katara sighed.
Zuko arched an eyebrow. He could do anything he wished; he was the Prince of Jinn. There was nothing a mortal could wish that he couldn't do.
"Name it," Zuko challenged. "There is nothing I can't do."
Katara glanced at the medications lined upon her dresser. The orange bottle and the green bottles of various vitamins made a nice earth tone of colors.
"I'm going to die," Katara calmly said. She accepted that she wouldn't live forever and knowing she wouldn't live to see anything past thirty...she was resolved to her fate.
Zuko paused. There had been mortals that wished to live forever, there were those that wished to never age, but to prevent death.
"Is there any way for you to cure me?" Katara asked, the hopelessness within her left her eyes blank.
"You don't want immortality...I could make you live forever," Zuko proposed.
"I don't want forever. Forever is worth nothing when those around you would die," Katara simply replied.
Zuko paused once more. His mind tasting her words as he repeated them within his mind. She didn't want forever. This woman would choose a brief moment over a lifetime.
"I can't prevent death," Zuko finally spoke.
"I know," Katara softly said. "You're not a god."
Zuko turned toward the door as footsteps echoed up the stairs. Katara didn't follow his gaze; the reality was easy to accept when you didn't dwell upon it.
"Katara!"
She recognized her father's voice. The excitement at seeing her made his voice sound as if he were singing.
"I'm home!"
She moved to the door and then glanced back to where Zuko had hovered. He was gone.
Her father's blue eyes brightened as he saw his daughter. He pulled her into a firm hug and kissed the top of her head. Katara wrapped her arms around him and savored the embrace. Their tribe was more established than the past, but her father still kept his role as the lead warrior. His role was now political more than anything, considering that Hakoda worked in the military and worked for advancing the water tribe.
"How was your trip?" Hakoda questioned.
"I didn't find anything," Katara unsurely replied once he released her. She didn't think it wise to share Zuko yet, he could still be a figment within her mind.
"Don't worry. You'll find something," Hakoda assured. "But until then...let's start dinner."
Katara nodded in agreement and listened to him from her spot in the hall as he moved to his room and set down his parka. He talked of his day and questioned every aspect of her health before moving onto the items in the fridge. Hakoda's topic was food and his stomach growled to signal it was time to eat. He moved down the stairs faster than her and she sighed.
"I sometimes wish he would treat me like a normal woman," Katara muttered before she went down the steps.
She missed Zuko's smug voice and failed to notice the way her marquise pendant warmed.
'Your wish is my command.'
Author's Note:
Pfnelly knows of my deepest thanks for her wonderful editing skills.
I can promise that I will be working on making the chapters longer.
Reviewers:Thanks to all those that have reviewed and continue to do so.
Manola3- chapters will be getting longer. It's something I'm working on.
Nephetiri: Feedback...I'll find that song and without randomness the world be an empty place.
Kittenwings: Glad I caught your attention
Zombie Dog: I honestly don't know why there aren't more reviews...maybe a bad summary
Sunbattle: I've managed to catch those who don't read AU.
Please leave review after the dots...
Stay tuned for chapter four: Rules of Engagement
Chapter updated 3/24/08