So this the last time I'm updating for almost a week! I'm going to D.C. and won't have access to my computer. I'll keep writing on my phone, so that I can suprise you all with a really interesting new chapter! Don't forget to review!
Zuko awoke to the sun shining. He stretched his back, flipped his covers over, and swung his legs on the side of his bed. He hung his head as he yawned one last time before getting up and on his feet. When he stood, he stumbled a bit, but found his way to his bathroom door in no time.
He splashed water in his face a few times, dried his hands and face, and stared into the mirror. His golden eyes stared deeply in the reflection as he traced all corners of his face. Closing his eyes, he tried to picture his mother's face, but five long years can dull one's memory. He tried to remember her, but the woman he was imagining looked oddly like someone else. Someone he recognized… "Katara!" he breathed, his eyes popping open as he stumbled back, crashing into the towel rack. Picking himself up, he thought more of Katara: the way her hips fell, revealing perfectly toned thighs. Her olive skin was always glowing like the sun and her stunning blue eyes glistened like ebbing waves. She was utterly beautiful.
Thinking of Katara made him remember his promise to her last night, and he honestly had no idea how they were going to get anywhere. His initial idea was to take the Avatar's bison, but that was unlikely considering Aang and Katara weren't on speaking terms. They could take a war balloon, but after the war had ended, Zuko ordered all of those to be burned; he thought that air benders alone should rule the sky. Zuko shook the idea of coming up with it on his own and decided he'd ask Katara. Being related to the "idea guy" and all, he was sure she would to come up with something worthwhile. Zuko left the bathroom and went to dress himself for breakfast.
Katara didn't know the time, but she assumed that she would be one of the first to get to breakfast. Good, she thought, more dragonberry waffles for me. The thought of stealing them all before Sokka even woke up pleased her, and she smirked at her imagination of his reaction.
She felt silly running because one of the watch guards looked at her funny, so she was now walking at a really fast pace, trying very hard to reach the breakfast hall before her brother – and Toph for that matter. She rounded the corner, almost running into an ancient framed map of the four nations that once belonged to Firelord Sozin, and the great doors were in sight; she smiled to herself, and broke into a full-out sprint.
Reaching the doors, she pulled both open, but her eyes, were not ready for what she saw before her. To the left of the great table was the buffet bar, nothing wrong there, and the table had the usual six chairs: two on each side and the two heads, but it was the people sitting in them surprised her. Suki was standing up and pulling a Komodo rhino sausage onto her plate from the buffet and Sokka was already sitting at the table, with a plate that stacked over his head. The plate must have contained at least 5 dragonberry waffles. Aang was air bending his tea cooler and Toph was sitting next to him, with a plate almost as high as Sokka's. Katara's shoulders slumped.
"Hey sis!" Sokka called to her as she reached for an empty plate. After Sokka and Toph passed, there were only two dragonberry waffles left. Knowing she had to be a polite guest, she only took one, so there'd be one left for Zuko, who must've still been sleeping. She stopped the tongs before picking it up thinking that if Sokka had still been asleep; she would've taken both out of spite. Am I only doing this because it's Zuko? she asked herself. She dropped that idea from her mind because had it been Suki, she definitely would've saved her one – probably.
She lowered the dragonberry waffle on her plate and poured scorched syrup on top of it. She continued down the buffet admiring all of the delicious treats: there were, of course dragonberry waffles, flame-torched quiches, egg tart custard, Komodo rhino sausages, smoked sea slug, Leechi nuts, pomegranate, and ash banana. Katara dropped two sea slugs onto her plate along with some pomegranate. She grabbed a cup of White Jade Bush tea and sat in the chair across from Toph and next to Zuko. She ate slowly and tried to pay attention to the group's conversation.
"I think Suki and I are going back to Kyoshi Island in a few weeks," Sokka said. "Yes," Suki added. "You may come too Aang. The people of Kyoshi just love you!" Aang scratched the back of his bald head awkwardly. "That's okay Suki, I think I'm going to return to the Southern Air Temple with Appa and start rebuilding it. I'm sure he'll love that!"
"What are we all talking about?" Katara asked the group, a little confused what was going on. "Our plans now that the war is over," Toph answered. "I'm going to go to Ba Sing Se to –" "Open a metal bending school, so the world can learn your greatness," the group finished, monotonously. It was obvious that Toph had said it a lot.
"So, Sweetness, where are you gonna go?" Toph inquired.
"Well, to be honest –" Katara, turning a vermillion red having not really given it any thought, tried explaining, but Aang interrupted her.
"If you want, Appa and I could give you a ride back home. The Southern Water Tribe is right around the Southern Air Temple," he offered.
Katara's shade of red only deepened in color. "Er, well actually I have plans," she stirred her food around her plate with her fork as she talked. The group waited for her to tell them just what these plans were, but she was silent. Finally someone spoke up.
"And are you going to tell us these magnificent plans, or are we going to just sit around and have to read your mind?" Sokka asked, sarcastically. Katara's cheeks turned a brighter red because she hadn't really planned on telling anybody about her and Zuko's trip; especially if she wasn't sure how it was going to happen. "Well –" Katara began, but she was interrupted by Zuko coming through the door.
When Zuko opened the door, he was surprised to see that everyone was staring intently at Katara, who was redder than furniture in the room fire nation's room.
"Good morning everyone," Zuko welcomed, as he grabbed a plate from the buffet bar and stacked it with the last dragonberry waffle and a few Komodo sausages. Everyone turned to greet him and he took his rightful spot at the head of the table with Katara and Toph sitting next to him.
"So how'd you sleep?" Katara asked Zuko, desperately needing to change the subject of conversation. But just as he was about to answer, Sokka interrupted him. "Oh no," he warned. "You're not getting off that easy, Katara". "What do you mean?" Zuko wondered, looking around at everyone, never quite settling on a given person.
"Well we were all sharing our plans now that the war is over," Toph explained. "I, for one, am traveling back to Ba –" "Sing Se to open your metal bending school, so the world can learn your greatness," the group finished for her again. "Anyways," Toph began, clearly aggravated that no one truly cared about her metal bending school. "Sweetness over here won't tell!" Toph's tone now turned into a complaint. Katara looked at Zuko, trying to communicate unspoken words. He understood what her worrying stare meant, and he cleared his throat.
"Er, Katara and I have decided to go on a little… er… adventure," Zuko awkwardly explained. This caught everyone's attention. All at once, the four friends piped their questions.
"Where on Earth are you going?"
"Just what kind of adventure?"
"How are you getting there?"
"What are you doing?"
This time Katara answered, saving Zuko from explaining his hurt childhood. "Zuko and I are going to the Mushiatsui Swamp to discover some ancient bending techniques. Zuko wants to invent his own fire bending move".
"Like his uncle did with redirecting lightening!" Aang exclaimed!
"Exactly," Zuko agreed.
"So why is Katara going?" someone asked, clearly worrying for the water bender's safety.
"Well Sokka, the Mushiatsui Swamp restricts all fire bending. Not to mention the evil swamp benders who despise the entire fire nation," Katara offered as an explanation. After hearing this, everyone decided it wasn't very important and went on to chatter about Kyoshi Island. Katara and Zuko both let out a sigh of relief and gracious gold eyes looked straight into warm blue ones as he smiled his gratitude for her explanation. Katara nodded her welcome.
Toph sensed Katara moving her chair a little closer to Zuko's and she immediately tuned out the thunderheads' ideas of fun at Kyoshi Island and listened in on Katara and Zuko's conversation that no one else seemed to notice. She of course knew that Katara had lied about this little adventure, and she was curious to the real reason she was going along.
"So what were you thinking?"
"About what?"
Toph heard the difference in the two voices immediately and casually brushed her hair from her ear.
"Our travel arrangements. My first idea was to borrow Appa, but I don't think that's happening. Aang is planning on going to the Southern Air Temple with him," Toph heard Katara's melodic and urgent voice.
"That was my initial idea, too, but I think you're right. I'd say we could take a war balloon, but…" Zuko's velvety voice trailed off, making Toph strain her ear to hear more.
"What about a ship? The fire nation has loads of navy ships, still right?" Katara offered.
"Yes, we do," Zuko agreed. "It will take a while, but I think you're right, it's the best way. There's one more thing, though".
"What?" Katara asked lowly.
"No one has seen Mushiatsui Island in over 100 years," Zuko admitted. Toph believed that Zuko was wishing he'd told Katara earlier.
Katara was silent for a moment, most likely thinking of a solution to this major problem. They couldn't just sail around the world forever, until they happen to find a miniscule swamp.
"Wait," she almost shouted, but then again that could've been because Toph had such attuned hearing. She could feel beady eyes on her, so she exclaimed, "Yeah Sokka, that's really funny!"
"Thank you, Toph. See Suki? My humor is humor-larious!" Sokka almost fell back in his chair, laughing so much. Toph giggled, trying to convince Katara and Zuko she wasn't listening to them. She finally managed to persuade them that she was talking to the others, so they continued.
Katara's voice was an even lower whisper now. "On my way here, I almost ran into a really old map. It looked older than Aang, or how old Aang would be if he hadn't frozen, I guess".
"Of course! My Great-Grandfather Sozin's map! Azulon must've been using the same one because it was my dad who hung it up!" Zuko shouted a whisper.
"I'll grab it after breakfast," Katara told him and Zuko nodded his head in agreement.
Toph smiled mischievously to herself as a sudden idea popped into her head.