"You and I go hard at each other like we going to war.
You and I go rough; we keep throwing things and slammin' the door."
- Maroon 5, One More Night -
entry one
I'm not going to write 'Dear Diary' on these in case Sokka or someone else gets a hold of this book. I told Toph that I was writing recipes earlier. (Not that it matters, seeing as she can't, you know, see..) Anyway, I feel like I've been demoted to servant. Since Aang's pretty much mastered waterbending, he spends most of his time working with Toph and Sifu Hotman. (Honestly, since when is Zuko a sifu of anything? Ugh.) And, speaking of Zuko, the jerkbender (so what if Sokka came up with that) disappeared with my brother this morning. The nerve of some people! When they get back, I could have his head! I'll kill him; I really will! Apparently threatening with Aang's life wasn't good enough for Mr. Sifu Hotman and now he's targeting Sokka instead. .. This isn't good. What do I do?! I can't just sit around. .. I need to go clean something.
Katara paced in front of the fountain wearily. She knew that the note had only said they'd gone fishing. Much to her annoyance, it had been written by Zuko instead of Sokka, which only made her that much more skeptical. They didn't even have fishing poles or spears here, did they? Or maybe Zuko was using them to attack Sokka somewhere deep in the forest. She bit down on her lower lip.
entry two
I can't take this anymore. They haven't come back yet, and I know I shouldn't be worrying, but he's just so impossible. Deep breaths, Katara. Maybe I should take this opportunity to teach Aang some more waterbending while Zuko isn't around to hog him. Yes, that's what I'll do.
It felt like an eternity, but eventually, Katara came to terms with the fact that fishing trips could last a while, even if she wasn't much of a fisher herself. She could remember times when the men would go out to hunt and not come back for a couple days at a time—it was perfectly normal.
After she'd managed to calm her nerves, the rest of the time had been fairly easy going. Meals went faster with two less mouths to feed, but there was a solemnity about them that hung around them like a dark veil. Nobody could ignore the strange quietness that settled around them without Sokka's jokes to fill the air; Toph could only do so much on her own.
entry three
They returned with Dad. I mean, I was happy and all, but it seems weird. And Zuko had that stupid, smug smile on his face when we were eating dinner that night. He knows he's breaking down my wall, brick by brick. First, he tries to help out, and now he returns from a quote-on-quote fishing trip with my dad in tow? If I didn't know better, I'd say that he was trying to impress me. It wouldn't surprise me. My opinion must really matter to him. Time to make his life hell.
"Katara, what are you doing with that book?"
"Nothing, Aang."
"Probably writing about her deep girl feelings," Sokka flipped his hand around without really paying anyone any attention. He was busy carving a spear out of a branch. Katara glanced up in his direction, noticing again the renewed determination in his eyes since their dad had rejoined them. A smile crept onto her face.
"What are you doing?"
Katara let out a shriek before throwing her arms over the little book on her lap. "Nothing. I'm writing recipes."
Zuko didn't look convinced. He squinted harder, leaning a further over her shoulder to examine the exposed parts from between her fingers. "Is that my name?"
Waving her hands in his face to ward him off, Katara shook her head, cursing internally. "No!" The word came out as a high, defensive squeak. She could feel more than see the way Zuko was grinning at her back. Aang, Sokka, and Toph were looking at her expectantly too. She prayed to the spirits that the rest of the ex-war prisoners would wake up soon and distract them. Unfortunately, she had no such luck.
"What do you all want? I'm just writing down some recipes I don't want to forget!"
"We haven't exactly been near anyone recently.." Sokka shut up when his comment received a vehement glare from Katara. It might have been her imagination, but she could have sworn he started whittling faster, eyes wide in fear. Was she really that scary?
"Maybe she's making up some of her own recipes," Aang piped up, taking a sip of his tea and sitting cross-legged across the fire from her. She threw him a thankful look and nodded.
"Yeah, that's what I'm doing."
"You sure are nervous over those recipes," Toph finally spoke up, tone nonchalant as she continued to pick at her toes. Katara frowned.
"They're a surprise."
"Then I'll help you cook one tonight."
Katara turned to Zuko, shock seeping into her expression faster than she could stop it. He caught sight of it and arched his good eyebrow, golden eyes watching her curiously. She swallowed. "No, no, that's okay. It wouldn't be a surprise then." The waterbender tried for a weak smile and failed.
"Let me see it; I can help with the ingredients."
"Yeah, me too!"
"No!" Katara shouted louder than was necessary. Aang's face fell noticeably while Zuko's skepticism only heightened. A wide grin covered Toph's face, but Sokka had disappeared altogether, probably to go find Suki while they were all fighting.
Before Katara could think to react, Zuko's slender fingers had curled around the edge of her book and he was slowly pulling it from her grasp, fingertips pressed along the page she'd been writing on. "Let me just see.."
She pulled the page back with all her might, managing to only rip it free. Zuko opened his mouth to respond, but before any words came out, Katara sprang to her feet and took the rest of the book from his grasp. She held the ruined page in one and the journal in the other, a scowl adorning her features. "What is your problem with being in my business all the time? It's not going to make me like you more!"
"That's not what this is about!" He shouted in return. "I just want to see what you were writing!"
"Yeah? Well, I don't want you to." Her voice cut through the air like a knife, words sharp and daunting as they hung in the air between the two. The page was curled between her fingers now—ugly and ruined like the scar on his face. She could barely remember when she was even hiding on it, but she knew his name was there and he couldn't find it. No matter what.
"Why don't you just trust me? I helped Sokka rescue your dad and Suki. What more do you want?"
"Don't even try to play that card," Katara stepped forward abruptly, shoving her finger into his chest like she'd done on a couple other occasions. "I'd bet my life that it wasn't your idea to go there in the first place. Don't act like you planned it. I know my brother and he is the reason my dad and Suki are out of that hellhole, not you." Her voice was dangerously low, body rigid as she growled at him. Zuko barely flinched, though, and it only boiled her blood even further.
Spinning on her heel, Katara lobbed the paper into the fire and watched it burn with a rueful smile on her face. "Fire's so pretty, isn't it? And so useful, too. Who wouldn't want to watch the destruction of everything they love?"
entry five
I had to burn the fourth entry because of the idiot jerkbender. Toph has been strangely silent since then and so has Zuko, but they seem to come as a package deal these days. I'm beginning to feel that this journal is a bad idea, but I can't just burn the thing with Zuko standing around. It'd be too ironic to burn the very journal that I've written so many rants about him in.
Author's Note: Some excerpts from a journal Katara kept. (;D Because in this world, Katara does what I say, as do the rest of the people I'm writing. Obviously.) Anywho, I'm trying to work on length and writing more for you guys to read so that it's not a bunch of short chapters. (Unless you really like it at this length of roughly 1000-1400 words per chapter, in which case, speak now or forever hold your peace.) But I think that's pretty much it for my commenting. I don't own Maroon 5. R&R, enjoy, do what you please. Thank you to everyone that has followed/reviewed/favorited so far! Love you guys. :)