Translator's Notes: Aughhh, this took long enough to get out, huh x.x It was published in early November 2006; sorry that it took so long to translate! Anyway, as always, enjoy!
I wasn't too late with this o.OUUuu right? Just say no ;--;…
Zuko: According to her, her lack of creativity is because of homework and tests ¬¬… even though her classes finished a week ago u.uU
No one asked you ò.O Zu-chan. U-u Of course… Happy Halloween to everyone! I know it's been over half a month, but better late than never. So now I'll leave you with this to read, and when you're done, leave me your suggestions and comments in a review. Come on TT-TT it doesn't cost you anything; just click on the button that says "GO"!
Disclaimer: They aren't mine; they're the property of the great Dante D. and Bryan K.
Heart on Ice
Chapter 4. Strawberry-Flavored Problems
It was a rainy and cold morning, all because of the autumn that had already waved good-bye and signaled the winter to begin. And although he was wrapped up in a large coat, it didn't completely take away the discomfort caused by waking up early to go to school.
He entered the campus and ignored the rest of the student body like he usually did every morning, and he walked toward his classroom.
"Good morning, Sokka!"
"Good morning, Haru. Today you didn't come late as usual."
"My alarm clock finally rung…"
"So you're trying to say that you could finally hear it without throwing it at the window." The boy laughed, entering the classroom and taking his seat beside his friend.
"Yeah, whatever. Listen… When's Katara coming?"
"I'm not sure. She left me a message saying that she'd call me later to tell me the day and time that I should go to the airport to wait for her, but I still haven't heard from her."
"Can I go, too? I haven't seen her in a long time."
"Of course, no problem," agreed the young man, seeing his professor come in. "This is going to be a long morning; Professor Takeda's voice is an even better sleeping pill than the ones that my grandma takes…" Haru laughed before he started to doodle on a sheet of paper, and the blue-eyed teen shook his head disapprovingly of the boy's immature behavior.
"So you're going to Osaka?"
"Yes, Jane," the brunette replied dryly, packing a pair of pants into her suitcase.
"How long are you staying there?"
"As long as necessary…"
"We're going to miss you," said the woman, examining the almost empty room of Hakoda's daughter, her gaze finally resting on the photographs in their pictureframes on top of the desk. She gazed at a particular picture of the two siblings hugging their parents affectionately, happily laughing between kisses that the pair was giving them.
"That's a beautiful picture…" commented Jane, reaching out to pick it up.
"I know." Katara simply took the pictureframe away from her grasp, and placed it into her suitcase. The woman looked at her, surprised.
"Katara, I…" began the blonde.
"Are you ready? I'll help you take your suitcases downstairs, and then we'll take you to the airport."
"Yes, Dad, thanks," agreed the brunette, closing her suitcase and taking it outside of her room with some difficulty. Hakoda took note of the surprised expression on Jane's face.
"Something wrong?"
"No, don't worry… it's nothing." She smiled falsely, passing by him, and giving him a kiss on the cheek before leaving completely. When they were at the door of their flat, the man took his daughter with the braided hair by the arm.
"You should be appreciative of Jane. She had to postpone our three-o'clock meeting so that we could accompany you to the airport…"
"Yes, you have no idea how appreciative I am," she said sarcastically, taking her pale pink coat from the sofa.
"Please, Katara, can't you at least try to get along with her?"
"I can't guarantee miracles, Dad." She breathed in the characteristic air of her house, mixed with Jane's strong perfume. "Don't worry about me. Just enjoy my absence; maybe you can take your relationship with your beloved Jane to a 'new level'," said the blue-eyed girl, bothered, as she left, leaving behind her father.
"Well, here we are, Katara," said Jane when they found themselves in front of the gate which Katara was to go through to board her plane.
"Be careful, and say hi to your brother for me."
"Sure, I'll do it." She smiled nervously, a brown bag on her shoulders.
"I hope that the flight's not too long or boring."
"It'll be long, but I came prepared. I brought my Walkman, my entire collection of CDs, and some magazines."
"And in case you get hungry, I brought you some ham and cheese sandwiches. The airplane food can never surpass a delicious sandwich a la Hakoda," her father offered, handing her a bag. "Have you already called Sokka to tell him when you're arriving?"
"Yes, I've called him, but since no one picked up, I left him a message. I told him that I'd be arriving on Wednesday at 5PM."
"Well, take care of yourself." Hakoda embraced Katara, and, powerless to control herself, she returned the embrace, feeling empty when she separated herself from him. "I feel really guilty for not being able to go with you… and letting you go by yourself."
"She's not a child anymore; she's responsible, and she'll be fine," said Jane. "Good luck, and I hope that you can spend a lot of time with your brother…"
"Call me when you get home."
"Yes, Dad."
The first call to board the flight for Osaka rang from the intercom. Katara put her drink in her bag, kissed Hakoda on the cheek, and hugged Jane.
"See you later!" she said at a distance, waving, before going through the gate and fading from her father's view. His breathing was agitated as he watched his child leave, but he then felt Jane's hand around his.
"She'll be fine."
"I know… she has her mother's spirit," he whispered, smiling.
"Thanks a lot for letting me borrow your anthropology notes, Mayu," said Haru, handing her a small red notebook. "You've saved my life… I don't know how to repay you."
"It's nothing… but you could pay me back by accompanying me to lunch."
"Sure, count on it," said the teen, walking with her along the path to the edge of the campus, where they found Sokka sitting on his backpack on one of the banks, listening to music on his Walkman.
"Hey, we're going to lunch. Coming?"
"Of course!"
The trio was soon walking away from their school, until they reached a street in which various fast-food restaurants and cafés attended to the students that had just left the campus. They went to the usual place and occupied their table, as always.
"You guys up for pizza?"
"Sure… You read my mind, Sokka," said Haru, licking his lips. "And some strawberry milkshakes to go with it, 'cause I know that those are Mayu's favorite."
"Exactly." She laughed while he flagged down a waitress. "Listen, guys, how can you stand that Yamazaki's super-rigorous training? Haru showed me his schedules, and it looks like he's demanding a bit too much from you guys."
"Well, we just have to get used to it, because we tried out and he picked us, and if we quit, we're going to win ourselves the eternal hatred of the 'captain'."
"But it's going to be finals time soon… Do you think you can survive?"
"I don't know. But we'll just have to try our best," said the brunette, thanking the girl who had brought them the milkshakes.
"I don't know how you're going to do it, Sokka; you're sister's coming soon, and you're going to have to spend time with her."
"I didn't think about that, Haru."
"Katara's coming? God… I haven't seen her in such a long time. I got along really well with her; she was always very sharp for her age."
"Yeah, I think she's staying a month… Right, Sokka?"
"Yeah, she said that she missed Osaka a lot and, of course, she missed her brother, too."
"Oh man… We'd better hurry up with lunch; we'll have to get back to class soon…" said Mayu.
"And don't forget, we have training tonight with Yamazaki at six," reminded Haru.
"Ohh, if things continue like this, I won't have any time at all for Rezo. Maybe I should leave him with my grandma Kanna."
"But she doesn't like dogs; she's allergic."
"I know, Mayu, but unless you want him to stay at your house and eat 'Snowball', I don't see any other solution."
"Hey! Don't talk about my cat like that."
"Calm down, guys. Mayu, no one's going to eat your cat," said Haru, ravenously eating his slice of pizza. "And Sokka, I just ask of you that you don't leave me alone with Yamazaki now; this guy is strange… I don't want to know how his training's going to be."
"You won't be alone; the rest of the team will be there, too. Zuko has to group the team by categories. You guys are just the first-year team," murmured the girl, munching on her pizza.
"Yeah… Whatever, but I don't want to be alone with that monster; I'm nervous just seeing his cold and expressionless face. Like you said, Sokka, I feel sorry for the poor girl that'll be his girlfriend… With that temper and that personality, it's best that he stays single."
"I see that you have enough time to criticize the life of others, Matsue," said a deep voice, making Haru spit out his strawberry milkshake.
"Uh, g-good afternoon, Yamazaki..."
"I hope you haven't forgotten about your training session for tonight, because, since it appears to me that you have a lot of free time, I swear to you that I'll kill you with push-ups," threatened the teen.
"But I… I…"
"Masahiko, Mayu." The teen acknowledged the other two, leaving Haru completely paralyzed before entering the restaurant and ordering his lunch.
"You have horrible luck, dude."
"Shut up, Sokka. Didn't you see the glint in his eyes? He's out to kill me…"
"Well, you deserved it; you shouldn't have talked like that about other people's lives…"
"Ohh, come on, Mayu, just because you're his friend doesn't mean that you should defend him like that…"
"He's a good person, and he has his reasons for acting the way he does. You shouldn't question other people's motives. He's had a very difficult childhood."
"Oh yeah? Why do you say that?"
"I'm not going to tell you about those kinds of things. It's perfectly fine of him to make you work twice as hard if he wants; he's your trainer, and it's not going to kill you to do more push-ups."
"But I don't know why he's so insistent on getting even with me; I haven't done anything wrong…"
"Yeah you have, Haru… Ahh, whatever, it's not important; it'd be better if we get back to school now." The girl picked up her notebooks, books, and her milkshake before standing up and walking toward the counter to pay for her part of the bill.
"Now you've done it, Haru," Sokka said, amused.
"That pair of kids, they think they're all that because they're the youngest members of the team, but they'll see now that this isn't just a kindergarten game. This is a serious competition."
"Calm down, Zuko… You don't have to get all worked up," recommended his red-headed friend, walking toward the team captain's house.
"I swear that, even though they're going to die in the process, those two are going to turn into excellent martial artists."
"Yeah, but there's no need to get so stressed. The classes are over for today already, and luckily, you don't have very much work; you can train peacefully with them tonight."
"Of course, I want you to come with me. I need all the help I can get."
"You flatter me…" Then green-eyed boy smiled appreciatively, entering and taking off his shoes.
"Leave your backpack in the living room; I'll go and see if there's anything to eat in the refrigerator."
"Yep… Of course, thanks for letting me come this afternoon. Truthfully, it's much closer from here to school than returning to my house…"
"No, it's nothing… Here, it's just me and my uncle in the afternoon, so it's no problem when you come. Today I think I'll go to the center to take care of some errands. Lemonade or soda?"
"Soda." Suddenly, something captured Janus's attention. A pair of purple tennis shoes was at the entrance. Was someone else in the house? Maybe… a girl?
"I'll be back in a sec; I'm going to the bathroom."
"Sure, you're at home, Janus," Zuko said sarcastically from the kitchen.
The redhead went to the path that led to the bathroom and heard the distant sound of a song. It appeared to be rock, or maybe metal, coming from his friend's room.
"What happened?" Zuko asked, walking toward him with a pair of sandwiches in his hand.
"Looks like you have visitors…"
Both of them walked toward the heavy doors of the room, then opened them.
"What the hell are you doing here?!" yelled Zuko, furious, scaring the green-eyed boy.
"What a way to greet your beloved cousin," said a girl with black hair, chestnut-colored eyes that were almost golden, white skin, and thick eyelashes, reclined on Zuko's bed.
"Selena! Get your dirty feet off of my bed!" reprimanded Zuko.
"Don't be so fussy; I just arrived—you could at least ask me how my trip was, right?"
"I don't care about how your trip was. I want you to get off of my bed."
"Fine, fine…" she said, jumping agilely from the bed and standing; she was rather tall for someone who was only fourteen years old. "Hi, nice to meet you; I'm Selena Karasawa."
"Janus Sugawara…" He watched, amused, as Zuko dusted off the comforter as if trying to bat away dust and/or germs.
Selena wore loose pant and a red, tight t-shirt; her hair was tied up with a green hairband. She also wore many bracelets on her wrists and pink socks.
"Friend, boyfriend, suitor, or acquaintance of my cousin Zuko?"
"I'm just his friend," the redhead said, laughing aloud.
"Selena, if you value your life, I'd suggest that you stop saying such nonsense!"
"I see that you've already found your cousin, Zuko… I hope that you treat her with lots of love and respect. Your aunt Yasuko's on a business trip, and we're going to have her over until she returns," said Iroh, who was standing by the door, laughing at the girl's actions.
"How long are you staying?" said the amber-eyed boy in the friendliest tone of voice that he could muster.
"Maybe a week, or two… or three… or a month…"
"Enough, Selena!"
"Yeah… Well, you asked how long I'd be staying, so I told you."
"Hush, children," said Janus, looking for some similarity between these two so-called 'cousins'. "Why don't we all go to the dining room to eat something?"
"Excellent idea, Janus-san…" The girl took one of the sandwiches and took a bite, stuffing her face with the food.
"Selena! That one was mine," complained Zuko, receiving as a response a series of guttural sounds from his cousin's mouth. "Please, swallow it."
"Ahh… It'd be better to leave them alone," smiled Iroh, leaving the room with slow steps; the sound of laughter could be heard throughout the hall.
"How clever my uncle is, my mother's sister asking us to take care of this little demon, and now I'm in charge," breathed Zuko, defeated.
"Oh, come on, she's not that bad."
"I'll give her to you if you want, Janus, because I'm not planning to take her to the training session today…"
"Training? Can I go? I promise that I won't be a nuisance," she said.
"No! Over my dead body. No, Selena, don't give me that puppy-dog look because I didn't agree. It only worked when you were seven, and now that you're fifteen, it's not going to work with anyone, and least of all with me."
"Please, Zu-chan… Take me! Unless you're planning on leaving me home alone?"
"Oh, good point, Zuko. You can't leave her alone… It's very dangerous, and besides the whole issue of safety, she wants to see the city, right Selena?" The green-eyed teen smiled at her; she returned the smile and laughed, agreeing.
"Janus…" growled Zuko.
"How bad can it be?" asked the redhead, leaving the room and followed by the girl.
"You have no idea, Janus; you have no idea at all…"
I know. There's still not much action, but it'll get better. I already dreamed of the end of the fic on Halloween night 0 xD…so it'll be worth it.
Zuko: They'll just see your ranting and raving after eating kilos of chocolate, caramel, lollipops, candy, and gummy worms ¬¬ They won't miss much u-u
(locks Zuzu into a great big plastic pumpkin) And you already know that your reviews will be thanked in the next chapter. One more thing, tell me which character could be an alternate pairing for Sokka, just mention it in your review: 1) Azula XD 2) Yue O.OU 3) Ty Lee :P yes, I'm crazy. Don't ask questions xD just tell me.
And now, my beloved readers. The Thanks n.n
Kagomechan (Thanks so much for your message. T.T You move me a lot, a lot. And don't apologize XD You left me a review, and that's what's important xD Kisses and I hope you liked this chapter!) nino-sama (Kyaa, I couldn't resist the idea of tight clothes either ;D hehehe and yes, I'm a cheater O.oUUuu you noticed? Not much, right? …Of course, you noticed that I included Selena, and if you say 1, 2, or 3 I'll include the next victims, hehe. Bye and thanks for your lovely review, nino-san!) Mimiru (Character invented by moi xD who I adore and couldn't resist including. For more information, read Ella es mi pecado in the same section. A thousand thanks for your message n.n) Itzumi-chan (We're really close now xD (Zuko: ¬¬ In the next chap) Shhh, Zu-zu, don't ruin this moment x.x .. Psss. Thanks for your review xD) Argen (Ahem… A thousand thanks for your support. XD Of course, AU is short for Alternate Universe xD. And O.o about the princess… it could be xD You've already read it: 1, 2, or 3. Thanks again for the idea xD) Alexandra (Yeah, I agree with you. Both of them are soo cute. And I think that that fool, who tries to conquer OUR Zuko, should die x.x So. Thanks for your review, and I hope that you continue reading. It'll get better.) Azka.Chan-LoveYaoi-RedMoon (Thanks for reading and leaving your opinion. No problem, Janus is 100 percent Samara's xD. He's a character that I made for my other fic: Ella es mi pecado. I hope that you enjoyed this chap!)
Until the next update. And remember xD pick 1, 2, or 3!!!
Translator's Notes: I'll make my best effort to translate and forward all reviews to Samara :) And, as always, if you notice any errors or anything that sounds awkward, please point them out! Thanks!