CHAPTER FOUR
Questions
The only thing Hahn dared to look at for was the texture of the leather saddle. She wasn't really observing it, since lying on her stomach had forced her face onto it for the last several hours. Hahn had fought to maintain her current position, and had faced not-so-suave requests from Haru to join him at the reins as well as Katara's nearly sickening optimism and you-can-do-it attitude. For one sole moment, Hahn turned up her head slightly, and saw the sky. It was vast and indigo and blue and endless and it was big and she was small and it was rushing at her and she knew it would take her and---
Hahn let out a small yelp, and curled back into her familiar position. As much as she didn't want to think about anything, she heard Zuko chuckling; it was enough to get her sitting up.
"Do you have a problem?" Her pale blue eyes narrowed.
Zuko ran his hand through his black locks and grinned. "You remind me of the first time I rode on Appa. And its funny to see someone I haven't exactly liked too well curl into the fetal position."
Hahn punched him in the shoulder and crossed her arms, but a small smile tugged at the corners of her lips. But Zuko's sudden laughter made her scowl at him again. He shook his head as she looked her way, trying to say something but clearly unable. When he was done, his smile was even wider.
"You know, I knew I had heard your name somewhere before. Now I know that it was also the name of that oafish Water Tribe warrior, who made a pathetic attempt to assassinate Zhao on his ship."
At the word Zhao, Hahn's eyes widened for a moment, then narrowed once again to reinforce her comtemp. "How fascinating, considering I'm not the oafish male in this present company."
Katara giggled, causing the pair to stare at her. "Sorry! It's just that you both sound like an angry married couple." Hahn and Zuko both looked in opposite directions and acted like they were supressing their gag reflexes. Secretly, Zuko reflected on the situation; Hahn's beautiful physiognomy was like that of a noblewoman. If placed back into Fire Nation high society there would be no doubt that--
He cut his train of thought off, remembering that he could think of other things that were stunning in appearance. Hahn turned around suddenly to stare at Zuko, like she had heard imaginary dirty words thrown her way. Instead of saying something, she calmly faced Katara.
"So tell me about this other Hahn, Katara" said Hahn, switching the subject.
Katara laughed again. "Well, he was bethrothed to the girl my brother had a big thing for, before she...left this world to become the moon spirit. She didn't like him too well. Don't get me wrong, he was as gorgeous as Water Tribe men come, but arrogant as a Fire Na....uh, hogmonkey." Katara sheepishly smiled at Zuko, who she knew, had noticed her verbal gaffe. Strangely enough, it looked like he paid more attention to the "gorgerous" part than the insult to his countrymen.
Hahn smiled and pushed a lock of hair out of her face. "That's the thing about boys; fun to look at, not so much to be around--"
"I know! It's pretty upsetting." interjected Zuko. Katara grinned, but Hahn ignored him.
"Anyway, no wonder Sokka and I didn't really talk; it was like talking to someone who took someone important from him. Plus, there was that whole 'me stabbing him in the leg with paralyzing darts' thing."
"Yep...probably had something to do with it. You should have seen the way he acted the last time he was ambushed by girls--"
"WE'RE ALMOST THERE!" shouted Haru over his shoulder as he held the reins. "I'M GUESSING ITS A FEW MORE MILES UNTIL--"
"Haru, you don't have to shout" said Zuko, closing his eyes and pinching the uppermost part of his nose. "We can hear you perfectly well from here."
"Sorry! Anyway, its a small distance to the province. Just a few more miles of flying."
"Thanks."
For a few minutes, the saddle was clouded by an awkward silence. Then, Katara spoke up.
"We're going to the Earth Kingdom, but we should probably have Fire Nation disguises, right? I assume that colonists probably have more freedom than Earth Kingdom natives."
Hahn shrugged. "Wouldn't everyone dress Fire Nation, then? To obtain the privledges by passing as a colonist?"
"Not likely" said Zuko. "It's fairly easy to distinguish Earth Kingdom natives from Fire Nation colonists from their appearance, accent, and mannerisms. Plus, citizens of the Earth Kindgom are far too proud and strong to give up their identity for trivial matters." Haru's face was turned from them, but one could assume that he was smiling; he had pumped his fist in the air after Zuko's comment.
"So what are we doing?" asked Hahn.
Zuko thought for a moment, then replied. "I suggest that we divide; half colonist, half native. It'll be easier to get through town that way, and its the best way to mix with officials and locals."
"Great. Who's who?"
"Dibs on Fire Nation!" exclaimed Katara happily. "I already have a super-inconspicuous name."
Zuko winced, then stared at the ground. "ACtually, Katara...I think it's better that you keep an Earth Kingdom disguise."
"Oh, you don't have to worry. Aang, Sokka, Toph, and I already spent PLENTY of time in the Fire Nation." With a casual flip of her hair, she added, "I think I could pull it off, Zuko Hotman."
Zuko closed his eyes and pinched the bridge of his nose again; a universal sign of irritation. "I know I've told you guys this at least a thousand times; no one says Hotman. No one, maybe, except for 12 year old airbenders who have been out of touch with Fire Nation slang for the last 100 years."
Katara shrugged. "But-"
"Look, you might have been places, but this isn't just some fishing village. It's a colony, populated with lots of colonists sophisticated enough to snuff you out. And besides, you don't really look..." Zuko made another awkward pause and ran his fingers through his hair. "You don't really look..like a Fire Nation citizen that people would expect to live...there."
Katara rolled her eyes. "I'm sorry Zuko. I didn't realize that I was too repulsive to meet Fire Nation beauty standards."
Zuko slapped his forhead, and he looked exasperated as he talked to her. "That's not what I meant. It's just that many upper-class Fire Nation women look at pale complexions as a sign of beauty. And you're slightly...root-tea tinted? As a matter of fact, delicious root-tea tinted! Root-tea so delicious that my uncle-"
Zuko tried to finish his sentence into a complete statement, but ended up mumbling something nonsensical as quickly glanced around in different directions.
"Nice save, chief" muttered Hahn. "Katara, I don't think you're ugly."
"Neither do I" exclaimed Zuko, now regaining his speaking abilities. "You're not ugly at all. You're very un-ugly."
Katara smirked at Zuko, and folded her arms in mock-anger. "Gee, Zuko. All these lovely compliments. You might want to keep going, though; there's still a little part of my self esteem left intact."
Zuko opened his mouth to say something, then closed it.
"Well, if you ever change your mind, I'll be sure to remember Sapphire Fire."
---
By the time they made land, darkness had blossomed. It made the city, which was a fairly short distance from the forest-like hills they were camping in, impossible to see. Almost immediately after landing, Appa settled down for a well-deserved sleep in the soft grass. The others still had camp to set up before retiring into the night.
After each individual had set up their tents, Zuko, Katara, and Haru set up a fire in the middle of their campsite as Hahn changed into "sleepwear".
Zuko munched on his slightly overripe stawmogranite and frowned. "I don't see why Princess over there can sit out while we do all of the work."
"Zuko!" scolded Katara. "Don't say that. She's just not used to travelling with other people, I guess. And going a whole day with black cloth covering your body is pretty uncomfortable. And she DID help everyone with their tents. It's not like she's acting like Toph after she left her parents."
"Wait, what?"
"Nevermind."
The three ate their dinner quietly; the silence was punctuated by the munching of strawmogranites. Finally, Hahn emerged from her tent, looking slightly sleepy. As she sat down on the last of the four logs nest to the fire, her features became more prominent. She wore a strapless form fitting top that exposed a good strip of her midriff, which Katara noted was similar in fashion to her original Fire Nation disguise. The bottoms were looser fitting than the top, but were cinched at her waist and knees, where they stopped. Rather than being maroon or reddish tinted like most Fire Nation clothes, the ensemble was a pale gold.
"About time" sneered Zuko.
"Sorry to keep Your Highness waiting!" Hahn shot back.
"Zuko, I heard you mention something about disguises?" asked Haru, who looked too tired for arguing.
"Yes. Before we start out tomorrow, Hahn and I will dress as Fire Nation, while you and Katara have Earth Kindgom disguises. Well, not really a disguise for you, I guess." Haru nodded and grabbed another strawmogranite.
"There seems to be a little problem, Hotman. I don't happen to have any Earth Kingdom clothes. We aren't near any clothes to stea...uh, borrow them, like last time. So I guess that-"
"I already took care of that."
Katara looked at Zuko suspiciously. "What do you mean?"
"I borrowed some of Toph's clothes before we left."
"WHAT?"
Katara's surprise was interrupted by Haru's snoring. His head was in his lap, and flying for a long periods had obviously taken a toll on him. Katara gently nudged him on the shoulder until he slowly got up and slunk over to his tent.
"Anyway, how could you just take Toph's clothes? What is she supposed to do until we get back?"
"Relax, Katara. She's a Bei Fong. She practically uses an Air Temple bedroom as her closet."
"I haven't known her for a while, but isn't Toph a little...little?" asked Hahn. "Will her clothes actually fit Katara?"
"That's been taken care of" snapped Zuko. "Sokka fixed them."
Katara looked more surprised than ever. "SOKKA?!? When did he learn how to sew?"
"I was pretty surprised too. Apparently, his Kyoshi-warrior girlfriend gave him some lessons before he departed. He asked her to learn because of something to do with you yelling at him because of his pants?"
"Long story. Anyway, do they look right?"
"I put them in your tent. I guess you can see them tomorrow morning before we head off."
"Are we all settled then?" asked Hahn, yawning.
"Yeah. You're free to leave."
Hahn headed for her tent and closed the flap. Katara scooped dirt upon the fire and set out for her tent as well. Zuko lingered for a moment, inhaling the perfume of the dying embers in deep thought, and eventually he too walked back to his tent.
---
Katara sat up in her tent, bending water held ready. Something was outside her tent. She couldn't really hear it; it was a matter of feeling it. The flap of her tent opened ever so gently, breaking the wall of darkness between her and the unknown. Immediately, she issued a whip of water out at whatever was there, and surprisingly, heard a loud "Ugh".
"Zuko?"
"Katara, its just me."
Zuko moved into her tent, holding a ball of flame in his left hand, which he used to light the lamp he was holding. As he set it down, she couldn't help noticing that it the dark shadows and scarce light made his scar look more austere than usual.
"You could have scared me -or you- to death!"
"Sorry."
He sat down and carefully closed the flap behind him. "I need to talk to you."
Katara sighed. "Is it about Toph's clothes? They're fine, I just-"
"No. Its about Hahn."
Katara sighed and laid town, still facing Zuko. "Knowing you, this is probably going to take a while. So, what's going on?"
"I don't think that she's being completely honest about her motives."
"What makes you think that?"
"I've seen her a couple times studying that letter intensely, the one that was supposedly written by my mother. I think she knows more than she's letting on. She's defintely here for her own reasons."
Katara closed her eyes and pulled the sash she wore around her. "Just because she's persistent doesn't mean that she's up to something. Besides, she's here to help you get your mom. If anything, its good that she's looking at it more."
Zuko crossed his arms. "It's a little odd that she doesn't involve me."
Katara laughed, eyes still clothes. "Not really. You guys haven't exactly been best friends since this started." She sat up, with her eyes now open. "Why is that?"
"Maybe it has to do with the fact that she's only concerned with herself, cocky, and-"
"I don't think so"
"Maybe YOU'D like to tell me, you know me SO WELL." Zuko's voice was rising, and was laced with sarcasm.
"You say you dislike her because of the way she acts, but it doesn't have anything to do with that, does it, Zuko?" She sat up, eager to continue her diatribe. "No, it's pretty obvious why you hate her; she reminds you of Azula. Honestly, I'm sick of you wallowing in the past. The next time you look in a mirror, think about the favor she's doing for you and how you've been acting. Think about the future!"
Zuko raised his hand and lightly traced his scar with his fingers. "Every look in the mirror reminds me of the past." He dropped his hands and lowered his eyes to the lantern.
Katara's expression of anger melted almost instantly, and her feelings of shame were almost tangible. "Zuko, I-"
Zuko faced her again; his expression was blank. "There's something else you need to know. Are you familiar with any Fire Nation ceremonies?"
She still looked like she felt horrible, but was clearly glad to change the subject. "Other than a few festivals, not really."
"In the Fire Nation, a special ceremony exists for children about a few hours after birth."
"Do they force-feed everyone fireflakes?" Katara chuckled.
"Uh, no. It's only done in the royal family line. A fire sage takes the newborns, and marks them on their backs. With fire."
"WHAT? Spirits, I knew some things were pretty twisted, but I had no idea that the Fire Nation was that horrible. Does this have any point, or do people there just like to inflict pain?"
"The point of the ceremony is to assure that the child is a firebender, or in other words, worthy of their royal status. The newborn's natural reaction to pain, if they are bender, is to issue flames out of their hands. The ceremony isn't supposed to result in a horrible wound. It's purpose is to produce a natural response, and literally mark the child as a royal firebender.
"Disgusting...Did you have a ceremony? I don't remember you having a huge blast mark on your back." For some reason, Katara flushed a little.
"Ceremonies don't involve bursts of flame, at least, not for the past 500 years. The sages usually burn a small, traditional flame-shape onto the newborn backs. It's supposed to be the origin of the Fire Nation insignia."
"Why their backs? Couldn't the sages choose somewhere...nicer? Like their hair?"
"The mark is placed directly opposite of the navel, which is believed to be the chakra of energy and the sun. But the chakra is not directly burned, since that would disrupt one's chi. The ceremony is designed to just access the chakra's power, but not damage it."
"What would happen to a child if they couldn't bend?"
"Firebending, or any bending for that matter, isn't hereditary. But everyone that I know of, who was part of the royal line, was a bender. I suppose that over time it evolved into more of an initiation process rather than a test."
"Do you have a mark?"
"It's very faint. I don't think Azula or my grandfather had to get one; they were prodigies who were probably bending hours after birth." Katara could see the slightest hint of resentment in his eyes.
"Great. But how does this apply to anything that we're doing now?"
Zuko ran his hand through his hair.
"It applies to us because Hahn has the mark too. I noticed it when she walked back to her tent."
Katara's eyes widened, and look brighter than the lantern that was still illuminating their tent.
"Does this mean that she..."
"I don't know what I'm supposed to make of it. Like I said, there's more to her than she's letting on."
YAY! Finally done with it. Interesting plot twist, eh? Let me know what you think!
Many more chapters to come.
-Ava