When I started this, I had fully intended to make it short...but it got away from me. The characters wanted more to be said and thus, the first part of three. The other two will round out Zutara Week...taking up the last two themes Rhythm and Lick (warning....Lick WILL be M!)

As always...I don't own Avatar...dammit to all seven hells!

Zutara Week – Day Four (Cactus Juice)

This one is proving to be the one obstacle in this challenge for me…I had to go back and watch Book Two again to figure out where it came from…this one will not follow the "cute" genre, this one will be a little more mature and darker…it will also blend in with the last two themes, making it a complete story.

Now that I know where it came from…let's see what happens…set in years after Sozin's Comet…Zuko is about twenty now…

Drink of the Gods

It's another grueling day of meetings and more meetings…and Fire Lord Zuko has pretty much had enough! He sits on the throne; looking out over the room at the bustling of people setting up for the one meeting that he can do without…marriage. For months now, the Fire Sages have been after him to find a bride, namely someone of Fire Nation heritage and nobility to continue the line of Agni…but no one has ever peaked his interest enough for him to want to spend the rest of his life with…

He had thought that the relationship he had with Mai might be promising, but she was too hard to interpret. She never showed any serious emotion, which tended to lead to silly arguments that were never necessary in the first place. With all of the responsibility he has…having to deal with that kind of distraction daily is not going to keep him sane. He broke it off with her a few months after the coronation…during a rather awful argument. She didn't want to go, but he couldn't take it anymore and literally had her escorted out of the palace…sobbing pitifully. He did feel sorry for her, but at that time it would do him no good to capitulate to a sobbing girl's wishes while he was still trying to establish himself with the council of Sages. Once Mai was dismissed, the council kept sending young, pretty prospects to his rooms, hoping that even if he does not marry one of them, he will at least take them for a concubine…which is not unheard of being Fire Lord. He has gently, but vehemently turned them down…even though he has quietly taken a select few to sate his needs, in his heart he knows he can hold out to commit to the one he is truly destined to be with…whomever that is.

They have all understood that, being generously compensated for their services.

He sighs…he always knew he wasn't going to continue to dodge this, and his uncle doesn't help. Iroh has been on him ever since that horrible breakup with Mai to do everything in his power to keep those devils at bay by choosing a bride, but he never did. So, now…they are going to make him decide, and this meeting is going to establish how it is going to be done. Five Sages make their way into the throne room and take their respective seats. Zuko's eyes rest on the man sitting in the middle of the group…the leader of the Sages, Xi Quo.

"My Lord, it is past time for you to provide an heir to the throne of the Fire Nation. We have given enough time for you find a suitable candidate, but now we have to take matters into our own hands," the old man says clearly. Zuko narrows his gaze; his temper rising at the fact that he is being told what to do with his life.

Isn't this what he fought so hard not to have to do?

The Sage sees that there is no response, so he continues, "We have decided to have a celebration dedicated to Agni and there a select number of prospects will be invited to be presented to you to be your intended. As with Agni himself, a choice will be made by the end of the festival…with or without your consent."

Zuko stands, his blood boiling, "How dare you dictate to me who I will share my life and bed with! I will be the only one to determine that!" Xi Quo faces him unafraid; he has the backing of the entire council…he will not back down now. "My Lord, a bride will be chosen on the night of the celebration…and that will be tomorrow. The invitations have already been sent."

The flames around the throne flare in response, "You were going to do this anyway?!" His voice sends shivers up the spines of the other Sages, and one decides to try to calm the situation down some before the Fire Lord decides to eliminate the need for the Sages altogether. He looks over at a servant and nods quickly. The servant picks up a tray with drinks on it and comes over to the group to hand them out. The last glass is for the Fire Lord and he hands it to him as quickly as he can, taking note of the angry expression on his face. As Zuko takes a sip, he curls his lip, "What is this?"

"Cactus Juice, my lord…it is a beverage that all the Fire Lords have had drink when they have council with the Fire Sages," the servant replies, bowing low. The young sage nods at the servant and stands to step forward, thinking now is the right time to speak. Cactus juice has the properties of a slight sedative…helping the Fire Lord to calm down and listen to reason. These types of meetings usually never go well.

Xi Quo raises an eyebrow, but stays silent as he waits to see what the young man has to say…

The sage, known as Tsung Chin, says, "My Lord, we are not trying to dictate how you live or what decisions you decide would better suit you…we just want to make sure that the security of the Fire Nation is in place. Having a wife and heir shows the people that the line of Agni is still strong and that we are indeed heading towards better times." He then bows low before adding, "Please forgive us if we have overstepped our boundaries."

They have been taught well… the handsome lord thinks as the flames settle back to a quiet rumble. Even Xi Quo has to admit that this was actually the best way to get through to the new Lord…but old habits die hard. Ozai was never this difficult…

"Since the celebration has already been planned…I would like the list of the supposed prospects that you have invited. The least I can do is see who they are." A smile comes to Tsung Chin's face as he rushes forward and hands him the scroll. Bowing, the young sage moves back to his spot and watches as Zuko places the scroll under his sleeve. Looking directly into the eyes of Xi Quo, he says, "Well, I think this meeting is over. I'll go and look over these choices…and if I want to add someone I'll let you know." The group stands and bows before taking their leave. As they are walking out the door, General Iroh comes in with a huge smile on his face. From the looks on the faces of the Sages, Zuko nearly blasted them out of the throne room…pretty funny when you think about it.

"Nephew, what was that all about?" he asks jovially as he moves over to stand next to his agitated nephew. Zuko snorts, "They are trying to dictate my life! They expect me to choose my wife tomorrow night out of a group of women I probably have never even seen before!" He waves the scroll at Iroh, trying to calm down. Iroh puts a hand on his shoulder, "You knew the Sages were going to push this issue, especially with the uncertainty that have with the new regime that you are trying to establish. Some customs, outdated though they may be, are just not considered for negotiation." Zuko sighs and lowers his head, while Iroh takes the scroll in his hand. "What is this?"

"The list of the prospects. I asked to see who they thought would be good choices."

The old man unrolls the scroll and scans the names. Not surprising, they have put Mai's name back in the hunt, even after the very nasty break-up…but she is Fire Nation nobility. There are about fifteen names, but one catches his eye…one that he would have never thought would be on the list for the Fire Lord's wife. He raises his head to his frowning nephew, a secret smile crossing his lips. Zuko catches the smirk, "What is it, Uncle? Who is on the list?"

"I think you need to see for yourself, Nephew."

Zuko takes the paper and quickly scans the names, stopping at Mai, "They KNOW I don't want to have anything to do with her!"

Iroh smiles, "That's not what I want you to look at…go further…"

Golden eyes scan further down the list and at the very bottom… "No…"

The older man frowns, "What is the problem?"

Worried eyes look back at him and Zuko quickly turns around, moving towards the window. Iroh looks at him quizzically, "What is the problem…I thought…"

"You thought what, Uncle? They would never go for that…whose idea was it to put her down there anyway? They keep after me about purity in the bloodline…" Iroh comes over to him, placing a steadying hand on his shoulder. Zuko is trembling slightly, a strange feeling invading his gut and Iroh can sense it. "You have never spoken about what happened after your fight with Azula…I thought you would say something eventually."

The young man's head falls as he can remember those soothing hands healing his chest, the look of thanks at seeing him reawaken…the gentle kiss that did not end that way…

"I…I couldn't talk of it then. It wasn't something that I could even imagine happen, so why dwell on it?" Iroh studies him, realizing something that he should have been able to detect a long time ago.

"You love her."

Zuko's head shoots up with a surprised expression on his face, but it doesn't fool the Dragon of the West. Before he starts to sputter his denial, Iroh says, "You don't need to say anything…it is written all over your face, it was when you saw her name at the bottom of the list." Zuko looks again at the scroll and the name boldly written at the bottom…Katara, Princess of the Southern Water Tribe. Iroh pats him on the back, "Let's go to my quarters for some tea…it'll make you feel better." Zuko nods and follows him out the doors, down the hall to one of the larger suites in the West Wing.

"But why would they choose her? She's as far from Fire Nation as they can possibly conceive." Zuko asks, walking into the room and sitting on the chaise. Iroh walks over to the servant's call and pulls the cord. Almost instantly, a servant runs in and the old man asks, "Would you bring some jasmine tea for the Fire Lord and me?" With a sharp nod, she leaves…while Iroh looks at his distraught nephew. He moves over to stand beside him, "Zuko, politically it is a sound decision. She is the princess of the Southern Water Tribe…her brother and father dotes on her. What better way to strengthen relations with the Water Tribes but through marriage?"

The young man nods, but his heart clenches as the memory of their only kiss flashes once again in his mind. "She would never agree…she's supposed to be with the Avatar…"

"She isn't. They never married…"

Golden eyes widen and he sputters once again, "Wh…wh…what happened? When…?" Iroh smiles, "They were together for a little while, but I soon found out that she had returned to her home without him, I couldn't tell you what happened." His face brightens, "Are you sure that she is going to come?"

"They wouldn't have her name on the list if she wasn't."

Zuko stands quickly, "I need to do something…I'll see you later, Uncle," and he runs towards the door. Stopping as he opens it, he turns back to Iroh, "Thank you."

"You're welcome."

"I can't believe you are actually going to do this. What makes you think that this a good move? How can you possibly think you can be married to Jerkbender?"

Katara looks at her brother and shakes her head. He has been ranting and raving for the past few days over the invite from the Fire Nation. The fact that one had been specifically sent to her was a shock in and of itself, since it was always believed that the Fire Lord was to marry someone of the Fire Nation. She looked at the invitation once more, her heart jumping a little bit at being able to see Zuko again…regardless of what Sokka thought.

"It is a festival in celebration of their god, Agni and the day he chose his mate. Something that they always celebrate…" she explains, but Sokka shakes his head. "And he's supposed to choose a wife from this? Boy, I thought I had it rough…"

A fan shoots out from behind him, smacking him straight in the back of his head. "Watch it, mister!" He turns back towards his assailant and smiles, his intended coming forward to hug him around his waist. "I was just kidding, Suki. I don't have it rough…" he explains as he kisses her lightly on the lips. Not yet married, the couple took a little time to spend back in the Water Tribe before going back home to Kyoshi Island. Katara smiles wistfully at them, a little pang of jealousy grips her stomach. "I would definitely not believe that, Suki."

"You know I don't…and he doesn't know how rough it's going to get yet!" A frown covers his mouth and Suki laughs, knowing that she is just teasing. Watching them for a bit, Katara decides to give them some privacy…walking out of the room and out onto the ice. Suki watches her go, sensing that she really needs to talk. She hits Sokka on the arm. "Ow!" he exclaims, rubbing his sore shoulder.

"What did you do?" she asks, knowing that her handsome mate here wouldn't have any idea what the hell she was talking about. He shrugs, as she expected, so she heads out after her soon-to-be sister-in-law. She spies her looking over the ocean, staring at the crescent moon…so she heads over to her.

"Are you okay?" she asks and the Waterbender puts her head down. "I haven't seen him in a very long time…what if?" Suki looks at her, "Who? Zuko?"

"Yes…"

"Why does it matter…wait…" the Kyoshi warrior starts, "…you have feelings for him, don't you?" A dark blush covering Katara's face gives her the answer. "Wow, Katara…I never knew…would have never thought…"

"No one did. I never spoke about it…but it was the reason I couldn't stay with Aang." Sighing, she turns an anguished gaze to Suki, "Something happened after we beat Azula. He jumped in front of a lightning blast for me…saved me, and almost killed himself. I never thought he would do that, didn't think…" she turns away, her voice catching at the memory. "Anyway, I healed him…I was so grateful for what he did, I kissed him."

"You what?"

A secret smile comes to her, "I kissed him, and it started out sweet…but then…" another blush comes over her as the picture of what happened runs through her mind…

It was a gentle kiss…one that was designed to express her gratitude and relief that he was still alive. But as she pulls back, their eyes meet…amber and blue, both filled with an emotion that neither one could name. His hand comes up to the nape of her neck and gently pulls her back down, this kiss more heated and passionate than its predecessor. With the light touch from his tongue against her lip, she allows him deeper into her mouth, her mind spiraling out of control with these new emotions that Aang could never give her…

Suki smiles at the wave of expressions that Katara is experiencing at the remembrance of that kiss. "It must have been something…" she murmurs and Katara nods, "Like nothing I have ever experienced before, or since. It had me so confused I started dreaming of him, so much so I made Aang very upset when I accidentally said Zuko's name in my sleep. We kinda fell apart after that."

Suki shakes her head, "I didn't know. What are you going to do now?"

The beautiful Waterbender smiles before she says "Go and see what this is all about…"

The rest of the day and the next morning fly by in an amazing speed, it seems. With all the preparations needed for the celebration, all meetings were postponed and the main hall is now being decorated. The Fire Lord walks through the chaos and heads to his uncle's suite. He finds him sitting at a table playing Pai Sho by himself.

"Uncle, what are you doing? The celebration is in a few hours." Zuko says and Iroh has to smile at the eagerness suddenly in his face. "So, you seem to be more accepting of all this!"

He has the decency to blush, making Iroh laugh. "I see…knowing that Lady Katara is coming has your spirits up." He moves in closer to his nephew and whispers, "Or is it the fact that she is not attached?"

"Uncle…"

Iroh's laughter gets louder and Zuko smiles in return. "You have to get ready, Fire Lord. By the way, what was the thing you had to do?"

Zuko smiles and Iroh's face softens. It is not often that his nephew smiles, but when he does…it changes him. "Don't worry, Uncle…you'll see tonight."

The hall is filling quickly with many dignitaries and nobles from around the Fire Nation. The women that have been invited to this have done everything that they can to make sure that they catch the handsome young lord's eye, not knowing that none of them stand a chance at that. Zuko stands at the doorway, looking around the room to see if he can spot the one person he has actually been waiting for. He is so engrossed in the search; he doesn't notice his uncle coming up behind him.

"Nephew, you have to make your entrance. They are waiting…"

He looks Zuko over, and is proud. His hair, grown longer and pulled back into a topknot…his face clean from any facial hair. From this side, he looks like his father but decides not to say that. He does have his mother's features, giving him a gentler look about him. All in all, his nephew is handsome…more than enough for his intended. He looks around in the hall and spies a bottle on a small table. He picks it up and asks, "What is this?"

Zuko smiles, "It's a surprise I have for whomever I choose tonight."

Iroh quirks a brow, "Am I to assume that you have chosen who you want?" and grins. It has been obvious since his nephew found out that the Waterbender was coming. Zuko looks out over the room again, a sudden fear coming over him. Frantic eyes turn to Iroh, "What if she doesn't want me?"

A wistful smile comes over his face as he answers Zuko, "Trust in Agni…and in your heart. You know how you feel, and I'm sure you know how she feels. It took you too long to realize what you have been keeping from each other…now is your chance to make it right." Looking at the blood-red robes with gold trim that adorn the Fire Lord, he pushes Zuko over to the entrance to the hall to be announced…

"Come on, Katara…why are you hiding?" says Sokka as he tries to pull his sister into the room.

"Sokka…I don't fit in…" she protests, but he looks her dead in the eye. "You are the best looking thing here…now you wanted to do this, so get in there! I'll be over there by the food!"

Sighing, she nods her head and straightens her back. With her head held high, she steps into the room…and all action stops. Everyone in the room stares at the beautiful young woman, dressed in blue and white robes. Being from the Water Tribes, she proudly wears their colors…completely different from everyone else in there. A few of the noblemen looks her over lavisciously, making crude remarks on how she would make a great addition to their respective harems. Suddenly the center of attention, she gulps hard but continues down the steps into the room…her eyes frantically looking around for someone she might know. As she tries to wend her way through the crowd, a soft hand touches her on the shoulder. Startled, she turns around, "Uncle! You don't know how glad I am that you are here!"

The old general hugs her gently, "It is good to see you too, Lady Katara. I'm sure that my nephew will make his appearance soon."

She sighs, "I hope so…I don't really feel too comfortable here." He looks around, "I thought I saw your brother with you…"

"He's by the food. He won't be staying long…Father is waiting for him. He was just supposed to make sure that I was okay."

Iroh nods, "Come with me…"

She slides her hand in the crook of his arm, letting him lead her over to the refreshment table. There are glasses filled with a strangely green tinted drink and Iroh hands her one. Smiling her thanks, she takes a sip…promptly spitting it out. "Ugh…cactus juice!"

Shocked at her reaction, he swallows a chuckle, "Yes, it's a favorite drink in the Fire Nation."

Remembering having to drink this stuff while in the desert so many years ago, she shakes her head and places it back on the table. "No, thank you…can't stand the stuff!"

He smiles, looking for a glass of water instead. She gratefully takes it and is about to drink when a gong is sounded. A young sage stands in the doorway...

"Ladies and gentlemen, Fire Lord Zuko…"

Katara's breath catches as she sees the most handsome man she has ever had the pleasure of knowing standing at the top of the steps…and he is looking directly at her…

To be continued…