Chapter 6 is FINALLY up! Man, that took a lot out of me! (wipes sweat drops from forehead) Anyway, this is the big chap, the mother-load of the entire story. I hope it rocks!
"Now, let's go out there and melt some faces!"- Jack Black, School of Rock
………………………………………………………………………………………………………
Chapter Six
It felt like a graveyard as everyone circled the fire for dinner.
Gossip about Katara's explosion had reached every person's ears. Yet, no one dared to speak of it as they ate their supper. Katara wasn't even coming to eat with them, and not a word escaped anyone's lips.
Aang squirmed as he tried to eat his food. A shaky hand would pick up the chopsticks and shove them into his bowl. Fidgeting fingers would try and bring a clump of rice to his lips, but the chopsticks ended up slipping and clattering in his bowl every time.
Sokka looked at Aang in concern.
"You look like you're having a fuckin' heart attack. Are you okay?" He questioned. Aang's head bobbed, and he attempted to take another bite.
Toph walked up to Aang and sat beside him. She took his face into her hands, and her clouded eyes widened.
"You're trembling all over, Twinkle Toes. Or should I start calling you 'Tremble Toes'?" She said, shaking her head. Aang set the bowl on the ground by his feet and massaged his burning neck.
"Oh, I feel… awful…" He mumbled. Sokka and Toph looked at each other, coming up with a way to offer some comfort. Not knowing what else to do, Toph enveloped Aang in a gentle hug.
Sokka stood up and joined his father on the opposite side of the fire. The Water Tribe leader looked very somber.
"Dad… have you tried giving Katara some dinner? Or just talking to her?" Sokka asked in a low voice. Hakota faced his son with a frown on his face.
"The only person Katara will see… is Zuko." He answered softly. Sokka sighed in defeat and looked at Zuko, who hadn't said a word the entire night. Sokka approached him and plopped next to him in exhaustion.
"Would you be willing to give Katara some rice?" Sokka said under his breath. Zuko looked up, as though breaking out of a trance. He nodded silently and put his bowl off to the side.
Zuko then stood up and prepared a fresh one, filled to the brim with rice. He pressed a pair of chopsticks in between the grains and headed off.
Katara had been alone all afternoon. What she was doing, Zuko didn't know. She wanted some time to herself, and Zuko gave her that. However, there was no way she was going to starve. Not on Zuko's watch.
He arrived at Katara's door. It was shut tight and, most likely, locked. Raising a clenched fist, Zuko's knuckles tapped the door.
"Um… it's Zuko." He started uncertainly. "Did you want some rice? It's going to get cold soon." From the other side of the door, the locks were clicking out of place, and the knob turned slowly.
Katara emerged from the darkness of her room. Her hair was unruly and tangled, and her eyelids sagged from so many tears. She looked at Zuko as though she hadn't seen him in years.
"Thanks." She said hoarsely. Clearing her throat, Katara accepted the bowl from him. Zuko nodded genuinely. She had helped him when he was sick. It was time that Zuko returned the favor.
"Need anything else? I was going to make tea." He suggested. Katara eyes were sincere as she nodded. Zuko nodded back and walked down the hall.
"Zuko?" Katara called faintly. Zuko turned back around. Katara was coughing roughly. When the eruption ended, she waved her hand slightly.
"Extra ginseng, please." She told him.
………………
Zuko was stirring the tea leaves in some boiling water as everyone cleaned up. Aang and Toph were quietly talking to each other near the fountain. Once Zuko had the tea prepared, he walked up to the huddled pair. Zuko held out a cup.
"Tea? It'll make you feel better." Zuko said. Still dazed, Aang took the cup numbly. Toph was holding Aang's free hand gingerly as she thanked Zuko.
Zuko walked the familiar path back to Katara's room. When he arrived, the door was cracked open. He opened it further, with care, to discover that Katara had finally turned on a light. She was sitting on her bed, rubbing her eyes tiredly.
"Here." Zuko said, holding the glass of tea out to her. As Katara took it, their hands brushed lightly together. Zuko swallowed thickly, the sudden contact causing a lump to come to his throat.
Katara hardly seemed to notice, which made Zuko feel less embarrassed.
"Thanks." She croaked.
"Sure." He said. Without much thought, Zuko placed his icy hand on Katara's forehead. Her eyes widened a little at this. When Zuko's hand returned to his side, he bit his lip. The awkwardness was too much.
"Well, get some sleep." was all he could say. He left the room as quickly as he came.
………………
The sky was now pitch black. There was not a single star to be seen, and the moon was shrouded by a thick layer of clouds. Thunder rumbled as rain poured heavily. Zuko's mood matched the dismal night.
He sat out, once again, in the middle of the storm. His hair was dripping wet and sticking to his face. Bumps rose to his skin as a shiver went down his spine. But, he didn't care. He had a lot on his mind.
Zuko missed his uncle Iroh. In the midst of everything, Uncle was always there for him. And Zuko never repaid an ounce of that generosity. Now, Zuko had no idea where his uncle was. Could he have been recaptured? Could he have… died?
Zuko also thought of his mother. He didn't know whether to believe it or not, but his father told him that Ursa had only been banished, not killed. Zuko wanted to hope that his mother was still alive. He wanted to hope…
The thunder grew louder, and the rain poured harder. Zuko looked up at the sky and felt the streams of water travel down his neck. Water was his weakness. And not just because his element was fire…
"Do you come out here to mope, or what?"
Zuko didn't even have to look to know who it was. Katara invited herself to sit at his side. She looked much better than she had only hours before.
"I'm done with my sulking. So why are you?" She asked as she bended some water out of the fountain to shield them from the rain.
"Just… thinking. I do that a lot." Zuko explained quietly. "And sometimes, my room gets stuffy, so I come out here."
"Haven't you learned your lesson from the last time?" Katara scolded him playfully. Zuko chuckled, not convinced that he could tell her.
"Well, if you helped me like last time…" He whispered. "I wouldn't mind getting sick over and over again."
Katara's mouth went agape, unable to believe what Zuko had just said. She was so astonished that she couldn't hold the shield above their heads any longer. They were both instantly doused, and neither cared to notice.
"You… you mean that?" She asked, stunned. Zuko nodded slowly. He turned and inched closer to her.
"Since that day… you slipped and I caught you… there's been this strange feeling inside of me." He said sensitively. "It's bugged me so much that it's the reason why I can't sleep anymore! And I've tried countless times to figure out what it is, and I haven't been able to."
For once, Katara actually understood where he was coming from. He was sensing something that he had never experienced, and he was unable to identify it.
"And… I make you feel this way?" She asked carefully.
"Whenever I'm around you… whenever we talk or look at each other. This is going to sound really weird… but this THING is making me think of you all the time. I have no idea why." Zuko answered.
Katara felt a rush of heat come over her. She knew that feeling he had for her. Yet, it was probably one that Zuko hadn't felt in a long time… for anyone.
"You love me, don't you?" She said directly. Zuko arched an eyebrow and scratched his head in contemplation.
"Is that what it is?" He asked.
"Sounds like it… because that's the way I've been feeling about you." Katara told him. Zuko looked at her with a very baffled look.
"Are you serious? After everything I've done to you… you love me?" He asked in disbelief. Katara nodded determinedly.
"I doubted it at first, don't get me wrong." She confessed. "But, Sokka and Dad were right. You have changed, and being as stubborn as I can be, I refused to accept it. Now…"
Without another agonizing moment of hesitation, Katara leaned forward quickly. She kissed Zuko as fiercely as she could.
Zuko was taken aback, as though someone had just tackled him. Katara's scent was crushing him. The strawberry taste of her lips was too succulent for Zuko to resist. So, he kissed her just as powerfully.
Katara couldn't keep her hands from traveling up and down Zuko's muscular back. Her tongue came into contact with Zuko's multiple times, and it was irresistible. She shuddered with delight as her hunger for him grew.
Zuko let Katara's silken hair out of its bounds and combed his fingers through it. His lips left hers and made their way down her face and neck, making both of them nearly swoon. Zuko's hands were wrapped perfectly around Katara's waist.
Almost out of breath, the two paused. The radiant warmth between them made the frigid rain look like nothing in comparison.
"We… shouldn't… Aang…" Zuko breathed deeply. Katara placed a firm finger to Zuko's swollen lips at the mention of the Avatar.
"Don't say that name in front of me." She gasped. She dipped in for more kissing. Zuko gladly accepted her and trailed his hands up to the small of her back.
The moment was so passionate, so full of pleasure. Zuko couldn't consider this ever happening, not even in his wildest daydreams. Yet, it was the best he had felt in a long time. And Katara had only one thing on her mind.
How much better Zuko was at kissing.
At last, the two separated. No matter how much it pained them, they both knew that NO ONE could find out about the two of them. No one.
………………………………………………………………………………………………………
Jesus. I wonder myself why I didn't go on ahead and let them lay each other! But, hey, this story is rated T, so I plan on keeping it that way. Unless… you guys liked this? Let me know in your reviews! –DeathRow609