Afterglow
Summary: Time has passed since Katara arrived at the Fire Palace. Many say that time heals wounds, but it doesn't seem to do anything for the angry differences between her and her fiancee. The strong hostility that was once present has died down, and she is starting to feel a little better about this whole situation. Yet, some love is slow to bloom, and they still have yet to be on talking terms. But with surprise visits and certain festivals native to the Fire Nation coming up, it seems like time is exactly the thing they don't have. Will this marriage ever work out?
Rating: T– mostly for language.
Author's Notes: I'm so glad that you guys stick with me on reviewing this story! This makes me so happy. Now, about the whole Sokka cooking and Zuko flower weaving... (sounds girly, I know, and I don't like that idea anymore than you do) It's not as pathetic as it sounds! Honest! Guys can cook too, and it doesn't hurt to have a cutesy hobby every now and then! Right? ... Right? Well, anyways, thanks again for the reviews. You guys make my day! On with the story!
Disclaimer: I don't own A: TLA. :(
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Afterglow
Chapter Seven
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Oh, it bugged her all right. Why, she couldn't tell you, but it, sure as hell did.
Groaning irritably, she turned in her bed. It was the earlier hours of the day, and Katara didn't get as much sleep as she planned on having for this day. But who could really sleep when they had such an issue on their mind?
Zuko– what was with him? Strange as it seemed, he had actually talked with her yesterday . . . Okay, she had to admit, it wasn't much of a talk. It was more of an I'll-ask-the-questions-and-you-answer-them session. But really. At least he didn't yell or glare at her. That was an improvement, right?
She turned again. And what brought all of that on in the first place? For two full months, she barely even got a single word out of him– not like she was really trying in anyway– then suddenly, he just decides to pop in and chat like a normal human? There had to be some ulterior motive behind his sudden lack of attitude towards her.
But he did leave very suddenly...
But that wasn't the point. The fact still stood that he was entirely incapable of having a sudden change of heart. It just wasn't in his nature! Not that she really knew anything about his nature to begin with...
What was it about him that made her so . . . breathless? It couldn't have been that irritating personality of his. That alone made her sick. He was defiantly good looking, that she couldn't lie about, but it just didn't seem to attract her interest that much. It was the personality butting in again. Then what was it?
She didn't notice the feeling before yesterday...
His voice.
She had heard it before, of course, but not in the way that he used it yesterday. It was so much less imposing . . . And there wasn't the same . . . snooty-ness.And there was a significant lack of arrogance. She found herself drawn to it . . . Why?
She tossed again in her bed.
It's only his voice that you like, Katara! She thought to herself. Only his voice. Nothing else. Especially not his angsty attitude. She could bet herself a bucket load of Water Tribe money that if she found some other guy with the same voice as her fiancee, she would fall for him.
The lack of sleep was starting to take effect on her. She couldn't keep this up much longer . . . maybe it would be easier on her mind to save this argument for the next morning . . . She closed her eyes and tried to fall asleep. She saw herself in a meadow; one with a cool breeze and blue flowers. She sat peacefully on the grass humming a Water Tribe lullaby.
Then there was a presence next to her. She smiled and turned toward him slightly. A warmth became evident on the hand closest to him, and her heart beat faster. They found themselves leaning closer to each other, slowly, ever so slowly. She could now feel the heat of his breath on her face–
"ACK!"
Sitting up in one swift motion, Katara flung herself awake. What the hell was that? It's like her mind had just betrayed her to the farthest extent, and created some fantasy that consisted of the thing she didn't want with him. What was wrong with her?
She flopped back against the pillows with a hand against her head. She was hopeless. Absolutely hopeless. All he did was talk to you, stop thinking about weird things! Her thoughts protested savagely against the strange fantasy.
But no matter how much she defied it, her heart still beat rapidly with erratic motions, and her hand– the one that he touched in her dream– held a foreign tingling sensation.
"Oh lord, help me..."
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When dawn came, Katara refused to awake to the sounds of the Fire Nation arising from their beds. It had become her alarm clock, and usually she gave in and would just wake up, but she defied it fully today. She was going to sleep whether they liked it or not.
Or, that was what she wanted to happen.
"Milady! Rise and shine!" Katara let out a groan. Why, WHY did he have to be so . . . perky? It was just . . . too early for this! Since the young waterbender didn't want to get up at the crack of dawn, and he knew it, Shinji shuffled over to the side of her bed, where she had her head tucked under the pillow. "Lady Katara?"
The Water Tribe girl sighed reluctantly. I guess I won't get to sleep today . . . She thought as she sat up on her bed. She pulled her fingers through her hair and turned toward him. He smiled at her attempt to wake up– he could see the sleepiness in her eyes.
"Good morning!" He said, softer so that he didn't sound too obnoxious. "I know that you're tired, but the Fire Lady wants an audience with you. It's not an emergency, so there's no rush. She would like to meet you in the tea room."
Katara rubbed the sleep out of her eyes absentmindedly. "Where is the tea room again?" She asked after a moment of thought. She should have known this by now. Too bad she didn't.
"I'll take you to it once you're ready." Shinji replied, heading for the door. Katara nodded in response and yawned ostentatiously. She rose from her bed and onto her feet when she heard the door close. Throwing her arms above her head, she stretched as she headed for her dresser.
The early morning light flooded from the window doors next to the balcony, and made her room a light orange color. After she smoothed her dress a bit, Katara opened the doors in an attempt to let a breeze into her stuffy room. A warm waft of air sifted past her, blowing her un-braided hair away from her face slightly. She frowned a bit. She was hoping for a nice cool breeze to come.
I guess they don't have such things here. It must be summer . . . She thought, heading back into her room to braid her hair.
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Shinji shut the door behind Katara as she took a seat on a cushion. The tea room, she realized, was actually quite a pretty place. It wasn't very spacious, for there were many decorations on the ground, and didn't seem like it would house very many people, but there was an air of relaxation to it– more than likely caused by the window wall facing the east with translucent curtains over it (red ones, of course) and the soft light filtering through them.
The young waterbender found herself glancing around it admiringly, wondering where the Fire Lady was. Her question was answered as the sliding doors across from her opened, and Ursa stepped in. She smiled guiltily.
"I apologize for the rudeness of making you wait for me. I had a few things I had to attend to before coming here." She explained as she took a seat across from Katara. "The Founder's Day festival is supposed to start in about an hour, and there were still some things that had to be attended to before anything started." Ursa smiled again, and the doors opened for a servant who was carrying some tea. Both women expressed their thanks and the servant stepped aside.
"Now, before we get any more sidetracked from our meeting," The Fire Lady said, stirring her tea with a spoon and smiling. "I'd like to ask you something."
Katara stirred her tea as well, her mind reeling. I hope this isn't anything too bad... "What is it, milady?"
Ursa smiled. "You are planning on going to the big festival down in the heart of town tonight, correct?" Katara nodded her head– she didn't really have a choice in the matter. "Good. Can I suggest something?" Again, Katara nodded. "There is alcohol being served, and sometimes during festivals, men can get a little over the top. Watch out for yourself, would you?"
Katara wasn't expecting this to be what she said, but she nodded anyway. "Of course." Ursa sighed a little and sat back– she was unintentionally leaning toward the Water Tribe girl.
"Good, good. Just thought that you might want to know something like that, so that you could watch out for yourself. But that wasn't the reason I called you in here." She paused for a moment to take a sip of her tea. She set it down on the table and looked up at Katara. "Have you ever wondered why you haven't seen the Fire Lord?"
This threw Katara for a loop. Yes, she had wondered that when she first arrived at the Fire Palace, but after a while, she just didn't worry about it any more. Why was the Fire Lady bringing it up now? "Yes..."
"The reason was because he wasn't in the Fire Nation. He left for the Earth Kingdom a month before you arrived. He is due to come back . . . Tomorrow." Ursa's lips were tight, and her expression guarded.
A tremor of fear found its way down Katara's back. The Fire Lord? Just the name made her feel like this . . . What would happen when she saw him?
"I want you to be on the lookout. I haven't told him about you. Watch what you're doing and try not to stand out."
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Well this is just plain crap.
Zuko stared unemotionally at the festival playing out before him. Yes, it was a nice night, yes, he would rather be here than in his room, and yes, he did like the music, but he couldn't help but be bored. This was the fourth festival in the last two months, and he was beginning to really feel the aftermath of partying so often.
Like sitting in one spot for hours.
After walking around and observing the hard work that the citizens put into this festival, he grabbed a drink and plopped his royal butt right down on a crate half obscured by a dark alley. He had drained his cup at least four times– not even bothering to ask what it was– and thought about the depressing parts of his existence.
Oh yeah. This was the life. Nothing beats being an outright depressed prince of the most advanced nation in the whole world. And all that you can think about is how your mother hooked you up with a no-good peasant blood water tribe girl. Yep. Zuko was enjoying himself.
Why the hell do I have to be the one to marry someone out of the country! I was just fine before she came along! I was just fine doing . . . doing . . . Nothing. Crap. Just plain crap. He sighed dramatically and placed his hand over his eyes. Things were just not going his way. He even almost trusted her yesterday! That would have been a huge mistake . . . A non-reversible mistake.He tried to trust somebody before, and got hurt in the process. He didn't want that again. Never again.
He sat up again, and drained the last of his drink. It was a funny tasting drink, he had to admit. It was sour, and it burned his throat, but it also helped him forget about some of his problems. He stared down at his now empty cup and his mind drifted again. How was he going to deal with her? After this, he was supposed to spend the rest of his life with this water tribe girl, and then she'd always be with him . . . Always too close . . . Always making him trust her . . . It was dangerous ground, and he hated this plan.
How can I get her to leave?
He stood from his spot, in search of another drink, and a dizzy spell hit him like a ton of bricks. He put his hand to his head, and tried to re-gain his balance again. Being the impatient person that he is, he started walking before he was safely on both of his feet, and staggered into the wall.
"Ouch . . . damn wall . . . " He grumbled angrily. He tried to focus his vision as it swam violently before him. When it finally started to still, he walked again, heading to where he found the drink. He ordered another, the man gave it to him, and he walked back to his spot, plunked very un-princely like onto his crate. He drank half of his drink and glared at nothing in particular.
Oh yes. He was having a very good time.
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Katara hadn't noticed till now that she was scanning the crowd. Just because of a few words exchanged the day before– with so many original barriers discarded– her heart had managed to take a sudden leap and her thoughts had been more about him.
Well, they weren't always nice thoughts, but it was a start.
Then her eyes stopped. Her heart gave a sudden thud in her chest, and her cheeks began to heat. There he was . . . A little obscured by a house's shadowy alley way, but he was still there, sitting on a random crate. His eyes were focused in a distant gaze, and a clear cup filled half-way with an amber substance was held lightly in his hand.
It looked innocent enough, but there was something unnerving about his stance. He sat so casually, and it seemed that the defensive air that usually surrounded him, had just disappeared. He was always on edge whenever she saw him. Whether it was from afar or up close, he just didn't have a trusting bone in his body.
Suddenly, she recognized his situation. It happened to the men back home.
She found herself moving toward him involuntarily.
He didn't even notice her as she moved in close. He just kept staring off into space, every now and then stopping to take a sip of his beverage. Before he could take another drink, she snatched it from his hand. His attention snapped to her.
"Aren't you a little under age to be drinking so much?" She questioned, as she poured the remaining alcohol onto the stone street. He watched it hungrily.
"I could have you arrested for that." He growled, turning his icy glare on her. It consisted of such acerbity that Katara could feel her heart stop beating for a moment. He wasn't himself. He had glared at her plenty of times before, but not at this degree. It was if she had just slain his best friend.
But she had to push that feeling aside. It was the time for her to be strong so that he wouldn't do anything that he might regret– no matter how much she didn't want to do this.
"Please. You couldn't even accomplish arresting a flying lemur in your state."
Okay, that was a lie. Maybe he was too drunk to call on her bluff.
His eyes narrowed. "What state?"
Katara sighed a bit. She had always heard that when you tell a drunk person that they are drunk, they would deny it. But in her opinion, it was always better to tell them anyway, just so that they would know, and maybe in a small chance do something about it on their own.
She folded her arms in a defiant way that showed that she had a power over him. "You, your highness, are drunk."
