Chapter seven
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Katara rushed through the hallway. She had an urgent call at home ,something about Min Ho breaking the rules. She went over to Min Ho's school as fast as she could. She found Min Ho sitting on a chair, waiting patiently in front of the principal's office. She watched as he stared at his finger. He looked like he was crying. Katara rushed over to Min Ho, knelt down to his height, Cupped his face in her hands and wiped away his tears.
"What happened? Did they hurt you? What's wrong?" She asked him but she heard no reply from him. It only made new tears form in his eye's. She pulled him into her chest and stroked his hair . This finally made him calm down. Katara was beyond angry. Why would they make her child cry like this.
"Sweetie. Wait hear. I want to see the principal." She said as she kissed his cheeks and forehead. She stood up, went over to the door and knocked before it was opened. She saw the principal sitting on her chair and Min Ho's teacher, named Avery sitting across the table. "What's the meaning of this? Why is my son crying?"
"Miss katara we have been waiting for you. Please sit down." The principal said gesturing to the empty sit in front of her.
"No. I want answers right now."
"Madam your son put glue on a fellow classmates head and I heard him use inappropriate language." Miss Avery said as she glared at katara. For some reason, she never liked katara.
"This is unacceptable. The child's mother was very upset about this." The principal said as she took a sip of her coffee.
"Did you try asking the both of them what happened? Or is my son the only bad guy here?" Katara said trying not to raise her voice.
"I caught him rubbing glue on a students head. They were fighting." Avery said as she chewed her gum.
"You're wrong. My Min Ho would never do a thing like that without a reason and he doesn't use inappropriate language." Katara said the last part while glaring at Avery. She knew Avery was making it up. Katara could clearly see her roll her eye's.
"what I heard was..." She started saying before katara cut her off.
"Wrong! What you heard was wrong. Why was he crying? I left him in your care, I found my son sitting outside crying."
"If you raise him to be this violent. I suggest he does that at home and not in school." Avery said as she glared at katara.
"It's just an observation." She said in dismay when she saw the principal looking at her.
"Are you implying that I didn't raise my son right? Well let me tell you what i think about your little observation." She grabbed a cup of coffee she saw on the table and poured it all over Mrs avery's head. She screamed when she felt the cold liquid on her head.
"Like mother like son." She said as she watched Avery scream for help.
" There won't be a next time."katara said firmly to the principal. Katara stepped out of the office and rushed over to Min Ho. He wasn't crying anymore. He just looked sad. She sat beside him and took his hand in hers.
"Min Ho, why did you put glue on your friends hair?" Katara asked softly. She knew he wouldn't lie to her.
"He started it. He was pulling at my hair and he called me bad names. He said that I'm a garbage baby and that I shouldn't come to school tomorrow because I don't have a Daddy." He said as he started crying all over again.
"Oh Min Ho. I know what he did was wrong and he should be punished too but you shouldn't have put glue on his hair."
"Is tomorrow bring your father to school day?"
"Yes." Min Ho said as katara dried his tears.
"Then sokka will come for you. I'll tell him..."
"No... They'll just laugh at me." She felt her heart sink to hear him say that. She knew how if felt like to be the laughing stock of the society. She was a loner back in high school. She knew how kids could be so mean.
"No one will laugh at you because we're going to get you into another school." She said as kissed his head. The principal's door flew opened and an angry Avery stormed out of the office trying to get the liquid out of her hair.
"Did you see what I did? I poured a cup of coffee on her hair." Katara said with a smile on her face causing Min Ho to laugh.
"Stop laughing. It's not funny." She said as she tickled him. She wanted him to be happy. She wanted to tell him that it was all her fault. She sent his father away. She wanted to take all his pain away. If only she could.
"I'm sorry mummy. I didn't mean to..." He said to her as he wrapped his little hands around her waist, giving her a hug.
"Don't do that again. Okay sweetie?" She said firmly before lifting him up into her arm's and walking out of the school. She knew one think was certain. They were never coming back here again and the new house for her and Min Ho would have to wait. She has to get him into another school first.
"Okay mummy." He said as he buried his head in his mother's hair. He was so happy that katara came to get him.
They finally arrived at home. Min Ho had a healthy meal and katara gave him a bath. He had been smiling all day. That was how she wanted Min Ho to be. She wanted him to be happy. She finally put him to sleep after reading him a bed time story. She heard a knock on the door, she stood up and opened it gently making sure she didn't wake Min Ho up.
"Can we talk? Suki said as she rubbed her baby bump.
"This came in the mail today." She said as she handed over an envelope to katara.
"Thanks." She opened it and stared at the paper. She had a weak smile on her face. She passed just like every single time she applied.
"Well...?" Suki said eager to find out if she got accepted.
"I got in. I passed but I can't go. It's too far away from here and I can't leave him."
"You can't keep making up excuses katara. Min Ho is not a baby anymore. We'll take care of him." She was tired of katara taking the responsibility of Min Ho like it was her punishment. She couldn't understand why she wasn't thinking forward.
"I can't leave him." Katara just wanted to get a job and just take care of her son. The only reason she applied was to make Suki happy.
"This is not your decision to make. I'm tired of being patient with you. For the past two year's you applied for college and you just won't go. I'll give this to Sokka." She snatched the paper out of katara's hand. Suki wanted her to make something of herself.
"Give what to me?" Sokka said as walked up to them. He was in his room when he heard the both of them arguing.
"This..." Suki said as she handed over the paper to her husband.
"Hey, you got into nursing school." Sokka said with a smile on his face. He was so proud of her.
"I'm not going. Min Ho needs to be transferred to another school. Don't worry. I'll pay for everything." She said with confidence. She didn't want to be a burden to her brother and his family not like they were complaining.
"Where did you get the money?"
"I have been working really hard sokka. I wanted to use it to get an apartment for Min Ho and I to..."
"What were you thinking of doing. You were just going to leave. Just like that." Sokka said trying not to raise his voice. He couldn't believe she wanted to leave. He knew the time would come but she was still young and she just started getting back on her feet.
"I can't keep living off you."
"Is that what you call this. I'm not tired of taking care of you. I'll pay your tuition."
"You don't have too. I want to take responsibility."
"Just because you have a child. It doesn't make you responsible especially what you did at Min Ho's school today. Min Ho will go back to that school. I already talked to the principal.
"He was being treated badly. You don't understand what they say or do to him. You don't know how hurt Min Ho was today. He was being bullied because he doesn't have a father." She said as she blinked away her tears.
"And whose fault is that?" Sokka said shocking both katara and suki.
"Sokka..." Suki said to her husband she couldn't believe he said that to his sister. She watched as katara went back into the room and shut the door behind her.
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"Get out of my office." Angry Zuko said to his employee. He has been in a bad mood ever since the day he met katara. He sank into his chair and used his hands to massage his forehead. He could still remember all the things she said to him. It had been a week now and he still couldn't get over it.
"Why are you so angst today? You fired two people today. I just hope this has nothing to do with that girl." Lu ten said when he walked into the office shutting the door behind him. Zuko didn't even realize that someone was in his office till he heard the door shut.
"Hey." Zuko said finally noticing his presence.
"I think you should go home, take a break." Lu ten said. Zuko's health was of great concern to him. He didn't want Zuko to end up grumpy and lonely. Zuko was like a brother to him.
"I'll take care of everything. The meetings, transactions and the file's." He said trying to reassure him that he would take care of everything.
"No thanks, I'm fine. I just can't believe it. She just rejected me. She won't even let me see my son. That won't be for long. I'll get to see him in two days." The meeting was all he could think of all day.
"Maybe you should try and talk to her. Let her know how sorry you are for what you did." Lu ten said try to reason with his cousin.
"No." He couldn't imagine himself going over to that house again and apologizing to that rude, spoilt woman.
"You're too proud. The sooner you learn that, the better. We're having a party tomorrow. Yue and I have an announcement." He said with a smile on his face. Hoping his cousin would get the hint. Zuko just sat on the chair staring blankly at his hands. Lu Ten tapped his table twice before Zuko bolted up on his sit.
"What was that for?"Zuko said with a scowl on his face.
"Get up it's time for lunch." Lu ten said as he smirked at Zuko.
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The next day...
Zuko sat on a bench by the pool at Lu Ten's apartment. He sighed out loud putting his sunglasses on. They were having a small get together to congratulate the newly expecting couple, yue and lu ten. Jet couldn't make it. He said something about a date. Azula was at ba sin sei university studying law.
Aang's wife was talking to yue while rocking their one year old baby, Jade. No one would have believed those two would end up together. She was tough, beautiful, rude( according to Zuko) and was from a very rich family. Aang loves her more than anything.
"Something tells me you have a lot on your mind." Aang said as he sat beside zuko.
"You have been sulking out here all day." Zuko was very found of Aang. Sometimes it was like he was the only person that could understand him.
"Can you believe that woman. She slapped me. Can you believe that."
"Wow, I can't believe she did that." Toph said as she kissed Aang and gave Jade to her father. Zuko rolled his eyes at that. Of all the women in the world Aang and Lu Ten had to fall for, it had to be those impossible, nosey women. That wasn't his problem right now. How did she even walk up to them without him noticing?
"I kind of expected her to do worse. The worst part is that I might never get to see my son again." Zuko said as he stared blankly into the pool.
"Honey! It's your turn to pick Ray from school today. I just hope he doesn't get glue on his hair again." Yue said before she continued talking to Toph. Ray was a child who they adopted when he was a baby. Yue never thought she could have a child of her own ever since the car accident. Now that she was pregnant, everything will still remain the same. She was never planning on telling Ray that she's not his mother
"Zuko I know what will make you feel better how about we go pick Ray from school." Lu ten said as he taped Zuko on his back.
"No...I'm not interested. I'll rather sulk out hear than go anywhere right now."
"Alight. I guess you're going to be hanging out with the ladies before I get back." Lu ten said as he walked away from the pool
"Let's go please." Zuko said trying to avoid those women. They always tried to make him date their friends. Thinking that he would change his ways.
They arrived at the school. Lu ten got out of the car. Zuko sat in the car, He folded his arms and stared at a bench in front of the school. He saw a little boy sitting on it. Lu ten finally came back. He opened the back sit and strapped Ray in, before he entered the car. "I'm back." Lu Ten said finally noticing How Zuko was staring at a kid sitting on the bench.
"Lu ten that's Min Ho my son. You can go home, I'll call you later." He said as he got out of the car and went over to the boy. Lu Ten thought Zuko had gone insane. He decided to stay and watch just in case something goes wrong.
"Min Ho?" He said as he sat beside him on the bench."
"Zuko?" He was surprised when he saw Zuko, at first he thought it was his mother. She told him not to talk to Zuko.
"Why are you out here alone?"
"My mummy said I shouldn't talk to you." Min Ho said as he stared at his feet.
"But I'm not a stranger anymore. Where's your mother?" He said as he smiled at how min ho was playing with his hands.
"I'm waiting for her." He said as he looked up at Zuko. His golden eye's staring right back at his. Zuko could see himself in Min Ho. He hadn't taken the time to really look at his son. He had his hair, eye's nose. He definitely got katara's lips.
"Are you hungry?" Zuko asked as he stared at Min Ho with a smile on his face. He still couldn't believe he was a father.
From a far Lu ten watched with a smile on his face. He had never seen his cousin so happy. He looked over at ray who folded his arm and pouted. He was upset about something. At least he didn't get glue on his hair again.
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Another chapter! Thanks to chinweoa ,bwolloves, Titi and all the wonderful guest who reviewed on the last chapter. Chinweoa I laughed so hard on your review. The love between them will start all over again. It's a zutara fic so don't worry.
The next chapter is gonna be intense. There will be another confrontation and a whole lot of trouble you can't even imagine what Zuko is going to do :)
See you next time and please review and tell me what you think.