well, here it is! chapter numero seven...
IDOATLA (i don't own Avatar the Last Airbender)
GAH! writers block!!!!!! NOOOOOOOO!
special thanks to my bff Katelyn for some awsome ideas! Thanks Girl!
Katara was determined to remain steadfast in her silence, all the way to the bath house. Zuko had tried to get her to talk, but the most he got was a small "hmf". Finally, it occurred to him, how to get her to talk. Sure she might be mad, but it was going to be worth the look on her face. As soon as he stepped outside the house, he took a sharp turn in the opposite direction of the bath house and headed towards the beach. She twitched and struggled in his arms, but to no avail, so she was forced to speak.
"Where are we going?!" she scolded. Zuko just sauntered on, not paying any attention to her cries of frustration. "Zuko, where are you taking me?!" she shouted again.
"To dump you in the ocean." he answered simply. Katara scoffed at him, curtailing her attempt at freedom and crossed her arms again. The two continued on to the beach. Katara could feel the wound on her back begin rip, causing her extreme pain, but she bit her lip and pressed on with the resentment.
"Anywhere there's water." she replied snidely. Zuko stopped abruptly, digging his feet into the sand, forcing Katara to cling to his shirt with both hands. She looked up. "What was that for?!" Zuko suddenly plopped her down in the sand, jarring her whole body and making her ache even more. She could feel the warm stream of blood ooze from her back.
"I kind of liked it better when you were unconcious," he joked. Katara, however, found nothing funny in the slightest. She would have gotten up and slapped the fire out of him, but she was barely able to sit up, so she did the one thing that would make him feel like a complete JERK.
"OOOOOOOOW!!!! My back! It hurts! I think it's bleeding again!!!" She threw a graceful hand up to her forehead, closed her eyes, held her breathe, and gave the performance of a lifetime. Opening her eyes slightly, so he couldn't tell, she watched him kneel quickly and almost start crying.
"KATARA!! KATARA!!! I'M SORRY! PLEASE! DON'T LEAVE ME!!!!" Katara had do do her best not to laugh at him in his state. His eyes grew glassy and he grabbed her and held her close to him. Now, this was just weird. He put her head on his shoulder and whispered through her hair, into her ear. "Please, wake up... please wake up. It's all my fault... It's all my fault. I can't live without you." Great, how could she bring herself to play the trick on him now. He would either die from embarrassment, or he would kill her for it. Deciding against the joke, Katara stayed broken in his arms, letting him say what he wanted.
Slowly, playing it safe, she lifted her head and opened her eyes to see the his face. She realized that there had been few instances where anyone had seen this vulnerable side of him. She remembered the time she was trapped in the crystal catacombs under Ba Sing Se, and the time she finally forgave him. Luckily, her heart was racing which made her shake uncontrollably, making it seem more realistic. Still clinging to him, she looked toward the ocean.
"Zuko... take me to the water... please." Moving quickly, he scooped her up and sprinted for the water. It must have been quite an adrenaline rush because there was no way any person could run that fast while holding another person bridal style. In a matter of seconds, he was knee-high in salty water and placing her on her feet, but just barely. Still feining the whole 'pass out' thing, she put both hands on his shoulders as he put his hands on both sides of her rib cage. She breathed slowly, feeling water flowing around her legs and connecting with the flow. The water surrounding her began to glow and snake up towards the the wound on her back. She could feel the healing power overtake her and the water fill the gash. After about twenty seconds, the water rushed down and she opened her eyes.
Zuko still stood there, holding her until she stepped back, showing him that she was alright. Her back wasn't completely healed, but the aches and pains in the rest of her body had vanished. She now felt like she could take on the world, only because she coould stand on her own. Soon, she realized that she was standing there in her night shirt and a pair of shorts. Zuko, however didn't seem to notice, for he was just glad to see her standing on her own. Katara looked down at her ragged appearance, then looked back up at Zuko, hinting toward her pajamas. Luckily, this was one of the rare occasions that he actually took a hint.
"We should get back. You probably want to change into something more suitable than... pajamas." he finally said. Katara smiled, nodded and headed out of the water and onto the sand. Zuko followed close behind, just in case something were to happen. "You sure did give me a good scare when you passed out." he said, after a while.
"Oh?" she replied innocently, trying to sound as convincing as possible.
"Yeah, I didn't mean to hurt you... again." Katara was suddenly filled with sympathy for Zuko, but she kept walking.
"It wasn't your fault. Neither was the whole deal on the airship. You can't blame yourself for everything that goes wrong, Zuko," she hadn't planned to got this far, but she had scared him so badly. Katara turned to see his facial expression from behind, and saw that it was emotionless and stone-cold. She turned back around and continued her speech. "The whole thing was an accident that no one could have stopped. Sometimes, bad things just happen." Here she was again, rambling on about morals and such. She hadn't realized that they were now on the front steps of the beach house and that Zuko had caught up with her. His eyes were filled with hurt now, probably because this talk reminded him of his mother, and how his uncle helped him cope with the loss. He sighed as he pushed the door open and shuffled into the living room.
"You sound like my uncle, talking about hard times and stuff. He was the only one that ever really loved me enough to help me cope, instead of yelling at me and telling me to get over it," A wave of sorrow fell over Katara as the words poured out of his mouth. "It always seems like, whenever I lose, or almost lose someone I care about, someone else is always there to help me cope." Zuko started up the stairs and down the hallway with all the bedrooms. "Ozai and Azula quit acting like my family as I got older, but my mother and my uncle always stayed the same. They made contact with me; loved me for me. When you were lying there on the bed, that night, I had no one to make that contact with. I felt so... alone." Katara was so absorbed in the story, she almost passed her own bedroom door. She stopped but didn't open the door. Instead, she wrapped her arms around his neck, pulling him into one of her famous hugs. Immediately, his arms were around her waist and the two were pressed together.
"Hey, what do you say to a picnic on the beach?" she asked, pulling away and trying to lift his spirits. He chuckled a little, make her heart skip a beat with his smile.
"Sounds good to me." he answered, finally walking away and disappearing into his own room. After he was out of sight, Katara leaned up against the wall for support. Her heart was racing and she felt like their beach house just turned into a sauna. Putting a hand over her heart, she reacalled those amber eyes staring her down, trapping her in a gaze of desire.
Katara combed through her closet, searching for something to wear, prefferably, something pretty. Unfortunately, her closet was stocked with nothing but reds, golds, and blacks; far from the blues and whites she was used to. She looked until she found a red swimsuit with a matching wrap-around skirt. She threw it on and stood in front of the mirror, marveling at herself. "Oh, yes." she muttered to herself, feeling satisfied with the ensemble.
Soon, the food was packed and Zuko and Katara were dressed for the beach. Zuko insisted on just going to the private beach, where no one could bother them.
"Please, Zuko! Let's go tot the public one. I want to feel like a regular teen and I've never gotten that chance." Zuko was determined not to go, but when she stuck out her bottom lip in a sad puppy-dog pout, his mind was suddenly changed for him. As the two closed the door and headed out, Zuko turned to Katara with a serious look.
"I think I'll just lay low. They may not know who I am, and I want to keep it that way." he told her sternly. Katara nodded, agreeing with him, then she resumed their "cheerful" trip to the beach. Zuko insisted on carrying the picnic basket, but he let Katara carry the towels. They trekked across the sand, in silence, until they came to the public beach, where teens were ubundant and a fierce game of beach-ball was taking place. To Zuko, the sight of the ball flying over the net brought back memories of his own trip with Azula, Mai, and Ty Lee. In reaction to his unpleasant recolection, he sighed as he placed the basket in the sand. Katara turned to see him sinking onto his knees, opening the container.
"Wait," she said, holding up a hand to him. "What are they playing?" Katara pointed her finger to the two guys playing with the ball and the net. Zuko looked back down at the ground, obviously unhappy.
"It's just a dumb game. You wouldn't be interested in it." he replied nonchalantly. Katara kept staring at the game, completely interested.
"I don't know. It looks pretty fun to me." she countered, starting towards the boys. Zuko knew that this would end badly if he let her go. He shot up from where he was seated and grabbed her by the wrist, stopping her in her tracks.
"No. You don't even know how to play." he continued. "Besides, I don't know if you should be moving around like that, considering your back and all." Katara rolled her eyes at him, frustrated.
"Zuko, you're starting to sound like Sokka. I'm not six." she said, starting to sound agitated. She turned her back and began to walk away. Zuko called after her.
"Fine! Go ahead and see if I care!" he shouted, fed up with the stubborn girl. Is this what he used to be like?
"Is there room for one more?" she asked.
"I think this game's a little to wild for a girl like you." one of them replied. This one was the tallest out of the two. Zuko could see Katara put her hands on her hips, asserting herself.
"I'm sure I could play just as well as you." she countered, angrily. The boys started laughing at her childish behavior. Zuko wasn't going to let her embarrass herself like this, so he started walking toward the argument.
"Besides," the boy continued, "you don't even have a team mate." Zuko suddenly put his hand on her shoulder and she looked back at him with surprise.
"I'll be her partner." he chimed in, smiling at her from the corner of his mouth. Both the boys scoffed and started walking toward their side of the net, obviously not recognizing their Fire Lord. Katara grabbed Zuko by the arm and pulled him close, so she could whisper in his ear.
"Thanks." He couldn't help but smile at her as his heart began to race.
"Okay, pretty boy. First one to five wins. Your serve!" The ball was shot directly at Zuko from his left side. He was so concentrated on his partner that the ball hit him in the face, rattling his head and making it throb for a moment.
"Ow! Hey! Watch it! I don't see well out of that eye!" he shouted, his temper flaring. Katara put a hand on his shoulder, trying to calm him.
"It's okay. They didn't know." she explained calmly to him. Guiding him over to their side of the net, Zuko picked up the ball and readied to serve it up. Katara took her place just in front of the net. He dug his heels into the sand, tossed the ball into the air with his left hand, and gave it a good 'Smack!' and the ball went sailing over the net. The boy on the opposite side quickly sent it flying back over at Katara. Being in front, she had to be quick to react, but obviously, she aslready knew this. Jumping up, she hit the ball back over the net and and straight past the two boys, imbedding it in the sand.
"I believe that's one for us, gentlemen." she stated smartly. Their opponents glared at the two as they regained their pride.
"Whatever. It was just one point. We practically let you have it, anyway." the taller one said coolly. Without another word, the ball was passed back to Zuko, who served up high, this time. The boys scampered around their side of the net, trying to see past the sun, but the ball landed far out of their reach. Katara quickly turned to Zuko and smiled.
The ball kept traveling over the net, and each time, Zuko or Katara would out-smart the other two boys, even without their bending. Finally, the ball hit the ground again.
"That's five; we win." Zuko chided, coming up behind his team mate. Katara jumped into the air triumphantly.
"Yeah! Go Team Ava- oh, wait." She turned to Zuko and whispered quietly. "We're not Team Avatar; we're team... hmm... Zu... ta...ra" She nodded her head in approval at her new, cheesy name. "Team Zuatara!" Zuko winced at the corny name for his team. It sounded like something Sokka would make up. However, he wasn't going to let it get him down, now, because he was just glad that they had won. Turning to the other boys, he began laughing.
"Well, not only did you lose, but you lost to a girl." Their faces turned red with anger. Apparently, girls weren't very high up on their 'Who-I-want-to-lose-to' list. Katara stepped up to coninue bragging.
"And not only that, but you lost to a waterbender." Her snide comment had finally set the boys off. The taller one finally picked up the ball from the sand and launched it at Zuko from his left side. Not being seen, the ball nailed him square on the scarred side of his face, this time, knocking him off his feet. Zuko landed with a hard 'thud' on the sand. Katara was infuriated.
"Hey! You should apologize for that! He told you that he doesn't see well!" she scolded, helping Zuko onto his feet. The other boys jus laughed at her.
"Or what? Are you going to splash me with your stupid waterbending?" He wiggled his fingers at Katara, who took the insult very personally. Katara balled her hands into tight fists, trying not to lose her cool. "Uh oh, look out Chan! You might get wet!" he yelled, going into another laughing fit. Katara felt Zuko's hand on her shoulder, pulling her back.
"Come on, Katara. We don't want any trouble." he whispered. Katara shook her head and started yelling.
"No! I want an apology from these two!" she yelled, pointing an acusing finger at the guys, who were still laughing hysterically. One of them wiped his eyes of tears and spoke again.
"Oh, why don't you two just go crying to your mommies!" No longer was Katara in control of her temper. Freeing her shoulder from Zuko's hand, she headed for the boys in a dead sprint. She brought her hand back and screamed at the top of her lungs.
"SHUT UP!!!" She brought her fist up against the taller one's face and sent him flying back about six feet. The other one went to grab her, but she was too quick for him. Grabbing him by his arm, she flipped him over, onto his back, and gave him a hard kick in the thigh. Zuko stared in horror as this kind-hearted girl completely beat the sense out of two grown teenage boys who were about twice her size. They didn't even have time to react before she was on them like a wild animal. She had made certain that each boy had a bloody nose or at least one less tooth in his mouth. Over all, it was a terrifying sight that he was glad not to be part of.
Soon, Zuko was forced to react when Katara started yelling at the innocent by-standers. "What are you looking at?! Did you want to say something about my mother too?!" Zuko quickly ran up behind the girl and grabbed her by the wrist.
"Katara! That's enough!" he shouted in his booming 'Fire Lord' voice. She whipped around to glare at him, but shrunk away from the angry glare he gave her. Everyone soon returned to their activities, as they were disappointed that the fight was over. "Let's go." he said solomnly, starting back toward the private beach. With her in towe, Zuko went over the speech she was going to get, in hs mind. 'Neither you or I are children anymore, and it's time you grew up and got over your mom. You can't go running around beating people up becasue they wont apologize. Face it; you overreact waaaay too much.' They walked and walked until Zuko could see the beach house, then he stopped abruptly and let Katara slam into him.
"Why are we stopping?" she asked. Zuko was alarmed at the shaky nature of her voice, but when he turned and looked at her face, he realized why. She had angry tears running down both sides of her face and her shoulders were moving up and down from her sobs. Suddenly, Zuko forgot the prepared speech and changed from gripping her wrist to holding her hand.
"I'm sorry. I should have stopped you from that game in the first place." he stated plainly. She closed her eyes and dropped her head, letting more tears fall into the sand below. Right now, Zuko didn't want to scold her or ask questions; right now, he only wanted her to be comforted. Letting go of her limp hand, he stepped forward and wrapped his arms around her shoulders. For a while, she just stood there, resting her forehead on his chest. Zuko could feel the warm tears seeping through the cloth of his shirt, but he didn't care. Katara slowly put her arms around his waist and turned her head so he could see her tear-streaked face. Zuko ran a hand underneath her hair and proceeded to rub her back, gently until the cries and whimpers began to subside.
"You know, I've never seen such a great display of hand-to-hand combat like that in years." he mused, still holding her close.
"I couldn't let them get away with treating you like that." she replied, pressing her head more firmly against his chest. He couldn't help but notice how prefectly she fit in his arms so he held her tightly, not wanting to let her go. Soon, though, Katara lifted her head, sniffed, and wiped the tears from her eyes. "I need to sit down. Zuko led her to a large rock where the two of them could sit and watch the ocean. After a few minutes of extremely awkaward silence, Zuko spoke up.
"So, I've been meaning to ask you something." he started. Katara turned her head to listen. "Why didn't you use your bending back there?" he asked. Katara thought about her answer and chose her words carefully.
"Well, when they made fun of me for being a girl and a waterbender, I felt... weak." Katara brought her knees up under her chin, making her seem smaller to Zuko. "I wanted to show them that I wasn't going to hide behind a wall of water." She looked to Zuko for some kind of reaction, but he just nodded head and looked back out to the ocean.
"Makes sense to me." he murmered, leaning back on his arms and crossing his legs out in front of him. A random thought soon, popped into Katara's head as she looked out onto the water.
"I have a question for you." she said, mimicking Zuko's position next to her. "You and Mai- What happened there?" she asked. Zuko looked at her with a puzzled expression, making her wish she had never broached the subject. "It's okay; you don't have to tell me." she added quickly. A broad smile took over his features, and he looked back out with a chuckle.
"No. It's okay. I've just never told anyone." Katara crossed her legs and turned her whole body towards him. "Mai and I were fond of each other. Though, it wasn't until a few months after the war that we both realized that it just... wasn't going to work. Mai wasn't really someone I could open up to." Katara was silent for a while, then she realized that he was done.
"Oh. So, do you guys still keep in touch?" she asked, pulling the question out of the blue. Katara wondered if Zuko found it strange that she wanted to know so much about Mai, but he didn't seem to care.
"Not as much as we used to. I think she went back to live on her family's estate and that her father's set her up with some nobleman." he replied, not even acting as though it bothered him in the slightest. "My turn again." he chided, turning his body toward hers, and crossing his legs. "Why did you and Aang decide to split up? You seemed happy together." Katara was caught off guard by his question and how it made her head spin.
"Aang is a great guy, and I know he'd do anything for me. I guess it's kind of like you and Mai. We loved each other to begin with, but in time, it grew into fondness." Katara watched closely for a reaction from Zuko. Again, he just nodded his head, playing with a pebble on the rock where they were seated. "Plus, I knew Aang would always be away, and that would put a huge strain on our relationship." This time, Zuko looked her square in the face and smiled a devilishly handsome smile that made her heart hasten.
"I guess that brings the questions back to you." he said, finally. Katara wracked her brain for a good question that needed answering. Soon one popped into her mind.
"Now, this one is totally optional; you don't have to answer it if you don't want to." Zuko nodded his head in agreement and leaned forward. "That night on the airship- what was the nightmare, you were having, about?" Zuko was clearly surprised at the question, for it took him a long while to answer. He looked out towards the setting sun, like it was going to give him his answer, but nothing came. Katara was sorry she'd even asked in the first place. "You don't have to tell me." she said, sliding off the rock, onto the sand. Zuko quickly jumped down after her.
"No, it's okay. I was just thinking." Katara turned back toward him and listened intently. "You. You were in my dream. I heard you screaming, like you were in horrible pain, or you were scared or something." Katara was struck silent by his willingness to tell her this. He continued. "In the dream, I found you and I... held you, like this," Suddenly, he was taking her by her arms and holding her firmly against him. Katara felt like her heart was going to burst from her chest, and she worried that Zuko might hear the hammering. "When I was holding you, I felt more at peace than I'd ever been in my entire life. That's what gives a firebender the ability to bend lightening. I've never been able able to do it until now... because you give me peace." He gazed into her eyes with all the passion and fire in the universe, causing her whole body to go numb. Keeping her in his strong grasp, he leaned in slowly, their faces about three inches apart, now. Katara's world had suddenly stopped spinning around her, and recentered around the man holding her. Zuko parted his lips to speak again. "Katara, I-"
"Hey guys! Did you m- What are you doing?"
Being caught almost kissing someone is bad. Being caught by your older brother, Sokka is disasterous.
MUAHAHAHAHA!!! so close.
