Chapter 7: there is no such thing as goodbye
Aang and Iroh continued to talk about fire bending, while Zuko explained to Sokka how he was beginning to plan the Sabotage. As Katara came to fill Zuko's tea cup, she could feel his eyes upon her. She glanced quickly back at his persistent stare and smiled. As she brushed slightly against him, filling Sokka's cup, he whispered in her ear. "I'm sorry" was all he said. Katara looked at him, a bit taken back. She was about to reply, when Iroh called to her from across the table asking for more tea. She reluctantly walked over to Iroh; but her eyes never left Zuko's. Iroh saw them looking at each other.
While she was pouring tea for him, Iroh leaned closer to Katara. "That fire blossom comb looks beautiful on you. A long time ago I saw two Koi fish swimming in a pond underneath a fire tree. One was red, the other blue, they seemed to be dancing round and round, bound together by an invisible bond. The other day I saw them again, still circling in their eternal dance. They were held together by bonds that never weaken, created by the natural balance of life."
He said causally, glancing back and forth between her and his nephew. Katara almost dropped the tea pot when she heard Iroh's words. Her cheeks became bright red as she quickly hurried to the other room mumbling some excuse about the teapot needing to be refilled. After returning from the other room, Katara came and sat next to Sokka, thinking about what Iroh just said. His words confused her. She knew he was talking about her and Zuko, but how did he know? Suddenly Zuko and Iroh rose from their seats. "Well I must be going; I will go and gather people to help us." Zuko said with a bow. Iroh then gave him a hug and said his goodbyes.
All watched Zuko turn and leave. Katara was very unsure of what happened next. She found herself running after Zuko. "Zuko, wait!" she called after him. He turned to face her and caught her as she threw her arms around him, pressing her lips against his. He returned her kiss, and they became once again interlocked and intertwined for moment. The electrical sensation, that sparked when they touched, surged through them. She gently pulled away and rested her head on his chest, his arms wrapped tightly around her. "I'm sorry" she whispered to him. "Its ok, I love you." He said as he lifted her chin up and kissed once more before slowly walking away out the door. "Until next time" he said as he put his hood up and closed the door, his eyes never leaving hers. After he had left, Katara still stood there motionless. Her hand touching her lips trying to memorize everything that had just happened, the feeling of his soft kiss, and his strong arms around her. But when she turned to face the others, she was unprepared for the looks on their faces.
Sokka just stood there with his mouth hanging wide open; he looked like he had just watched a helpless little animal get run over by a cart. "What the hell was that?" He shouted at her, still not able to accept what he had just witnessed. Aang looked like he was going to kill something. He just stormed out of the room; Katara was able to hear the shattering of something as he threw it across the room. Toph and Iroh just sat there smirking. "So that's who your boyfriend is…" Toph said, trying not to burst out laughing. Iroh just nodded in approval. Katara looked out the window, it was a clear night. The stars seemed to shine brighter than normal, and the light of the moon gave the world a silver glow. She wished Zuko hadn't left, and wondered when he would be back. Zuko looked up at the same night sky, thinking of Katara and the challenges that lay ahead of them.
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ok well only one more part left... hope you've enjoyed it
