Dark Side of the Sun
Chapter Nine
"We're going out today," Katara announced brightly as Sokka stumbled groggily out of his tent. Aang was already beside her, fully dressed and smiling. It had been a somewhat sudden change in attitude for him, but Katara suspected that Zuko's newfound misery had something to do with his happy-go-lucky persona.
"Why?" Sokka groaned, rubbing his eyes. "There's nothing to do here. The whole place smells like fish."
"We're getting breakfast. There's a shop nearby that sells pastries."
"And who's going to pay for that?" Someone asked. Katara turned to see Zuko walking towards them, smirking with newfound confidence. She tried not to blush.
"Well, seeing as we're broke…?" Katara raised an eyebrow hopefully. He grinned.
"I must admit, being a prince does come with perks." He jerked his thumb back, towards his tent. "I've got a bunch of coins stashed under your sleeping bag, which is very warm, by the way."
Both Katara and Zuko froze simultaneously as Sokka's eyebrows shot up.
"What--"
"That came out wrong." Zuko said quickly, his confidence dropping to a kind of panicked awkwardness. "I didn't mean--In the fire nation, I'm used to it being really warm, so I was cold and Katara--leant her sleeping bag to me. It wasn't like--you know. Sorry."
Katara tried very hard not to laugh.
Breakfast was delicious, and mercifully not made of fish. Mai was the only one who barely touched her food, and Katara suspected she'd overheard their conversation that morning. The very idea of it made her embarrassed and pleased at the same.
Even though nothing had actually happened, it was humorous (in a sort of twisted way) to see Mai thinking something had.
"So, what are we doing today?" Suki asked, running her fingers through her hair. When no one replied, Katara realized everyone was waiting for her to answer.
"I don't know. What do you want to do?"
She shrugged. "I don't know. What's there to do at a seaport?"
"We could um…steal some precious scrolls." Sokka mumbled.
"Or I could tie you to a tree and bait you with your mother's necklace." Zuko added.
"Pirates." Aang coughed.
The three of them laughed. Katara scowled, her face burning.
"Well, we could all sit around and laugh at Zuko while his ship gets stolen." She shot back. Zuko looked surprised.
"Oh, it's on." He stood up, smiling.
"Are you challenging me?" Katara asked, getting to her feet.
"Maybe."
They faced each other, hands raised.
"Funny, I thought even a prince stupid enough to let his own ship set sail would know not to fight me."
"Funny, I thought even a girl stupid enough to trust her enemy when he said he'd 'save her from the pirates' would know not to fight ME."
"I didn't trust you! You kidnapped me!"
"Oh, and what a fight you put up! You can wipe out a whole team of Dai Li agents but you can't hold off one teenage boy?"
There was a long, tense silence, and Zuko realized he'd said too much.
"That was different." She said slowly, her voice low and calm. "I was ready for the Dai Li. I was expecting a fight. You took me by surprise."
Zuko's head swam with contradictions. Her story didn't make sense. She'd been fighting the pirates for at least five minutes before he showed up. If she'd been able to escape from them, why hadn't she done the same with Zuko? He itched to ask her, but he could feel the others' eyes burning into them, skepticism clouding the room.
"Right," He managed to say. "Sorry." He dropped his hands and awkwardly sat back down. Sensing that their fight was over, Katara did the same.
"Katara?" Aang asked finally. She looked over at him.
"Yeah?"
"I'm tired. I think I'm just going to rest today."
"Okay."
He stood up and left the shop, making his way back towards camp. Stiffly, Mai followed him. Katara watched them go, a sense of foreboding creeping into her stomach.
She wondered, vaguely, if things would ever work out.
