Disclaimer: No, I do not own Avatar: The Last Airbender
Yes, I was feeling generous. I've gotten a lot of good feedback! So here's…
Chapter Nine: Fun With Relationships
Iroh, Zuko, Toph, Katara, and Sokka settled in a cave.
"Uncle, I never wanted to hurt you I was just…" He waited to have the chance to explain himself to his uncle. He practiced what he was going to say so many times, but now, all those thoughts were gone. This was real.
"Prince Zuko, I know you were confused. You wanted your father's acceptance so bad. I will not lie, I am very disappointed with the decision you made, but I can see by the people you are traveling with, you ended up making the right choice." Iroh looked at the others.
"I went back to get you, but you had already left." Zuko looked to the ground.
"Yes, I had been preparing for weeks."
"Uncle, where were you all this time?" He looked back to his uncle the others leaned over too, they were just as curious.
"I was looking for the Avatar. I have been wandering helplessly for like weeks now! I want him to learn firebending, but I see you have decided to help." Iroh had a smile on his face, Zuko nodded. "But my nephew, I have an extremely important question for you. It depends on the fate of my world." Iroh put a hand on Zuko's shoulder as he spoke.
"Uncle, what is it? I'll do anything." Zuko was anxious.
"Well…I was locked in a cell for weeks, then wandering around for some more, and well…" Iroh looked at the ground.
"Yes, uncle?"
"Would you happen to have any tea?"
"UNCLE! You said this depended on the fate of the world!" Zuko was angry. Here he was asking forgiveness and all Iroh thought about was tea? Some things never changed. Zuko felt a small smile appear on his face. He did miss those little things about him.
"No, you misunderstood. I said this depended on the fate of my world. MY world."
Toph and the others smiled.
"No, Iroh, we don't have any tea. We had to travel light." Katara answered.
"Yes, yes. I figured. It was worth a try. Where is the Avatar?"
"We had to split up. Ozai is after Aang and Sparky, so we thought it'd be best. For now, at least." Toph answered.
"Sparky?" Iroh had a confused expression on his face.
"It's the nickname Toph gave Zuko. Sokka's Snoozles, Aang's Twinkle Toes, and I'm Sugar Queen." Katara answered again.
Zuko snorted at her name. Whether they got along or not, it still didn't fit her.
"So you've developed relations with them, have you, Zuko? I'm so proud. When we were in Ba Sing Se, the closest person you got to besides me was Jin, and maybe that boy we met on the boat on the way there."
"Uncle, Jin was…a different situation. And that 'boy' was a Freedom Fighter who tried to kill us." Zuko answered.
"Wait, so you had a girl in Ba Sing Se, too? Zuko, I got to hand it to ya, you're pretty slick with the ladies!" Sokka replied.
"…Freedom Fighter? What was his name?" Katara suddenly developed great interest in the conversation.
"I don't really remember. It was Jet, or something like that." Zuko didn't understand why she had interest in that, but he didn't like it.
Katara clapped her hand over her mouth.
"…Jet."
"How did you know him?" Zuko asked, trying not to show how concerned he was.
"I just…I don't want to talk about it." And just like that, the conversation was over.
Aang had been bored out of his mind the past three days. They hadn't seen Azula, or the others, and he really just wanted to go back. He wanted to know what Katara was doing. Would her and Zuko get along? What if he hurt her? Then Aang would kill him. But then there was Toph and Sokka. He missed their sarcasm so much. He let out another sigh.
"So…um…do you want to set up camp?"
"Sure." Haru answered.
That was always the answer. Short, simple, and to the point. There was like no such thing as fun with these people!
Three days down, four to go.
Iroh had been telling everyone how he escaped, and how he had become more powerful now than ever in his life.
Everyone was off to bed, except Zuko and Iroh, who needed time to talk.
"Uncle, if I could go back in time…"
"But you can't, Zuko. You can only accept it. I forgive you, but this is your last chance. I trust you, anyhow." Zuko smiled at his uncle's remarks. He always knew exactly what to say.
"So, how close are you to the others?" Iroh asked, giving Zuko his undivided attention.
"Well, Aang accepted me right away, so we get along good, I guess. Toph is easy to get along with. She pisses me off sometime, but overall we get along. Sokka, well he's…a piece of work. We probably fight the most, well now, but we can get along, sometimes." He stopped.
"How about Miss Katara? She seems to mean a lot to you?" Iroh smiled.
"Well, she's….I don't know. I mean at first, she hated me, wanted me dead. As the weeks passed she slowly started to get along with me and now we're friends, kinda." He stopped and thought about what to say next.
"I mean, there are times where I want her company, more than anything. She can be so easy to talk to." Iroh nodded as he continued. "Then there are those times where I…I don't know. She gets so angry at nothing sometimes! I just want to burn her to a crisp!" Zuko did regret his last words, but it was how she mde him feel sometimes.
"You seem to have put a lot of thought into Miss Katara." Iroh wore his grin ear-to-ear. Zuko nodded. His face had a small blush. He didn't realize how much thought he had really put into her.
"Maybe you like her, I don't know, as more than a friend?" Iroh wanted to hide his excitement, but couldn't.
"UNCLE!" Zuko yelled, but was immediately quiet, he remembered everyone was sleeping, so he whispered. "How could you accuse me of that? She's a peasant!"
"I thought you've moved up from being so narrow-minded, Zuko. You did risk your life for her." Iroh's smile was gone, but he still kept a smirk.
"I'm not judging her, I'm just saying…things would never work. And I don't want them to. I can't get emotionally attached to anyone right now." Zuko looked into the dying down fire.
"You already are, Nephew. You have become friends with all these people. They have grown to trust and like you and you have done the same for them. The people you chased across the world, literally, are now your friends." Iroh teased, he missed the way his nephew got embarrassed about his feelings, even though Iroh could see through each and every one.
"THEY AREN'T MY FRIENDS!" Zuko was mad now. His uncle had already gotten to him. He didn't want to start off this way, so he tried to calm down.
"What's going on?" Katara walked out of the shadows rubbing her eyes and yawning.
"The others aren't up, are they?" Zuko asked.
"No, just me. You are pretty loud, I'm surprised Toph isn't up." She said as she sat next to him by the fire.
"What about your brother?" Iroh asked.
"He'd sleep through and earthquake." Katara said sleepily.
Shit. Zuko thought to himself. Uncle will taunt me now.
"Miss Katara, we were just talking about you." Iroh smiled again. He would have fun with this.
"Oh, were you? What were you saying." Katara was interested now. Why, though? Why does it matter what Zuko thinks about me? I know we reached an understanding, but… She thought.
"Well, Zuko was telling me how sometimes you make him feel like he wants to b-" Iroh was almost instantly cut off.
"Uncle, that's enough." Zuko looked back to the fire. He wanted to jump in it right now, end this embarrassment.
"What? I was just going to say you make him feel like he wants be friends with you. He has developed a great trust in you." Iroh grinned at Zuko, who glared at him.
"Oh…OK?" She had honestly had expected worse.
"Yes, but I'm off to bed. I had a long day. Goodnight Miss Katara, Zuko." He wandered to the depths of the cave, leaving Katara and Zuko in silence.
"So," Katara broke the silence, "what did you really say about me?" She looked up to him.
"Nothing." He didn't even look at her.
"It must have been something, just tell me, I won't get mad, promise." She kept her eyes on him.
"I said it was nothing." He still didn't even glance at her. Now she was mad, was it that bad?
"I said just tell me!" Her eyes narrowed.
"Fine, you really want to know? I said there are times I really want to sit and just talk to you! You're easy to do that with!" He was yelling now, but she was touched. The look on her face softened. "But then there are times I burn you to a CRISP! Right now is one of those times!" Her face went hard again. They were both standing face-to-face now.
"WHAT?! I tell you I want to get along and you basically say you want to kill me?"
"I said there are times I want to kill you, but I don't!"
"Why am I surprised? You'll never change!" She stormed to the back of the cave, he sighed and meditated. It had been a while sice he had done that.
"Tough night, Sugar Queen?" Katara heard Toph say. Was she awake the whole time? At this point, Katara didn't care, she lied down and went to sleep.
Iroh made out the two girls' figures and smiled. He heard the whole argument between Katara and Zuko.
Oh, he was going to have fun with this.
I liked this chapter, mainly because it shows Zuko does care about her and is a little embarrassed. But let me know what you think! Review Please! XD
