"The Painted Lady?"
Katara's voice was questioning him as they drank tea prepared by Iroh and some sheep-chicken eggs and sheep-pig bacon prepared by Katara. Zuko nodded as he took a sip of the tea, swallowing the food that was in his mouth.
"Yeah," Zuko said.
"So, a girl has saved your ass before, huh?" Katara said.
"Is that jealousy I hear?"
"No, just some good satisfaction," Katara snickered, taking a sip of tea. "I always knew that a girl could be a hero just as much as a guy can."
Zuko chuckled, seeing the smirk on his girlfriend's face. He took another fork of food into his mouth, shaking his head with amusement. This was something Zuko had been searching for years, now. And he would have to admit, he felt a bit moody that it was a woman that had been his savior on numerous occasions. He didn't mind it, he just felt like he would inspire a different type of copycat.
Then again, he didn't inspire the Painted Lady.
Iroh marched back inside, carrying the book that Zuko drew his inspiration from.
Legends of the Fire Nation.
"When you mentioned the Painted Lady, I knew I had heard that name before," Iroh said, sitting down and opening the book.
Zuko and Katara watched as Iroh flipped through the pages. Zuko saw a quick glimpse of the Blue Spirit. Katara gave a little gasp as they passed by Koh, the face stealer. Soon, they came across the Painted Lady. The first thing Zuko noticed was the vast differences in the uniforms. The Painted Lady in the book wore silk robes of different shades of red. The face had a red crescent moon on the forehead, wearing a straw hat with a veil draping over the entire body.
"The clothes are different, but that's her," Zuko confirmed.
"She's a spirit from Strife that was originally sent by Koh to lure the Blue Spirit away," Iroh read from the book. "While the Blue Spirit believed this was a wicked demon, the Painted Lady was actually wrongfully sentenced, and spent her time on Earth helping people in need. When the Blue Spirit captured the Painted Lady, he didn't take heed of her deeds, saying she was merely a demon escaped from Strife."
"She doesn't seem much of a demon," Katara said.
"No, she doesn't," Iroh said as he closed the book. "But, enough of that today. If I recall, you two have a day planned with Aang and Toph, correct?"
Both of them nodded, finishing their tea and breakfast.
By the time they were done changing, Toph and Aang had already showed up at the Jasmine Dragon. Zuko was wearing a red shirt with black pants and a grey jacket. Katara had on a blue sweater with some grey pants. Aang had an orange shirt with brown pants, and Toph had on a mixture of greens and yellows. She always said her being blind was nice, as she didn't have to worry what clothes she wore.
"So, what are we doing today?" Aang asked, his voice buzzing with excitement.
"There's a festival re-telling the battle between Zhao's forces and the Blue Spirit," Katara said, stealing a quick glance at Zuko.
"They actually made that?" Toph exclaimed.
"Apparently," Zuko said.
"Even with all the police chasing the Blue Spirit?" Aang asked.
"It's run by an organization that still believes in the Blue Spirit," Katara answered. "I believe they're called the Righteous in Blue."
Zuko frowned, hiding it from everyone. Righteous of Blue? Really? It was nice to know that his own personal fan club couldn't even come up with a decent name.
They were off, heading into the middle of Fashion District. They would stop at shops every now and then, Katara trying on different skirts and dresses, and picking out stuff for Toph that Aang would compliment her on. Zuko would notice the blush rising on Toph's face, pointing it out to Katara who would say something sweet and smile about it.
In the center of the Fashion District was a large stage. A lot of people gathered around, all of them cheering in anticipation for the show to begin. Zuko would be lying if he didn't feel proud about this moment. Here were a bunch of random people that he didn't know, all ravaging in support of him. Well, of the Blue Spirit. He felt Katara's arm loop with his, meeting his stare with a bright, toothy grin.
"See, a lot of people still believe in you," Katara said once Aang and Toph moved along.
"I'm just surprised that it's this many people."
"The Blue Spirit is still a hero to some people, Zuko. You can't forget that."
"I think the Blue Spirit is a little coward."
Zuko and Katara turned at the voice. Standing next to them was a man with dark brown eyes and brown shaggy hair. He had a piece of straw in his mouth, what Zuko assumed was a lifelong habit. He was wearing an orange button down shirt with a dark blue jacket over it, black jeans and black shoes. Zuko could feel the cocky and brash attitude reverberating off of the man.
"And what makes you say that?" Katara asked.
"He wears a mask, that's why," the man said. "Only cowards wear masks."
"I don't think a coward would be so willing to risk his life for an entire city," Zuko said, his voice cold.
"Why not just step forward, then? Why does he have to hide if he's protecting this city?"
"Maybe it's because of people like you," Zuko hissed.
"You two seem very defensive of a masked freak," the man said, turning his stare to face them, locking onto Katara. "And you don't seem the type to support such a freak like that."
"And what do I seem like then?" Katara snapped, placing her arms on her hips.
The man moved in front of Katara, a smirk on his face as he reached out, taking Katara's hand and kissing the back of it.
"A lady that supports Jet," Jet snickered.
Zuko moved faster than he even felt when he wore the blue mask, slapping Jet's hand away and stepping in front of Katara. He narrowed his eyes, a new fire burning in those golden orbs he called eyes.
"And who might you be, tough guy?" Jet prompted.
"Zuko. The lady's boyfriend," Zuko hissed.
"Really?" Jet looked around Zuko at Katara. "You're dating this scarred freak?"
And Zuko moved like lightning, his hand shooting out and gripping Jet's throat. He turned and slammed him into a building. A murmur went about some people that saw this, no one wanting to step in. Zuko brought his face closer to Jet's, who remained unnerved by all of this, still switching the straw from one side to the other.
"How about this scarred freak give you one to match?" Zuko threatened.
"Zuko, that's enough," Katara said, pulling on his arm.
Aang and Toph had heard the commotion, coming to the aid of their friends. Zuko took a glance back at Katara, seeing the pleading look on her face. He sighed, releasing his grip and turning away from Jet.
"Better listen to your squeeze, huh?" Jet snickered, throwing a wink at Katara.
In that second, Zuko let go of everything. He turned back on his heel, rearing his fist back and placing a strong right hook into the side of Jet's face. His head snapped back, the straw dropping from his mouth as reached up to soothe the pain on his face. Katara had grabbed Zuko and pulled him away before anything else could progress. Aang had also stepped in front of Zuko, his fists raised as if he was ready to right.
"Better watch yourself, Zuko," Jet warned as he pulled out another straw of wheat.
"I'll be waiting," Zuko shouted.
Jet turned and walked away, muttering some stuff under his breath. Zuko, still fuming, looked down at Katara. She had a scared, concerned and angered look in her eyes. Their eyes spoke to each other, and Zuko only nodded as he let out a rush of air, letting the rage inside him calm down.
"Who was that?" Aang asked.
"I don't know, Aang," Zuko said. "I don't know."