The Confrontational Approach
By Advocaat
Chapter Ten
The Plot Thickens
Sleeping that night was an uncomfortable affair. Zuko and Katara had no tents and no bedrolls and the badger-frogs were having a wild party somewhere across the lake. Zuko was beginning to regret not eating them.
They'd turned in for the night not long after Katara's bizarre incident in the lake. Near-drowning is apparently very exhausting and they wanted to get an early start the next morning, anyway. They'd found the smoothest patches of ground they could to lie on, but stones and lumps still pressed painfully into their muscles. Zuko had given Katara his cloak to sleep under, so the only buffer between him and the unforgiving ground was his tunic, which he was using as a pillow. Despite the lumps and strife, Katara had fallen asleep fairly quickly, leaving him alone with his restlessness and agitation. What he wouldn't give for a nice, comfortable door to sleep on.
Oh, how the mighty had fallen.
He tried many methods to fall asleep. He counted koala-sheep; he controlled his breathing; he thought of his favorite foods; he pictured everyone he knew with Haru's mustache... Nothing worked. At some point a cat-owl had flown over and perched on a nearby tree. Apparently just to stare at him, as that's all it had done for the past hour—sit there and stare at him like a creeper. Go away, creeper-owl.
He recalled Ty Lee saying once that when she couldn't fall asleep, she played the word-association game. Why the hell not? Nothing else was working.
He started with moon, since that's what he'd been staring at for the past couple hours.
moon; waterbending; Katara; drowning.
He frowned. Maybe moon wasn't the best word to start with. He tried badger-frog instead.
badger-frog; lake; Katara; drowning.
He pinched the bridge of his nose in frustration. Perhaps he should just avoid using anything in this area as a starter word. He thought hard for a moment, then picked fire-slug.
fire-slug; slimy; worm; dirt; roots; flower; garden; turtleduck; pond; lake; Katara; drowning.
Zuko groaned and covered his face with his hands. Why couldn't he stop thinking about this? He rolled onto his side and looked at the waterbender in question who was soundly snuggled up in his cloak mere feet away. How was it that he was the one fretting and losing sleep right now when she was the one who nearly drowned?
Despite himself, he scooted closer and reached out a hand to lightly brush her cheek with the tips of his fingers. He knew it was foolish and irrational, but he just needed to touch her; to confirm that she was still here with him. What was going on with her? She'd said that she'd been trying to follow her chi again, like she had during Aang's lesson. She'd described how her senses had become ultra sharp and how she could feel the water in everything around her, even him. Did she have something to do with his own chi going nuts by the campfire? Had she done something to him without realizing it? Was that even possible?
Once again, Zuko wished his uncle were around. He could really use some wisdom.
oO0Oo
It turned out Zuko wasn't the only person suffering from insomnia that night. On a small island off the northern coast of the Fire Nation mainland, Sokka, Toph, Aang, and Suki were gathered around a campfire while the rest of their group slept. The loss of two of their friends weighed heavily on their minds, and worse was the fact that they had no idea what happened to them after Appa flew away. The very real possibility that they had been caught and were now at Azula's mercy was enough to banish any thought of rest. Everyone wanted to go back and look for them, but they were royally stuck. The fact remained that Appa couldn't carry them all and it was too dangerous to leave anyone behind when they knew that their camp could be found and attacked at any time.
"I hate this!" Aang declared, pounding his thigh in frustration. "Katara and Zuko could be in big trouble right now and we're just sitting here doing nothing."
"I know, Aang, but there's nothing we can do," Sokka said glumly. He threw another twig into the fire. "We can't split up until we find a safer place for everyone to hide."
Aang furrowed his eyebrows at him. "And what if they're dead by then, Sokka?" he demanded hotly. Realizing that he was unjustly taking his frustration out on his friend, he reined in his temper and apologized.
Suki reached out and laid a comforting hand on his shoulder. "We have to trust them to take care of themselves. They're both excellent benders. They're not helpless."
Across from him, Toph grinned. "Yeah, Aang. Remember this is Sparky and Sugar Queen we're talking about. Personally, I'm more worried about their sanity than their lives," she joked.
Aang sighed dejectedly and put his head in his hands. "This is all my fault," he said sullenly. "If we hadn't been playing my stupid game, they wouldn't have been in a different part of the temple when Azula showed up."
Sokka threaded his fingers together in his lap and stared into the fire. "It's nobody's fault," he stated. "There's no way any of us could've known that Azula would attack the temple. And even if we had all been together, Appa still wouldn't have been able to carry us all."
Aang shook his head. "I could've distracted her while the others got to the airship," he argued.
"Coulda, woulda, shoulda," Toph echoed. "None of that matters now, so instead of sitting around and moping about it, we should think about what we're going to do from here."
Sokka nodded in agreement. What they needed was a plan. Good thing for them, he was all about plans. "First and foremost, we need to find a better hiding place," he said. "Once that's taken care of, we'll send a party on Appa to look for Katara and Zuko. Aang, you still need to master earth and fire before the comet arrives. You should ask Chit Sang to fill in for Zuko for the time being."
Aang perked up a bit at being given a task. "I'll ask him in the morning," he agreed.
"But until then, let's concentrate on getting some rest," Suki spoke up again. "We won't get anything done if we're all a bunch of zombies tomorrow."
Agreeing with the sensibleness of Suki's statement, they smothered the fire and retreated to their tents to salvage what little sleep they could in the few remaining hours before dawn.
oO0Oo
The snow beneath Katara's feet shook as a giant black ship sliced through the ice, heading straight for the village. Great plumes of charcoal colored smoke rose from its funnels and turned the snow black. She remembered this. It was the day she and Sokka found out that the mysterious young Air Nomad they'd discovered frozen in the ocean was actually the missing Avatar; the day they left their home for the very first time; the day Zuko came to their village.
She saw Gran Gran and the other villagers running away in fear and Sokka standing on the ice wall with his club. His face was decorated with war paint. Not a minute later, she heard a familiar crunch as the ship's bow broke through the wall followed by a hiss of steam as it came to a halt. In a moment, the bow would drop and Zuko would come strutting down the ramp flanked by two soldiers and looking large and intimidating in his heavy maroon and grey armor. She remembered it well. He was the first firebender she'd seen since the day her mother was taken from her.
Sure enough, the bow dropped. However, the young man who stepped out was not Zuko. Instead of maroon and grey, this man wore crimson and gold, and the design of his armor was much more elaborate than the standard soldier's outfit Zuko had worn. His dark, Fire Nation hair was pulled back in a neat ponytail and adorned with a small, aureate flame. His face was beautiful—all high cheekbones and porcelain skin and delicately slanted eyes. He bore himself with grace and authority as he descended down the ramp and as he neared, she was able to make out his features more clearly.
Katara's breath caught in her throat. It was Zuko.
But why did he look so different? Why didn't he have a scar? She looked at where Sokka should've knelt, waiting to charge him, but instead she saw her brother standing and looking up at Zuko with a huge grin on his face. He was no longer dressed like a warrior, but instead wore a richly decorated parka. What's more, their father was standing next to him with a smile of his own. What was going on?
Zuko finished his descent and Sokka met him at the bottom. He clapped him on the back and said, "Zuko, buddy, good to see you."
The strange, scarless Zuko smiled and nodded at him. "Sokka," he greeted.
"Yes, welcome back, Prince Zuko," her dad said, coming up to clasp his arm in the traditional Water Tribe fashion.
"Thank you, Chief Hakoda," he said politely. "How is your wife?"
Katara looked at her dad in shock. Wife?
Hakoda chuckled and said, "Oh, she's fine. Turns out it was just a particularly nasty head cold. But thank you for sending those herbs."
Zuko smiled and nodded. "Of course. My mother will be relieved to hear that she's feeling better. She wanted to come with me, but King Kuei is visiting the capital right now so she couldn't make it."
Katara frowned. What was the Earth King doing in the Fire Nation?
"A shame. Kya would have loved to see her."
Katara's heart skipped a beat. Kya. They were talking about her mother.
It was then that Sokka noticed her and waved. "Katara!" he called. "Why are you just standing there? Get over here!"
At Sokka's shout, Zuko looked up and saw her as well. Their eyes met and he smiled widely. "Katara," he said cheerfully, "I was wondering where you were."
Okay, this was just too bizarre. She knew she was dreaming. There was no doubt in her mind about that. But like her dream in the air temple, the scene felt completely real. Everything was in perfect focus—the snow under her boots, the chill in the air, the people around her... She realized suddenly that she was surrounded by people, most of whom she'd never seen before. She looked behind her and instead of a scattering of tents she saw an entire city similar to the one at their sister tribe. There was even a palace draped with banners bearing the symbol of the southern tribe.
Turning back to the trio of males by the ship, she saw that they were still waiting for her to join them. She smiled hesitantly and jogged over to where they were standing. She nearly shrieked when Zuko grabbed her and twirled her around with a giant grin. Her unbound hair whooshed through the chilly air and she gaped down at him wide-eyed, but before she could think of how she should react, he pulled her down to him and pressed a sweet kiss to her lips.
Distantly, she heard Sokka say, "Blech, oogies!" but she was too busy being utterly flustered to pay him any attention. She quickly reminded herself that this was just a dream. Just a silly scenario cooked up by her lake-water addled brain, completely outside her control.
Zuko set on her back on her feet and looked down at her affectionately, his two unmarred eyes staring straight into her own. "How's my favorite princess?"
Katara blinked in confusion. Now she was a princess, too? Or was that some kind of pet name? Whatever the case, it was very strange hearing Zuko of all people call her that. Just as an experiment, she asked, "Don't you mean 'peasant'?"
Zuko's eyebrows rose in surprise and then lowered in confusion. "Peasant?"
That word spoken by this Zuko was at once familiar and foreign. The voice was right and so were the lips that uttered it, but there was no history there. This Zuko didn't know her as a peasant. "Never mind," she said, shaking her head.
"Hey, Zuko," Sokka cut in, pulling his attention away from her, "I don't suppose you happened to, you know, stop at the Southern Air Temple on your way here, did you?" He clasped his hands together in front of him expectantly.
Zuko sighed and rolled his eyes in a put-upon manner but smiled and said, "Yes, Sokka, I picked up some jam for you."
Sokka made a delighted noise and exclaimed, "You're the best!"
"I imagine you met with Avatar Aang while you were there?" her dad presumed.
"Yeah, how's he doing these days?" Sokka asked.
Zuko groaned. "Still trying to sit me on his knee and offer me sage wisdom."
Sokka grinned. "Well, he is your great grandfather."
"The effect is ruined when the guy who's knee you're sitting on still looks like he's in his forties," Zuko grumbled. "And he's not my great grandfather."
Sokka snapped his fingers. "Almost got you to admit it that time."
"There's nothing to admit," Zuko asserted in that familiar grumpy tone of his.
"Oh, come on. It's not like it's a bad thing. And he's very fond of you."
"He's embarrassing."
By this point, Katara had stopped trying to understand what was going on. The whole thing had passed firmly into the realm of ridiculous.
Sokka dismissed Zuko's protests with the universal 'talk to the hand' gesture and said, "Rather than standing out here in the cold, how about we go inside?"
"An excellent suggestion," their dad agreed. He put a hand on Zuko's back and began leading him toward the city. "We can continue catching up over hot tea and crab cakes. And I think Sokka and Katara have something for you."
Sokka's eyes lit up and he grinned, falling into step with them. "You better believe it! We made you a super awesome birthday present this year. Well, Katara did all the sewing, but I..." his voice faded as they got further away.
Katara tried to follow them but found that she could no longer move. Confused, she struggled to take a step forward, but it felt like her legs were tangled up in something.
"Katara?"
She blinked, and suddenly she was lying on the hard ground with the real Zuko squatting next to her and watching her with a partly concerned, partly amused look on his face. She blinked again as her brain reoriented itself to reality and Zuko blinked back. She noticed his damp hair and realized that he must've just finished bathing. It hung partially over his eyes but did nothing to hide the gold irises glinting in the morning sun. "How'd you sleep?" he asked.
She pushed herself up with her left arm and stifled a yawn with her right. "Fine, I guess. I had a really bizarre dream, though."
He scooted back to give her room to stretch. "What sort of dream?" he asked curiously.
Strangely, she didn't think twice about telling him. It just seemed natural, like she was telling Sokka or Aang. "It was about the day you came to my tribe," she said. "It began with your ship crashing through Sokka's wall. Then you came out, but it wasn't you, it was like, a really regal and polite version of you."
He gave her a very grumpy look at that, and said, "You're right, that couldn't have been me."
"Well, there were other things that were different too," she admitted. Like your face, she thought, but she didn't say it. "Anyway," she moved on, "You came out, and for some reason you and Sokka were best friends. My dad was there too and you exchanged pleasantries with him and talked about how it was a shame that your mother couldn't come with you because my mom wanted to see her. Then Sokka saw me and I came over and you...greeted me. Sokka asked if you'd stopped by the Southern Air Temple and somehow that led to the two of you having an argument about whether or not Aang was your great grandpa. Then you and him and dad left to go have tea and crab cakes."
Zuko looked at her blankly.
"I told you it was bizarre," she defended.
He tilted his head to the side and a smile crept across his face. "No kidding."
Katara huffed and threw his cloak at his head. "Let's just get ready."
oO0Oo
Crossing the mountains ended up taking less time than they'd expected. They kept a good pace and by midday they had already made it about halfway. However, the climb wasn't without its hardships. There were places where they had to pick their way over crags and boulders and long, steep sections where they had to use their hands. Twice, they encountered a sheer cliff that couldn't be circumvented and Zuko had to lift Katara onto his shoulders so that she could get over. He would follow after by burning handholds into the earthier spots on the cliff face and they both frequently lamented the absence of Toph and her earthbending.
For lunch, they ate the rest of the apples from the day before and Zuko located some bushes with small, dark berries that Katara had never seen before but Zuko told her were called huckleberries. Apparently, they were a wild berry that was hard to grow agriculturally and had to be picked in the mountains. His uncle had told him that the Air Nomads supposedly used to make pies and jams from them and after trying a few, Katara could see why. They were sweet and popped in her mouth like little juice bombs.
"We should bring Aang here sometime and have him make us a pie," she joked as they sat on a rock, stemming and eating the berries they'd gathered.
"I'd go for that," he agreed. "I like pie." He examined the berries in his hand for a moment and said, "I bet these would also taste good with sweet-cream."
Katara nodded, imagining it. "Or custard."
Zuko looked at her and grinned. "Yeah, you could even bake them into the custard. With cinnamon and maybe some caramelized pecans."
Katara had never heard Zuko sound so enthusiastic about food before. In fact, she'd never heard him sound so enthusiastic about anything before, but then again, he did know a lot about fruit and he had helped Suki make that delicious coconut sweet rice...
She was struck suddenly by a silly idea. A whimsical notion. But the more she thought about it, the more it seemed to make sense. Could it be...that Prince Zuko of the Fire Nation, son of the most powerful and ruthless man in the entire world and heir to his legacy, had a big fat sweet tooth?
She smiled secretively and gave him a knowing look.
Zuko looked back at her apprehensively. "What?"
"Nothing," she said airily. She went back to stemming berries but her smile didn't fade. It felt as though the more she learned about Zuko, the more evidence she found that he was, in fact, a giant dork.
An incredibly charming giant dork.
oO0Oo
Ty Lee woke to the sound of footsteps outside her cell. She blinked blearily and looked through the bars and her eyes widened when she saw the person standing there.
"Hello, Ty Lee."
"Azula!" she gasped, "What are you doing here?" Azula hadn't visited her even once since she and Mai had been arrested. She'd said she never wanted to see them again.
Azula smirked but there was no joy in her expression. "It's national visit a traitor in prison day today and I didn't want to be rude."
The trace of hurt Ty Lee detected in the princess' voice when she said the word "traitor" caused her to wince. Her friend's normally impeccable aura was swirling angrily, like a storm, and she knew it was partly her fault. Azula had shown hints of being unstable for years but until her and Mai's betrayal at the Boiling Rock, she had maintained an iron grip of control over her emotions.
Ty Lee had never wanted things to end up like this, but Azula had given her no other choice. She'd gone too far and needed to be stopped. "I'm sorry, Azula. You know I didn't—"
"Spare me," the princess interrupted. She took a seat on the empty guard chair just outside the cell and crossed her legs demurely. "I didn't come here to listen to you defend yourself. I came because I have a job for you."
Ty Lee frowned in confusion. "A job?"
"Yes. You see, I paid my brother and the Avatar a little visit yesterday."
Ty Lee's eyebrows knit together in worry. "You did?"
"Don't look so concerned, Ty Lee. They got away on that dumb, hairy mop they call a bison." Azula crinkled her nose in distaste. "However, I discovered something very interesting while I was chasing them."
"What was that?" Ty Lee asked, curious but also afraid to hear the answer.
"I happened to take a peek through one of my ship's telescopes and was surprised to find that my brother and that mouthy little waterbending peasant weren't with them. They'd tricked me and stayed behind."
"Did you go back for them?"
Azula scoffed. "Of course not. Zuko would've expected that and escaped already. He's so predictable. Besides, I don't have time to waste searching for them with Sozin's comet in less than a month. That's where you come in. You're going to find them for me."
Ty Lee felt a sense of dread rise up from her stomach. She didn't have to ask what would happen to Zuko and the waterbender when she found them. "I can't, Azula. I don't want to help you kill your own brother." She looked into her friend's eyes beseechingly. "I don't think that's what you want either."
All of the playfulness disappeared from Azula's voice as she said, "Don't try to tell me what I do or don't want. You don't know me."
Ty Lee frowned sadly. Yes, I do. "I won't do it."
Azula glared back at her with fury in her eyes. "Oh, I think you will. I understand that you've become close with some of the other prisoners here. The Kyoshi warriors, if I'm not mistaken, and I never am. Don't forget that I decide who lives and who dies within these walls."
Ty Lee felt her heart drop. "Please, Azula!" she implored. "How would I even begin to look for them?"
Azula stood. "You needn't worry about that. I've already taken care of it for you." She reached into her armor and pulled out a partially oxidized copper key. "Now, if you don't have any more questions I think it's about time for you to be on your way. I'd tell you to pack your things, but..." she let her eyes roam around the empty cell pointedly.
"Promise you won't hurt the warriors."
The princess snorted as she unlocked the door. "Please. I don't want to so much as look at them, much less have their filthy blood dirtying my hands. Complete your mission and I'll have no reason to touch them."
Ty Lee hesitated. "This is wrong, Azula, and you know it," she said in a final effort to get her old friend to see reason.
"In this world, the strong live and the weak die. That's the natural order," Azula stated evenly. "Unfortunately for Zuko, he's weak."
oO0Oo
It was late afternoon when Zuko and Katara reached the other side of the mountain range and to their delight, they found themselves staring out over the sea. They'd made it.
They began their descent, excitement increasing their pace. As they got closer, more of the sandy beach became visible and near the bottom they found a lookout point where they could see for miles up and down the coast. Katara's gaze immediately zeroed in on a familiar shape blending in with a rocky outcropping a short ways south of their position. "Look there!" she exclaimed, pointing to the spot for Zuko to see.
Zuko followed her finger and his good eye widened. "A ship."
"A way off this island!" she said excitedly. Now they wouldn't have to worry about finding a way to cross the ocean.
Zuko clearly didn't share her enthusiasm. He frowned and said, "That's a Fire Nation cruiser. I highly doubt that they'll be willing to give us a ride."
Katara's excitement faded. He had a point. They couldn't just walk up and say, 'Hi. Your princess attacked our hideout yesterday and now we're stuck here. Do you think you could you give us a lift to the Earth Kingdom?' She furrowed her eyebrows at the imposing black vessel. Come to think of it... "What is a Fire Nation ship doing in a place like this, anyway?"
Zuko's expression hardened. "Probably standing by for orders. The navy occasionally uses Air Nomad territories as launching points for Earth Kingdom raids."
Katara's expression morphed into one of concern. "So, that ship is going to attack the Earth Kingdom?"
"That's my guess," he confirmed, narrowing his eyes at it.
Katara felt determination rise in her chest. She couldn't stand idly by knowing that innocent people were in danger. "All the more reason to take it," she said. "We can sneak on board and lie low until we get to the Earth Kingdom, then we'll sabotage their attack!"
Zuko turned his head to look at her and raised his eyebrow. "You want to stow away on an enemy ship?" he asked skeptically.
She nodded and offered him a confident smirk. "We'll be getting a free ride into friendly territory and doing our part to end Fire Nation tyranny at the same time."
Zuko was silent for a moment while he looked at her in a way that she could only describe as appraising. "Have you done this before?"
Katara's confidence faltered a bit as she said, "Well, no. But after Aang was injured we spent some time traveling on a Fire Nation ship that my dad swiped. He and Sokka and some of our tribe's warriors dressed up in navy armor and pretended to be its crew."
"Really? And that worked?" Zuko asked with some surprise.
"For a while. We were found out when soldiers on another ship asked us what we were doing in the wrong area."
Zuko's lips twitched up into a smile and he said, "Well it sounds like you've had some practice, at least. But you're going to need more than just a disguise to get away with infiltrating a manned vessel. Luckily, I can teach you everything you'll need to know to be a model navy soldier."
Katara blinked, surprised by his change of tune. She gave him a puzzled look. "I thought we would just hide in a storage cabin or something." She was a seasoned pro at hiding in storage rooms, after all.
Zuko shook his head. "That's too risky. Cruisers have extremely large crews so there's a good chance that someone will walk in and find us. Deception is our best bet."
Katara nodded somewhat reluctantly. "Alright. Deception it is, then." Zuko had spent a lot more time on ships than she had. She would just have to follow his lead on this.
oO0Oo
They waited until dark to sneak on board. It was easier than expected since most of the crew was either below deck or inside the ship's superstructure. The soldiers clearly weren't very concerned about security on a supposedly abandoned island.
The ship was huge—larger than any ship Katara had ever been on. The deck was probably wide enough to fit twenty Appas comfortably. Zuko smiled at her amazed expression and told her that for a Fire Nation cruiser, it was actually quite small. She remembered how Zuko's own ship had been larger than her entire village and that ship paled in comparison to this one.
Zuko lead her into the superstructure through a rather nondescript looking side-door. Apparently, it was the entrance the engineers used in order to travel more efficiently through the guts of the ship and Zuko said they would be less likely to run into soldiers. The inside was a veritable labyrinth of hallways and railed galleries with pipes running along the walls and ceiling. Luckily, Zuko seemed to know exactly where he was going.
Once, they had to duck behind some cargo crates when a large man in an oil-stained, sleeveless tunic came through a doorway ahead of them and started walking in their direction. As he passed, Zuko informed her in a whisper that he was one of the engineers. They eventually arrived at their destination; a small square-ish room lined with lockers and spear racks which he identified as an equipment room. This would be where they'd get their uniforms.
Zuko shut and locked the heavy iron door behind them and began opening lockers and checking uniform sizes while Katara looked around the space curiously. The spear racks were mostly empty but there were a few glaives and javelins here and there. On a long shelf above the lockers, about a dozen helmets were arranged in a line, their white masks appearing even more creepily vacant without a person behind them.
"Here," Zuko said, startling her. He handed her a folded uniform. "Try that on and tell me if it fits. There are a few other women's sizes if it doesn't. I'll help you strap on the armor once you're dressed." He then grabbed another uniform and proceeded to disrobe right in front of her. She quickly turned her back when he got to his pants. A part of her was surprised that he would be so willing to strip with her right there, especially with how shy he'd been at the lake, but she supposed they didn't have the luxury of privacy at the moment.
Following his lead, she removed her Water Tribe habiliments, neatly folding each article as she went, until she was left only in her white sarashi and necklace. Worried that somebody might notice the necklace, she removed it and slipped it into her upper bindings with Zuko's coin. She then unfolded the familiar looking grey and maroon uniform he'd given her and separated the tops from the pants. She started with the drab pants, noting their roughness compared to the material of her own pants as she pulled them over her legs, then she donned the matching shirt followed by the long, heavy tunic. Lastly, she picked up the belt and clasped it around her waist, adjusting the girth to fit snugly above her hips. She had to give the designers credit, the uniform was very nicely tailored for her female figure. Although she suspected that had more to do with mobility than fashion.
"That looks like it fits just fine," Zuko commented from behind her. She turned around to find him already dressed as well, complete with a matching pair of pointy boots. His original clothing was nowhere to be found. He must've stashed it in his bag.
"Yeah, it's..." She stopped in confusion when he suddenly stepped forward and reached for her with both hands. She felt his fingertips slide under her ears and around to the back of her neck, and she was about to ask him what in the name of Tui and La he was doing when he lifted his hands, pulling her hair out from her collar. Oh. She hadn't even realized that it was stuck.
"Um, thanks," she said awkwardly.
Zuko got a confused look on his face for a second and he looked down at his hands, then he blinked and looked back at her. "Yeah, uh, no problem."
When he just continued to stare at her, she raised an eyebrow and said, "So... armor?"
He blinked again, and then another time, and then he said, "Right, armor. I'll help you with it."
He turned to the lockers and grabbed a smaller, more feminine looking version of the chest and shoulder armor the male soldiers always wore. She stood still as he lowered it over her head and fastened the ties below her arms. Then he reached into another locker and pulled out matching vambraces, attaching them over her sleeves. When she was done being armored, he sat her down on a bench and gave her a few pairs of boots to try on.
She ended up having to try three different sizes before she found a pair that fit her. Just to be sure, she stood up and walked a few steps. She supposed the boots were comfortable enough. She hopped twice, testing their flexibility, and then, just for shiggles, she rolled one of her feet forward over the curved tip, amused by the odd shape. When she looked back at Zuko, he had already finished attaching his own armor and was in the process of tying his hair back with a strip of red leather. Sensing her eyes on him, he turned to face her and she inhaled sharply at the sight of him.
The armor he was wearing was almost identical to the armor he'd worn all those months ago back when he was chasing them and with his hair pulled away from his face he really resembled his old self. She actually had to control the urge to drop into a fighting stance the instant he turned around.
He noticed her unease and frowned. "What's wrong?"
She shook her head. "Nothing. You just surprised me is all."
He gave her an odd look but didn't question her. "How are the boots?" he asked instead.
"I think these ones will work," she replied, lifting one of her feet and turning it at different angles so he could see.
He nodded in approval and then turned back to the lockers to select helmets for them. She watched him pull the helmets down one at a time and inspect them with a critical eye. Now that the initial shock had worn off, she found herself actually admiring the sight of him in soldier's attire. She used to think he looked a little awkward in it, but now he wore it quite well. He looked powerful and refined. Like the Zuko in her dream.
Her suspicions at the fountain had been correct; he was definitely thinner than he used to be, and taller, too. She wondered how much growing he still had left to do. He always seemed so much older than her and she'd assumed that he was pretty much done developing already. His uncle wasn't a tall man, after all.
But now she wasn't so sure. Sokka and Chit Sang had implied that Zuko was about sixteen, but he couldn't really be that young, could he?
"Hey, Zuko. Can I ask you something?"
He looked back at her curiously. "Um, sure. What's up?"
Katara glanced from his expectant face to his feet and back and said, "I know this is kind of a strange question but…how old are you?"
Zuko stared at her blankly, probably wondering why she was asking such a thing now of all times. She was beginning to regret asking, but then he said, "Sixteen. My birthday was just a few days before I came to your village."
Katara's eyebrows shot up. She didn't even try to hide her surprise. "You're really only sixteen?" she asked dubiously. "I thought you were like, eighteen or nineteen."
Right as she said it, she realized that couldn't be right. 'My uncle spent the better part of the past three years trying to get me see reason'... 'I was thirteen'.
"Haru is sixteen," he pointed out, "Do I really look that much older than him?"
She frowned thoughtfully. "I guess not. But he has a mustache," she pointed out.
"What does that have to do with anything?"
"Mustaches make people look older."
Zuko raised a brow. "So, what? if I had a mustache I'd look like a twenty-one-year-old?"
The mental image Zuko's question created in Katara's mind was both amusing and horrifying. She fought the urge to cringe. "Don't grow a mustache."
Zuko gave her a flat look. "I wasn't going to."
He went back to appraising helmets, turning them over in his hands until he finally found one that earned his seal of approval. It looked exactly like all the other ones to her, but she didn't question Zuko's helmet-selecting expertise. She took it from him and tested its weight in her hands. She was a little surprised by how light it was.
"We'll need to tie your hair back," he told her, producing another strip of leather. "There's a particular way you're supposed to bind it, so I'll do it this first time to show you."
Katara nodded and removed the beads from her hair, placing them, along with her clothes, into her bag. Zuko then led her across the room to the far corner where a long mirror was hidden behind another row of lockers.
Standing in front of the mirror, Katara took a moment to examine her new outfit. The fit was indeed very good, although the overall image reminded her a bit of Azula. Come to think of it, Azula was the only other female she'd ever seen in armor like this. Zuko came to stand behind her and she watched his reflection in the glass as he examined her hair.
"Tilt your head back a little," he requested.
She complied. Zuko brushed her hair behind her ears and then proceeded to run the fingers of his right hand through her thick locks from root to tip, gathering it into his left palm. The feel of his fingertips gently dragging over her scalp caused goosebumps to rise under the fabric of Katara's shirt. She'd never been touched like this by a male outside her family and it felt weird—but not uncomfortable. In fact, it was kind of nice.
When all her hair had been arranged neatly into a high ponytail, Zuko looped the long strip of leather three times around the base to secure it. Then, making sure she was watching carefully, he twisted the rest of her hair into a rope and wound it around itself twice before expertly binding it in place with the remainder of the strip. The result was a sort of bun-ponytail hybrid that made her hair look several inches shorter.
"This is the style worn by female soldiers with long hair. Women with shorter hair just wear it in a topknot or a ponytail," he explained. "Try putting your helmet on."
Katara pulled the helmet over her head and stared at her reflection in wonder. She really looked like a soldier. Zuko walked away to find a helmet for himself and she entertained herself by striking silly poses in front of the mirror. She smiled when she realized that she was acting just like Sokka. If only he were here right now to see her.
Once Zuko had his helmet, he gave her a brief lesson on proper soldier conduct. Stand up straight; always address your superiors by their title; never question any orders you are given, etc. He instructed her on the proper ways to bow and how to tell a lieutenant from a commander and what times the mess hall was open and which parts of the ship were off limits. He said that since the ship was currently at rest, the crew was more or less allowed to do as they pleased, but once they neared the Earth Kingdom things would become more structured and the two of them would have to be extra careful not to slip up.
"What about sleep?" she inquired. She doubted they would be making it to the Earth Kingdom in less than a day and it was already nighttime.
"These ships have bunk rooms that are open all day and night. The beds aren't very comfortable but there are always plenty available for whenever you get tired."
"Do the men and women sleep in the same room together?"
"Typically, yes."
Katara gave him questioning look which her mask prevented him from seeing, and said, "Isn't that, I don't know, a little risky?"
"The bunk room is a very public place so it's pretty safe," he assured her. "If someone were going to try something, they'd pick another location."
Katara crossed her arms and tapped the inside of her elbow with her pointer finger. "...Comforting."
Zuko waved a hand reassuringly. "Don't worry. That sort of thing is pretty rare. And I'll be with you."
Katara stopped herself from putting a hand on her hip dubiously. All at once, a thought occurred to her. "That reminds me. What are we going to do if we get separated? How will we recognize each other with these helmets on?"
"I'll recognize you," Zuko said without hesitation.
"What? How?"
Zuko was silent for a moment, then he said, "By the way you move. You carry yourself like a waterbender."
Katara frowned beneath her helmet. What did he mean 'like a waterbender'? She didn't think she looked particularly different than anyone else when she walked. "What if I'm sitting down? And how will I recognize you? What do other soldiers do?"
"They generally wear something unique, like a ring or a pin, but we don't have anything like that... wait, I have an idea." He went over to a small cabinet and fished around in it for a moment, then returned with a pot of ink and a brush. He dipped the brush in the ink and painted a small circle on the armor over his left wrist, then he grabbed her arm and did the same. "There, now we won't lose each other."
"Is this okay? she asked uncertainly, "You just drew on our uniforms."
"It's fine. The ink will come off with a good scrub and it's not uncommon for soldiers to mark their armor."
"How do you know all this anyway?" she asked curiously. "Last I checked you were a prince, not a soldier."
"I've done this before."
"You infiltrated a Fire Nation ship? Why? When?" What reason would Zuko have to sneak onto one of his own country's boats?
"You remember Admiral Zhao, right?" he asked.
Katara pursed her lips. "You mean the belligerent dickhead who killed the moon spirit? That Zhao?"
Zuko nodded. "Yeah, him. He—" He stopped. "Did you just call Zhao a dickhead?"
She shrugged. "Yeah, so?"
"Do you... I mean..." He seemed at a loss for what to say. "Where did you even hear that word?"
"Suki. What, is it bad? I thought it meant the same thing as jerk."
"It does, I guess. But... Never mind. It's an accurate description." He waved his hand as if to brush the matter aside. "Anyway, Zhao blew up my ship so I snuck onto his to get to the north pole."
Katara was surprised by this. "Why'd he blow up your ship?" she asked, confused. Hadn't Zuko and Zhao been on the same side?
"He was trying to kill me. We didn't exactly see eye to eye."
Katara straightened in sudden understanding. "Wait, was that why you looked so battered when I saw you?"
Zuko nodded. "I caught on to his plan in time to escape, but just barely."
Katara reached out a hand to hover near his arm. "I'm sorry, I had no idea."
"It doesn't matter," he brushed her apology off easily.
Katara wanted to protest that it did matter, but Zuko swiftly changed the subject.
"We're going to need fake names," he said. "There aren't a whole lot of Zukos out there and 'Katara' is pretty obviously Water Tribe."
Katara nodded. "I'll be Sapphire. That's the name I used when Sokka and I had to pretend to be Aang's parents at a Fire Nation school."
"Sapphire?" Zuko asked, sounding taken aback. "What kind of a name is that?"
Katara furrowed her eyebrows. "What's wrong with it?" she asked defensively.
"No respectable woman is named Sapphire."
Katara crossed her arms over her chest. "Okay, then. What do you suggest, Mr. Know-it-all?"
"I don't know, Ako, Ming, Yu Fi, Zala, Zora-"
"Zora," she chose. It was a nice enough sounding name, and it made her think of water. "What about you?"
"Lee," he said without even stopping to think about it.
"Lee? But there are a million Lees."
"That's the point."
Katara raised her hands by her sides. "But it's so boring. At least pick something interesting."
"Okay, then. What do you suggest, Miss Hard-to-please?" he mocked her words from before, also crossing his arms over his chest.
"I don't know, you're the one with the arsenal of Fire Nation names," she answered. "Sokka went by Wang. How about that?"
"Wang?" he repeated, sounding even more incredulous than he had when she'd suggested Sapphire. "You and Sokka were Wang and Sapphire? Spirits, what a couple."
Katara frowned. She didn't see what was so horrible about the names they'd chosen. Sure, they weren't great, but they'd worked, hadn't they? "Fine, just be Lee. I don't even care," she declared, turning her nose away from him immaturely.
She heard a muffled chuckle from behind his mask and she poked him in the side.
"I'm going to hide our stuff," he said. "Now that we have names, I think it's best that we get going. I'd really rather not get caught in here."
"Sure. But won't it not matter since we're wearing disguises?"
Zuko stopped and turned around. "Think about how it would look if someone came by and found a female soldier locked in an equipment room with a male soldier."
"Oh. Point taken."
Katara stood by while Zuko stashed their bags and his swords in the far back of the cabinet where he'd found the ink and then met her by the door.
From here on, anything could happen. "Ready?" he asked, looking at her through the dark eyes of his mask.
She nodded. "Ready."
oO0Oo
Hooray! Ten chapters down!
I wanted to have this up on Monday, but my interwebz crapped out. It was very distressing.
In this chapter many people have trouble sleeping and Katara has another weird-ass dream. We also get our first tiny glimpse into Azulaland through Ty Lee, who has been bullied into helping her again.
Thanks for all of your wonderful reviews! They are my cake and ice cream.
Next chapter: Zuko and Katara attempt to blend in with the crew and Katara finds the experience slightly different than she expected. There will be booze.