Disclaimer: I do not own Avatar.
~P~
Chapter 10 – The Mysterious Woman
~P~
Zuko woke up two days later, tossing and turning. His eyes opening slowly, they were introduced to the harsh light of the afternoon, and in attempt to drive it off, he flipped over to the other side, and was presented with a dozing Katara.
He blinked groggily at her before propping himself up painfully. His left side was especially sore, and when he pulled back the blanket to look at it, he was presented with it being bandaged up quite thoroughly. He then turned back to Katara, and noticed the utterly exhausted look on her face.
"She's been awake these past two days waiting for you to wake up yourself! She was clocking out a bit, though, so I told her that it would be okay if she took a bit of a nap – I'd wake her up if you came to."
Zuko was surprised by the voice of a woman behind him and he turned to see a middle-aged lady with black hair smiling at him, a watering can in her hands.
"O-oh," was all he said.
"Well, now that you're awake, I think that she'd actually prefer you waking her up, instead of myself." And with a nod, the woman left the two alone.
Staring at her sleeping form, Zuko wasn't quite sure about what to do. He was perfectly fine with waiting until she woke up, but at the same time, the woman had told him that Katara wanted to be awoken as soon as Zuko – if he did at all – had woken up himself.
Deciding against Katara's wishes, Zuko instead let her catch up on her sleep, just laying back down and staring at the ceiling blankly. She continued to snore away for another hour before she stirred. Brought back to the real world by her movement, Zuko sat up again and waited for her to fully come to.
Katara blinked a few times before wiping at her eyes. The second her eyes focussed on Zuko, did they widen and fill with noticeable tears.
"Zuko!"
Leaning over, she took the Fire Lord in her arms and squeezed him lightly, muttering incoherencies to him. He laughed at her reaction and lifted his sore, noodle-like arms to embrace her back, careful not to strain his torn-up side.
A few minutes passed before she retreated from the hug, her eyes still glistening. He opened his mouth to say something to her, but she cut him off.
"I-I was so worried about you – you have no idea, Zuko," she told him hurriedly, holding his hands in her shaking ones. "At first I didn't think anything that serious was going to happen to you – but then those boys trapped you in that wall and I just... panicked. I didn't know what was going to happen to you!" She leaned into him again and between frustrated tears, she whispered into ear, "How could you be such an idiot? I-I-" Instead of saying anything, Zuko decided to let her vent. "I just... I broke down after that," she admitted.
"The lady told me that you've stayed up the past few days we've been here," Zuko told her.
"Of course, I did – I wasn't going to sleep until you woke up, but then, a few hours ago, I just began to drift off and—" She paused then and gave him a look. "Wait, were you up before me?" Zuko nodded and she had to resist slapping his arm. "Why didn't you wake me up, too? I was going—"
Zuko pulled her into another hug to prevent her from going off, and she melted into it. After a few long, long moments passed, she whispered into his ear, "I just care about you so much..."
Feeling his heartbeat pick up just a bit more at that, he responded back with, "I care about you, too, Katara."
Pulling back from the hug, he smiled at her and pulled her hair behind her ear. Despite how much his head hurt, his could still reason enough to know that they both wanted something to happen then, but Katara being Katara, she would not let it happen.
In a sudden burst of emotion, the Fire Lord felt as though he couldn't contain his feelings anymore. Taking her hand and intertwining their fingers, he looked down, refusing to make eye contact, and spoke his mind. "Katara, you know how I feel about you. You know that I like you... a lot. And I know I told you that I would wait as long as it would take for you to make up your mind, but..." He looked up at her then, and gave her an intense look, "...but I can't take this anymore! The way I feel about you is indescribable and I need you to fully understand that."
Katara's eyes were wide with raw emotion, taking in everything he was saying to her.
"I need you to understand that I... I think – no, I know – that this—" He leaned forward ever so slightly and his eyes darted from her mouth to her eyes and he brought his hand up to draw her face closer to his own, "—is not a mistake." And at that, he pressed his lips to hers tenderly.
At first he received no response, and his heart fell at this. But a few moments later, and Katara's lips were kissing his back with fervour. Quite quickly, the kiss went from gentle and contained to fiery and passionate. Zuko's hand went from her chin to behind her head, pressing her face closer to his. He was a bit surprised when she threw her tongue into the kiss, but he happily obliged.
A few minutes passed before the pair withdrew from the fuelled kiss, and when they did, they blinked at each other before turning away and blushing.
Zuko's mind was peacefully clear of any of the tension he had felt before – he had told her outright that he wanted to be with her and he was content now. Katara's, however, was running a mile a minute!
Her heart was racing, and her thoughts were a jumbled mess. She could no longer deny herself the fact – she wanted to be something more than just friends with Fire Lord Zuko. And that would be okay if she weren't already in a relationship with the Avatar! And she knew that while she loved Zuko, she loved Aang, as well...
Zuko touched her hand then, and her head snapped up to look at him. His eyes were gentle and he was smiling at her, a genuine, charming smile that made her heart soar. He was waiting for a reaction from her, something that gave him the a-okay.
That one touch was enough for her – she knew she didn't have to make a choice right then and there. What she needed to focus on now was not Aang, but Zuko. She needed – and wanted – to build something with Zuko. She wanted to explore these newfound feelings for him and grow a relationship with him. That's what mattered to her right now – just enjoying her time with this boy and her feelings for him.
And so, with a thunderously beating heart and a smile on her lips, did Katara lean over and give the Fire Lord another sweet kiss, reassuring herself that right then, they were the only thing that mattered to the other.
~P~
The next few days were spent with Katara gathering as much information on the mysterious lady and just Ai Basho in general, while Zuko slept. He wanted to help her, but she wouldn't allow it in his delicate condition.
It turned out, though, that no one in town knew who she was talking about – Katara figured so. The woman was like the Painted Lady – no one saw her, but they knew she was there. What was even odder, Katara found, was that the end of each day, when she returned to the clinic to see Zuko, did he mumble on and on about the mysterious woman coming to visit him.
On their sixth day there, Katara decided to pay attention to his sleepy mumblings – she came back to the clinic earlier than usual, and actually saw the woman exiting the room hurriedly. Determined to stop her and talk to her, Katara put her hand out in front of her to signal the woman to stop walking.
"Hey, um, I wanted to talk to you," the Waterbender began, but the woman just scooted right past her, her face covered by her sugegasa. She didn't stop to even acknowledge Katara, who stood there, dumbfounded. The woman blatantly knew by this point that Katara wanted to speak with her, and yet she still ignored her!
Huffing and walking into the room, she saw Zuko smiling contently at the ceiling. "Th-that woman!" she stuttered, "She won't even acknowledge me! All I want to do is talk to her!"
"She's nice," was all the Fire Lord said in return, turning over to Katara. "I... don't know who she is – but she reminds me of my mother."
Something clicked in Katara's mind then, but she didn't say anything. Rushing over to his bag, which was placed on the table at the end of his bed, she ruffled through it and found the picture of Ursa. "Do you mind if I borrow this?"
"Not at all," Zuko gave her a curious look and sat up. "But... why?"
"You'll see," she gave him a smile before walking up to him and giving him a quick, but reassuring kiss. He smiled back at her, and she made her way to the door then.
"I really appreciate this, Katara."
The Waterbender stopped at the door when she heard this, and she turned around to give him a soft look, which was returned, before exiting the room again.
~P~
"Do you recognize this woman?"
Katara held up the picture of Ursa in front of the store owner, who nodded.
"Yes, of course," he smiled toothily. "She's a regular customer! She comes by here every week."
Katara's entire face brightened. "D-do you know her name, by any chance?"
"Kuma," the man answered. "Her name is Kuma."
Katara gave him a strange look, complete with a raised eyebrow. "You're sure?"
"I'm sure. She's been living here for years, and that's the name she's been going by the entire time!" he told her matter-of-factly.
Sighing, Katara gave him a grateful smile. "Thank you."
He nodded at her, and she walked away. It just... didn't make sense to her. Clearly, Ursa was somewhere in the village – or someone who looked a hell of a lot like her. But, according to these villagers, this woman was named Kuma, not Ursa.
As Katara walked down the narrow streets of Ai Basho, she figured the only way this would make sense is if Ursa had changed her name, which, now that the Waterbender thought about it, was completely plausible. She had run away from Ozai and, under no conditions, did she want to be found. So, naturally, she changed her name. Katara couldn't believe she didn't realize this up until that point!
But Katara couldn't – and didn't – dwell on this fact for long, because she was undeniably happy at the fact that people recognized Ursa's photo! Fourteen people in the last two hours had identified Ursa as someone they either knew or had seen on a frequent basis, and she knew that if Zuko was there with her, that even he would be hopping up and down in glee, which the Waterbender herself had to keep from doing.
Walking down the street, she debated whether or not she wanted to go back and tell Zuko of this news or if she should wait to find out even more information, like a location. Deciding against going back, she kept travelling down the road, humming along out of sheer happiness at the situation. However, her peaceful attitude was destroyed when she saw a certain Earthbender and company walk up beside her.
"Um, hey," Michi said, hands behind his back as his eye bore holes in the ground. His much more cowardly friends were hiding behind him.
Katara didn't even bother to stop or turn to him, just kept walking. "What do you want?" she huffed, crossing her arms.
"I, uh," the boy was wringing his hands, still refusing to make eye contact with her, "I – all of us, actually – wanted to apologize for what we did to Zuko a few days ago."
Katara stopped then and turned to them, glaring. "Why don't you apologize to Zuko directly, then?"
Michi and his friends stopped, bumping into each other. "Well, he's not here... and I know that going after him did a number on you, too. I'm sorry for scaring you like I did and forcing you to get my father involved." He gave her an honest, pleading look. "I really, really am. I wasn't in the right mind – I was just so angry at, well, anyone and everyone Fire Nation. Somehow, for some stupid reason, I thought going after Zuko would help make up for something that his father did. I was trying to uphold the honour of my village, but I just ended up destroying it."
From behind him, several murmurs and "I'm sorry!"s were said, and despite wanting to remain angry at Michi, Katara's eyes travelled to his pained green ones, and she felt her resolve slip a bit. Like the night it had happened, she pitied him because his situation was so similar to Zuko's, and she had forgiven him! So, could she find it in herself to forgive this boy, who was so alike to the Fire Lord?
"It's... okay," she admitted, feeling her shoulders slumping and a small smile forming on her face.
Michi breathed out a sigh of relief, and she noticed that his entire was red from the lack of oxygen he had given himself while waiting for her answer. "Thank you," he said quietly. At this point, his four friends involved in the incident began to filter off until it was just him and Katara. "I really am sorry. I know I just seem like an idiotic guy to you, but I'm not usually like that."
"I believe you," she told him, and leaning over, she whispered in his ear, "and don't tell Zuko I told you this, but you two are more alike than either of you think." She retreated, and wanted to laugh at the look on Michi's face.
Despite what his face said, the boy did not comment on what she had told him. Shaking his head, he bit his lip. "I guess... I'll apologize to Zuko later." Katara nodded at him. Smiling, he began to break off from her. "Bye now, Katara."
"See you," she waved back at him. Walking off down the street then with a new bounce in her step, she made her way to the next shop eagerly, counting down the minutes until she could tell Zuko about what she had discovered.
~P~
A few hours had passed, but Katara's excitement about the situation had not faded even one bit. She raced up the staircase hastily, and waltzed in the room, beaming.
"What's up with you?" Zuko gave her a look, smiling at her dreamy expression.
Sitting down on the stool and taking his hands in hers, she spoke each of her word a mile a minute, it seemed. "You will not believe what I've found out about your mother," she breathed, and his eyes widened exponentially. "I took that picture of her and showed it around, and so many people recognized her, Zuko. She's here – your mother's here in Ai Basho."
The Fire Lord was understandably speechless. He just sat there, eyes bright and wide, as he tried to process and fathom the information that Katara had just given him. And when he did, his entire being was filled with such a flooding of encouragement and happiness and just love. Everything he felt was just so powerful right then and his elation showed on his face in the form of the possibly the world's biggest smile.
Leaning over, he captured Katara in a bone-crushing hug, burying himself in her neck. "Thank you, thank you, thank you, Katara," he whispered. "You-you've managed to do something in a few days that I've been dwelling on for months now – dammit, thank you. I know this sounds stupid... but there is literally no way for me to express how I feel right now. All I can say, is that you've made me so, so happy. And I hope that I can make you this happy one day, too."
Pulling back and placing her hands on his shoulders, she just stared at him and his on-cloud-nine expression. Next, she took his hands in hers and squeezed them. "Like I said, Zuko – I'd do anything for you. You deserve this more than you know."
Leaning forward then, Zuko closed the gap in between them and kissed her sweetly. It was a kiss that was filled with such happiness that it simply exuded it, and the Waterbender participated whole-heartedly in it. Retreating from the kiss, Zuko then kissed her nose and let out a small chuckle, and shortly afterwards, the room began to chime with the quiet, gentle, grateful laughter of the two.
Placing her forehead against his, she quickly pulled away when she felt the heat emanating from it. "Your forehead," she said quickly, placing her hand to it and feeling its warmth. "It's hot, Zuko." She gave him a concerned look, but the Fire Lord wouldn't have it.
"I'm fine, stop worrying," he took her hand off his forehead and kissed it gently. "I'm a Firebender, and I just got exciting news. It's a natural reaction, isn't it?" He gave her a bright look, trying to faze her out of her motherly mindset, but she still had the same look on her face from before.
"I don't know..." she murmured, turning away.
"Katara, I feel fine, I swear," Zuko was pleading with her now, his eyes begging her not to disrupt the perfectly happy atmosphere of the room.
Sighing, Katara smiled at him. "Okay. I guess your logic makes sense." Despite agreeing to his theory, though, she still had a gut feeling that he was getting a bit ill. But she, quite honestly, couldn't bring herself to break down his elation with something as trivial as arguing with him over it.
Taking her in his arms, he lifted her into the bed with him and laid them both down, and Katara was careful to avoid his injury. Pulling her close and giving her an intense, but curious look, he asked, "So, what did you find out about my mother, in particular?"
Smiling at his eagerness, she settled into the comfy bed and into his warm arms, and began to explain the extent of her findings to the Fire Lord.
~P~
Flipping over on his side, the Fire Lord groaned and curled together. He felt overheated even for being a Firebender, and though he knew Katara was correct about him having contracted a fever, he refused to believe it at first.
Katara, who had drifted off in the bed along with him, was stirred awake by his moving, and she blinked tiredly at him. "You're up early," she told him, rubbing at her eyes.
He didn't say anything in response, just grumbled. Noticing he seemed off, she put a hand on his shoulder and tried to get him to face her. "Hey, what's wrong?"
"Go away," he complained bitterly.
Frowning, she sat up slightly and noticed his reddened face. Placing her hand on her forehead, she quickly pulled it back at the intense heat it emanated. Pulling herself out of the bed now, Zuko grumbled once again in protest to leaving him, but the Waterbender paid him no mind as she sat down and gave him a look. "You have a fever," she told him bluntly. "I told you, you were going to get sick."
"I'm not really in the mood for a lecture, as you can tell," the Fire Lord told her, irritated. His head was pounding uncontrollably and her voice was ten times louder in his mind than it actually was.
"This is something my healing abilities can't, well, heal. We'll just have to get you some medication for it," Katara sighed. If only he had allowed her to take some preventative measures last night, but no... really, though, could she blame him? She was telling him life-changing news at the time.
"Okay," Zuko whined, pulling the pillow over his head. He wanted all of the light and noise in the world to die right then so he could just sleep!
Noticing how much pain he was in, she leaned over and gave him a gentle hug. "I'll stay here for as long as it takes until you get better." As soon as Katara said this, while she didn't regret it, she did remember that she was going to check the west side of town – the only part she hadn't explored – and where Turtleduck Waterfall was located.
"No," the Fire Lord told her quickly, forcefully. "You've got better things to do than just sit here while I mope."
"I want to stay here with you, though, Zuko," she told him with a smile. "Gotta make sure the Fire Lord stays in tip top shape, huh?"
"Do whatever you need to, Katara," he whispered, keeping his voice down to the lowest octave possible. "All I'm going to do is sleep – so please, go off and do what you need to."
"Zuko, I—"
"Don't argue with a sick man!" he cracked a pained smile.
Giving him a long, hard stare, she crossed her arms then and huffed. "Fine! Jeez, you're so stubborn sometimes."
"Same to you," he answered back, his eyes dancing jollily despite his sensitive condition.
Giving him another look, she finally broke it in favour of collecting up a few things into a bag that she would take into town. Leaning over, she hugged him and smiled. "I'll be back in a bit," she told him quietly.
Mumbling in response, Zuko flipped back over to facing the window.
Shaking her head at him, she left the room and went to town, determined to visit Turtleduck Waterfall that day.
~P~
After asking around a bit, Katara received directions to Turtleduck Waterfall and promptly made her way there. Walking down the long, dirt path, though, she felt as though it was taking forever, and she wondered briefly if she had taken a wrong turn somewhere. When she heard running water a few yards away, though, she shook her head and her feet began to pick up pace.
Quickly, the Waterbender came to large meadow, an intimidating mountain to its side. There were blooming flowers everywhere, and they were an array of colors, though they were mostly red and blue. From somewhere at the top of the mountain, there was a river, as multiple waterfalls were falling down over its crags and edges. Though most of the waterfalls were small and unnoticeable when they hit over certain areas, one of them – the main, and Turtleduck Waterfall – came crashing down in the large pond in the center of the spacious meadow. Behind the Waterfall were little caves in which Katara figured the Turtleducks would hide if need be. The scene was tranquil, and she took a few moments to just take in the view.
As she walked out of the trees of the forest and closer to the clear pond, she noticed a few hundred feet away a small house built beside a bed of craggy rocks. It was well-sized and terribly quaint, what with colourful flowers adorning its sides and a small yard jutting off to its right. Behind the house were a few more buildings and a large fence enclosure, leading Katara to believe it was owned by a local farmer, who didn't appear to be home at the moment. Smiling to herself, Katara thought about how beautiful a place this must be to live, before continuing on to the pond.
Kneeling down to the water, she looked around and was saddened not to see any of the Waterfall's namesake waterfowl around. However, despite this, the scenery was enough to make her glad she came.
The bright midday sun was illuminating the entire field and it made Katara feel warm inside, but when she turned around and admired the premise once again, she felt a little pang in her chest at the fact that Zuko had to spend all of his time inside on such a lovely day. It didn't seem quite fair to her, and she figured—
"Quack!"
The Waterbender's thoughts were halted by a high-pitched noise, and her heart stopped just a bit. She turned around ever-so-slowly, and blinked at the source of the sound. Sitting in the water, blinking curiously at her, was a pair of baby Turtleducks, in all their fluffy newness. Katara, in turn, blinked back at the little things, her heart pounding. There were Turtleducks there in Ai Basho – there weren't supposed to be Turtleducks in Ai Basho!
Reaching forward slightly, moving as though she were going to touch one of them, Katara was met with another shrill quack and then the smaller of the two swam forward, nudging just slightly against her hand, wanting attention. Katara giggled as it continued to nuzzle against her hand affectionately, while the other baby became somewhat jealous and began quacking up a storm behind the other, before swimming forward and trying to push the other away in an attempt to get some of its own attention.
Getting distracted by the younger Turtleducks, Katara then shook her head to snap herself back into reality, and while still petting the two lightly, she squinted and tried to examine the caves behind the Waterfall to see if there were any other Turtleducks around. She strained her eyes, but after a good five minutes of looking around, she sighed, her efforts fruitless. She knew that these two Turtleducks were only ones around – and probably the first in a while.
Spending a few more minutes with the Turtleducklings, Katara then stood up and decided she should go check up on Zuko – maybe, if he was feeling well enough, he could even come with her so she could show him the Falls and how beautiful they were. Smiling sadly to herself, feeling disappointed in the lack of Turtleducks, she gave the two little Turtleducklings a cute look before walking off back into town.
~P~
After the clinic owner – whom Zuko noted, he did not know the name of – had given him some medicine and he had slept a bit more, the Fire Lord still felt horrible, and he couldn't stop turning back and forth in his bed. In fact, he had gotten progressively worse. His vision was now blurred and he couldn't make out objects that clearly, and his judgement of his surroundings was impaired because of this.
As he flipped over for the umpteenth time, this time facing the window, he heard the sound of footsteps behind him, reverberating in the back of his mind painfully. Hoping that they were Katara, he forced himself to turn then, but instead of the Waterbender, he was instead presented with the same mysterious woman who had been periodically visiting him those past few days. He groaned at the sight of her, his vision doubling.
The woman frowned at him, before sitting down and touching the Fire Lord's face gently. He couldn't make out her face, like all the other times – she was wearing a sugegasa, which blocked any chance of anyone seeing her features. But this time, she slowly removed the hat from her head, but still the Fire Lord couldn't put her face together accurately. He saw that she had sprawling, glossy hair, and a sad smile on her face, but beyond that, nothing was clear to him.
She spoke then. "My dearest child," she whispered sweetly, the sound welcome to Zuko's ears. It was so... familiar. "I have enjoyed these past few days that I have spent with you – it's been so wonderful to see you again. But—" Her tone noticeably dropped, "—I am afraid this is the last time you will see me after today. Your... friend has been quite persistent in her searching, has she not? Well, now that I am known, I cannot risk staying here any longer – these people can't know who I am, my dear. I will be leaving soon – within the week. Please, do not try to search for me." Standing up then, the woman bent down and placed a kiss on Zuko's warm forehead, before patting it. "I love you. Goodbye."
Zuko, having clearly heard every word, strained his eyes to catch a good look at the woman. His heart was beating relentlessly. For a few short seconds, his eyes focussed, and he caught a glimpse of her and his previously pounding heart stopped. Blinking as if to reassure he wasn't hallucinating, he rasped out, "M-mother?" His mind became clearer then, despite his fear and uncertainty then. "You're... you're my mother," he stated, surer of himself than he had been in years. Despite being feverish, he knew he wasn't wrong in his conjecture.
The woman's hand stopped caressing his face then, tensing. Pulling it back into her robes sharply, she gave him one last look and a sad smile before placing her sugegasa back on her head and exiting the room without further words.
The moment had left Zuko so flustered that he didn't even try to stop her – not that he could. Clutching the bed sheets with his sweating his hands, his mind once again fell into a feverish stupor, and he felt frustrated – frustrated at the fact that now that she had finally revealed herself in the world, that he couldn't even attempt to stop his mother.
Despite himself, the Fire Lord felt tears to match his mood well up in his eyes and fall down his face. He was just so tired of this game that he had been put through for the past five years of his life! Feeling weak and pathetic, he turned on his side and grumbled to himself, wanting desperately for sleep to seize him, but instead, as his luck as of late would have it, he wasn't given the luxury. At least he could hope to vent to the Waterbender upon her arrival back...
~P~
Walking up the stairs of the clinic, Katara was careful to be quiet as she opened the squeaky door to the room where Zuko was. Noticing him laying down, she proceeded to be silent.
"I'm awake, you know."
Katara stopped sneaking about at the sound of his voice, and relaxed her tensed form. "Oh." She smiled at him from across the room before sitting down. "Feeling any better?"
"No," he told her truthfully. He turned then, and gave her a distraught look. "I-I'm not."
Placing a hand on his head, she gave him a peculiar look. "You're not burning up anymore. Are you sure? I mean—"
"No, Katara." He sat up, distressed. "S-something happened. Something serious." He took her hand then.
Becoming scared by his tone of voice, Katara gripped it back tightly. "What happened, Zuko? Please, tell me," she frowned at him.
"The woman – the odd one who kept coming around here. When you were gone, she came and visited me again. But this time, unlike the others, she removed her sugegasa – and... she's... my mother. She's Ursa, Katara." Zuko inhaled painfully then, and Katara could see the hopelessness in his eyes. Squeezing his hand to encourage him to continue, he did so. "Then she left after I recognized her. She got scared and ran off and I don't know where she went an-and—"
"Calm down," Katara told him quietly, leaning forward and hugging him. "Please, Zuko. Don't get worked up over this or you won't be able to think straight." However, Katara even had to admit she was freaking out a bit. The more she thought about it, the more sense it made. The mysterious woman had visited Zuko frequently for a reason – to see her son. And everyone around town had no idea who the sugegasa-wearing woman was, but knew perfectly well of a woman who looked like Ursa named Kuma, who didn't turn up all too often around town, anyway. It all made sense to the Waterbender now.
Though flustered, she looked and smiled brightly at him. "You've found your mother, Zuko," she stated to him obviously, hoping that the true happiness of the situation would dawn on him and that he would stop being so upset.
"But she's gone," he told her bluntly, and Katara's face fell. "She told me that she's 'been revealed' and that she has to leave Ai Basho nearly immediately."
At that being said, Katara knew that she'd have to work fast if she was going to prevent Ursa from leaving. She had come this far for Zuko, and she wasn't going to stop now! Squeezing his hand again and giving him a reassuring nod, she said, "Don't worry. I'll figure it out, I promise." Standing up, she released his hand and placed a kiss atop his forehead, before exiting the room and walking down the stairs again.
There was only one other person that she hadn't really talked to about the mysterious woman. It was the owner of the clinic. In the entire time that she and Zuko had been there, she hadn't even caught the kind woman's name, but one thing she did catch was that she was friends – or appeared to be – with the mysterious woman. Katara had seen the clinic owner talking with the woman, and she knew if anyone in the town knew who she was or where she was, it was her. And so the Waterbender made her way to the main floor of the clinic to find the woman.
To her luck, she was standing in the small entrance of the building, sweeping at the wooden boards and humming happily.
"Um, hey," Katara called at the woman, a bit embarrassed.
The woman stopped and turned around, giving the Waterbender a look before smiling. "Oh, hello."
Stepping forward, Katara held out her hand to the woman. "I'm sorry – I haven't introduced myself or my friend in the last few days we've been here. I'm Katara, and he's Zuko."
"Oh, I know," the woman nodded her head, and Katara gave her a look. "The news of your boyfriend's fight with the mayor's boy is the most action this sleepy little town has seen in a while. It spread around pretty quickly, and along with it, your names." Katara blinked at the woman. It only made sense! "Well," the woman placed the broomstick against the wall and took Katara's hand in hers, shaking it. "I'm San."
"Nice to meet you, San," Katara smiled back at the woman. At that point, Katara wasted no time in asking what she wanted. "I was wondering, San... are you friends with the woman who keeps coming back here?"
San laughed then. "Who? Kuma?" Katara's eyes brightened, and she nodded. "Yes! She's a good friend – in fact, we share a home on the outskirts of the Turtleduck Waterfall." Katara blinked then – so Ursa was living the house across from the pond? Who would have guessed! Reaching into her pocket next, Katara awkwardly held up a picture of Ursa to San. "I know this is an odd question, but... does Kuma look anything like this?"
San blinked at the picture and gave Katara an odd look before nodding. "Yes – that's her! But why is she dressed up in Fire Nation garb? Ah, whatever. That's her. That's Kuma, alright!"
Katara had to resist smiling like a crazy person at all of these findings. "Last question... do... do you think you could take Zuko and I to see her?" San gave her yet another look, and Katara knew she had to come up with an excuse. "He... he wants to thank her, personally, for keeping him company while I was out these past few days. Do you think we could do that?"
San nodded. "I don't see why not. We can go tomorrow, when your boyfriend's in a bit better shape."
Katara, not being able to hold herself back, leaped forward and snatched up San in a hug, taking the clinic owner aback. "Thank you so, so much," Katara whispered, becoming emotional despite barely knowing the woman.
San patted Katara on the back. "U-um," she started awkwardly. "Y-you're welcome, Katara."
Releasing her then, the Waterbender smiled at her again before bolting towards the stairs excitedly, rushing up them to go and tell Zuko, leaving the confused clinic owner standing there wondering just wanted had happened.
~P~
Luckily, the next morning, Zuko was feeling much better, and after learning what Katara had set up, he spent the majority of the day figuring out how he was going to confront his mother; however, nothing he thought up seemed to fit the occasion.
That night, Katara, Zuko, and San ate dinner together, with the Fire Lord jittering about the entire time. It took a few gentle touches from Katara, but he eventually calmed down enough to sort out his flustered thoughts.
When the time came for San to lock up the clinic and for them all to take off to her and "Kuma's" house, though, Zuko once again felt as though everything was happening both too quickly and too slowly – it was all too much for the young Fire Lord. But as they walked along the silent roads of Ai Basho and down the paths that lead to Turtleduck Waterfall, Katara took the young man's hand and gave him such a loving look that his entire being was once again became serene, and this time, stayed this way.
San observed the couple from afar, smiling to herself at their interactions. Every interaction between them was gentle and caring, but still so young that they blushed at certain things and were sheepish at moments. She found it endearing how they held hands and never seemed to take their eyes of each other – but only when the other was looking away. It reminded the clinic owner of her own first love...
When they got to the field, Zuko peered around in amazement. The sky looked as though it were lit on fire because of the mixing of dusk and the midday sun, leaving the flowers looking particularly lovely. Walking over to the pond, Zuko looked across it and said, "Wow."
Katara giggled at him before walking over and taking his hand again, making his cheeks redden. Leaning over, he picked a blue flower from the ground and placed in her hair, and in response, the Waterbender collected two red flowers and placed them behind each of his ears. San had to suppress a laugh and instead shook her head when she saw Zuko's face flush when Katara leaned over and placed a kiss on his lips. He was about to kiss Katara back when he remembered San was with them, and he turned and gave her an awkward look, which caused the clinic owner to finally let out a chuckle along with the Waterbender, who squeezed his hand. The scene caused the Firebender to blush even brighter, and he hid his face, thoroughly embarrassed.
A few more moments passed of Zuko and Katara teasing at each other and admiring the environment before San pointed into the distance. "Ah, there it is!" Zuko looked up then and noticed the house the clinic owner was motioning to, and he felt his previously calm state once again fly out the window and his stomach twist violently. Noticing his expression change, Katara smiled and nodded at him.
Swallowing, he continued on with Katara, clutching to her hand. She smiled – this was going to be a powerful moment for him, and she was glad she got to share it with him.
It took an excruciatingly long time, according to Zuko, to get to the house. Upon arriving, San stopped and held out her hands to them, smiling. "You two stand here, and I'll go check if Kuma's here." Katara nodded, and San entered the house and left them there alone.
As soon as San left, Zuko's breath became fast and uneven. Looking over at him, Katara kissed his cheek. "Hey, it's going to be okay," she told him, "I promise – she wants this as much as you do, Zuko." Nodding, he leaned over and hugged her closely, before pecking her on the lips.
"You know how I feel, Katara – I feel so indebted and grateful to you. I owe you so much," he told her truthfully. He opened his mouth to speak again, but was cut off by a voice coming from the back of the house. Tensing, Katara noticed, he turned to the look in the direction of the voice, before gripping Katara's hands and pulling her to the side yard of the house. He whispered, "That's her." Katara's heart welled up with emotion, while Zuko's heart was beating wildly, so loud he believed Katara could hear it.
They continued walking into the yard until they saw a woman – the woman – humming along and hanging up clothes on a clothesline. Zuko let go of Katara's hand then, and took a shaky step forward.
Hearing the dry grass behind her crack, Ursa turned around, a smile on her features, her eyes closed. "Oh, Sa—" the former-Fire Princess's voice stopped when he eyes fell on the man before her. Tears noticeably began to fall from them, and she whispered his name. "Z-Zuko..."
"Mother!" the Fire Lord pointed at the woman, but then his voice fell several octaves, and he whispered her name just like she had, "M-mom..." The pair kept their distance for a few seconds, but soon Ursa could not resist the tension strung between herself and her son any longer, and she dropped the clothes in her hands and launched herself forward, embracing Zuko tightly, tears falling from her face as she sobbed into his shoulders.
Zuko's arms were held slightly above his mother as she hugged him, but it wasn't long before he too hugged her back, tears dripping down his face.
Katara stood there, holding a hand to her heart and feeling her own eyes well up. Her heart was soaring along with Zuko's, and it occurred to her that she had never felt so much love and happiness at one time in her life. Biting her lips, her eyes began to water visibly along with the others.
"Kuma, is that you?"
San walked out of the back of the house and onto the porch, and blinked, thoroughly confused, at seeing Ursa – or Kuma, to her – embracing the Fire Lord. "W-what's going on here?" she walked over to Katara, who turned her and the clinic owner away from the scene and whispered to her the general gist of the circumstances.
It seemed to be too much for the clinic owner, who was incredulous to it all. "S-so, K-Kuma is th-the mother of F-Fire Lord Zuko?" she motioned over her shoulder to the pair, Ursa now mumbling nonsense to her son, who couldn't stop hugging her. Katara nodded, and placed a hand on her shoulder.
"Don't worry – you don't have to have to fully grasp it all quite yet," Katara reassured her. "There's a lot more information than what I just told you." San simply swallowed and nodded, and Katara kind of felt bad for her, regretting what she had just said. Everything that Ursa, or Kuma to San, had told the clinic owner, was suddenly a lie and a new story had been fabricated in its place. But right now, it wasn't about either San or Katara or the story behind the happenings right then – it was all about Zuko and Ursa.
At that, the pair turned around, and San's confusion transformed as she watched the tearfully happy reunion. Eventually, Ursa and Zuko pulled apart.
"I missed you so much," Zuko cried.
Ursa's hand reached up and wiped away his tear. "I missed you, too, my not-so little Firebender." Zuko barely managed a weak laugh at that comment, before giving her another quick hug. Ursa, who now had her eyes opened, looked at Katara and San. Pulling back, she motioned to Katara. "Who is that, if I may ask, Zuko?"
Smiling at her, Zuko pulled back and walked over to Katara, taking her hands. When she looked hesitant and pulled away, he gave her a reassuring look, like she had to him before, and brought her over, causing San to walk closer to the group.
"Mother," Zuko put a hand on the small of Katara's back and held her closely. "This is Katara. She's the Princess of the Southern Water Tribe, one of the heroes who helped end the war, and she saved my life. She found you for me, too. I wouldn't be here with you – or at all – without the help of the woman." His eyes sparkled at Katara, revealing more than what he had said about her and Ursa caught how he looked at her, and smiled.
Taking her hands, Ursa smiled meekly at the Waterbender. "You are quite the detective, young lady," she told her, causing Katara to blush. "And I am honoured to be in your presence. Thank you ever so much for helping bring my son to me again – I know that neither of us will ever truly be able to repay you, but I hope that you can take my word for how appreciative I am of you, Princess Katara."
"You can just call me Katara, your majesty," Katara began to bow the ex-Fire Princess, but she stopped her.
"And you can call me Ursa," she smiled, and then looked behind her and San giving her a strange look. She gave her a sympathetic look – she knew that San wasn't going to be able to adjust to calling her Ursa instead of Kuma.
Letting go of Katara's hand, she went to her friend, hugging the woman tightly. "Oh, San," she gave her a sad look. "I'm so sorry for everything you've just been put through! I—"
"No, no," San waved her hands out in front of her. "I'm just happy that you and Zuko found each other in the first place – we can go over the details later. But... but for now, let's just enjoy this." Ursa smiled at her friend, and squeezed her tightly in a hug. San was the best friend she had ever had – she much so much nicer than all the old, stuffy Fire Nation noblewoman she used to have to be around!
Pulling out of the hug and looking back over at Zuko and Katara, who were looking at each other adoringly, Ursa motioned them over and they complied. Wrapping her arms around the lot of them, the four of them just stood there in the perfect silence of the situation, embracing each other.
The silence was broken though, when from behind them, a swell of noise began to come from the pond, and they all turned to see a slew of Turtleducks fly out of the caves of the Waterfall, out of the dips and cliffs of the mountain, and from the trees. They all landed in the water, chirping and chattering away happily at each other.
Hands flying to her mouth, Ursa's eyes filled with tears again and she let them fall freely.
Katara looked up at Zuko, blinking at him. "They... they're here. It's like they were waiting, Zuko... for the moment you would find your mother."
The Fire Lord turned to her then, and kissed her deeply, pulling her right against him. Katara was surprised by the sudden action, but she easily wrapped her arms around his neck and participated in it. Ursa, who had been observing the Turtleducks, turned then, and noticed her son's lip lock with the Waterbender, her eyes wide out of her own surprise, but she quickly smiled at the scene.
Retreating from the kiss, Zuko smiled softly at Katara, his amber eyes boring into hers. His hands intertwined with hers then, and as he leaned down again, his lips were caught in yet another gentle kiss that Katara initiated. Aware of the fact they were being watched, more so by San than Ursa now, who had turned away to give him some privacy to her son, the pair parted, but kept close and still held hands.
Ursa then started to walk forward, and she turned around and smiled brightly at them all. "Let's go see them," she motioned to the Turtleducks enthusiastically, who were still quacking about excitedly. Turning eagerly, Ursa made her way over the pond, and the other three followed.
Upon her arrival, all the Turtleducks began to gather at Ursa's feet, making an incessant amount of racket, but she just giggled at them, before smiling. "I haven't seen a Turtleduck in years," she admitted, sighing while leaning down and petting a baby one. "They're just as cute as I remember."
Zuko looked over the pond, before smiling at Katara.
"I guess we got to see them, after all," she whispered, leaning her head on his shoulder.
"Yeah," he agreed, his voice soft. He felt so strongly about so many things right then – his overwhelming love for Katara, finding his mother, the sudden arrival of the Turtleducks... it was all so much for him, and yet he would have it no other way. He didn't know what his Uncle was talking about when he called the trip a tragedy – everything had been so great for Zuko (mostly) up until that point. He wouldn't change a thing! Squeezing her hand, he pulled Katara into his arms, where she gladly stay.
Standing up, Ursa took hold of Zuko's one free hand and the San's hand, squeezing both. "I'm so glad that I am sharing this moment with the people I love," she admitted honestly. At that, all of them looked out to into the pond, a sudden peaceful, comfortable silence casting over them.
Snuggling into Zuko's warm chest, Katara could hear his steady, strong heartbeat and looked up at him, and he caught her gaze, giving her a powerful look. "See, Zuko," she whispered, "all it took was a little hope and love."
"That's for sure," he smiled genuinely at her before placing his lips against hers again, and she smiled against them, relishing the feeling. And Katara knew then, that Zuko was right – all it took for them was a little hope and love, too.
~P~
Author's Notes: Sappy as hell, but, hey, that's me.
I'm not really good with keeping "mysterious" aspects to stories, so all of you probably saw this a mile away! But it's the best my mind could come up with – I'm not Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, now!
Also, some name etymology... Kuma means "bear" in Japanese, so I thought it was a fitting cover up name for Ursa, and San's name... I got it from Mononoke, to be honest. I love the film (however freaky it may be) to death!
Also – TEN CHAPTERS AND FORTY THOUSAND WORDS IN JUST ONE MONTH! BOOYAH! I totally never thought I could do that – but I did! I'm so happy!
Lastly, I think I should clarify about Michi - he's not meant to be an insane character, I promise. Just angry, at least at the time. Normally, he's a pleasant young man to be around! It's just that one time last chapter he kind of went... murderous.
Well, that's enough regarding Author's Notes! Be seeing you!