Warning: the following chapter may cause cavities and tooth decay. If it does, you're paying your own dental bill because I make no money from this. Also, it's not mine.
IX
Sokka met him in the courtyard, horses saddled and ready, as the last of the pink and purple dawn faded into the sky. He looked sleepy, and Zuko could only guess what he had gotten up to the night before. When he'd left him at dinner, he'd been in the company of several flirtatious Earth Kingdom girls, and hadn't looked like he intended to go to bed any time soon.
"Good morning," he said as he came up, "Tired?"
"A little," Sokka yawned, "You're alive."
"Of course I'm alive. Why wouldn't I be?"
"Oh, I dunno. Maybe that little manly display of Fire Lord-dom down at that lake yesterday afternoon?"
"Oh, that," Zuko said. He tied his bag to the back of his ostrich-horse. "Everything's fine. You have nothing to worry about."
"You sure about that?"
"Yes. Why?"
"Well...because she's not here."
Zuko paused. "But she's coming," he said.
"Is she?" Sokka asked, "When I went to her room to say goodnight, she wasn't packed."
"That doesn't mean anything."
"Except that she's not packed. And even if she were packed, she still has her students with her. Who's going to teach if she leaves?"
"I..." Zuko stopped, realizing for the first time how impulsive his invitation had been. "I...I don't know. I didn't think about that."
"Yeah, well, I'm sure Katara did." Sokka swung himself into the saddle. "If she couldn't come up with anyone to take over for her, she's not going to be too willing to leave. She's weird about stuff like that."
"Yeah. Of course," Zuko said. He put his foot in the stirrup and hoisted himself onto his horse's back. "I guess we should just go find Uncle then. So we can say good-bye and get going."
"He said he was seeing off a couple of scholars this morning, so he's probably next door at the library if you want to ride over there."
"Ok."
The two men urged their horses into a walk, taking them around the corner.
As Sokka predicted, Iroh was there, waving to the backs of two men robed in green.
He turned as he heard them approach.
"Ah," Iroh said, "You must be next. So many good-byes, and it's barely past sunrise."
"We have a task to finish, Uncle" Zuko said, "The early hour can't be helped."
"Of course not," Iroh agreed, "You have important business. However, there is something I'd like to give you before you go. Wait here."
The Grand Lotus turned for the common room building, disappearing through one of the side doors. He returned a moment later carrying something in the palm of his hand.
"You should take this," he said, holding it out to Zuko, "The Water Tribes are a people who face adversity head-on, and you shouldn't be ashamed to do the same."
Zuko blinked. The sun glinted off the gold crown in his uncle's hand. The very crown he'd left back in the Fire Nation five days ago.
"What's that doing here?" he asked.
Iroh looked at the object, then back at his nephew. "Well, it's yours. It's here so it can go with you."
"But..."
"Master Pakku brought it."
Zuko's head whipped around. Just past Sokka, hair in a loose cloud about her shoulders stood Katara.
"I'm sorry I'm late," she said clutching the strap of her bag, "I didn't want to leave without writing out my lesson plans."
"Ah, so Pakku has agreed to teach then," Iroh said.
Katara nodded. "And he'll be taking them back to the South Pole at the end of next week. Since it looks like I'll be busy."
She looked at Zuko and smiled.
Zuko found himself smiling in return.
"All right, well, that's everything I suppose." Iroh chuckled. "You know where you are going?"
"North," Sokka said, as Katara climbed up behind him, "To the river. We should be able to trade the horses for a boat and sail to the North Pole straight from there."
"Very good," Iroh said. He bowed to Zuko, and then to the Water Tribe siblings he said, "Take good care of my nephew."
"We will, Uncle," Sokka said, "I promise."
"Good-bye, Uncle," Zuko said, "I'll...I'll try to be back soon."
"Good luck," Iroh said, "Give Ursa my love."
Zuko nodded. The trio moved forward, passing Iroh and picking up the trail that would lead them into the northern forest. Before long, the old man and his home were lost behind them to a sea of thickening trees.
They rode straight on through the heat of the day, reaching the river under the cloak of twilight, and dismounting as they came up to a small village. It took some haggling, but eventually they were able to trade the ostrich-horses for a small, ocean-sound riverboat and some food.
By mutual agreement, they went aboard right away rather than stop in the town for the night, stowing their food and belongings in the small, below-decks cabin before assembling in the wheelhouse.
"It looks like it's steam powered," Sokka said, contemplating the small stove in the far corner of the room, "I wish I'd known that because we could have picked up some more wood."
"But isn't steam just water and fire?" Katara said, "We can just use bending."
"That's true," Zuko said, "The only reason we would need wood is to have something to create the heat. But I can do that."
"Well, yeah, you can," Sokka said, " But driving this thing via bending would require you two not to kill each other between here and the North Pole."
Zuko watched Katara's cheeks flush red.
"No one is going to kill anyone," she said with a scowl.
Sokka raised an eyebrow. "You sure about that?"
"Yes. And I'm also sure it wouldn't hurt for you to stay out of things that are none of your business!"
"Hey, I am just calling it like I see it. Because you do realize that if you blow up our boat in the middle of the ocean, we're pretty screwed, right?"
Katara's fists clenched. "I'll give you screwed," she growled.
Without thinking, Zuko stepped between them.
"It's all right Sokka," he said, "We'll be fine. I won't allow anything to blow up."
Sokka paused. He looked at Zuko for a long, contemplative moment, and then shrugged.
"All right," he said, "If you promise me no battling, then bend away. I'll take first watch."
"I'll come relieve you when we get to the edge of the mountains."
"Actually, you can't," Katara said, "I can bend enough water into the tanks to hold us, but you'll have to keep the heat pretty constant to keep us moving."
"Not necessarily," Sokka said, "The small supply of wood that we do have should hold for a couple of hours. So, once we get going, Zuko can put the wood down and take watch. Then I can take the wheel and Katara, you can get some sleep."
"Right," Zuko said, "And then I'll wake Katara when we pass the mouth of the river."
"There you go." Sokka tucked his boomerang into his belt loop. " Ok, I'm off," he said, "Be good, kids."
He disappeared out the door.
Zuko and Katara looked at each other.
"Kids?" Zuko said.
"Yeah," Katara said, "Like he's one to talk." She looked around the room. "Ok, it looks like I'll be able to pull the water in through the window. You stay there and start heating once I get enough in the tank, ok?"
"Ok."
He watched her assume her stance. The graceful, fluid movements of her arms drew invisible circles in the air around them, and then the water came to her, a soft, flowing stream of bluish silver, curving sinuously through the window and into the small tank above the stove.
It was so different from fire bending, so much more graceful and dance-like. Where the strength in fire bending came from the breath, the strength in water bending came from the body.
It was impossible to watch and not to be mesmerized.
"Zuko? Hey, Zuko."
Zuko snapped to attention. "What?"
"Do you think that's enough?"
"Oh. Yeah. That's good," he said.
He turned toward the stove. Taking a deep breath, he exhaled, lifting his hand and letting the fire flow from his palm. There was a quiet hissing noise as it surrounded the tank and the water inside began to heat.
The boat took a slow chug forward.
"It's working!" Katara said, grinning.
"Yeah," Zuko said. He kept his hand steady, concentrating on maintaining the correct temperature. Across from him, Katara bent more water through the window, filling the tank as high as they dared without spilling.
The boat picked up speed, chugging and puffing through the dark waters.
They kept up their vigil for another quarter hour before deciding that they had enough momentum to relax. Katara sat down first, wiping the sweat from her forehead with the back of her hand.
"It's so warm in here," she remarked.
"Well, that's kind of the nature of steam. To be warm." Zuko pulled his hand back and looked at her. "Do you need to go outside?"
"No, I'm all right." She ran her fingers through her hair, pulling it back into a fluffy ponytail at the nape of her neck. "What about you?"
"I've lived through nineteen Fire Nation summers. I'm fine." He sat down opposite her, his back to the wheelhouse wall. "Of course, I'll probably be the one complaining I'm cold two days from now while you and Sokka walk around like its nothing."
His words brought a small smile to her lips. "I'm sure we can find you a parka so you don't freeze to death."
"Thanks. That would be good."
"Yeah, no problem." She twisted her fingers in the hem of her dress and looked down. "So, um. About last night..."
"What about it?"
"I'm sorry for being such a bitch."
Zuko raised an eyebrow. "You weren't that bad, but it's all right. I did sort of back you into a corner."
"I needed it," Katara said, "After how selfish I've been acting, someone had to put me in my place. And it's not all that surprising that it wound up being you." She rested her chin on her knees.
Zuko rubbed the back of his neck. "Well. Um. I'm glad I could help?"
Katara smirked. "I'm sure some part of you got some personal satisfaction out of it. I mean, I know I would have." She sighed. "But anyway, I didn't mean it. Any of it. I know you care about what happens to me. I just...I missed you."
"Come again?"
"I said I missed you."
Zuko blinked, unsure of how to respond to such a statement. "Oh."
"I know what you're going to say," Katara went on, "I have a really funny way of showing it, right? That I could have just said as much and not been so mean?"
"No, actually. I...I was going to say that I kinda missed you, too."
Katara's eyes went wide. "You did?"
"I did," Zuko said, and as he said it, he realized it was true, "I...we went through a lot together."
"We really did."
"And we make a great team."
"We do, don't we?"
"Definitely."
He smiled. Katara smiled shyly in return, and then ducked her chin to hide her flushed cheeks. She wasn't fast enough though, and Zuko managed to catch the look on her face. It was a strange sort of dazed expression. Like she was seeing him for the first time. He wasn't quite sure what to make of it, so he elected not to say anything, looking instead out the window above her head.
"Oh," he said, "I can see the mountains."
"Already?" She turned around and sat back on her knees.
"Yeah." He stood up. "I should go relieve Sokka. And you should try and get some sleep."
"Right, yeah." Katara stood up too, and smoothed down her dress. "Don't forget to come get me when it's my watch."
"I won't."
"And make sure you grab a cloak or something. In case you get cold."
"Um...I don't think I'll need one, but if you insist."
They stared at each other for a long, awkward moment.
"Ok. Um. I'm gonna go," Katara said, brushing past him, "Be careful and, I'll see you in a little while."
"Yeah," Zuko said. He watched as her slender form disappeared into the dark. Then, throwing some wood to the fire, he made his way to the bow.