Okay, here we are. it's the newest chapter, minus the year-long wait. again, sorry. i feel horrible for abandoning Zutara like that! still, i hope you enjoy this chapter. things are starting to get heated between zuko and katara, but i don't think this'll turn into an M-rated fic.
well, here's chapter eleven! i hope you like it!
disclaimer: i don't, unfortunately, own avatar: the last airbender. sigh. if only.
Chapter Eleven
"So," Toph said as her companions exited the cave, "where to next?"
Zuko looked confused for a moment. "I don't know," he admitted.
With a sigh, Katara asked, "Why don't we just ask some of the people from town?"
"Sounds like a plan, Sugar Queen." Toph rose and pointed in a direction. "But we should go that way."
"But that's in the opposite direction!" Zuko exclaimed.
Toph lowered her arm and shrugged, moving in the direction she had indicated. "If you two want to ask townspeople for some clues, you go right ahead. I'm following an actual lead."
"Really?" Katara perked up. "What is it?"
"Someone stole our horses."
There was complete silence for all of a second before Zuko burst out in anger. "WHAT?"
Katara stepped away as the air around Zuko began to heat up. Within moments, the Fire Lord had run off in the direction of their camp. Shaking their heads in odd synchronicity, Katara and Toph followed.
They found Zuko back in the camp, kicking at the remains of their fire. "AARRGHH!" he yelled.
"Zuko, you've got to calm down."
The firebender rounded on Katara, literally shooting sparks at her. "They have all of our supplies!" he shouted. "I knew we should have stayed at the inn, but I had to listen to you. Now all my money is gone!"
Toph smirked at Zuko's word and leaned against a nearby tree to enjoy the show.
"Oh, well excuse me, Your Majesty!" Katara screamed. "I didn't realize you were stupid enough to leave all your things with the horses!"
"STUPID?" Zuko burst out, taking a step closer. "What do you mean by that, peasant?"
Katara laughed. "What do I mean, well shouldn't that be obvious? Or is your head too full of hot air?"
"At least I don't have water on the brain!"
"Oh, that is it, flame boy. You're going down!"
Katara moved into her fighting stance but was interrupted as the ground rippled. She looked back towards Toph as both she and Zuko were thrown down.
"As much as I'd enjoy letting this continue," Toph said, "the thieves are getting farther away. We don't have time for this."
Both Katara and Zuko looked at each other sheepishly before they remembered they were mad at each other. "Hmph."
"You're wrong you know," Zuko whispered as they started to follow Toph.
"What am I wrong about?" asked Katara sweetly.
Zuko paused, trying to think. He realized, however, that he had lost the argument for the moment.
Abruptly, Toph stopped. Katara paused in order to avoid hitting her, but Zuko ran right into her. The two fell to the ground, with Katara lying inert beneath Zuko. Their faces were close, nearly touching. Their eyes went wide.
Toph turned to them, puzzled. "What are you doing?"
Blushing furiously, Katara and Zuko untangled themselves and jumped up.
"We tripped," Katara mumbled, trying hard not to look at Zuko.
"Okay," Toph said, drawing out the word in doubt. "Anyway, we're never gonna catch these guys just walking after them. We're gonna have to step up the speed."
The waterbender glanced at Toph exasperatedly, though she knew the expression would have no impact. "How do you expect us to do that, Toph? It's not like we have our horses."
"Well, I could just take you guys earth skating."
Both Katara and Zuko paled. They had each taken Toph up on that particular offer before, and each preferred the earth not to move beneath them.
"You know, I think someone should stay back at the camp," Katara said, backing away. "Zuko, why don't you go?"
"No," Zuko protested simply. "I get, uh, earth sick."
"Suit yourselves," Toph said, turning back in the direction of the thieves. "I should be back by sundown. You two can just protect each other back at camp from all the big, bad, nasty earthquakes."
Zuko and Katara grinned at each other. "Sounds fine to me," Katara said.
Toph shook her head as she raised a mound of earth. "You two get no supervision," she muttered. "No funny business!" And then she was off, racing away.
Katara sighed. "We do seem to be left alone a lot." She glanced at Zuko slyly. "This isn't a conspiracy, is it?"
The Fire Lord's face turned crimson and he turned away. "We should get back to camp," he mumbled.
Laughing, Katara followed.
"You have no idea where we are, do you?"
Sokka glanced back at Suki. "Of course I do," he said, looking around. "We're right here."
"Oh for the love of…" Suki trailed off and shook her head.
Traveling with Sokka was always an adventure. But sometimes, an adventure was just what they didn't need. They were trying to reach the Fire Nation Palace so that she and Sokka could visit Katara before the wedding. Now that she thought about it, however, Suki realized they should have sent a message.
Sokka's face turned suddenly serious. "I know I joke a lot, Suki, but I do know where we're going." His gaze turned dark. "I can't really forget."
Suki shivered. She couldn't forget, either. She had been imprisoned by the Fire Nation and was none too eager to return. But times were different now. The war was over. She had to set an example--for herself, and for everyone back on Kyoshi island.
"I know," the young woman said, suddenly hugging Sokka. After a moment, she pulled away. "Let's have some lunch."
Sokka immediately perked up. "Food?"
The Kyoshi warrior chuckled. "Yeah. Why don't you go find Momo? I'm sure he's dying for something to eat."
"Okay." Sokka started to bound off and then he paused. "Do you think Katara'll be surprised?"
"I'm sure she'll be delighted. You haven't seen her in a while, after all."
As she and Zuko sat quietly at camp, Katara sighed. Back during the war, she would be busy cooking, cleaning, and running herd on Sokka and Aang. But with Zuko, she fell into a nice, companionable silence. Despite his being the Fire Lord, Zuko had become increasingly undemanding.
She peeked a look at the firebender in question. He had certainly grown more handsome in the past few years. He even gained a few inches in height. His hair was pulled back away from his face, and Katara could see it had gotten a bit longer. And his lips…
Frowning, Katara turned her head away. She needed to come to a definite conclusion regarding Aang, and she needed to do so far from distractions.
With a sigh, Katara stood, startling Zuko. "I'm going to take a little walk," she announced.
Zuko said nothing, merely stared after her. She moved with flowing grace, drawing attention to her lithe figure and gently swaying hips. Her dark hair was bound up in a delicate hair style and Zuko wished suddenly that it would fall.
Shaking his head, Zuko looked away. He knew she still had not come to any decision regarding the Avatar. Frankly, Zuko did not blame her. Aang was always so nice and cheerful, despite the shadows of the war. No one could really compete with him.
He rubbed at his face and turned his attention to the dead campfire. He was starting to get hungry and, remembering how distracted Katara had just seemed, he figured he should find something to eat.
Zuko glanced around the campsite, making sure there was nothing else anyone could steal. Satisfied, he rose and headed off to find some game. Maybe he would be able to catch some good fish; there had been a stream and some pools nearby, he remembered.
He walked for a little while, trying not to think about what had happened in the cave. But his mind rebelled. All he could think about was how soft her lips had been--how soft she had been against him.
Zuko tripped, catching himself on a tree. Scowling, he forced himself to concentrate on finding that stream.
---
Katara wandered for a bit, trying to think about the situation with Aang. But every time, her mind would drift back to the cave. Back to Zuko. She remembered his warmth. And how gentle his kisses were.
Shaking her head, Katara desperately turned her mind back to Aang. She really loved him. But now she wasn't so sure whether she loved him enough to be with him. Certainly, they had been through a lot, but she had always felt something was missing.
She hadn't realized what it was until she kissed Zuko.
Hissing at her own thoughts, Katara shook her head. There was nothing between her and Zuko! Nothing at all.
But… she couldn't ignore how her heart had raced when they kissed. Or how she had wished it would go on.
"Uggh!"
Katara flopped down onto a boulder and looked around. She was near a small stream that led into a series of pools. The surrounding area was littered with trees and rocks, making the spot seem quite private.
The waterbender glanced back towards the water and then down at her stained and dirty hands. It reminded her that she hadn't bathed in over a day. She wrinkled her nose in disgust.
As a waterbender, Katara loved the water. And loved being clean. She couldn't be like Toph and roll around in the dirt with some goofy grin. Although, Katara had to admit that sounded more like Sokka.
Rolling her eyes at the thought of her older brother, Katara hopped off her boulder and approached the deepest pool. She checked to make sure no one was near before she pulled off her dress and undergarments.
After laying the clothes on a nearby rock, she waded into the pool. As the water washed over her, she closed her eyes in pleasure. The water was nice and cool, perfect for the hot day. Katara sighed in contentment and moved towards the deeper end.
After a few minutes of just moving about, Katara slipped her head beneath the water and opened her eyes. It was one of her favorite things to do, especially when the sun played in the water, causing ribbons of gold to move along the bottom.
She watched as tiny fish darted around the pool before heading towards the next small body of water. Though the stream ended at the pools, the water still moved between them, creating small currents. The fish traveled through the pools to reach a smaller stream on the opposite side.
Katara stayed under as long as she could before she had to come up for air. In one swift motion, she propelled herself upward and broke the surface of the water.
---
Zuko smiled as he heard the sound of running water. Rounding the bend, he spotted the stream. But, as he reached the water, he felt disappointed. There were no bigger fish here, only small ones.
Frowning, Zuko decided to head upstream a bit. Maybe there, in the cooler water, would be something larger to appease his appetite.
But, as he traveled upstream, it became apparent that the thing thinned out considerably. Scowling, he turned to try and find something else to catch, only to stop when he heard some splashing.
Puzzled, Zuko moved towards the sound. Perhaps there was an animal nearby. His mouth watered at the thought. It wasn't an animal that he saw, however, when he peered around a nearby boulder.
At the sight of Katara's bare back, Zuko ducked back behind the boulder. His heart was pounding furiously, and he suddenly wanted nothing more than to bathe. With her.
Shaking his head vigorously, Zuko swore he was not going to look. But the admonishment came too late as he peeked back around the large rock.
He watched, mesmerized, as Katara splashed in the water, sending tiny, sparkling beads to cascade down her smooth back. Her hair was unbound, falling in wet curls past her shoulder, giving Zuko the urge to run his fingers through it.
Suddenly, Katara turned and Zuko fell back, hiding once more. He could feel his face turning bright red and he closed his eyes, trying not to see the vision of Katara's extremely nice body. But closing his eyes only made the image stronger.
Hissing out a breath, Zuko dashed back the way he came. He figured he didn't want food so badly. And it was true. After seeing Katara, he was filled with a different hunger.
As he ran, Zuko flashed through all the different firebending postures, trying everything not to think about Katara. He shouldn't be thinking about Katara that way. Not at all. It was bad enough he had kissed her in the caves, but the kiss had been to satisfy his curiosity--not make it stronger.
He groaned. Nothing was helping. He only hoped Katara wouldn't come back to camp too quickly.
---
Katara turned as she heard a noise, but found nothing was there. Shrugging her shoulders, Katara looked back towards her clothes. It was time she got out anyway. The day might be hot, but she did not need to catch chill in the water.
In a good mood from her little bath, Katara smiled as she got out of the pool and bended the remaining water from her skin and hair. Shivering a little, she dressed hurriedly and began to head back to camp.
The water had been quite refreshing and Katara felt her mind was clearer for it. She realized, sadly, that she could not possibly continue on with Aang. It was not fair to either of them. Especially when she could not love him the same way he loved her. He deserved better.
But her decision regarding Aang still did not give her leave to go around kissing other people. Especially not Zuko. That, more than anything, would hurt Aang. And it could strain an already tenuous bond between the Fire Lord and the Avatar.
Not that she was considering kissing Zuko again, that is.
A sigh escaped Katara and she gently ran her fingers through her hair. She could not really lie to herself. Especially not when she kept remembering the kiss she and Zuko shared. She wanted so desperately to repeat the action, but she knew she should refrain from doing so. Especially when she didn't know Zuko's feelings on the matter.
As she got closer to camp, Katara could swear it was getting hotter. And then she spotted the leaping flames. Without thinking, Katara pulled some water from her water skin and threw it towards the fire. Only when she heard an angry curse did she realize Zuko had been training.
"Sorry," she said, hurrying over to him.
Zuko swung around to yell at Katara, only to stop in silence, a furious blush creeping over his cheeks. He closed his mouth quickly, knowing he looked like a gaping fish, and cast his gaze to the ground.
Katara frowned at Zuko's strange behavior and moved closer, tilting her head to try and catch his gaze. "Zuko? Are you okay?"
The Fire Lord moved his head to avoid her gaze and turned to sit down. "Yeah," he muttered.
Ambassador Katara looked on in disbelief for a moment. And then her temper began to rise. "Look, Zuko, I said I was sorry. You don't have be a jerk."
"I said it was fine!" Zuko said forcefully, before blushing wildly again. Why could he get the image of her from his head? It had only been her back--and a fleeting glimpse of something else--for Agni's sake!
The waterbender crossed her arms over her chest, inadvertently drawing Zuko's tortured attention. "Obviously it's not fine, or you wouldn't be acting like this."
Zuko stared at her for a moment and then abruptly stood. "I'm going to find something to eat," he declared, before rushing off.
Katara looked at the spot Zuko had been in confusion. What is going on with him?
so, what'd you think? did you like it? i hope so.
i want to thank those who reviewed chapter 10 (i know i didn't deserve it! T.T): here's to (for right now) Miyuki88, The-Blind-Bandit-112, and SilverStella. thanks for sticking with this fanfic!
please review!
