Disclaimer: I don't own avatar the last airbender or anything else that has to do with it.. Loved "The awakening"..next episode please!;)
Wren Sharpbeak: Again thank you for your reviews! They are always so constructive and helpful. I really appreciate it:)
Soupcan: Katara's thoughts are sometimes hard to get right.. at least for me:) I'm glad you liked it!
razzledazzle41191:I'll keep twisting my plots;)
Shadowsole: Wee!! A new reviewer! Welcome, and thanks:)
taffy0823: I haven't skipped anything this time, more repeated myself actually..hmm...anyways:).. Enjoy!
"What is going on?" Katara felt she had to ask again, since the startled looks on her friends faces didn't explain much.
Iroh sent her a compassionate look and grabbed Zuko by the shoulder. "One must know one's visiting hour my boy." Then he turned towards Aang. "We'll leave you three to yourselves for a while. You have a lot to talk about." The general winked at them before he and the fire prince turned and walked out of the room.
As they did, Zuko turned his head halfway and watched the three of them out of the corner of his eye. The girl obviously hadn't told the others anything yet. He reckoned he would have noticed if she had, but the firebender was certain she would the minute they were left alone, and he dreaded the very thing. The door closed behind them and he followed his uncle reluctantly back to his quarter.
Katara waited patiently for an answer, eyes shifting from Aang to Sokka, and back to Aang again. She forced a gentle smile, trying to hide the fact that she was terrified by seeing her companions in such a serious state.
"Aang..." she started. Aang, who appeared to be in deep thoughts, seemed to snap out of some sort of trance by the mentioning of his name. His gentle, gray eyes watched her attentively, like when you're looking for the best way to break bad news to someone. Katara returned his look, with as much comfort and understanding as possible, while she waited to be enlightened.
Aang sighed. "Katara. I think our trip to the earth kingdom might have to wait a little longer." The waterbender furrowed her brows in question.
"Iroh just brought us some disturbing news." Katara waited in silence for him to continue. Normally Aang was such a happy and careless kid, but when he spoke like this she knew he had to be taken seriously. It was at times like this the Avatar in him came out, and Katara had sworn to help her friend, no matter what.
"Azula has taken something from Iroh, that in the hands of the fire lord could mean the end to the Avatar." He paused and worry filled his eyes when he added a last word. "Forever". Katara felt the same worry, but there was not a doubt in her mind as she took his hands and looked into his eyes.
"Then we have to get it back, Aang. And we will."
The waterbender smiled a genuine smile, full of comfort and reassurance . She loved her friend for his selflessness. He didn't worry for himself, only for the fact that the avatar could be lost forever. Therefor she had to worry about him, and right now, that meant being his rock. Of course, she had a lot of questions about the conversation with Iroh, but that could wait. Katara knew that right now, she had to be there for her friend. She had to comfort him, and let him know that things were going to be alright. They would have enough time for questions later.
"So, what is the plan? When do we leave?"
Sokka grunted from the end of the cot. "Aren't you even the least curious as to what the catch is?" He flung his arms out, emphasizing his words. "You know there is always a catch, don't you?"
Katara raised a brow at her brother. Typical Sokka. After all, he was the complaining one. "Okay Sokka, tell me. What is the catch?" She wore a semi- mocking expression, which she often wore when he acted like this. Except this time she was in for a surprise.
Sokka knew what she was getting at, but he was also aware that this time there actually was a catch, and not just him complaining. He put his hands to his sides and returned her challenge. "Zuko is coming with us!"
Katara's jaw literally dropped at her brother's words. "What do you mean; 'Zuko is coming with us'?" She snapped her head towards Aang who looked more than a little afraid.
"We- ell.. Iroh thought we could need someone with us that knew the fire nation and the palace -and five people would be sort of heavy for Appa in the long run- and Zuko is very good at this stealth thing.."
He rushed through the reasons with an apologetic smile on his face. Katara didn't know what to say. She knew he was right. The reasons he was mentioning was... –well, reasonable. And she also knew that Aang would never suggest such a thing himself.
However, while traveling with Zuko would have been displeasing a day earlier, It would be unbearably uncomfortable after the little incident in front of his mirror a little earlier. Katara exchanged looks with her brother who grunted another time and turned to scowl at his feet, obviously discontented. The waterbender smiled bravely at the gray eyes awaiting her approval.
"Okay Aang. We'll figure it out." She sat down next to him and flung a arm around his shoulder. "We'll cope with the angry jerk for a while if we have to." She smiled a sincere smile, and even Sokka turned towards them with an amused expression, due to his sister using his phrase while mentioning the fire prince. Katara was glad he seemed in a better mood. This new alliance wouldn't be easy.
One thing was having Zuko cramped up in the saddle with them. Another was the fact that they were going after some delicate piece of information, and while the fire prince obviously didn't have much affection for his sister, the waterbender didn't feel confident that he could be completely trusted either. Katara was not one to judge, and she couldn't get herself to brake the mood again, but made a silent promise to keep her eyes open. She smiled at her brother and the airbender again.
"What do you say we get some sleep? We have a long day ahead of us tomorrow."
The morning dew covered the fire navy ship in a veil of tiny drops as the sun crept above the horizon. The three children walked out on deck, still stretching their limbs and yawning. Sokka tagged along at the end, looking half asleep, but he too awoke quickly as he stepped into the fresh morning air. All three were slightly surprised to see both firebenders out on deck, facing the morning sun, meditating. Katara recalled Zuko's words during their last fight; "I rise with the sun," and figured it wasn't such a surprise that they were up already after all. Iroh got to his feet with surprisingly more graze than you would have imagined, and finished his meditating with some breathing exercises before he turned to the three of them, a warm smile gracing his features.
"I see you are all awake. What do you say we head to the galley and finds something to fill our stomachs with?" At this his nephew snapped his head around and sent him a unmistakable look of dislike. Iroh cleared his throat and set his shoulders while he beheld Zuko out of the corner of his eye. "-While we discuss tactics, of course." the general tucked his hands inside his sleeves and you could see he struggled hard to keep his face serious.
Sokka rarely missed an opportunity to feat and beamed at Iroh in enthusiasm. "I agree! We haven't discussed whether we should be cautious -or head straight for the main course- so to speak!" The warrior winked at the general and together they made their way back inside the ship.
Aang sighed and turned to Katara with a knowing look. "I guess I better follow them and make sure the tactics get mentioned at all." The airbender rushed inside and Katara smiled as she watched the three of them disappear into the darkness of the ship.
Zuko still had his back turned to her and she eyed it carefully before deciding to reach out to him one more time. After all, they would be traveling together for a while, why not try to make the best of it?
She took a few steps towards him and stood pondering for a second. She was close enough to touch him now. If she wanted to, she could just reach out and touch him. Normally she wouldn't even think twice about such a thing, but it was different with Zuko. He was distant and closed. He had built a fortress of walls around himself, and Katara didn't know if she was supposed to break them down.
"Zuko, I..." her voice trailed off. She didn't know exactly what to say. To be honest she didn't even know what she wanted to say, but she felt she had to say something. The fire prince sat motionless. He hadn't even flinched by the sound of her voice. Katara pondered over the possibility of him ignoring her before she swallowed and tried again.
"I just wanted to say that I never meant to embarrass you, I just..." Zuko turned around, his face as plain and expressionless as a rock. When he opened his mouth to speak, his voice was cold, low and dangerous.
"You, embarrass me? A lowly peasant like yourself?" he left the question hanging. He was good at hiding his emotions, but Katara could see that even though she hadn't meant to hurt or disconcert him, she had done just that.
"Zuko, I just wanted to.." He cut her off again.
"What? You just wanted to wallow in my self pity and broken spirit? You thought you could hurt, or get to me?" He leaned in closer and held her eyes in an intense lock.
"I don't think so."
Although Katara had felt sorry for him, the thought of enjoying someone else's pain was unthinkable to her. And though Zuko might be frightening at times, it had no affect on her temper. She returned his hard gaze and raised her voice an inch.
"That is not what I meant!"
"No, then what did you mean?" Zuko spat back at her. He didn't quite believe what he was saying himself, but he had to say something to keep his shield up. He would rather die before he showed the water wench that her mere presence had put him off guard the night before. Not to mention the embarrassment he had felt. The fire prince was all but ready to fight her. Not only ready actually, but prepared. He had been in encounters with her before, and he had noticed that she never seemed to back down from a fight. A part of him hated it. She was a skillful bender, and the fact that she never backed down reminded him of Azula and her confidence in her own bending. Zuko was certain the waterbender felt pretty confident about her own bending too, although she didn't gloat about it. -And therefore the fire prince had to admire her. Even though he hated to admit it, he had some sort of respect for the peasant. She was strong, brave and kind, and even though he respected and admired her for it, the same reasons made him dislike her more. It could be envy, but Zuko wasn't about to admit that. Too much self-Insight in one day couldn't be good.
The fire prince shook the thoughts out of his head and readied his stance. The bender waited for the girl to make the first move.
Katara watched him with a sense of amusement. Zuko couldn't quite understand it. They were having a fight, weren't they? They had argued at least, and they couldn't seem to agree. In his world, there was only one way to settle this. The waterbender didn't get into her stance as he had expected her to. She just stood there in front of him.
"Well, get ready!" He snarled at the girl. "I have shown you the courtesy of withholding my attack until you made the first move. I'll only be patient for so long." He lowered his voice in a threatening matter, filled to the brim with anger. Katara gave him a funny look, like she had smelt something bad. Then she did the unthinkable. The waterbender grinned at him and started laughing. Zuko's face screwed into a ugly expression. How dared she laugh at him like that? The waterbender obviously caught his reaction, because she hurriedly covered her mouth and chocked her laughter. Her face, however, was still amused and happy when she spoke.
"I'm sorry Zuko." She smiled with apologetic eyes, "It's just that, here we are going to travel together for who knows how long, and we were about to kill eachother before the trip even started." She left it hanging for a few seconds, and when Zuko didn't reply she started laughing again.
"It's just too stupid!" She sighed and shook her head. "I'm going inside to check on the others." With that she turned and left Zuko alone out on deck, shocked, confused, and tired.
When Zuko returned to meet up with the others, Iroh and Sokka had finished their breakfast. They were currently going through the last details of their intrusion in to the fire nation. He couldn't hear what they were saying, but there was a lot of nodding and excited arm gestures from both of them, and it seemed like they had agreed on the best way to proceed.
Aang and Katara were running all over the room, packing their backpacks, and making sure they didn't leave anything important behind. Zuko walked over to a corner and leaned against the wall. His things were already packed. After all, he had been up since before sunrise, and his upbringing had taught him to be systematic and disciplined. He knew exactly where his belongings were, and what he would need for the trip. He had even calculated how long it would take, assuming they didn't run into anything unexpected.
The fire prince closed his eyes and leaned his head back against the wall. This would be a true test to his temper. He almost lost his sanity the last time he was alone with the avatar's friends, and now he would travel with the reason to his continuing banishment as well. If his uncle hadn't asked him to do this for him, Zuko never would have agreed. But the young prince knew he owed his uncle, and besides, he wasn't one to back out of something he knew was expected of him.
Zuko opened his eyes again and watched his travel companions. They seemed to have found their place in the group. Fine, they were a bit unorganized, but there was some potential there. With a little structure he just might survive this after all.
"You could help, you know!" The prince snapped out of his trail of thoughts and stared straight into a pair of blue eyes glaring at him from across the room. Sokka's outburst had caught everyone's attention. Katara and Aang stopped in their tracks, looking curiously from the bender to the warrior, not knowing what to expect.
Iroh, on the other hand, knew exactly what to expect, and shook his head as he sighed dejectingly.
"I don't care who you are to the fire nation. Here you still have to do your part of the dirty work." Zuko's eyes narrowed into slits as he walked across the floor, stopping in front of Sokka. He didn't bend down to face him as he spoke, but rather straightened his back, forcing the warrior to raise his head to look at him.
"Give me one good reason I should help you do anything!" The fire prince had to concentrate to keep his voice from trembling in anger as he spoke. He had already packed his things. There was no way he was going to use any of their stuff anyway. Why should he help them pack all their useless things?
"Because we are doing you all a big favor, that's why!" Sokka got to his feet as well, staring the prince straight in the eye. Out of the corner of his eye he could see general Iroh making alarming gestures, but he didn't care. He was to angry and upset to let that stop him. He had been furious with Zuko since he tricked them into taking him with them, in what he could only see as an attempt to capture Aang. Since then he had been all but looking for an excuse to tell the "prince" what he thought of him.
"It's not like we chose to bring you with us!"
Zuko clenched his teeth together trying to control himself, with no luck. Smoke started erupting from his closed fists and he could feel his blood, hot with rage, rushing through his veins.
The firebender leaned in on his opponent and lowered his voice to a growl.
"And you think I volunteered to go on a mission that includes stealing from my father in the company of a bald monk, a nosy waterbender,.." Zuko took a step backwards in disgust. "..and you?"
"Hey. I am not nosy!" Katara shot in, hands at her hips, looking rather huffed.
"Do you mind?" Sokka glared accusingly at his younger sister. "I'm trying to pick a fight here!" He added in a tone as to day "duh". Katara opened her mouth to answer him when Zuko cut her off, compleatly ignoring what Sokka just said.
"No, really? Then what were you doing nosing around in my chamber last night?" Katara made another attempt to reply but was cut off again.
"What?!?" Sokka turned away from Zuko, so he could better scowl at his sister. "You were what?!"
Katara watched the two boys in front of her. Arms crossed, scowling at her they seemed somewhat similar. She figured they had momentarily forgotten that they were fighting, now that they had a mutual person to direct their anger at.
Aang, who had been standing on the sideline with Iroh jumped in the middle. "Wow,wow.. Easy guys. I'm sure there is a perfectly reasonable explanation to all this." The airbender glanced pleadingly at Katara, silently begging her to come with an explanation that would be acceptable to both boys. However, one look at Katara told him things wouldn't go that smoothly.
"I don't believe you Sokka! Yeah, I was in Zuko's room so that I could snoop around in his things, because I have such a huge crush on him!" The waterbender rolled her eyes at her brother and turned away, clearly upset, while she mumbled a barely audible "please" to herself.
Sokka pointed his finger at his sister and opened his mouth, ready to give her a lecture, but he was out of words. Instead he turned on his heal and stormed out of the room.
Zuko suddenly didn't know whether to feel angry or embarrassed and did the only thing thinkable to him, and stormed out as well.
Katara waited until the two of them left the room before her eyes found Aang and Iroh, trying to get some sympathy. All that met her were curious looks and she knew they were wondering what she had been doing in Zuko's chamber as well.
"Arrgh!" she growled in anger and rushed out after the others.
Aang and Iroh was left dumbstruck behind, neither knowing what to say.
After a awhile Iroh walked over to place a hand on Aang's shoulder. The general seemed to be looking at something beyond the metal walls of the ship. Aang followed his gaze until they both stood studying the smooth wall. Iroh cleared his throat.
"A wise man once said; A clever person turns great troubles into little ones and little ones into none at all." The general smiled and gave Aang a pat on the back.
"Aang, I hope you are a clever person."
Please review my friends:) I promise to answer all your reviews.. I did a little soulsearching and decided it wasn't fair for me to ask you to review and then not reply:)
Bye for now, from a new and improved me!