Butterflies and Hurricanes

Chapter Thirteen

The summer heat was well and truly gone from the Fire Lands, and while the Fire Nation could never be described as cold, the warmth that now surrounded its occupants was like a gentle caress and the growing winds like soft kisses. The rainy season would soon arrive, but before that there were still a few weeks of mild and pleasant weather in which farmers all over the Fire Nation began to harvest their crops.

Within the palace gardens almost every leaf had turned the colour of blood, and many trees were heavy with fruit. Katara decided that she liked the Fire Nation in this way, the colours and smells of the harvest season were beautiful. Incense was burned every day from sunrise to sunset while the food was reaped, as a plea for Agni to provide a successful harvest. The heady smells of sandalwood and white musk permeated every inch of the palace, whether it be indoors or out, and Katara found that she was often lulled into a feeling of comfort.

There was one other change that Katara noticed about the Fire nation, and she was sure that no one else felt it like she did. As summer became more distant, so did the sun, and in its place the moon became a fantastical object. The milky disk was large and heavy in the night sky and outshone all the stars, enjoying the time it had being greater than the sun.

Though it made night times beautiful, the enlarged moon had a somewhat… adverse effect on Katara. Over time she had gotten better at controlling her Waterbending, getting in a little practice whenever she made a trip to the washroom and had developed a basic grasp over her skills. However, since the lunar activity had become more prominent, she had noticed that several accidents seemed to happen whenever she was around water. In fact it had become so dire that Jiaying had banned Katara from doing the washing-up after she somehow managed to freeze the water solid, along with the dishes.

Renshu found the little episode hilarious, and Luli and Rou had stifled giggles of their own. Xiu had even joked that she had done it on purpose to get out of dish duty. But Katara could not help but feel a little miffed. She had gathered that the moon was directly involved, after all the sun increased a Firebender's power, but it still posed a big problem; how could she hide her illicit Bending when the moon made her extra perceptive to water?

Her solution was simple.

Practice.

So practice she did. She would sit in the kitchens with a bowl of water before her and discreetly move the water to and fro, she would freeze it and melt it, lower it and raise it, and slowly she began to get used to her increased sensitivity. But no amount of practice could dispel the fact that she could not sleep at night, especially when the moon was full or close to it.

Many nights she would sneak from her place between Luli and Rou and head out of the kitchens and into the royal gardens. She was always thankful that there were no guards stationed outside, for she was pretty certain that it was not allowed for her to idly sit next to the delicately crafted streams… especially as she also Waterbended during this time.

She would sit on her knees next to the serene ponds and push the water back and forth, bringing it back to her before letting it lap against the opposite banks. It felt wonderful to Waterbend with a larger amount of water, and though her skills were not great, it still expelled some of the agitation she felt due to the moon.

Some nights, when she was feeling brave enough, Katara would let her guard down just enough to allow herself to lie back in the soft, cool grass and stare up at the stars. Trailing a hand in the calm water next to her, she entertained the idea that she was watching the sky from the Water Tribes, and that it was snow beneath her, not dew-kissed grass. Closing her eyes she tried to turn her surroundings into white. She breathed deeply imagining the cold sting of air so fresh that it almost hurt as it flowed down her chest. But the air remained stubbornly balmy, still carrying a hint of burned incense and her surroundings were as vivid as ever, the regular brightly coloured Fire Nation Autumn.

Sighing heavily, Katara pushed herself onto her knees and resigned herself to returning to reality. The cold gust of air that passed by her lips as she exhaled caught Katara off guard and got her thinking. Sure she had played around with the liquid in her tea cups at dinner, melting it and thawing it, but it had never occurred to her to try and freeze the pond.

Casting a quick look around her, and deciding that she may as well take advantage of the chance, Katara took a deep breath and let it out slowly and steadily. She watched in interest as her breath came sprawling out of her mouth as a silver mist, curling its way to the water as something even less substantial than smoke.

The water crackled as spindly fingers of ice began to spread across the surface, and soon the width and breadth of the pond was covered in a glittering spider web of frost.

Katara pouted slightly. The sight was pretty but it wasn't what she was aiming for.

Tapping her chin idly with a finger, she wondered where she gone wrong and almost pitched forward into the frostbitten water when a flat voice came from behind her.

"What are you doing?"

Zuko yawned and trudged quietly through the wide corridors of the main palace. His Uncle Iroh had insisted he play a game of mah-jong with him (after Zuko had profusely refused to play pai-sho) and somehow that one game had lasted until past midnight. Secretly Zuko suspected that his uncle's wide sleeves hid more than just his hands, but let the matter slide.

Coming to the large wooden that led to the inner gardens, Zuko was somewhat relieved to see that they were slightly ajar; he did not feel that he had the energy to wrestle with the palace itself just to get to bed. Strolling through the royal gardens, Zuko breathed in the perfumed air deeply. If he were to be honest, he would have to admit that he enjoyed the end of summer the most. Not because of the loss of the sun (actually, he hated that part), but because it reminded him of his mother.

The perfumed air brought to mind memories of being a child, wrapped in his mother's robes as he sat on her lap and was lulled to sleep by the soft scent of her robes. The gardens themselves were special at this time of year. His fondest memories of the harvest season included sitting in the garden with Princess Ursa, watching the glowing insects flit past in the dusk.

Pulled by something inside, Zuko decided to throw caution to the winds and walk along the winding paths instead of making a straight line to the palace, regardless of how tired he was.

It was quiet for the most part, save for the occasional chirp of crickets and the low call of a sleeping turtle-duck. Zuko's eyes kept drifting up to the starry sky above his head and he was lost in his thoughts. It therefore came as some surprise when, instead of his foot making a soft padding sound on the paved walkway, his boot made an odd crunching noise.

Lowering his head in confusion, Zuko was thrown to see that his foot was planted in a patch of ground frost. Now, it was very odd to see any form of ice, snow or frost in the Fire Nation… for obvious reasons, and especially not when Summer had only recently drawn to a close.

With narrowed golden eyes, Zuko followed the frost beneath his foot and saw its trail led over the downy grass, spreading from one of the numerous ponds in the garden. What got his attention however, was the fact that Katara was knelt before the pond, apparently none the wiser of the mysterious weather conditions occurring behind her back.

His curiosity getting the better of him, Zuko stepped off the path and, making sure to avoid the frozen grass, approached the girl stealthily from behind. She seemed not to notice him hovering just next to her shoulder and was instead contemplating the patchwork of ice that had appeared on the surface of the pond.

"What are you doing?"

He supposed it was rather amusing, the way she almost launched herself head first into the water, before springing to her feet and whirling around to face him.

"P-prince Zuko, I erm…" She trailed off, lowering her eyes hastily to the floor.

"A little foolish, wouldn't you agree?"

Katara looked up cautiously. "Sir-?"

Zuko looked up at the dark sky once more, his eyes tracing the slightly waning moon. "Waterbending in public. Most people wouldn't hesitate to report you."

It occurred to him that he was being rather talkative, but he could not deny the interest he found in another form of Bending.

"Will you?" Katara's cobalt eyes were dimmed and lowered to the ground once more.

"I thought we'd already established that I wouldn't," Zuko stated coolly. "But you must surely know that what you're doing is still illegal."

Katara hesitated, digging the toe of her boot into the ground before her. "Yes… I know, it's just the moon… I can't sleep since the Summer passed."

Zuko turned his eyes skyward once again and took note of the engorged moon… interesting.

"You lack focus." He said abruptly.

Katara's head snapped up. "Wha-?"

Zuko gestured to the ground behind him. "I doubt you intended to do that and I'm sure miniature icebergs were not what you set out to create in the pond either."

The girl before him shook her head in embarrassment. Zuko eyed her a moment longer before turning wordlessly and heading for the royal tower.

"How-!" Katara's sudden outburst made him pause and turn back to face her. The younger girl had her hands clamped over her mouth, apparently she had not intended to talk. "I mean, how would I go about fixing my Waterbending?"

"I'm a Firebender." He told her bluntly.

"Yes," Katara was obviously set on getting these words off her chest. "But you have a better knowledge of Bending than I do, you've had proper instruction." She paused and weighed her next words carefully. "I've seen you Firebend… you have focus."

Her words made Zuko pause. Not one to be taken in by idle praise, Zuko was nonetheless surprised to hear some form of compliment come from someone else other than Uncle Iroh; most people were too busy raving about Azula.

There was a long moment of silence in which Katara began to fidget nervously, clutching the hem of her shirt in her fingers tightly.

"Water," Zuko began. "Is not like earth. It is not solidly there, it moves of its own volition. You have to remember this when you're trying to manipulate it. It is similar to fire, both elements can change with just the slightest external influence and you have to be prepared to accommodate this."

Katara stared wide-eyed at him for a moment before opening her mouth. "So I shouldn't force the water, I should let it guide me?" She mumbled so lowly Zuko could not be sure whether the words were directed at him. He merely settled for a brief nod and turned on his heel, determined to make it to his room with no further interruptions.

When breakfast arrived the next morning Zuko was in his bathroom, drying his face as he heard the familiar rattle of Katara placing the tray on the table. He was not annoyed with himself for providing the girl with some insight on how to control her Bending, he was just curious as to why he had done so. He attributed it to the fact that he was all too aware of the frustration that came with unrefined Bending skills, and it was also another way to defy the man who had scarred him.

Deftly tying his hair into its usual topknot, Zuko made his way into his bedroom, expecting to find it empty. He had the grace, however, to blink and pause as he saw Katara lingering near the door. Her eyes lit up momentarily when she saw him before casting themselves in the direction of the marbled floor.

Zuko slowly approached his meal and sat down, keeping a curious eye on the abashed girl at the edge of the room. Deciding that she was not about to talk, Zuko reached for the water pitcher on his tray…

"Will you teach me how to Bend?"

… and promptly knocked it to the floor in surprise.

Aha, interaction between Zuko and Katara, and more to come in the future apparently. Not much to say about this chapter actually, except that it was originally planned to include the next chapter, however, I've decided I like the note I've left it on and I wanted to post tonight - and I've go enough time to get a few hours sleep before college… joy.

I'm glad you all liked Zhao's appearance in the last chapter - and he wasn't deliberately coming onto Katara, he just saw it as a way to be his usual creepy self and get under Zuko's skin in the process. Also, someone asked if there will be a time skip in the story and the answer is yes, because the teenage years provide a cornucopia of writing material.

On a lighter note, thank you all so much for almost 300 reviews. I'm contemplating offering a request fic to the reviewer who hits that magic number because I love you all (and having a prompt may help rid me of this horrible writer's block)!

Thank you to all the readers and reviewers, you make this process worthwhile.