DISCLAIMER: I don't own Avatar: The Last neither Airbender, nor am I in any way affiliated with Michael Dante DiMartino or Bryan Konietzko. This story is purely fan-made.
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The mood was tense and silent when Toph and Katara entered the inn. Aang sat alone, his eyes distant. It took Katara a moment to realize that Sokka and Zuko were absent from the scene. Iroh stood up in greeting from the table, inclining his head to them silently. Toph went straight to were Aang was sat and started talking in low, hurried tones to him, leaving Katara to take a seat opposite Iroh at the table.
"Where are Sokka and Zuko?" She asked, as soon as she had sat.
"They went to load Appa up with the supplies I bought before," Iroh told her kindly, seeing the panicked look in her eyes. "They should be back anytime soon; they left quite awhile before you arrived."
Katara nodded quietly, contemplating the state her brother and the man she loved would come back in.
"Aang should've gone in place of Zuko," Katara muttered, glaring down at the table. "The body count would be less that way."
Iroh chuckled quietly. "I'm sure that they won't harm each other…that much. Your brother is more or less accepting of your relationship with Zuko, and I know that my nephew would not want to cause you any pain by fighting with Sokka."
Katara nodded again, comforted by these words even if they weren't strictly true. She glanced up from the table in time to see Iroh look uncomfortable.
"Last night…" Iroh started hesitantly. Katara's heart leapt quickly, although she was sure that Iroh could not be talking about what she thought he was talking about.
"Was intense," she cut him off.
"Yes," Iroh mused, choosing his words carefully. "I ran into Zuko when he was searching for a jug to fill with water…"
Katara's mouth went dry.
"Oh yeah?" She asked, trying to sound disinterested. "He was probably just thirsty."
Iroh laughed. "That's the excuse he gave me." His face became serious once more. "But I know my nephew well, and for the location of the water jug, I persuaded him to tell me what he really needed it for."
Katara shut her eyes tightly for a moment, knowing what was coming next. "And what did he say?" she asked, not wanting to hear the answer that she already knew.
"He said it was for you," Iroh replied softly. "That you were hurt. That he was the one that hurt you."
Katara did not raise her eyes from the old table. She didn't like the sympathy in Iroh's voice, as though she was some battered wife who couldn't take care of herself.
"It wasn't like that," she told him through gritted teeth.
"Then what was it like?" Iroh asked. "I was going to ask Zuko, but I know what my nephew's temper is like, particularly when faced with-"
"I've never seen him that mad before," Katara interrupted, her voice coming out a haunted whisper. "It's like he was a different person. Even when we fought at the North Pole and in Ba Sing Se he was never that angry…he scared me."
"What did he do?" Iroh asked gently.
Katara launched into what had happened, starting with Akio kissing her and ending with the discovery of the traitorous letter.
"And your wrists?" Iroh asked, his voice betraying only a little sorrow at Katara's pain.
"Healed." She extended her arms to show Iroh, who nodded thoughtfully.
"So this is why he wants Akio dead…"
"What?" Katara asked, alarmed. Zuko had talked about killing Akio, but she had never thought he was serious.
"He was ranting about it before, when Toph was out of earshot. I didn't know why he was so mad, at that point obviously having not heard that Jia and Akio had betrayed us, but I gathered that something had happened between yourself and Akio. But now it makes sense. He's blaming Akio for harming you, even though it was he himself who burned your wrists," Iroh explained.
"Akio's his excuse for getting so mad," Katara realized. "If he hadn't seen Akio kiss me, he never would've confronted me like that."
"He's trying to dodge the consequences of his actions and place the blame onto others," Iroh clarified.
"Sounds like Zuko," Katara agreed dryly.
"I had hoped he'd gotten past all of that after what happened in Ba Sing Se," Iroh sighed.
"I doubt he'll ever get past it," Katara said in exasperation. "It's annoying, but it's true. And it's got me wondering…"
"Yes?" Iroh prompted when she trailed off.
"Wondering if my relationship with Zuko will just be one trial after the other," She admitted. "All the odds are stacked - no, towering - against us and it's just one thing after another. It keeps coming, and I don't know when it'll stop."
"True love is never easy, despite what fairy tales tell us. The fact that you and Zuko are together at all is a true testament to how strong your love for each other is," Iroh said, gently patting Katara's hand as he spoke. She looked up and smiled.
"Thank you, Iroh."
"Of course. After all, you're practically family," Iroh shrugged, chuckling.
Katara laughed with him. "Don't let Sokka hear you say that," she warned after a moment.
The inn door banged open, causing Katara and Iroh to look up sharply. Zuko and Sokka were arguing loudly (of course, Katara thought, resigned), each cutting off the other mid-flow.
"I'm telling you, it'd be better to fight!" Zuko shook his head.
"What if they call in reinforcements? Then we're dead!" Sokka disagreed.
The two boys continued their angry debate as they sat down at the table, neither bothering to greet their respective family members and loved ones.
"We would win! Okay, another scenario, what if Appa suddenly decides he doesn't want to fly anymore?"
"Then we're screwed," Sokka said simply. "Without Appa then we've got no chance of getting out of here. What if Azula comes down four days early and interrupts our escape?"
"Then we're even more screwed," Zuko replied.
"What are you guys talking about?" Katara demanded, slamming her hand on the table so she would be paid attention to. Zuko and Sokka glanced up at her.
"We're counting all the ways that tonight is going to go wrong," Zuko told her casually.
"I'm really sensing the optimistic vibe here," Toph called from where she sat with Aang. The two young benders heaved themselves up and came to sit at the table with the rest of the group.
"Come on Toph, be realistic." Sokka rolled his eyes. "Tonight isn't going to go smoothly. You know what our track record is like."
"So we were discussing what's the worst that could happen," Zuko said, still calm.
"I think you should discussing what's the worst we could live through," Katara told them, her brow creasing; she didn't like the pessimistic talk.
"Yeah, that's probably better," Sokka agreed. "Thanks, sis."
"No problem," Katara replied scathingly. "Now that we're all here, is there any last minute problems with anything?" She directed her glares at Sokka and Zuko. "Ones that haven't actually happened yet, I mean."
"Well, is there only going to be one of us who goes for Appa, or two?" Aang asked.
"One," Iroh decided immediately. "And it shouldn't be you, Aang."
"How come?" Aang asked, crestfallen. He hadn't seen Appa very much in these past couple of days, and missed his oldest buddy.
"I think that you will be the most conspicuous of the group to go missing," Iroh explained gently, taking in the Avatar's expression. "I was thinking that someone, probably you, make a public speech. That way, the town will be distracted when one person goes for Appa."
"Good thinking," Sokka agreed. "But I'm not doing the speech!"
"We wouldn't expect you to, Snoozles. In fact, you'd be the ideal person to get Fuzzball."
"Fuzzball? You really need to be a little more creative, Toph."
"Shut up, Sugar Queen, or you'll get a worse name."
"There's a name worse than Sugar Queen?" Zuko wondered aloud.
"You'll see," Toph smiled darkly.
"Back on topic," Aang cleared his throat loudly. "So Sokka should be the one getting Appa, I should be the one making the speech, what does that leave everyone else with?"
"We can be scattered around," Zuko suggested. "One by one, we'll excuse ourselves and meet back at the town's gates with Appa."
"Great in theory, but won't people notice we're not there?" Katara pointed out.
"Huh," Zuko muttered. "I guess you're right."
"Of course I am," Katara teased, nudging his foot with hers under the table. Zuko pushed back, starting a mini kicking war.
"Stop that if you value your feet," Toph advised.
"Yes ma'am," Katara murmured obediently, but shoved Zuko's foot one last time anyway.
"Real mature," he laughed, before turning serious once more. "Okay, how's this for an idea: Sokka's ill-"
"I like it so far," Toph interjected, smirking. Sokka glowered pointlessly at her.
"Sokka's ill," Zuko continued loudly and more forcefully, "so he has to stay at the inn tonight. When everyone's gone from the inn, he'll sneak out and get Appa. Toph and Uncle will go back to check on him, but will really meet Sokka and Appa at the town gates. Aang, being the all-important Avatar, will mingle for awhile, before heading back to the inn to get an early night. There, he'll meet up with the rest of us and we'll fly out of this damned town forever."
"Wait, what's your and Katara's excuse?" Sokka asked suspiciously.
"I'm sure I'll think of something," Zuko replied innocently, exchanging a glance with Katara.
"No you don't," Sokka shook his head with what he hoped was authority. "Katara will be the one who has to stay home sick."
"I'm using the excuse one way or the other," Zuko warned. "I suppose it depends on what you want the townspeople's final idea of you to be."
"Okay, so I stay home sick," Sokka nodded.
Yeah, that's what I thought, Katara smirked to herself.
"Well I like it," Toph announced, stretching out as much as she could whilst sat on a chair. "Now, unless anyone's got a better plan, I'm going upstairs to have the last decent shower I'm probably going to have in a long while."
"Actually, Toph, I've got a better idea," Katara said, swiftly standing up and running for the stairs. "I get the shower first!"
"Hey!" Toph complained loudly, also making a - slower - start for the stairs. "I called it first, Katara!"
As she ran up the wooden stairs, Katara noticed that Toph was using her actual name as opposed to a nickname. Wow, she must really want a shower, Katara mused. Ah well.
The moment she reached the landing, Katara sprinted towards the bathroom and slammed the door shut forcefully. A few seconds later, the hammering of tiny fists on the door could be heard, alongside Toph's less than friendly names directed at her.
"Can't hear you, Toph!" Katara shouted back, admittedly a little gleefully, as she began to strip off and wash herself.
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"Someone ought to wash that girl's mouth out with some really strong soap," Zuko grumbled. "If a young lady talked like that in the Fire Nation, she'd find herself with no tongue."
"I don't think that Toph could ever be called a lady of any kind," Aang replied. "Besides, you shouldn't find it that offensive. I'm a monk, and it doesn't bother me that much."
"True," Zuko shrugged, more because he wanted to win the Avatar's approval than he actually agreed with him. And there's a sentence I never thought I'd hear, He thought, bemused.
"Katara's going to be in for hell once she gets out of the shower," Sokka grinned.
"She can hold her own," Zuko told Sokka confidently.
"I know that," Sokka replied irritably. "I was kidding. Just because in the Fire Nation Katara would probably be sentenced to death for daring to cut ahead of the shower queue, doesn't mean that she will here."
Zuko had clenched his fists and was ready to retort back, until Iroh smoothly interrupted.
"I don't know about that, Sokka," he chuckled. "After all, they have the Elders here. They're almost as worse as the Fire Lord himself."
"I doubt that," Aang muttered.
"Hey, if the Fire Lord's as old as any of these Elders, then you'll have no problem taking him out!" Sokka beamed optimistically.
"The law of the world says that he'll be some all powerful man that doesn't die," Aang replied gloomily.
"You've had no problem breaking other laws, who says you have to stick to this one?" Zuko asked, trying to ignore the fact that these children were calmly discussing the death of his father.
"Princey here has a point," Sokka shrugged.
"Don't call me that," Zuko growled.
"Toph does!"
"Toph's a girl, who-"
"Who could beat the living crap out of you if you yelled at her, I get it," Sokka nodded.
The teenagers continued arguing until Jia and Akio arrived back. There was a slight pause from the Avatar's group in replying to the twin's greeting, but they replied nonetheless.
"How was your meeting with the Elders?" Iroh asked, doing his best not to let the hostility show.
"Humiliating," Jia rolled her emerald eyes and walked gracefully to Katara's vacated seat. "Gods forbid that I, as an actual human being, can look a few old men in the eyes and speak my opinion."
"Get over it sis, it won't always be like that," Akio shrugged, also sitting himself down. Zuko's fists clenched again under the table, and he dare not look at Akio. Iroh shot his nephew a discreet warning look, which thankfully went unnoticed by anyone else.
"Where're Katara and Toph?" Jia asked suddenly, glancing quickly around the table.
"Katara's in the shower, Toph's mad that Katara beat her there," Aang supplied quickly.
"They've got practically all week to have a shower, why are they fighting over it now?" Jia laughed.
"You know Toph, she won't let anyone beat her at anything. I guess that includes showering first," Sokka said, giving an uneasy laugh himself.
"So, everything good for tonight?" Aang asked Jia, cutting off Sokka's increasingly hysterical laugh.
"Pretty much," Jia nodded. "That is, if you guys got everything okay."
"Siyu is disappointingly in short supply of instruments, but we can make up for that by singing!" Iroh grinned enthusiastically.
"People said that they'd bring whatever decorations they had, so that part's sorted," Zuko murmured, still not looking up.
"We invited everyone we could find, and then word will spread, so I bet we'll have a great turn out," Sokka chipped in, having controlled himself.
"Great," Jia smiled widely. "Well, the Elders grudgingly gave us permission to have the music night in the town center, and with a little help from some friends of mine, I think I've got the food sorted out. It's going to be such a good night!"
A split second after Jia had finished her words, Sokka coughed so loudly that it made the entire group jump. He continued coughing violently until Aang, alarmed, smacked him on the back.
"Are you alright?" The Avatar asked, his gray eyes wide.
"I think I'm coming down with something," Sokka rasped, his voice scratchy.
"I told you not to eat that cactus," Zuko warned, catching on quickly.
"Yeah, a few hours too late for advice there Scarface," Sokka glared.
"Enough with the nicknames!" Zuko shouted angrily. "It's your own fault you got sick what with the karma you deserve!"
"You're sick?" Jia asked, scandalized. She, at least, seemed to believe the lie. "But you can't be, not tonight!"
"If I drink plenty of water then I should be-" Sokka's consoling words were cut off by another flurry of coughs.
"I think it would be best if you stay out of tonight's activities," Iroh advised, concern etched onto his face. "Get some rest and don't eat any cactus again. I don't think it agrees with you very well,"
"The cactus and I have something in common," Zuko muttered under his breath, just loud enough for everyone to hear. There was muffled laughter from the group.
"Yeah, you both make me sick!" Sokka snarled in retaliation, standing up heavily out of his chair and dragged his feet over to the stairs. "Aang, little help?" he asked pathetically after a moment. Aang was on his light feet quickly and practically floated over to Sokka.
"Sure thing," Aang beamed, taking Sokka's arm and racing up the stairs. After a moment, there was the loud sound of Sokka retching and a loud cry from Toph.
"Snoozles, that's gross!"
Aang appeared a few seconds later, a sheepish grin on his face. "I think I made it worse."
"I'll say!" Toph yelled angrily from the top of the stairs. "Snoozles is never eating anything ever again!"
The faint sound of Sokka groaning miserably filled the room for a moment, until Zuko muttered "serves him right."
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After Toph had finished showering, Katara had stopped "fussing" over Sokka and Jia was convinced that everything was as it seemed, the gang were finally ready to leave. Darkness was rapidly approaching Siyu, not a moment too soon in Zuko's opinion.
"Do you know what the first thing I'm going to do after we leave Siyu is?" He murmured in Katara's ear. The couple lagged behind the rest of the group, holding hands and talking in low tones.
"Kiss me?" Katara teased.
"After that," Zuko amended. When Katara didn't reply, he continued. "I'm going to give your brother a medal for his acting."
"He was pretty good," Katara nodded. "Although I was just coming out of the bathroom when Toph said that he shouldn't eat again, and I think his groan was real."
Zuko laughed quietly. He paused for a moment, before sighing contentedly.
"What?" Katara asked, amused.
"I'm going to miss this a little," Zuko confessed. "Being able to walk down the street without people staring, not being worried that at any moment someone could be trying to kill you."
"Kill me?" Katara repeated. "What about everyone else?"
Zuko stopped walking and looked away. Katara stopped also, watching him with confusion as he began to talk.
"You fill my mind so much that I can't think of anyone else. It's hard to remember any form of self-preservation unless I know that you're completely out of danger."
"I know teenage boys have a one-track mind, Zuko, but that's ridiculous," Katara laughed. "But if it helps, I feel the same about you."
"If…" Zuko hesitated. "If something happens tonight, I want you to be safe. Get your friends, Sokka and my uncle and run. I'll hold them off until you've gone."
"You've really got a hero complex," Katara replied, rolling her eyes. "I don't think you understand, but I would never leave you in a situation like that. Do you really think I could live without you? Knowing how happy I am when you're around?"
"I couldn't live with myself if I let anything happen to you. You've already been through too much…admittedly, most of it at my hands, and I'm not prepared to let you suffer anymore."
Katara smiled up at Zuko as his words sank in. He wouldn't meet her eyes, too embarrassed now that he had talked about his feelings, but a small smile tugged at the corners of his lips.
"I love you," Katara murmured, resting her head against his shoulder.
"I love you, too." Zuko kissed the top of her head lightly. "Now come on, otherwise we'll miss all the drama."
The night air was cool, with hundreds of twinkling stars and the shining moon sending down her blessing to her friends. The town center was impressively decorated, with colored lanterns strung from the roofs of various houses. Someone had set up a huge fire in the middle of the large circle, and already people were gathered there, chatting animatedly and snacking on savoury foods, their dark shadows strewn over the stone ground. Small benches carved from wood surrounded the fire, something which would surely be dangerous should the fire lose control. Several people standing next to these benches called out in greeting to Jia and Akio, who smiled back.
"Sorry, but we're going to have to mingle," Jia said apologetically. "See you later!"
She strode over to a group of giggling girls who all gave Zuko an appreciative once over before gossiping together excitedly. Akio meanwhile ambled over to the young men of the village who stood only a few feet away. Akio muttered something that caused all of the boys to turn and leer at Katara.
"I wonder if everyone here knows how possessive I am?" Zuko asked loudly, his voice carrying over to the huddled groups.
"Considering how you threatened to gouge the last man's eyes out if he looked at me again, I think everyone will have gotten the message by now," Katara replied, her voice also carrying.
Akio's friends sharply turned back around in fear. Akio's gaze lingered on Katara for a moment longer, before returning casually back to his friends and beginning to talk once more.
"Idiots," Zuko hissed. Katara looked at him, startled. "As if I'd gouge a man's eyes out for looking at you. That's far too merciful."
Katara laughed. She turned around to see that Toph and Iroh had already left, probably off to chat to the townspeople one last time. Aang stood nearby, talking to a boy his age. They seemed to be discussing who would win in a fight, King Bumi of Omashu, or Toph. Katara could just hear strains of their conversation:
"Bumi's over a hundred years old, no way he can beat a master Earthbender," the boy was saying.
"I'm a hundred and twelve, but that didn't slow me down," Aang grinned. "I think it'd be a pretty even match."
Katara smiled and began to walk towards the benches, with Zuko following. They sat down closely, both staring wordlessly into the fire. It flickered harmlessly enough, reaching yearningly into the endless darkened sky.
"It's hard to believe that fire could be so destructive," Katara whispered.
"Tell me about it," Zuko muttered, glancing down at his free hand momentarily. The other was intertwined with Katara's, proof that fire and water could co-exist, even learn to love one another.
"Your uncle seems to be having a good time," Katara laughed suddenly. Zuko looked up and groaned. Iroh was surrounded by eager people, all laughing uproariously at something he had just said. After a moment, they broke into a song whose lyrics Katara could not hear. Something about four seasons? she wondered briefly. After a moment, more people had joined in the song, some even getting up to dance.
"I would ask you to dance, but it'd be embarrassing," Zuko told Katara after a few minutes of watching the others dance. The song had changed to something with a faster rhythm now, and many more people had joined in both dancing and singing.
"I'm sure you'd be fine," Katara smiled encouragingly.
"I'm an excellent dancer. I meant it'd be embarrassing for you," Zuko smirked.
"Sounds like a challenge."
"That's because it is," Zuko replied, standing up and offering Katara his hand. "Would you care to dance?"
Katara took Zuko's hand and let him pull her up, smiling. He led her silently to a spot next to the fire and bowed, signalling the beginning of the dance. Katara inclined her head and curtsied slightly, suddenly dreading the fact that she was probably about to make a fool of herself. They followed the same dance steps as everyone else, a well-known traditional Earth Kingdom dance. Katara had picked up the moves on her travels, but how Zuko knew it was beyond her. Katara went through the motions, allowing Zuko to guide her through a dance she knew already. When the song finished, he bowed again. People around them clapped politely for the singers, and Katara hurriedly joined in. When she turned back to Zuko, a smirk was growing on his lips.
"What?" she asked suspiciously.
"Wait here," he said, before slipping through the thickening crowds and disappearing. Chatter filled the air, which was now suspiciously devoid from music. Katara felt self-conscious standing alone, but that was nothing compared to what she felt when the distant sounds of a familiar song began to strum. Someone's brought an instrument then, Katara thought unsure of why this made her nervous.
It took a few seconds to realize why the song had sounded so familiar, but it hit her suddenly: it was a Water Tribe song her mother used to use as a lullaby when Katara and Sokka were children. When Zuko appeared through the throng of people, Katara began to smirk herself.
So he thinks he can beat me at a Water Tribe dance? she thought smugly. There's confidence, and then there's just plain stupidity.
"Think you can keep up?" Zuko asked as he reached Katara.
"I'll try," Katara smirked, taking Zuko's outstretched hand as the music began to swell.
Water Tribe dances were always beautifully complicated, including lots of spins and twists of the body. Katara knew this dance even better than she knew the first one, but was surprised that Zuko knew it as well as she did. He kept perfectly in time with the music, barely breaking eye contact with her except when required to. When the music stopped on the abrupt end note, Katara was breathing heavily. It was a demanding dance, even for one who knew it so well, and it came as no shock that Zuko looked a little out of breath also. The couple were so engrossed that they did not notice that a small crowd of people around them had stopped dancing and began instead to watch Zuko and Katara.
"Well done," Katara congratulated Zuko. "I'm somewhat impressed."
"We're not finished yet," Zuko promised. "We've had one of your traditional dances…now we get one of mine."
"I don't know any Fire Nation dances, let alone the traditional ones!" Katara complained as Zuko took her hands in his for the start of the next dance.
"Just follow my moves," Zuko advised, letting the slow, dark music take control. He began to walk around slowly in a circle, and Katara hastened to copy.
This isn't so difficult, she thought, as Zuko completed the circle and moved in the opposite direction.
Suddenly the song exploded into heavier notes and Zuko all but shoved Katara away. Careful not to stumble backwards, she quickly copied all of Zuko's swift movements. Luckily she was a fast learner and quickly grasped the basic movements that the dance repeated every so often. Then of course, the dance would call for something completely unexpected and Katara would lose track all over again. She was beginning to get frustrated, and Zuko could see that. He would smirk openly every time she faltered, and it only proved to fuel the fire inside. She tried harder to match the steps, but it seemed like every time she did, Zuko would completely change. If Katara could focus on anything other than the dance steps, she would've wondered if Zuko was doing this on purpose merely to piss her off. Suddenly, Zuko filled the space between them and harshly pushed his foot out against Katara's, causing her to trip. This time, she could not steady herself and quickly found herself falling backwards. She didn't have time to close her eyes and brace herself for the impact of the cold stone on her back, but luckily it never came. Zuko, quick as lightning, leaned forward and caught Katara inches from the ground, his strong arms encircling her back.
"Careful now," he mocked, and she narrowed her eyes. It took her a few moments to realize that the song was over and people were clapping and cheering once more. As she looked around, she noticed that the claps and cheers were directed at her and Zuko, coming from the large crowd surrounding them. Katara breathed heavily and tried to regain her breath as Zuko placed her upright again. He was smiling at her, but she shook her head in disgust and walked off, pushing her way through the crowd. The air was suddenly too hot as she found a secluded bench and made her way towards it.
A hand suddenly grabbed her wrist from behind, and she whirled around. Zuko stood there, his arm outstretched. Katara glanced down at her wrist, and Zuko let go of it sharply.
"Sorry," he muttered.
"About what? About taking my wrist or for being a complete jerk in that dance?" Katara demanded, not bothering to point out that the wrist Zuko had grasped was the same one he had burned the previous night.
Much to her infuriation, Zuko grinned. She huffed and turned away, but Zuko reached out and took her shoulder, gently turning her back around.
"The dance we just did - called the Azulon, even though that's the stupidest name for a dance I've ever heard - is all about the fire that passion holds. Can you honestly say that you would've put that much effort into dancing if I'd asked you to?"
"You have stupid dances in the Fire Nation," was all Katara managed to say.
"Does that mean I'm right?" Zuko ventured.
"It means that if you ever annoy me like that again then it'll be the last thing you ever do," Katara said, but the playful smile on her lips told Zuko he was forgiven.
"I'm actually impressed at how well you kept up," Zuko admitted, "considering you've presumably never seen that dance before."
"What about you? What's the deal with you knowing every dance step ever created?" Katara challenged.
"Dance lessons. Let's say no more about it."
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All eyes were on the Avatar and his friends, which made Katara almost squirm with discomfort. They all stood on the raised wooden platform next to the fire, with the entire town standing before them, listening with rapt attention to what Aang was saying. In truth, Katara had stopped listening awhile ago, just after Toph had exclaimed that she needed to check on Sokka, and Iroh offered to go with her. The second part of the plan was almost complete…so why did Katara have foreboding flutterbats in the pit of her stomach? She knew the plan perfectly, was almost positive that Jia and Akio would try to stop them, and was confident that the group would beat the traitorous twins down.
"And that's what happened at the North Pole," Aang rambled on. Katara was vastly surprised that all the townspeople still hung onto his every word, even though he had been talking for what seemed like ages. "Although, as you can see now, Zuko and Katara's feelings for each other have changed a little."
All eyes swivelled to the said couple, and Katara felt her face heat up. When Aang started talking again, most eyes snapped back to him. The occasional person's eyes drifted slowly back, but Akio's lingered sinisterly. Katara did not hold his gaze. She squeezed Zuko's hand fractionally, and he took it as a sign to give Akio a discreet glare. He then began to whisper in Katara's ear.
"Right, this is it. When I've finished talking, giggle."
Katara obliged, playing her role in the play that would get them all out of Siyu. She caught Zuko's eye and saw him smirking; either acting or genuinely pleased with himself, she didn't know. "Don't worry," he continued whispering. "I'm here and I won't let you get hurt. We have to expect Jia and Akio to try to stop us, but we're more than prepared for them. Now, look up at me." Katara looked up to see him smile somewhat suggestively and nod his head in direction away from the platform. She smiled back as he took her hand and gently began to lead her offstage. The people that noticed either gave them scandalized or encouraging looks, but the young couple ignored them all. Aang gave no indication that he had seen Zuko and Katara leave, but only to make sure that everyone's attention was still focused on himself.
"Finally, I have you all to myself," Zuko teased as they walked further and further away from the town center.
"Savour it," Katara replied. "We won't get much alone time after tonight."
"We'll get alone time if I have to personally kill everyone in the area," Zuko promised.
"Am I really worth that much?"
"That and more."
They walked in silence to the town gates, furtively glancing around for any signs of danger that wasn't scheduled until later. Katara silently said goodbye to the sights she had come to recognise in her brief stay in the town, but knew that she wouldn't really miss them.
"That you?" a voice hissed when Zuko and Katara were a few feet from the rendezvous point.
"Yeah," Katara whispered back. "Everything gone to plan?"
"More or less," Sokka shrugged. "Appa decided he wanted to be stubborn and sleep, until I gave him some cactus plant that was leftover from before."
"Good, good," Katara murmured, distracted already. Her heart had began to pound drastically, thumping in her ears. This wasn't going to work. Something was going to go wrong. Katara could see the dim outlines of her brother, Toph and Iroh, and the enormous outline of Appa. Momo had chirruped in greeting as his human friends had arrived, and then curled back to sleep on Appa's back.
"Where's Aang?" Toph asked suddenly.
"Re-telling his life story," Zuko muttered.
"Still?" Iroh asked, amused.
"He was recollecting the North Pole when we left," Katara informed the group. "So either he'll have to cut it short or we're going to be here for awhile."
"Maybe we should check that we've got all the supplies before we go?" Zuko suggested quietly.
"Already done," replied Iroh. "I'm afraid I was worried about the same thing, and forced poor Toph and Sokka to climb on Appa and check."
"Three times," Toph grumbled, but she didn't sound as though she minded. "And I had to feel around for everything. But whatever, it helped pass the time."
The group stood in awkward silence for awhile, murmuring occasional reassurances to each other. What seemed like hours passed, but it couldn't have been more than a couple of minutes until Aang ran up to the group, panting as he slowed down.
"Okay, I think everyone was distracted enough to not notice me slip away."
"Why, what did you tell them?" Katara asked, intrigued. Her heart was pounding quicker than ever, and she was surprised that she could hear her own voice over the din it was making.
"I told them that Toph and Sokka were dating," Aang admitted sheepishly. "It was the first thing I could think of, and you know how much Siyu likes to gossip."
Sokka groaned and rolled his eyes, but Toph said nothing, faint color rising to her cheeks. Katara smiled at her young friend's apparent crush, but didn't say anything.
"So, we good to go?" Aang asked, his glance darting quickly from the group in front of him to his bison.
"Not quite," said a voice. The group sighed in unison and turned to face the newly arrived Jia. "Surprise."
"Not quite," Toph mimicked.
"We knew you were going to show," Sokka shrugged. "It wasn't exactly unpredictable."
"I for one thought they were going to show up just as we were getting on Appa, y'know, really cut it close" Zuko offered.
"Yeah, but no one cares what you think," Sokka said, barely sparing Zuko a glance as he insulted him.
"Guys," Katara cut across before Zuko could retort anything. "Not the time."
"She's right," Jia agreed, looking a little shocked at the Avatar's gang's reaction to her ruining their plans. "Although we do have some time to spare. I don't expect the cavalry to be here for another half hour yet."
"That damn cavalry, never there when you need them," Sokka quipped.
"How true," Jia smiled. It was a smile unlike anything before; it was cold and cruel and very Azula. "Akio, would you mind?"
With a sudden sense of foreboding, Katara looked to her left. Akio stepped out of the shadows, dragging with him a sobbing girl around the age of five.
"I had a feeling that you'd try to fight us," Jia shrugged. "So I had Akio bring along a little…insurance, if you will. The girl won't be harmed until the rest of the townspeople get here. After that, it's her fault if she gets hurt in the chaos."
Katara knew that her friends' expressions mirrored hers. She stared at Jia in pure disgust that was too strong to put into words. The girl fidgeted slightly, and Akio put a threatening hand on her shoulder. The minute he began to physically restrain her, Katara knew that she wouldn't be able to hold back any longer.
"Recognise her, do you Zuko?" Jia purred. Startled, Katara glanced at Zuko, who wore a tormented face.
"Of course," he said, his voice shaking with suppressed anger and sadness.
"Hi Zuko," the tiny girl greeted sadly, looking up at him.
"Hello Sarava," Zuko replied gravely. "Listen to me, I promise you won't get hurt."
"You also promised her a new ball, if I'm not mistaken," Jia said offhandedly. "That never came about. Oh yeah, I was listening to the whole conversation, just in case you were still unsure," she added.
"Is that your girlfriend?" Sarava asked, ignoring Jia and bobbing her small head in Katara's direction.
"Yes," Zuko nodded, his cracked whisper fraught with pain. "Do you remember talking about her?"
Sarava screwed her face up in concentration. "You said that you didn't want to hurt her, and then you said a bunch of stuff that I didn't get."
Katara's hand found Zuko's and squeezed it gently. "I'm glad that you made a new friend," she said softly, mainly for Sarava's benefit. "Even if it was a five year old girl."
"I'm five and a half!" Sarava corrected, stamping her little foot. Zuko smiled, glad that, for the moment, they had distracted the child from the seriousness of the situation.
"Right, sorry," Katara replied soothingly. As she turned to Akio, her face and voice turned hard. "If you hurt her, I swear to the Gods that you won't live to regret it."
"Meaning that I won't regret it?" Akio asked, his voice filled with amused malice.
"Meaning that you won't live," Zuko spat.
The two groups stared at each other for a moment, hate and anger filling their glares. Sarava looked around, bewildered, clearly too young to comprehend this yet.
"What has driven you to this?" Iroh asked, his voice, like his nephew's before, was shaking with rage.
"You probably want me to say that I'm an outcast," Jia said, flicking her luscious hair. "That I was unloved and friendless and unwanted. But as you can see, that's clearly not the case. Seeing as we're still awhile away from witnessing your bloody deaths, I guess this is the time for revelations."
She sighed dramatically before glancing at Akio, who nodded his approval for her to carry on.
"It was our mother," Jia said, pausing for effect as her words sank in.
"Your mother didn't love you?" Toph guessed, for once serious.
"Actually, she made me the woman I was today," Jia corrected.
"Sounds like a great mom," Aang muttered. "So, what, did her death cause you to become this hate-filled bitch?"
If any of the group noticed Aang swearing, they said nothing.
"Hardly," Jia laughed, a light sound that punctured the night like a wound. "How could her death have affected me when she's still alive?"
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A/N:
So this chapter took quite awhile to get up, but it's pretty long, so I hope that makes it better (: For those of you thinking "…wtf?" then don't worry, all will be explained in the next chapter :D I couldn't read through this chapter because I needed to be off the computer 10 minutes ago, so sorry if there are any mistakes.
Thank you for your awesome reviews, and how funny was "Nightmares and Daydreams" ? Appa and Momo talking has got to be one of the funniest parts of the series so far, and Aang's nightmare ("how do you expect to defeat me when you're not wearing any pants?") was brilliant XD
Have a good week (:
- Momo