Disclaimer: I do not own Avatar.
~P~
Chapter 14 – The Proposal
~P~
The next day after sleeping in a bit, the Firebender and Waterbender formulated a plan before going to see Arnook about it. They decided that with their combined power, they would easily be able to defeat Koh and from there, could bargain a deal about giving back the villagers' faces. When he next appeared, they would gear up, and then trap him on the outer edges of town where he couldn't hurt anyone else, and then they would attack him at the same time and take him down. It was perfect.
With confidence in their plan, the pair went to find Arnook. They took a boat to his home, but his wife told them that he was actually at the Council Centre, discussing what actions to take against the particular problem they were all facing. So they made their way to the building and after a little searching around, found the man they were looking for.
"Arnook!"
The Chief turned from the small group he had been talking to, and saw Katara excitedly waving her hands at him, running towards him with Zuko in tow. "Yes, what is it?" he asked, dismissing the group of people, who disbanded as he joined the Fire Lord and Princess.
Slowing down, Katara beamed at him and said, "We know who's been stealing people's faces, and we have a plan to stop him."
Arnook blinked, overwhelmed by the information he had just been told. After a few moments of trying to regain his mind, he said shakily, "W-who?"
Zuko stepped forward then. "It's a demon named Koh. Koh the Face Stealer."
"Okay," Arnook nodded, stepping closer to them now. "That... makes sense. But how do you know this for sure?"
"Aang told me that he had to confront him once when he was in the Spirit World," Katara explained. "If you make a facial expression around him, he will steal your face on the spot."
Arnook leaned against the ice wall, bringing up a hand to his head. "If this is true, then how do you two plan on stopping him? He'll just steal your faces if you try to!" At this, the older man seemed anguished.
"Well, you see," Zuko put his arm around Katara and smiled confidently. "If one covers their features well enough, Koh can't see the entirety of their face and so can't steal it. We figure if we cover our faces with masks and then attack him by luring him outside the city limits, then we can finally put an end to his raids and get him to give back the villagers' faces."
Arnook blinked uncertainly at the teenagers. The looks in their eyes were full of confidence and bravery, but could he really allow a pair of young ones to go after an ancient, powerful demon? They were more than willing and he knew that they were tremendously powerful, but still... it was his job as Chief to instill safety in the city and by allowing them to do it, he would be risking their safety, but by not doing so, he was risking his city's safety. The Chief was at a crossroads. Whose safety did he choose? These children's or his people's?
"I... don't think I can allow you two to do that," he whispered finally. Katara and Zuko gave each other frantic lookS, before turning back to him, trying to prove their points to him.
"Please, sir! We want to help, and our plan is completely valid!" Zuko pleaded. "Just let me help your city – let me prove myself to your people."
"Please, Arnook," Katara joined in, giving the man a begging look. She wanted to help just as much as Zuko did.
Arnook sighed at this. "Do... do you two think you can really defeat a demon spirit?"
Katara and Zuko looked at each other, their eyes flickering with newfound uncertainty. Were they strong enough to do it? When they first talked about it, they had been so sure that they could do it, but now that they had been questioned by another, they didn't really know. Both were powerful, but were they good enough to defeat Koh? They honestly didn't know.
"I... I think we are," Katara said whisperingly a few moments later, looking away from the two at the snowy ground.
"Well—" Arnook was cut off by Zuko.
"We can train. Katara and I can train and become stronger, more accurate. And if Koh strikes before we're ready to take him on, we can drive him off so that he won't steal any faces and then face him the next time he comes. Please, just allow us to help you," Zuko begged, his golden eyes bright with the need to help.
Their argument was now more legitimate in the eyes of the Chief. It made more sense to the old man that they train first and prepare for the fight than jump headlong into it. But there was still something in the pit of his stomach that was telling him that it wouldn't end well, but at the same time, the two's stubbornness and new validity of the situation wouldn't be easily brushed away. Grumbling and clenching his gloved fists, Arnook nodded slowly. "Fine. But you have to train everyday – you two have to be as prepared as possible for Koh. I will provide help. But if you two get hurt or lose your faces, I won't be able to live it down..."
"Thank you, sir, but we won't need backup. When the time comes, you will need to evacuate the city, actually, and then we'll go after him. We won't let you down, Chief Arnook – we will catch Koh, and we will end him." Zuko bowed to the man, and Katara smiled up at the authority he was exuding. His words and actions were that of a strong Fire Lord. And the Waterbender herself was ready to train day and night if it meant saving the people of the Northern Water Tribe, as was Zuko.
Just as Arnook was going to open his mouth to speak again, a voice behind him interrupted him.
"That isn't a very intelligent move, young one."
Arnook and the two teenagers turned to look at a very elderly-looking woman standing a few feet away from them, holding an ice cane and frowning.
Arnook's eyes widened. "Priestess Ahnah!" he announced. "What are you talking about?"
"I was talking to that one," she pointed at Zuko, who blinked, surprised. "I was saying that going after Koh isn't a smart idea. He is an ancient, powerful, clever demon, boy. And he will kill you and take your little girly for himself without even a second thought. He is not a merciful spirit."
Katara was a bit shocked at this. What would Koh want with her? Zuko's stomach dropped at the thought of losing Katara and at the thought of his own untimely demise.
"I remember a story my great grandmother used to tell me," the priestess looked to the ceiling, having a difficult time recollecting the story. "It has been passed down through my family for generations – it happened some five hundred years ago. It was the last time Koh appeared in the human world. He attacked our Tribe, seeking revenge against Avatar Kuruk for his recklessness. But more so, revenge for being rejected by Kuruk's fiancée, Ummi. Koh had taken Ummi away previously in the hopes she would return his affections, but she did not, and so he took her face away from her, consequently killing her. Kuruk was infuriated and went after Koh. But not even he could beat Koh and so he never saw Ummi again. So what makes you – oh, mighty Fire Lord – that you can defeat an ancient spirit if not even a previous Avatar can?"
"I think that I'm more responsible that Avatar Kuruk sounds," Zuko challenged, crossing his arms at the older woman. He didn't like it when people challenged his Firebending abilities – it usually ended in an Agni Kai, with him winning.
The priestess was feisty and stubborn, and stepped forward. "You dare challenge both a past Avatar and a malevolent spirit? My, you must have a death wish or something."
"What do you know?" Zuko threatened, almost setting one of his fists on fire.
Ahnah caught this, and smirked. "You wouldn't attack an old woman, Firebender."
Zuko growled something and Katara grabbed his arm, restraining him. "Okay, enough's enough!" she shouted, giving him an unimpressed look that calmed him down a bit. Turning to look at the priestess, Katara asked, concerned, "So what are you suggesting that we do?"
Frowning, Ahnah's face now looked more genuinely worried than sarcastic. "I want you two to be reasonable, not foolish. At least take into consideration other possibilities – I could try to contact the spirits, try to get them to calm Koh down, if only—"
"No." Zuko's voice was forceful. "Too many people have suffered. If you were going to contact these so-called spirits, why wouldn't you have done it sooner? Why wait until so many people have lost their faces? I'm sorry if I'm out of line here, but I think that something needs to be done – something physical. And that's why Katara and I are going to go after Koh and finish him off." At this, Zuko began to walk off, with all three pairs of eyes staring at him. Katara blinked at her boyfriend, before muttering a few apologies to Arnook and Ahnah and going after him.
Ahnah blinked at him. "Please, young one, don't be stupid! You'll get yourself killed!"
Zuko froze for a second, before shaking his head. He refused to let the priestess's words get to him!
Upon exiting the building, he finally slowed down and his stride broke into a walk. Katara caught up with him, but instead of giving him hell for being disrespectful to an elder, she simply squeezed his hand and walked around the empty pathways with him.
"I... I'm willing to die for the people of this city," he admitted after a few minutes, and Katara's heart nearly stopped. Turning to her, he breathed in deeply before saying, "And most of all, I'm willing to die for you."
"Don't talk like that," she whispered, feeling her stomach flop with hopelessness. The thought of losing Zuko made her just as sick as thinking about her late mother.
"Why? It's true. I'm willing to die for you if it means protecting you from the fate she predicted. Katara..." he lifted her face up to his with his finger, and saw the tears in her eyes and immediately felt guilty. "I..."
"Well, I'm not willing to lose you!" she cried, cutting him off. "I've lost enough people I care about, and you're not going to be next, Zuko! I can't be the reason you die – you've got an entire country to go back to!"
"And you've got a family back in both the Fire Nation and South Pole, Katara," he smiled wistfully then, turning away. "I don't."
"Shut up! Yes, you do!" she beat her hand against his parka, and he pulled her in for a hug, but she pushed him away. "I'm your family. The rest of our friends are your family – and though they're not beside you in the Fire Nation, your mother and Kin and San and that baby are your family! We all care about you, Zuko – we all love you." Tears were streaming down her face now, and she was doing nothing to stop them. She was upset and angry now.
He wanted to reach out to her again, but she simply stepped away. After a few minutes of glaring at him, she turned around and began to shake even more violently. Every time she was around Zuko, she felt her emotions tenfold, and now was no different.
Unable to resist comforting her, Zuko came up behind her and wrapped his arms around her. He hated to hear her cry, but what he spoke was the truth. He loved her and was willing to do anything to protect her – even if it meant his own death. She needed to realize that.
"If you go, I go," she choked out then.
He blinked at her, and whispered back fearfully, "What?"
"If Koh dare take your life and send you to the Spirit World, then I'm going with you..." she trailed, gripping his arms and pressing her face to his chest.
"No, Katara, I...!" he tried to argue, but she simply shook her head.
"Don't argue with me! If you're willing to die for me, then you need to understand that I'm willing to die for you, too..." Her voice was so broken then that Zuko didn't quite know how to feel, except that he didn't want her to cry anymore. He just wanted her to be happy.
"But—" He kissed her gently before continuing, "—what about the others? I can't let you give up your life for something – someone – so trivial as myself, Katara."
Sniffling, Katara bit her lip and looked up at him. "You are the most important person in my life, Zuko. Please, don't put yourself down like that." He peered down at her, and the look in her blue pools for eyes was heartbreaking. She spoke again then, "I always want to be a part of your life, so allow me to be..."
Zuko embraced Katara again then, holding her tightly against him, hoping she could grasp the intense emotions he was trying to convey. Right then seemed like the perfect moment to tell her how he felt – truly felt - what with such raw emotion surrounding them. And with this newfound possibility of losing her to a malevolent force, he never felt so compelled to speak those words. So with a wildly pounding heart, he pulled away from her slowly and placed a finger on her chin, bringing her face to look up at his.
"K-Katara," he began, pressing his forehead to hers. "I love you so much and I will do anything in my power to protect you. I just wanted to let you know that so that if one or both of us lose our lives within these next few weeks, that we can at least be at rest knowing how I feel about you. So that we'll be together..." He laced his fingers in her, "...forever." Sure, it was cliche, but true.
Letting a fresh round of tears go, Katara kissed his cheeks and mouth over and over again, crying nonsense to him. Their morning had gone from confident and happy to heartbreaking and full of abounding sadness. Her heart was exploding with undefined happiness at his confession, but at same time, the context they were in permitted nothing but floods of tears. Her waterworks was out of both elatedness and the full brunt of possibly losing him hitting her.
"I love you, too," she admitted after a few moments, holding his face and smiling weakly all while breathing in deeply, trying to cease her tears. Zuko blinked at her, all brain activity stopping as he comprehended her words.
After a few seconds passed without him saying anything, she giggled lightly, which seemed to break him out of his stupor. He wrapped his arms around her, spinning her around, her tears ceasing. When he placed her on the ground again, they peered deeply into each others' eyes.
"If one of us goes," she said then, petting back his hair, "then the other does, too."
Zuko kissed her then, and against her lips, whispered, "Thank you for understanding..." He continued to kiss her, and for a few short moments, felt a perfect bliss surround him. He laced their fingers and smiled to himself. He loved her and would do anything for her and now she finally knew.
When they finally pulled back for air, they smiled at each other, Katara's tears drying up. Their faces were flushed from the cold, the sudden influx of emotions, and their breathlessness from the kisses. The look of happiness in Katara's eyes made Zuko's heart swell, and with a grin, he confessed his feelings once again. "I love you," he whispered, and smiled widely when her face went rosy and her eyes lit up even brighter.
"And I love you," she giggled, and he kissed her again.
Pulling back, he said it again. She laughed before biting her lip and blushing up at him like when they first kissed. He found it adorable. He really did love the Waterbender – everything about her. Her feistiness, stubbornness, passion, love, energy... he felt a genuine burst of it all in his heart every time he looked at her.
"I really do love you, Zuko," she draped her arms around his neck, gazing at him.
"Same to you, my Waterbender," he pulled a loose strand of hair out of her eyes before kissing her cheek again. "And you know what? We're going to win against Koh – for sure. I don't know why we doubted ourselves, because we know we are."
Katara laughed again and nodded enthusiastically. "I agree. Now," she placed a hand on her stomach, "I'm starving after that little emotional session of ours. Let's go get some breakfast." She took his hand and squeezed it then, pulling him along the pathway, away from the Council Centre, the Fire Lord smiling goofily the entire time.
Despite how passive she was being now, the Waterbender was brimming with delight at the passion for her love for him. She had put off saying it a month beforehand, but the second the words left his mouth, she felt the overwhelming need to let him know how she felt, as well. She felt more powerfully for Zuko than she had ever felt for Aang, and that was something she needed to establish to the Airbender once they got back. But despite the love she held for the Fire Lord, she couldn't help but acknowledge the sinking feeling in her stomach regarding the situation that brought them to their confessions.
The pair didn't even see the priestess shaking her head at them as they walked away.
"They're next."
~P~
After getting and eating breakfast, which was filled with innocent touches and sheepish smiles, Katara led Zuko around town, just walking about in silence and holding hands. Eventually, though, she took him to the single most important place on their journey – the Spirit Oasis.
Zuko peered around the warm environment curiously – it was beautiful and inviting. He thankfully pulled off his parka upon entering the area and Katara followed these actions. This was the place that Katara would be healing his scars in a bit – this, honestly, caused the Fire Lord a bit of trepidation, but he brushed it off easily.
Then, with a sardonic chuckle, Zuko looked around some more and crossed his arms. "Brings back memories."
"Yep," Katara placed a hand on her hip, and smirked at him. "Want to relive them?"
Zuko blinked at her then, and before he knew it, his feet were encased in ice, and she was laughing at him. "Ooh, that. That was a fun one." He rolled his eyes before smiling at her, melting the ice then and going into a fighting stance. "I'd be honoured. Besides, we both need the practice."
"That's what you think, Fire Lord," she taunted teasingly, going into her own fluid fighting stance, her hands out on the defensive. "Now let's stop talking and bend."
Nodding, Zuko closed his eyes and centered himself. Bring his hands inwards towards his chest, he breathed in and out for a few seconds, before his arms jutted out and he sent a ferocious array of fire attacks in Katara's direction, careful to avoid the balanced pond between them.
The Waterbender dodged them, using the water surrounding the area to bend a water whip into shape, and each attack that the Fire Lord sent her way, she extinguished with the end of the water whip. Zuko covered some of the area, getting closer to his girlfriend, and sending another flurry of Firebending attacks forth, he backed her up against one of the posts of the arch in the middle of the Oasis.
He took her wrists in his hands and pinned her against the post, before leaning in, and with a smirk, whispered, "I'll save you from the pirates." Katara laughed lightly, before leaning up and kissing him, which distracted the Fire Lord enough that she pushed him off of her and to the ground, where she froze his hands and feet.
"Ready to surrender?" she asked him.
"Never!" he melted the ice around his feet and hands, and jumped up by twisting his legs around and sending a tornado of fire her way. Katara narrowly ducked away from the attack, and it singed the end of her braid slightly. Standing up straight again, Zuko stood closer to her now, his hands out in front of him, prepared for an up close spar.
Katara stepped forward and threw a punch forward at his face, but he dodged it and swung at her side, which she blocked, and grabbing his wrist, swung him around so she was twisting his arm behind his back. Zuko grimaced a bit at her tight grip that strained his arm, but it was not painful. Sweeping a foot behind him and knocking her down a bit, she caught herself and he freed himself and got in a stance again.
Kicking up, a wave of heat was sent to Waterbender's way, which she avoided as she ran to the side and sent a wave of ice and water crashing down on the Firebender from behind. Zuko spluttered at her, shivering at the cold, cold water he was now drenched in.
"What about now?" she breathed, heaving a bit.
"Nope," he smirked, pulling his hair out of his face and sending another focussed blast in her direction. She dodged it once again, and at this, Zuko charged forward and kicking his legs beneath him, the fire they sent out knocked her feet from beneath her. Running up and straddling her chest, he sat on top of her, hands on either side of her head. Breathing heavily, face close to hers, he whispered slowly, "Are you ready to surrender?"
Katara, who had been squirming beneath him, relaxed then, and he thought he had won the spar, and so as he gently went to climb off of her, she suddenly collected a bunch of water and encased him in it. Smirking and giggling, she shot it to the side of the mountain and froze. "I do believe I have won this," she crossed her arms and gave him a confident grin.
Zuko melted the ice once again, but instead of landing on the ground co-ordinately like he wanted, he fell into the freezing water of the small moat that surrounded the Spirit Oasis. Yelping, he floated there for a few seconds before scrambling over to the ground. Katara walked over and gave him a sympathetic look as she offered him a hand, which he took gratefully and pulled himself out of the water.
"I'm sorry," she gave him a smile that was threatening to become a laugh, but also looked a little sorry for the drenched and frozen Firebender. "Here." She moved her hands then and the water removed itself from his clothes and hair for the most part, leaving him slightly damp but still cold. He brought his arms around him and wished for nothing more than the warmth of his lined parka. Thank Agni, he was a Firebender! Within seconds, his inner fire began to heat him up again, but not as quickly as he would have liked.
Katara gave him another apologetic smile before walking forward and wrapping her welcoming arms around him. He gladly accepted her warmth, wrapping his own around her pulling her closer to him. After a few minutes of collecting heat, she pulled back from him reluctantly and led him back to their parkas, which he pulled on gratefully. "C'mon," she said, "let's get you back home."
"By home do you mean Fire Nation? Because never more in my entire life have I wanted to be on Ember Island," he breathed through chattering teeth, stepping closer to her. She giggled at him as they walked along. After a few minutes, he looked to the side and said, "You know, I'm not done sparring with you."
"For now, you are," she told him motherly, glancing at him and his virtually blue nose. "We'll spar again later... after my little Firebender's all warmed up." She laughed at his grumpy expression then.
The Fire Lord grumbled, but did not pull away from his girlfriend, seeking her warmth instead. He'd give her a run for her money that night, while getting warmed up all at the same time – smirking devilishly at his thoughts he pulled closer to her and gave her a charming smile, confusing the Waterbender but causing her to blush, figuring she slightly knew he thoughts.
~P~
Over the next couple of weeks, Koh did not strike at all, which everyone found odd, but nonetheless embraced and enjoyed. Katara and Zuko took these few weeks train themselves to the best of their abilities. Zuko privately practiced his Firebending and he sparred with Katara every few days and he also fought against some of the warriors of the Tribe. Katara trained her Waterbending abilities with the Masters of the village while also practicing and improving her healing abilities in the hopes that she could better her skills before she healed Zuko. This practice with the city's healers also allowed her to assess and help treat Koh's victims, which helped.
During this time, Zuko was teased by some of the village men. This was explainable. Some of them were just joking, while others were just plain cruel to him, and Zuko had to refrain from attacking them. Some of the nastier ones made comments about Katara occasionally, which is when he flipped the most.
It was mostly the women and children of the town who were nicer to him. The younger women – Katara's age and older – were the most... inviting to him. Despite the fact that they many of them had boyfriends of their own or knew he was Fire Lord, they would flutter around him and try to flirt with him. Zuko expressed clearly to them that he wasn't interested, that he was with Katara, but still, they followed him around and gave him those looks. Katara noticed this and became annoyed, and one night, after they had had dinner in town together, she voiced this.
Walking along the canals, they passed by a home and just as they were about to walk past the entrance, a small child, five years old at the most, ran outside and towards the canal. A few seconds later, a woman around Zuko's age – nineteen, at the most – came chasing after the little girl, who was trying to jump into the canal, screaming, "I'mma Waterbender!"
The young woman launched forward trying to grab the girl, but before anyone knew it, she was falling into the canal, and the hands of the woman flew to her mouth. But Katara wouldn't let this child fall on her watch! Bending the water around the little girl, the water then wrapped around the child and brought her level to the ground the others were on, placing her in Zuko's awaiting arms.
Releasing the water back into the canal, Katara smiled as the child kicked and screamed excitedly at the water that had just been bent. "That SO cool!" she cooed. The woman, who looked like she was nearly going to faint, let out a breath she had been holding, and stepping forward, she took the little girl from Zuko's arm. Catching the golden orbs of the Firebending turning to smile at his girlfriend, she smiled flirtatiously then, batting her eyelashes. Katara's smile from before dropped, and she crossed her arms at this.
"Thank you so much for saving my little sister, Nukka," she said, doe-eyeing the Fire Lord. Zuko shot an apologetic look to Katara then, who just huffed and turned away – he knew Katara was the one who had done the real saving.
"Ah, it was nothing," he smiled at her and then at the little girl – Nukka – in her arms, who was still kicking about. "My girlfriend here did most of the work, though," he smiled, motioning to Katara, who just turned away from him even more.
The woman looked taken aback then, and her flirty nature was replaced with an almost appalled one, looking Katara over. She didn't understand what this absolute hunk of a guy was doing with such a frumpy little girl! She was so much easier on the eyes – thin waist, large chest and hips, and big, blue eyes to match. Every boy wanted her and this one would be no different! Rolling her eyes then and becoming overconfident, she jutted out her voluptuous hip and placed her hand on it for emphasis. Placing Nukka down then and shooing her inside her home, she outstretched her hand for the Fire Lord. "Well, my name's Nauja," she smiled at him, lowering her eyelids suggestively. Zuko looked at Katara uncomfortably, but she was ignoring him. "And you are?"
"Zuko," he nodded stiffly, inching away from her. "The name's Zuko."
"Oh!" she feigned fake surprise. "Fire Lord Zuko? What a pleasant surprise!" She motioned towards her door then. "Would you like to come inside for a cup of tea? I just made some..."
Before Zuko could protest to Nauja's request, Katara took his hand and huffed out jealously, "Actually, Nauja, we were just heading home. To our home. Good night to you and your little sister." And at that, the Waterbender dragged Zuko off towards the direction of their ice house. As they walked, she rambled, "The nerve of some girls! I mean, you made it so clear that you were dating me and yet she still flirted with you! Couldn't she see me? All those girls care about are you and your damn good looks!"
Zuko stopped her then and pulled her into his arms. Raising an eyebrow and giving her a smug but charming smile, he said, "You're pretty cute yourself, too."
"Oh, shut up and let me be annoyed," she swatted his arm, pulling away from him. Looking at the ground and crossing her arms, she frowned to herself. Despite what Zuko told her, when compared to the other girls around her, Katara felt less that pretty. Most of the girls around her in the Northern Water Tribe were all curvy and tall and everything a boy Zuko's age would want. They were women – Katara didn't fancy herself so. Biting her lip, Katara muttered, "I'm not even that pretty..."
Zuko caught this, but before he could convince her otherwise – because according to him, she was the most gorgeous girl he had ever seen – she turned and gave him a cold look. "Zuko..." she trailed, "what is it you like about me? What keeps you from leaving me? I'd like to know."
Sighing, Zuko walked forward with outstretched hands. He could practically feel the self-consciousness Katara was exuding. "Katara, please—"
"No, Zuko. Tell me."
Sighing again, this time heavier, Zuko didn't even have to think of a second. "First off, you're assertive – you don't let anyone tell you what you want, because you know what you want. You're protective and stubborn and an amazing cook. You're just a fabulous person, Katara – you're always giving up your own personal happiness for others... you're selfless. I've never met another person like you. That's why I love you." Walking up to her again, he took her arm, "And you know, it doesn't hurt that you're beautiful, either."
"Me? Beautiful?" she scoffed, "yeah, right..."
"You were born to be the gorgeous heartbreaker you are, Katara," he told her, lifting her chin to look up at him. "Don't let anyone tell you differently. I just hope I'm not next," he joked.
After a few minutes of staring at him, she cracked a grin. "You won't be, I promise."
He walked forward then and closed the short distance between their faces, pressing a soft kiss to her mouth. She smiled and wrapped her arms around him. When she pulled back, she smiled, "I knew there was a reason I kept you around."
"I love you too much for you to get rid of me anyway," he told her honestly, before looping arms with her and continuing their walk home.
The pair walked for a little while more before they were stopped by a group of three little girls, running about and chasing after some kind of toy that wound up and went off in circles. They giggled adorably as they ran in circles, and Katara stopped and laughed with them. "They're so cute," she cooed to Zuko.
"They are," he nodded.
The toy circled its way over to Katara and Zuko, and the little girls stopped when they noticed they were more or less being watched. The oldest one, eight at the most, beamed brightly at the couple, especially at Zuko, and walked closer to them to retrieve her toy. "Hiya!" she called at them, waving her arms.
"Hi," Zuko smiled softly at the little girl, and her face heated up to an adorable little blush, which caused Katara to shake her head and smile to herself. Bending over and picking up the toy, Zuko passed it to the little girl, who glanced in between it and Zuko before grabbing it briskly and bowing slightly, running off back to her group quickly, her ears red with her blush. Upon returning to her little group, all the friends began to chatter, shooting looks back to Zuko and giggling.
Zuko blushed at the attention and waved 'goodbye' at them before turning away and continuing walking with Katara. After they were good distance away from the little girls, Katara laughed a bit. "It seems like everyone's got Zuko-fever," she joked.
Zuko elbowed her then and gave her a smile. "What? Aren't they worth a jealous rant, too?"
Katara rolled her eyes. "Them? No. I like them – they're cute. And, like, eight."
The Fire Lord laughed as they approached their home, pulling her closer to him and kissing her. "Well, I'll cure your case of Zuko-fever, if you'd like..." he whispered in her ear, his lips brushing the skin of it and causing a shiver to run down the length of her spine.
"I'll take an extra dose, please," she teased, wrapping her arms around his neck and pulling his lips against her, and from there the pair clumsily found their way into their home, never breaking the kiss once.
~P~
Zuko sat up from his bed, where he had been relaxing just a bit. His tensed up muscles strained at this movement, and he grumbled, rotating his arms. "Dammit..." he muttered, rubbing at it. He had been unusually stiff lately, and he figured it was from the long hours of rigorous training he did each day. And as much as it was beginning to physically tucker the Fire Lord out, he knew that he couldn't stop – he never knew when Koh could strike, and so he had to be prepared as possible! But still, did it have to be so painful?
He had gone back to his temporary home early that afternoon, having decided to end training early in favour of allowing himself a few moments of just relaxing. He was planning on going back originally to continue, but feeling the ache of his entire body, he decided against it. He would just give himself a few hours more to recuperate...
Standing up and groaning, he thought about what he could do for those next few hours. He wasn't just going to lie around, no. He knew that by just laying around, his muscles would just stiffen and that would be even worse. He had to keep moving, just at a less straining pace.
He thought for a few more moments, and smiled – he could go visit Katara. Most of the time, the two woke up in the early hours of the morning, got all done up and had a few minutes to talk, and then went their separate ways for the day, not able to really see each other until late that night. He didn't enjoy the lack of time spent with the Waterbender, and so he could surprise her by showing up for a quick visit. It'd be nice to see her, and it would keep his muscles from fully stiffening, but also relax them at the same time.
Walking over to his parka and pulling it back on, he ventured outside of their home and looked around, confused. The only issue with his idea was that he couldn't navigate around the village for the life of him – all the ice buildings looked the same to the Firebender, and he couldn't get anywhere successfully without Katara. He rolled his eyes to himself then – she was at the healing centre, honing her abilities and treating people, so how hard could that be to find? He knew that it was only a few hundred yards from their home... he could find it!
Nodding to himself confidently, he turned to his left and began to walk down the canal. He walked in silence for a few moments, before coming to a dome-shaped building that he was ninety nine point nine percent sure was the healing centre.
He stepped forward and pulled back the piece of cloth in the doorway, and when he looked around, he blinked in surprise and embarrassment. Instead of a room full of women healing and Waterbending, he was instead greeted by an array of men around his age and older gathered in the room, some working feverishly at something while the others just stared at the Firebender.
Blinking rapidly, Zuko flushed. "U-uh, sorry. Wrong building, I guess." He was about to turn away and run out, but then he stopped and turned back. Holding up a finger, he asked, "Do any of you, um, know where the healing centre is?"
When a few moments passed when no one said anything, Zuko assumed they weren't going to tell him anything because they knew he was the Fire Lord. Just as he was about to turn away, someone laughed, "A bit out of your element there, flame boy?" Zuko stopped then, but didn't turn around.
"He's probably just looking for some random girls to pilfer and rape – that's what your father and soldiers did, right? That's why I've got two little half-blood nephews?" A boy stood up and walked closer to Zuko, smirking at his comment, his friends laughing from behind him.
The Fire Lord felt his soreness fly out the window then as he was filled with angry adrenaline and he flew around, clenching his fists. He could take quips at himself, but at his people? Not a chance in hell!
He was about to open his mouth to defend his country, but from his side, a man about his age placed a hand on his shoulder. Zuko looked over at the man, who shook his head at him. Zuko looked back at the smirking boy in front of him – reminding him very much so of Michi, when they first met, at least – and then at the man beside him. Closing his eyes and huffing then, he retracted his burning hand and turned away. "Whatever," he breathed through clenched teeth. The boy behind him laughed cruelly and before he knew it, the man who had restrained him pushed the boy to the ground with quite a bit of force.
"Get lost, Aput," he snarled at the boy, who grimaced but got up and left them alone. Glaring in Aput's direction, the man turned back to Zuko, who was already halfway out of the tent. "Hey!" he called after the Fire Lord, placing his hand back on his shoulder and stopping Zuko.
"What?" Zuko snapped, pulling his arm out of his grip.
The man put his hands up in front of him defensively. "Hey, hey, I'm your friend here. Don't freak out at me." Zuko relaxed then, feeling sore all over again and resisting the urge to groan.
"Sorry," the Fire Lord apologized, shoulders slacking.
"So, you're Fire Lord Zuko," the man said, and Zuko nodded. "The name's Kesuk." He outstretched his hand friendlily then, and Zuko took it cautiously. He wrapped his arm around Zuko's shoulder as though they were old friends then and led him back in the building, and the Fire Lord was thankful that most of the men had gone back to working on whatever they were previously instead of paying him any mind.
Kesuk stopped at the other side of the room, and bending down to grab some type of blue material, he asked nonchalantly, "So, who are you making your pendant for?"
Zuko blinked – pendant? What for? "Excuse me?" he blinked at him.
Kesuk held up a long piece of dark blue ribbon then, and frowned. "Your proposal pendant? I assume that's why your here, right?"
Zuko was about to protest, when he stopped and thought. Proposal pendant? That's what the men were working on? He looked around the room, and now that he looked closer, he could see them cutting and carving away at the little stones that acted as the actual pendant. Stuttering out the first words that came to mind, Zuko nodded and said, "Y-yes." His mind didn't question him and so he just went with it.
"Well, who for, then?" Kesuk asked, walking back to the other side of the building, Zuko following. When Zuko didn't answer immediately, Kesuk pulled back the flap of cloth and pointed across the canal into a building filled with women who were practicing healing, and when Zuko saw Katara sitting there, giggling beside a girl, he realized with a start that the healing centre was on the other side of the waterway. He felt like an idiot. "You see the girl beside Princess Katara?" Kesuk pointed out, and Zuko nodded. The girl had flowing dark hair and blue eyes – quite beautiful. "That's who I'm making mine for – her name's Sedna. Doesn't have a clue and I can't wait." Kesuk had a dreamy look on his face.
As though on cue then, Sedna looked up and across the canal, and catching her honey's eye, waved at him and blew a kiss. Katara looked up, as well. Kesuk waved back with a bright smile, and seeing Zuko beside Kesuk, Katara beamed and motioned her own hand at the boy. Zuko blushed a bit and waved back, and Kesuk turned to him, his eyes wide. "Princess Katara? Are you crazy?" At that, Kesuk pulled Zuko back inside. "You have to be pretty damn brave if you think Princess Katara's just going accept your proposal pendant, Fire Lord or not! Lots of guys wanna propose to her, but you know..."
Zuko blinked at him, before rubbing the back of his neck sheepishly. "Actually, I'm already in a relationship with her."
"Oh," Kesuk's eyebrows rose then and he smirked. "So you're the one she's got eyes for. Sedna says she talks about you a lot." Zuko blushed at this – she did? "Always has good things to say about you – you're a lucky one, Zuko."
Zuko sighed, thinking about the Waterbender. He really was. His mind went back to proposing then and his heart started to beat wildly. He was in love with Katara and he knew it wasn't beyond himself to say that he had thought about proposing to her on more than one occasion. He had thought about it multiple times back when they were staying with his mother, but he always refrained from the possibility because he always thought she would reject him. There was always that underlying nag that she was still technically with Aang that kept him from it, too. The fact that his country wouldn't take too nicely to a Waterbender in the royal Fire family didn't help, either...
But when it came down to things, he did want be more with her – he wanted to one day call her his wife. They were still young, sure – but he was ruling a country and he was only eighteen! And besides – he loved her and she loved him, and that's all that really mattered. Also, who was to say that they would get married immediately afterwards? They obviously wouldn't – they'd wait a few years, let their relationship develop a little more. A giddy feeling overtook Zuko then and he smiled – was he really thinking about doing it? Proposing marriage to the woman he loved? He sure was. And to think – he'd simply come down there to go and say 'hi' to her, and now he was going to propose!
"Yes, I am," Zuko nodded then, his heart racing.
A few moments passed before Kesuk asked, "So, do you have the materials you need to make it?" Zuko shook his head. "Well, we've got some general materials here – like thread. But if you need specially coloured ribbon, you'll have to go the market and get that yourself." Zuko nodded – he was already forming an idea of how he wanted it to look. He wanted it to symbolic of their two nations. "Another thing, too, because you're a newcomer," Kesuk explained, pulling his hair out of his face, "all the men have been gathering here in this building in secret to make them – you see, Arnook has kind of, sort of unofficially forbade any proposals until Koh is dealt with. This is because Koh seems to mainly attack couples, and so he figures by minimizing openly-known proposals, he'll minimize attacks and their possibilities. So if you want to work on it, you should probably come here, you know... so you don't get caught and then get us all in trouble."
Zuko nodded again – it only made sense, for the protection of Arnook's people. "It's not like I could get away with working on it at home," he said then, and Kesuk gave him a questioning look. "We share a house," Zuko explained, but the second he said it and Kesuk smiled mischievously, he regretted his wording. Blushing, he started, "N-not like that, Kesuk..."
"You sly dog, you," Kesuk joked, clapping Zuko on the back, laughing. Zuko smiled a bit – this guy wasn't half bad.
After a few minutes more of talking to Kesuk, who turned out to be nineteen, Zuko walked out of the building, beaming, determined to go to the market and gather his supplies before Katara got home for the night. He was going to profess his love to her, and he couldn't wait until the day he would kneel down in front of her and ask for her hand in marriage.
~P~
Author's Notes: Name etymology! Ahnah is Inuit for Wise Woman, Kesuk is Inuit for either Sky or Water (either, or), and Sedna is the name of an Inuit sea goddess. Nukka means Younger Sister and Nauja means Sea Gull and Aput means Snow! Kesuk and Sedna will be reoccurring, so yeah.
Also, something that patty cake rocks pointed out, you guys might not be getting these updates in your e-mail, one, at all, or, two, until a few days later. I don't quite know what's going on there, but I just thought I'd clarify that. G'day to you all, now!