A/N: So, it's been a while. I apologise! I thought this might happen. It has been a while since the writing bug bit me again - thanks work... but here we are!
Chapter Fourteen:
Try as she might to enjoy the play wholeheartedly, Katara couldn't shake the niggling feeling that Suki had planted in her mind. Every time the leads would talk about love, Katara would feel a blush travel from her head to her toes. She felt a tad offended at the lead antagonist being a Dark Water Spirit, but was able to find herself engrossed in the story at times. She couldn't help but smile when she realised that Zuko's Blue Spirit mask was directly taken from the play, and she wholeheartedly intended to ask him about it later. Of course, as soon as she thought about talking to him, her heart skipped again and the warm flush of confusion ran over her body anew.
The air in the Fire Nation was laced with humidity, and it did not take long for droplets of perspiration to form along the girls' foreheads as they left the theatre. Suki stretched out, and Katara swore she could hear her joints popping in their sockets.
"Well, wasn't that something!" Suki grinned, and Katara suspected that another interrogation was about to occur.
"I really liked it. I was particularly impressed with the music! What was that horn-thing that we could hear? It was… beautiful."
"I think it was a tsungi horn…" Suki contemplated. She wiped the sweat from her brow, and sighed. "I don't know how anyone could survive in this heat. It's just… torturous." Katara giggled, pooling her cascading locks into her hands, fashioning it into a makeshift bun to cool off her neck.
"No clue." She looked around, absentmindedly looking for the teenage boy with the bandaged face.
"Looking for someone?" Suki asked, her right eyebrow arching up, a sly smile spreading across her face. Katara flushed, but was determined to stay calm. Suki wasn't going to let this go.
"We left those two loose in the fire nation tonight. Aren't you somewhat concerned?"
Suki sighed, her brows now furrowed. She had been worrying about them all night, hoping that Zuko's cautiousness and Sokka's… instincts… kept them out of trouble. She was disappointed to hear this from Katara, hoping her friend had only one male on her mind – but, of course, this was Katara. She still suspected there was something going on between the exiled prince and the water tribe girl, but she wasn't so thick that she didn't pick up on the fact that Katara was not wanting to talk about it. If she had to hazard a guess, she would have to say that Katara probably didn't even realise the spark between them herself. She was, after all, the sister of Sokka – the densest man on the planet.
Looking out from the balcony of the theatre where they stood, shining lights and colourful tents caught Suki's eye.
"Don't worry. I have an idea of where they'll be."
/
Suki's gut instinct was correct – the lights and tents were part of a small festival. Zuko had warned them that Ember Island had a festival almost every second week, all in the name of how great their nation was. Expecting chaos and bedlam, bodies and anger, Katara was taken aback. There were people everywhere, yes, but they were gliding past one another seamlessly, like ocean currents. The smell of charred meats and carefully selected spices wafted through the air, and Katara could feel her stomach grumble in response. She had never thought the Fire Nation could celebrate in a way that was almost… water tribe.
"I wonder how it felt for them to light these lanterns without bending?" Suki pondered, and the weight of her question hit Katara like a komodo-rhino. The bending swap was not just limited to their little group – it was at least fire nation-wide, and potentially worldwide. She felt a pang of worry for her friends in other nations. Her family in the south would be fine – she was the only bender, and they were perfectly capable of surviving without her. She hoped the same could be said for the North, who were a proud bending nation. Her mind flittered to Master Pakku, and she hoped that he and his pupils were doing well. The Earth Kingdom may be suffering, as many of their towns relied heavily on their earth moving powers. Here they were, in the Fire Nation, and it was clear that the lack of bending was not going to weigh them down. There was dancing, there was laughter, there was food, there was music, and there was fire.
It was honestly heart-warming. It made Katara feel hopeful – more hopeful than she had felt since her waterbending was taken away from her.
The girls wandered through the crowd, and couldn't help but stare in awe at the kaleidoscope of colours and the orchestra of joyful laughter. The atmosphere was electric. There was a magic in the air, and with every breath they inhaled in a sense of wonder.
It didn't take long for them to find their friends – the boys were walking back from a food stall, Sokka's arms much fuller than Zuko's. Suki and Katara noticed them before they saw the girls, and Katara's eyes instantly fell to Zuko.
He looked right at home, his skin glistening beneath the lanterns. She had never seen him look so relaxed, which she didn't expect. There were no frown lines present on his face. Gone was the vision of a prince long exiled from home – from love. Before her was a young man, tranquil and at home. A blush adorned Katara's face as she realised she was staring. Suddenly his eye flickered over to her, and she couldn't help but respond with a large grin, her embarrassment be damned. He looked surprised at first, and then he too responded with the biggest smile she'd ever seen grace his face.
That damn smile could have melted her right there and there.
"Suki!" Shouted Sokka, his mouth inexplicably half-filled with what could only be presumed to be some form of meat. He ran over to the girls, and Katara realised that she and Zuko were still staring at one another. She awkwardly broke the eye-contact, and acknowledged her brother and Zuko as they arrived before them.
Sokka excitedly asked about the play, and Suki attempted to explain, only to be interrupted by Sokka three words into her description.
"Yuck, yeah yeah smoosh smoosh, sounds very romantic. I'm glad you had an enjoyable time. We, on the other hand, have been enjoying many exquisite manly meals – "
"– you didn't even hear anything about the – " Katara interjected, only to be completely disregarded.
"– and we have been enjoying the festival here, and we were hoping you'd join us!" Suki giggled, and stole a pork bun from Sokka's hoard of food.
"That sounds lovely." She smiled. Every now and again she found herself frustrated by Sokka, but it was times like this she realised exactly why she liked him. He was someone who had faced so much, but was still able to keep his innocence. Only Sokka, and maybe Aang, could be so centrally located in enemy territory and find the means and time to assimilate. They refused to let the war stop them from being themselves, being human. It would've been so easy to sulk all the time, to focus on the end goal and forget about fun. Sokka knew how to balance.
Without him, she would've been stuck in the Boiling Rock.
No.
Without him, she would have never left Kyoshi Island. If he hadn't bought her hope that there was a chance to end this war, she wouldn't have found the courage to leave. Who is to say that, if they hadn't visited, Kyoshi Island would still be in one piece?
But now was not the time for such contemplations. Tonight was a night for relaxation, fun, and feasts.
"Sokka, are you drunk?"
/
"So the play was good?" Zuko asked Katara. The four of them were wandering through the crowds, taking in the sights. They had tried to keep up with Suki and Sokka as they excitedly ran around the festival, like children in a sweet bun shop, but in the end decided to let them go. Zuko admitted that he had indeed let Sokka try fire-whisky, but defended himself, saying it was the only thing that would shut him up. Since then, the boys had just walked, ate and talked.
Zuko was tight-lipped on their topic of conversations, though.
"It really was. I don't know why you think they messed it up!"
"One day I'll take you to see the original. Then you'll understand." Zuko offered, before realising what he had just said. He felt a warmth creep over his cheeks, and for a second thought he spied a similar shade spread across Katara's face.
"I-I guess I'll have to wait until then, huh?" Katara stammered, trying to keep her composure.
This was ridiculous, she thought to herself.
"Yep." He replied, trying to prevent an awkward silence.
Good one Zuko. You created the awkward silence. You're useless.
They walked a little more, before Katara cleared her throat.
"Know anywhere we can get a drink?" She asked. "I think I'll need to be here a little while longer before fire-flakers don't burn my mouth."
Zuko laughed, and Katara swore she would commit this moment to memory.
"I'm sure there's somewhere nearby. You know, you shouldn't be affected by fire-flakes, seeing as you're a firebender now. I think you need to toughen up, Princess." He didn't know where this bravery was coming from.
"Oh? Is that so? In that case, you can sleep without a tent from now on – you should be fine with the rain, and the cold, seeing as you're a waterbender." She bit back, a playful glint in her eye.
"Ugh, I wish you wouldn't remind me. And don't pretend like I haven't seen you and your brother in those awful, thick parkas. You feel the cold just as much as anyone else, water bending or not."
"Well, you should be able to deflect rain by now – so go on, next time it rains, give me your tent."
"That's totally unfair! It's not the same thing at all!"
"I don't want to hear it. Now, get me a drink, waterbender!"
Zuko sighed, the fire within him that would normally egg him on in a verbal fight dimmed. He didn't know what it was – the warm familiarity of home, the calming evening air, or something else that made him feel content with losing this fight. Usually he would argue, get the last word in, and never admit defeat. Yet, here he was, content with Katara teasing him, calling him a waterbender for Agni's sake.
If only Uncle could see him now.
He inwardly groaned at that thought. Uncle, for all his good points, was also a hopeless romantic and meddler. He knew that if Iroh even suspected there was anything between him and Katara, he'd never hear the end of it.
Not that there was anything going on, right?
True, he couldn't help but smile whenever she was around, but that was because she was his friend. Yes, he sometimes found himself blushing, but surely it was the heat. Not emotions. Definitely not.
No matter what Sokka suspected.
Right?
The more he thought he didn't want to think about it, the more he found his thoughts invaded by thoughts of the blue eyed waterbender… no, firebender…
As if being a teenage boy, an exiled prince, in the middle of a war wasn't hard enough. This elemental swap was ridiculous. He missed feeling the internal burn of his inner fire, fuelling him, giving him purpose. He missed rising with the sun, feeling the pulsation of the sun's rays at his core. He hoped Aang was making progress, wherever he was.
/
"Water, for the delicate peasant."
"You gotta get your insults straight, Z—Lee." They were sat on stacks of hay in a field of food stalls and dancers. Katara made sure to use Zuko's nickname when it was possible that others could hear them. He was unrecognisable to the masses – he hadn't been home in 3, no, 4 years? Zuko admitted he had lost count. With his scar covered and his hair out, he was not a vision of the prince he used to be. Regardless, for their group's safety, Zuko had them refrain from using his real name unless they were completely alone.
"I'm sorry, I'll stick to peasant." He retorted, taking a sip of his tea.
"And if I said that wasn't good enough?" She counted, enjoying the refreshing feeling of water taking the edge off her burning tongue.
"Well, I'd say too bad." He grinned, and Katara felt the cup in her hand drop in temperature.
Zuko had frozen her water.
"You son of a - - you - - !" Katara was at a loss for words. She glared at him, and melted it before taking another drink.
"Nice. I couldn't even tell you were bending that time."
"Same to you, but do you really think that freezing my water in the middle of a fire festival was the smartest idea, Lee?"
He didn't have a comeback.
"… well, you unfroze it, so where's the harm?"
"You're good, I'll give you that, but you gotta think things through."
"You sound just like Uncle." Zuko sighed, and suddenly he felt his mood drain a little. Katara, sensing this change in his demeanour, absentmindedly reached out to grab his hand.
"Come on. Let's call it a night." Katara offered, standing. She still held his hand in hers.
"No, it's okay. We can stay." He didn't want to ruin her night, too.
"Z—Lee…."
He squeezed her hand, and stood up too.
"OK. Let's go home."
It was homeward they walked.
It was homeward all hell broke loose.
/
Thank you to everyone who has been leaving reviews, liking and following this story! I PROMISE I will finish it. PROMISE. I want to finish it THIS YEAR. We are about half way, if not a little over - honestly it's writing itself and I have no control, so...
I do apologise if there are mistakes littered throughout, I smashed it out and couldn't wait to upload... sorry!
I apologise if I'm resorting back to age old cliche's (I mean, a festival? Really?) - I intended this to be a ~fresh~ Zutara story, and I intend to keep it different... but I am a sucker for the cliches. They work!
That being said, I also know I'm kind of neglecting the bender swapping element? This chapter I tried to allude to it several times, but here's the thing: I can't keep having Zuko and Katara harp on about being ~disconnected from their element~, and I can't just write action scenes of them training. I hope my intended pacing comes through, and that it doesn't feel A) rushed or B) too slow - I want it to feel realistic.
Now I'm waffling again.
To those who have stuck around, and those who have come back, and those who have just arrived - hello, and thank you!
Reviews always, always welcome 3
Until the next chapter!