Reversal of Fortunes
Avatar: The Last Airbender fic by yanocchi
THE STORY SO FAR: Feeling the strain on their resources, the gaang is forced onto short rations. A strain on emotions pushes Katara and Aang to short tempers, but all is forgiven just as quickly. However, Aang is troubled by certain revelations...
Standard disclaimer applies.
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN: In which Zuko regains his confidence and Aang realizes that losing can be good too.
"So I can eat, right?" Sokka asked eagerly. He was hunched over his heaping bowl of rice porridge possessively. "You're sure?"
"Yes, I'm sure!" Katara replied in exasperation. She continued to serve up food for the others.
"Really sure?" Sokka insisted. "Really REALLY sure?"
"JUST EAT IT ALREADY!" Katara snapped at her brother. She made a disgusted face and turned away as he began to shovel food into his mouth, scarcely using the spoon.
"I still don't think it's a good idea," Zuko grumbled. After a single day on short rations they had caught sight of a town in the distance from Appa's back. Already looking forward to fresh food, and lots of it, Katara had cheerfully cooked the last of their supplies into a hearty stew. Zuko seemed to be the only one disagreeing with her idea.
"What if they won't sell us food? What if they don't have any food?" Zuko insisted.
"Don't be such a pessimist," Sokka said to his friend dismissively. "That's my job."
"It's not pessimism," Zuko argued, "it's REALSIM."
"That's a style of art," Iroh pointed out in an undertone. Zuko shot his uncle a venomous glare. The older man ignored the look and continued to eat.
"I'm just saying it's a possibility that maybe we won't be able to get any food here," Zuko insisted. He reached for the bowl that Katara offered him, but she pulled it away at the last minute. "Hey!"
"Fine, if you think we should save some of the food, just in case, we will," she said with artful indifference. She shot a glance over her shoulder in time to see Zuko's dismayed expression.
"Er, well, not too much..." Zuko amended, looking hungrily at the steaming bowl Katara held casually. Sokka, Aang and Iroh struggled to smother their laughter.
She regarded the portion critically, as though giving careful consideration to how much she would allow Zuko to eat, then gave up and burst into laughter.
"You're just too easy to tease, Zuko!" she giggled, handing him the bowl.
"Tease? What!" Zuko spluttered, chagrined.
"Just eat your breakfast," Katara laughed.
They broke camp a short while later. It was a short flight for Appa from their camp to the edge of the town. Prudently, Aang landed the bison just out of sight. While he warned his furry friend to stay put, the rest of his friends prepared for the short walk into town.
"We need some more supplies," Sokka said critically. "I'm starting to think it'd be a good idea to carry extra water, just in case. And we need some more things for around camp, now that we've got two extras."
"I think I'll join you," Iroh offered.
Katara closed her eyes in thought. "I think I know everything we'll need when it comes to food."
Aang eagerly took the lead. "Let's get going. I want to see if I can figure out who that girl from the swamp is."
"It wouldn't be that easy, would it?" Sokka asked skeptically. "I mean, the very first town we come to? Come on!"
"Well what if this IS the right town?" Katara pointed out. "Should he NOT look just because your famous instincts tell him it's too easy?"
Sokka gave his sister a hurt look. "Why do you always have to bring that up?"
"What about you, Zuko?" Iroh asked his nephew.
Zuko shrugged dismissively. "I don't have anything in particular that needs to get done."
Katara smiled brightly and took Zuko's sleeve. "Oh good, you can help me carry the groceries."
Zuko gave her an apprehensive glance. "Uh, I think Aang should help you instead," he replied evasively.
Katara released his arm, confused. "You do?"
"Right, he knows what you normally get, doesn't he?" He shot the his young friend a slightly pleading look. "He'd probably remember if you forgot anything." As the five of them stepped out of the woods and headed into town Zuko snaked a hand out and pulled Aang over. "Here, you help Katara with the food."
To Katara's immense surprise, Aang gave her an almost panicked look and squirmed out of Zuko's grip. Darting around behind the scarred boy, he gave him a slight push towards Katara. "Uh, why don't you do it," Aang said brightly.
"Me? Why me?"
"Well, you're bigger, so you can carry more stuff."
"But— erm, I need to check to see if Azula's been through here," Zuko hedged.
Katara narrowed her eyes at the pair suspiciously. "I thought you just said you didn't have anything to do..."
Zuko's eyes skittered away from Katara's gaze nervously. "Well, it just occurred to me..."
"Getting the food won't take that long," Aang said casually, still urging Zuko on from behind. "After you help Katara, you can go look for your sister."
Zuko winced at that. "I really wish you wouldn't say it like that," he complained.
"Like what?"
"Calling Azula 'my sister.' It sounds too nice."
Katara and Sokka silently exchanged knowing looks, then rolled their eyes. "Uncle Iroh and I are gonna go ahead," Sokka called to the trio with a wave. "Meet back here in an hour?" Katara returned the wave and they split up.
"Why don't YOU go with Katara, and then she can help you look for the girl from your dream?" Zuko was saying to Aang.
"But I'm the only one who knows what the girl looks like," Aang protested. "Katara's met Azula before."
The two boys were so involved in their debate at this point that they had both turned away from Katara and were arguing animatedly with each other, though in friendly tones. Katara glared meaningfully at the them, but since neither of them was paying her the slightest amount of attention, her efforts were in vain. Finally, frustrated, Katara threw her hands up.
"Forget it!" she burst out, turning away. "I'll do it myself!" The irritated waterbender stormed off in a huff, leaving the puzzled pair behind.
"What's gotten into her?" Aang asked. Zuko shrugged silently. The two boys stood looking at each other for a moment awkwardly, then Zuko stuffed his hands into his pockets and headed into town with his normal purposeful stride.
"Hey, where are you going?" Aang asked, following.
"To look for Azula," Zuko replied shortly.
"I thought you said she wouldn't be bothering us yet."
"I said she PROBABLY couldn't have caught up by now," Zuko corrected. "It won't take me very long to find out if she's been through this town, and it's better to be safe than sorry."
"Oh, I see," Aang said quietly, still following his tall friend. The two of them walked in silence for a minute before Zuko started to get antsy. After another minute of fidgeting and awkward glances, he spoke up.
"What about you?" he said finally. Aang looked at him blankly. "You know," Zuko prompted with a hint of sarcasm, "the girl? From the dreams?"
"Oh, right," Aang said, slightly embarrassed. "I was just thinking that maybe I could help you check for Azula." He flashed Zuko a lopsided and hopeful grin.
Zuko gave him a long look in return. Despite their growing camaraderie, it was still odd for Aang to seek out Zuko's company. Coupled with the other boy's odd behavior the past few days, this sudden chummy attitude made Zuko a little suspicious.
"What?" he finally demanded. "You've been acting weird all week, what's going on?"
Aang seemed to struggle for a moment, then gave up. "Well, it's about Katara..." he began weakly. He darted a glance at Zuko, but the older boy wasn't falling for the bait.
"What about her?" he asked flatly. Aang gnawed on his lower lip for a moment in consternation.
"Well, remember when we had that argument?" Zuko rolled his eyes. He wasn't likely to forgot that. Aang hurried on. "The reason I got so upset was because— well, I guess it was because I was jealous."
Zuko started and looked at Aang curiously. "Jealous? About WHAT?"
With much fidgeting and stalling, Aang continued. "She's been spending a lot of time with you, and I was just used to always hanging out with Katara. But that's the way new friends work, right? Just because you're her friend now too doesn't mean she can't be my friend any more, just like Sokka being friends with you doesn't mean the two of you aren't still my friends." At this point Aang paused. Zuko stopped walking and looked back at the young monk. Obviously the boy was struggling with something. Zuko bit back his impatience and waited.
"It's just that, Katara's always been a special friend to me," Aang confessed haltingly, his ears turning pink.
"You like her," Zuko supplied. "You like her extra," he added, echoing Aang's earlier words. Now flushed a bright red, Aang nodded mutely.
"That's why I was jealous," Aang admitted. "Because I realized that even though I love Katara, she doesn't feel that way about me."
"Of course she does," Zuko scoffed, hiding the pang he felt behind bluster. "She's said so herself." He stopped himself when he saw Aang shaking his head firmly.
"It's not the same," Aang protested. "You know how Katara is," he went on pleadingly. "She cares about everybody. It doesn't matter who it is, Katara's just so nice. That's why I thought— for a while I thought it was different. That she cared about me more. That she liked me extra." Aang's eyes dropped away from Zuko's face and his expression grew pained. "But that wasn't it," he admitted.
Zuko frowned in frustration. He wanted to reassure Aang, but he had no idea how to go about it. The young man wrestled with words for a moment before replying. "Any idiot can see she likes you," Zuko said scornfully. He winced briefly at his phrasing, but thankfully Aang seemed to understand.
The boy raised his tattooed head and looked Zuko in the eye. His expression was solemn and his eyes seemed to have a tenseness about them that looked amiss in his young face. "No," Aang said firmly. "I can tell." Zuko opened his mouth to disagree again, but Aang shook his head again, almost violently. "I saw it all!" he burst out, making Zuko's words die unsaid in his mouth.
"I saw it all," Aang said again. "I heard it, that night by the river. I didn't mean to. I just— Something told me not to say anything, so I just watched and listened." Aang glanced up just in time to see a blush fade from Zuko's cheeks.
"So— so what?" the older boy said dismissively.
Aang looked at his toes, chewing on his lip in agitation. "It's you," he mumbled finally.
"Me?"
"You're the one she likes," Aang repeated, raising his head. There was a new liveliness in his face, almost a determination. It seemed like a little of the boy in Aang had dropped away. The change was startling, though hardly unexpected. Zuko gaped at Aang for a moment, overwhelmed by the combination of this new announcement and his friend's new bearing.
"What are you talking about?" Zuko demanded gruffly. "I was there too. She was talking to ME." Aang looked a little uncomfortable at that, but Zuko plowed on. "If she was crying over YOU, how does that mean she's in love with ME?" Zuko asked, putting all his scorn into the word 'love.'
"I just know, okay?" Aang insisted. "I'm not going to try keeping Katara all to myself anymore." He flashed Zuko a slightly sheepish grin. "I only end up making myself look stupid anyway."
"What do you mean?" Zuko demanded.
"Well, I just won't talk to her anymore," Aang said simply, as though it were obvious. Zuko gaped at him. The young prince wasn't known for his social graces, but even HE knew that was a stupid idea.
"You can't do that," he said with a weary roll of his eyes. "That's like trying to make up Katara's mind for her. You can't just stop liking a person," he added. Aang shot his friend a hard look as Zuko's tone changed. "You're giving up without a fight," he went on in a slightly pained tone. "And worse, you're giving up because you THINK Katara likes somebody else. You don't even KNOW. It's like you're trying to make up her mind for her," he accused.
Aang was suddenly struck by an idea of sheer brilliance.
"So are you," he pointed out with a sly grin. Zuko opened his mouth to protest, but realized that what Aang had said was right. He snapped his jaw shut with an embarrassed click.
"Well I still think you're wrong," Zuko insisted sulkily.
Aang shook his head confidently. "No, you're the one who has it wrong."
The two boys stopped and looked each other in the eye. Their aimless walk through town had led them up a hill into a residential area. Wooden walkways lined the streets, providing a path for when the unpaved streets were turned into a muddy mess by rains. The walkways were occasionally interrupted by short flights of stairs that eased the otherwise steep slope of the hill. It just so happened that when the pair stopped it was at one of these miniature stairways, and Aang, being a few steps ahead of Zuko, stood at the top of the stairs. The uneven ground put the two boys at eye level to each other. It was perhaps the first time one was not looking down at the other, and the new perspective seemed to force both boys to alter their perceptions of the other.
Zuko felt a slight grin tug at the corner of his mouth. "I guess we'll have to wait and see who's right," he said casually.
"That sounds okay to me," Aang replied with a similar smile.
Though it wasn't said aloud, both Aang and Zuko silently reached the same conclusion. Since between the two of them, they couldn't decipher Katara's mind, they would both try to win her over. It wasn't much different from the way things had been going up until that point, but now both of them recognized the feelings they had in common for the same girl. That acknowledgement somehow made it okay for them to both continue their campaigns.
"If we've got that cleared up," Zuko said, "I should probably get back to looking for Azula."
"Yeah, I've got my own person to find," Aang agreed. Without any further conversation, the two separated, Zuko turning down a corner while Aang continued up the hill.
Aang glanced quickly over his shoulder before Zuko passed out of sight. Now that he was reconciled to the fact, letting his feelings for Katara go wasn't so painful. Especially since he knew whose feelings Katara WOULD be returning. The young monk felt a peculiar sense of accomplishment. Zuko may think that he was fighting with Aang for Katara's affection, but Aang didn't plan on fighting too hard.
He couldn't help laughing a little to himself as he imagined what the expression on Zuko's face would be when Aang got to say, "I told you so."
Katara sighed wearily as she hefted her packages and bundles of food. She silently went over her mental checklist again; rice, greens, spices, dried fruits, jerky, nuts, salt, bullion... Irritably she wondered why Aang and Zuko had been so eager to avoid helping her with groceries. An extra set of arms would certainly come in handy right about now. She paused to shift the listing bundle of greens and caught a glimpse of a pair of girls about her own age walking on the other side of the dusty street.
She watched the pass enviously. They wore their hair in the popular style, swept up in a large bun and accented with pins and colorful ribbons. Their dresses were made of soft, light fabric in feminine pastel hues. As they lifted their skirts to descend the steps in the walkway, Katara noticed the delicate embroidery on their shoes. One of the girls glanced up, as though feeling Katara's gaze, and the water tribe girl gave her a friendly smile and bob of her head in acknowledgement. To her chagrin, the pair of them burst into laughter and hurried on, giggling.
Face burning with anger and embarrassment, Katara tossed her head and marched resolutely onwards. So what if her clothes were plain? They were good clothes! And who needs silly embroidery on her shoes? It would only get ruined. Fuming, Katara silently cursed the girls scornfully, mocking them as city-lilies and good-for-nothing, empty-headed gits. And yet at the same time she longed to be able to wear pretty clothes, and fuss with her hair, and give up this rough wandering life.
As though in answer to her unvoiced wish, Katara caught sight of a store. A group of laughing girls emerged from the store with bundles of purchases wrapped in cheap but pretty fabric. Crossing the street, Katara approached cautiously, as though afraid she would be ridiculed. The tempting smell of sweet dumplings wafted from the doorway. The young waterbender peered hesitantly in.
"Hello, dear!" a cheerful voice hailed. Katara started, but the unmistakable welcome in the tone made her enter. The voice came from a plump matronly woman, partly hidden by a shelf of fabric. As her eyes adjusted to the relative gloom of the shop's interior, Katara was able to make out more details. The shelves along the back of the room held jewelry like hair pins, necklaces and earrings on dark cushions. The left side of the shop was mostly textiles; dresses, leggings and even fashionable undergarments were displayed on tables with racks holding ribbons and shoes interspersed. On the right were shelves of decorations like embroidered pillows or small sculptures, plus a long table of sweets that were so artfully crafted they seemed almost too good to eat.
"Are you looking for something special?" the woman asked, her rosy cheeks dimpling. "Ooh, I know! I have a lovely blue ribbon..."
"Oh, no, thank you," Katara said hurriedly. "I'll just look around for a minute, if that's okay," she said hesitantly, ducking her face down behind the groceries heaping in her arms. The woman nodded encouragingly and Katara eagerly turned her attention to the sweets. She really couldn't buy any of the nicer things, but just a little treat wouldn't be so bad, and she could eat it right away with none of the boys the wiser.
"Do you like sweet chestnuts?" a cheerful voice asked at Katara's shoulder. Peering out from behind the leafy stalks of a leek, Katara saw warm grey eyes framed by a wealth of brown hair.
"I— um, I've never really tried them before," Katara stammered. The grey eyes opened wide before the other girl turned quickly with a swish of her braid.
"Ma'am, two sweet chestnut dumplings!" the grey-eyed girl called to the owner. The woman nodded as Katara's new friend held up the coins.
"Oh, no!" Katara protested. "I can pay for my own, really—"
She broke off as the treat in question was pushed through the sheltering leek and into her mouth. The grey-eyed girl laughed in a friendly way and Katara quickly swallowed the sweet (which was delicious!) and laughed with her.
"Mai," Azula said in a casually imperious tone, "where did Ty Lee go?"
The somber girl shrugged negligently. "She said she wanted to buy some dumplings from that store we passed."
Azula clicked her tongue with fond annoyance. "She eats so many of those chestnut dumplings, I'm amazed she's still slim enough to be an acrobat," the princess remarked.
ATOGAKI: Dun-dun DUUUUH! Suspense! I'm sorry this chapter is so very very late. I spent a lot of time reworking things, and in the end I'm really not that happy with it, but it's finished and it works, so it'll have to be good enough for now. XP
I realize that Aang and Zuko are a bit OOC in this chapter, but it was either a little OOC now or I drag this story on for an unnecessary seven extra chapters while they have that one conversation in like fifteen parts.
Many thanks to my loyal Chili Dog goreandbeans for beta reading.
We're keeping the faith.