A/N: I lied… I didn't want to put chapters together, I might do that at the end, but I did take out the useless AN's, so there's that. I also typed this chapter up about five months faster than the last one, so I have not yet revised the other chapters. Without further ado, I give you chapter 24!
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"Mom?" Zuko asked, holding the woman as though she was about to disappear again. He vaguely noticed that he was now taller than her, but didn't seem to care about that as tears flowed freely down his face. He felt nearly sick with emotion, feeling a mix of pure happiness, childish attachment, and for some odd reason, a bit of contempt. He suddenly felt overwhelmed by the situation, as Ursa was still processing what was going on. Zuko felt the need to sit down, his body had reacted before his mind had made sense of anything, but it was now catching up with him.
"Zuko," his mother finally responded, her tone soft and caring, but still clearly choked with tears of joy. Zuko collapsed into the nearest chair, feeling reluctant to let go of his mother after being apart for so long. She sat smiling in the chair across from him and studied him for a second with an unreadable expression. Zuko's mind mistook this as shock, and his overwhelmed brain raced with thoughts at the speed of light. Does she hate me for betraying our country? Is she disappointed in the way things happened? Is she horrified by… my scar?
After a mere three seconds that felt like an eternity to Zuko, she smiled at him as she tried to brush the tears from her eyes. "Your Uncle has told me a lot about what has happened to you recently," she started, causing Zuko to tense in anticipation. He wasn't even sure he wanted his mother to know all of the mistakes he had made and the things he had done. He was worried she would be angry with him, hurt by things he had done, or worst of all, disappointed in the decisions he had made. "I'm so proud of you." He visibly relaxed at that statement before smiling one of the happiest smiles of his life.
"You're not mad? Even though I betrayed our country?" Zuko asked, doing his best to hold a bit of composure.
"It's not like your father left you much choice," came Ursa's bitter response, though it seemed like she had said it more toward herself than Zuko. She shook her head and smiled back at her son. "But no Zuko, I'm not mad. You had to make some very tough decisions, but I believe you made the right ones. Besides, I'm your mother. I will always love you and support you no matter what."
At this Zuko's mind turned back to the past few years, when she hadn't been there to support him. He became angry at the thought, and couldn't help but resent those years. "Then why didn't you ever say anything? I thought you were dead, did you just not try, or were you too busy to care?" His mind slowly realized that he was too emotional to control himself, and he had always handled that by getting angry in the past. He forced himself to calm down before slowly allowing tears to fall from his face once again. "I missed you so much, and I never even knew that you were still out there. I could have searched for you and- and…" He trailed off as he lost control of his emotions once again, breaking down and hugging his mother once again as though he were still a little boy.
She had tears streaming from her eyes as well, regretting that she hadn't known of her son's banishment. "I know Zuko, and I'm so, so sorry." The two just said, holding each other until they ran out of tears.
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Katara and Iroh had left the room pretty much as soon as they had arrived to give Zuko and Ursa some privacy. Iroh had led her upstairs to show her to a room before explaining that he hadn't been expecting anyone but Zuko to come along. They only had one extra room, but there were two beds. Katara insisted it was fine, and settled on going to bed early rather than waiting for Zuko.
Unfortunately, seeing Zuko reunited with his mother made Katara think of her own. She was truly happy for Zuko, but for some reason she felt jealous. It wasn't his fault, and she knew that, but she just couldn't shake the feeling that it wasn't fair. It wasn't like she wanted Ursa to drop dead or anything, but if Zuko got his mother back, why couldn't she? She knew that it was completely ridiculous to feel jealous of Zuko's family life, especially when both his sister and father were out to kill him. So why did she still feel like he had done something wrong?
The waterbender began to think of all the memories she had of her mother, which was a far smaller number than she liked. After recalling everything she could about Kya, she began to reminisce on her old memories of the South Pole. She remembered her Gran-Gran yelling at Sokka when he melted part of their house trying to build a fire. She remembered all of the people of her tribe, and all of the fun things she had been able to do without fear of being attacked by Fire Nation soldiers who were after her best friend.
For the first time since she had left, Katara was feeling homesick.
She allowed a fear tears to fall as she continued to think about her home, but then a new thought occurred to her. If she was going to end up with Zuko, which had become a very likely possibly in her mind, there was no way she would be able to live at the South Pole. It wasn't like he could rule the Fire Nation from the Southern Water Tribe, and Katara wasn't about to ask him to. She thought that Iroh might take over as Firelord, which could buy her some time living at home, but Zuko was the only possibility for a successor. Even if he didn't become Firelord immediately after the war, there was a very good chance Zuko would still want to live at his home. He hadn't been there for three years, while Katara had only been away for under a year.
She was shook from her thoughts when the firebender entered the room, and she could tell he was really tired. She decided to pretend she was asleep, allowing him to go straight to bed. "Hey Katara," he said, his voice still slightly shaky. She sat still, not sure whether or not she wanted to let Zuko knew she was awake. "I know you're awake." She sighed, wondering how he did that.
She turned to look at him and saw that he was smirking, despite still being red from earlier. "Yeah okay, fine. What's up?" She asked casually, hoping the conversation wasn't going to be too personal. She didn't want Zuko to know she was jealous of him.
"I was wondering…" Zuko started, looking awkward and uncomfortable. This confused Katara, as she couldn't think of anything that would make Zuko uncomfortable around her. Her mind raced with the possibilities, and she became worried. "Would you… go on a date with me tomorrow?"
Katara looked at Zuko in shock for a few seconds before laughing hysterically. Zuko lowered his eyebrow in annoyance, trying to figure out just what was so funny. Once Katara finally got a hold of herself, she had to wipe tears from her eyes. "I'm sorry, you just looked so scared it was hilarious." Zuko's eyebrow twitched at this point, as he was still waiting for an answer. "We're kinda dating, Zuko. Why would you be afraid to ask me on a date?" Zuko rolled his eyes and took off his shirt to go to bed.
"Whatever, never mind. See you tomorrow." He sounded angry, as though Katara had offended him by not answering. She had to stifle more laughter at his response, since she didn't want to make him actually angry.
"I'm just kidding Zuko, I would be glad to go with you." Zuko huffed in response, and Katara laughed at his poor relationship skills. For someone with so much confidence in everything he did, Zuko was pathetic when it came to girls.
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Toph and Aang arrived at the Eastern Air Temple early the next day. Toph had spent the entire time feeling depressed and debating when the right time to talk to Aang about her feelings would be. She had decided that she would have to wait until after the war, but her restless mind still would not allow her to get any rest. She figured that flying on Appa when he wasn't being guided was a major factor in her restlessness, but it didn't really matter.
She got off the bison with Aang as Appa promptly rolled to his side and began to sleep. After quickly wishing Aang luck and pointing him in the direction of the only other person at the temple, Toph quickly followed suit and began to drift off as well. Aang made his way through the temple until he finally managed to find Guru Pathik, who was meditating in front of a wide view of the ocean. Aang vaguely wondered how the guru could manage to meditate as much as he did, but it wasn't important, so he ignored the thought.
"Ahh, young Avatar. Have you come for more onion and banana juice?" Aang's eyes widened in horror as Pathik smiled without turning to face the monk.
"No, I'm here to master the Avatar State. I'm ready to let go of my earthly attachments and face my destiny." Aang sounded determined and serious, forcing himself to believe his words.
Guru Pathik opened one eye in surprise at the airbender's words, but only managed a sigh in response. "That is very noble of you Aang, but unfortunately, I will not be very much help." He turned to face Aang who was staring at him, confusion plastered on his face. "By leaving while opening the seventh chakra, you locked it. That path to mastering the Avatar State is no longer available to you." Aang's eyes widened in disbelief. "If you want to master the Avatar State, you must first master the four elements."
"No, that's impossible. There is no way I can master all four elements before Sozin's Comet gets back. There isn't enough time! There has to be another way!" Guru Pathik shook his head sadly, giving Aang all the answer he needed.
"I'm sorry, Avatar Aang."
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Katara finished up healing Zuko's arm for the morning and helped him with his shirt. It was almost completely fixed, and she figured it was probably already usable, just a little painful. Zuko was still amazed at her healing abilities, and couldn't believe how much better his arm felt after every session. "So," Katara started, "Where are we going on our date?" Zuko smiled to himself as he finished making his bed.
"Oh, you'll see." He didn't want to give anything away, and he had actually planned out a date for the entire day. The main part of it would be the fountain he had gone to on his date with Jin. He loved how the firelight from the candles had reflected off the water, which was kind of similar to how his relationship with Katara. She brought out all of the best qualities in him, and he wanted to make sure she knew how much she meant to him. He also wanted to spend as much time with her as possible, especially with Sozin's Comet approaching so quickly. They would have just over two weeks by the time they met back up with Sokka and the others.
"That is so not fair! At least give me a hint." Katara said, and proceeded to fake put when Zuko said no. After eating breakfast with Iroh and Ursa, Zuko led Katara to one of the many celebrations that were still going on since Ba Sing Se's liberation. They talked and enjoyed the festivities while looking around at different shops and tasting different foods. Zuko hadn't had much time to see the Upper Ring the last time he was in Ba Sing Se, so he was really impressed by the difference in cleanliness… and the prices. Everything was way more expensive and much nicer, but it wasn't like they had a ton of money to spend. Katara refused to let Zuko buy her anything specifically for this reason, but he was keeping a mental list of anything she looked at longingly. He had wanted to give her something he was making for her, but it wasn't finished yet, so he had decided to get something else in the meantime. When Katara spent a good minute staring wide-eyed at a gold and silver bracelet, Zuko knew exactly what that something was.
They stopped to order lunch at a small diner that was not very crowded. After they sat down to wait for their food, Zuko told Katara that he had forgotten their money, and needed to run back to the tea shop to get it. He went to the store that had the bracelet Katara had seen, and asked the shop owner how much it cost. It cost all of the money Zuko had borrowed from his uncle, which was quite a bit, leaving just enough for the rest of the date. He studied the bracelet as the shopkeeper counted the money, and he noticed that it had a pattern that looked more like it was from the Water Tribes.
"What's with this design?" He asked the shopkeeper, who finally finished counting the coins and was putting them away.
"Ah, my wife found it while trading with some Water Tribesmen a few years ago. She bought a couple with the same design, but that is the most extravagant we had. She takes care of finding all of our jewelry based merchandise." Zuko nodded and left the shop, not really caring about the answer. He figured Katara would like it even better since it was more Water Tribe-esque.
When he walked back into the restaurant, Katara had just received their food, and Zuko sat down to eat. They resumed their conversation, which had been a debate on whether Sokka could beat Zuko in a foot race. "Okay, you're fast, but you have a hurt arm, so Sokka has an advantage."
"That would make perfect sense if I ran on all fours." Zuko said, earning a scoff from Katara.
"You still move your arms when you run…" She said.
"Not a problem," came Zuko's arrogant reply. He waved his hurt arm for emphasis, and showed none of the pain it caused him. Katara laughed as Zuko's eyebrow twitched in concentration.
"I'm the one healing that Zuko, I know it still hurts."
Zuko glared jokingly as Katara continued to giggle. "Look, unless there was meat or Suki at the end of the track, I guarantee you I could outrun Sokka." Katara laughed and the debate carried on as Zuko paid and the two left. They continued talking as they walked aimlessly around the city, already bored of the celebrations going on. Zuko had been expecting them to be more entertaining, as the Fire Nation parties had always been bigger and better. He had no plan until dinner, but got lucky when Katara stumbled across a sign advertising some play.
"That looks awesome, can we go?" Zuko looked at the price and shrugged.
"If you don't mind eating at the Jasmine Dragon, sure." Katara smiled and nodded as Zuko groaned inwardly. The play was some stupid romance story, and he didn't want to eat with his uncle present on his date. He could already imagine the barrage of innuendos he was sure to have thrown at him. Hopefully Katara wouldn't catch them, though he already knew his uncle wouldn't try very hard to keep it subtle. "Are you sure, it is just a play." Zuko tried to not show disinterest, but he was sure Katara could tell.
"I've never seen a real play before. I think it could be fun!"
"You've never seen a play before?" Katara shook her head. "Alright then, play it is." Zuko feigned a smile as he and Katara went into the show. They continued talking until it started, and Zuko was immediately bored out of his mind. Katara was the exact opposite, focusing on every detail of the set, the costumes, and the actors. Zuko watched her expression as the show continued, and found it almost comical how her face changed with the theme of the scene. He was watching Katara pretty much the entire time, and didn't even notice what was going on until the lights came on and everyone started clapping. Wait, it's over? Did I just spend that whole time watching Katara?
Zuko clapped along with everyone else until he and Katara got up to leave. She was gushing about how great the play was, but Zuko was distracted by his thoughts. He had definitely just spent a little over two hours watching his girlfriend's face, and the crazy thing was it didn't feel weird. It actually felt… right. He knew Katara was beautiful, but he hadn't ever considered just staring at her. He realized he could probably have done nothing but look at her the entire date and he would have been happy, and realized that he had never felt that way about anyone before. He smiled to himself as he decided it had only confirmed what he had talked about with his mother the previous night.
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"That's ridiculous Aang, there is no way you can master all four elements in the next two weeks! You aren't even that close with earthbending, no offence." Toph said as she begrudgingly climbed back onto Appa.
"Well that's what Guru Pathik said, so that's what I have to do. I figure if we head straight to Ba Sing Se and catch Zuko and Katara there I can get a head start on firebending. It's a little risky, but we are running out of time." Aang said. Appa took to the sky with a quick yip yip from Aang, who had a look of pure determination on his face.
"So I suppose there is still no time for… distractions, huh?" Toph asked, hesitantly settling on distractions rather than relationships.
"Uh, why? Is there something you need to do before we had back to the others?" Aang asked, praying the answer was no.
Toph steeled herself, knowing that if she didn't speak her mind here and now she might never be able to work up the courage to do it. "Kinda, yeah." She swallowed hard and took a deep breath. "Aang, I-I really like you, and uh… I don't know I thought maybe… we could, uh…" Toph couldn't see the smile on Aang's face because she was sitting on Appa, so she took his lack of response as him not wanting to hurt her. "Gah! This is Stupid! Never mind, Sparky just gave me some really bad advice."
"Hold on, maybe we could what?" Aang asked, moving closer to Toph.
"Umm, I was gonna say something like…" Toph's voice became small and timid, as though she was truly scared of Aang's response. "Go out, or something?" Toph's face turned a dark pink as she waited for Aang's reply.
Aang smiled even wider as he realized that Toph had a crush on him. He had never really thought too much about how he felt about his earthbending teacher, but he definitely did like her. "I'm sure I can find some time for that." He said, earning a smile from Toph as well. Maybe he couldn't master the Avatar State anymore, but at least he could still have earthly attachments.
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Zuko and Katara sat together on a small hill near the outskirts of Ba Sing Se. Zuko had managed to get through dinner with surprisingly little embarrassment, and his mother didn't even hint at their previous conversation when she was talking to Katara. He had a feeling she had already told Iroh, considering he winked every time Katara wasn't looking. He was drawn from his thoughts as Katara began to speak again.
"It's so beautiful," she said, watching as the sun set over the horizon. She smiled at Zuko and wiggled closer to him as he looked out at the sun as well.
"Yeah, it is." The firebender had never noticed the sunset before, but it was really nice. He couldn't help but smile at the fact that he had had three years to watch sunsets and had never done so. Now, as he got even closer to the day that could very well decide the fate of the world, watching it with Katara was the only thing he wanted to do. "You know what else is beautiful?"
Katara laughed and rolled her eyes without turning to face him. "Don't even think about saying me, Zuko. That is so cliché." Zuko laughed at this also, and Katara turned to look at him.
"I wasn't, though you are definitely very beautiful." Katara blushed as Zuko pulled the bracelet out of his pocket. "I was talking about this." Zuko handed Katara the bracelet, and her eyes lit up as she inspected it more closely.
"You bought me this? How did you know? When did you get it?" Zuko smiled and got up, helping Katara to her feet, and then started walking toward the Lower District as he talked.
"I saw you staring at it through the window earlier and bought it when I said I was going to get money." Zuko shrugged, as though it was no big deal, which to him it really wasn't. He had been used to seeing that kind of fancy jewelry, and had never really thought much of it.
"I love it, thank you! But, you didn't have to buy this for me…" Katara had already put the bracelet on and was still studying its design as she followed Zuko. The bracelet was mostly silver, with a gold lining. The design was a series of waves outlined in gold going all the way around the bracelet. It was fairly simple, but still very beautiful. Katara figured it was the most valuable thing she had ever held in her hands.
She continued staring at it around her wrist and didn't notice that Zuko had stopped walking. She bumped into his back and stumbled backward, causing Zuko to laugh at her. Her mouth dropped when she saw what was behind Zuko, a massive fountain with small torches all around the outside. "Woah…"
"You like it?" Zuko asked as Katara stepped up next to him. She smiled and nodded in response so he continued. "I saw it when I was living here with my uncle. I guess the way the fire mixes with the water sorta reminds me of…" Zuko rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly as Katara looked at him while he finished, "of us."
Katara laughed softly and Zuko smiled. He loved making her happy, and wanted to be able to do so forever. He turned and looked at his reflection in the water, which was soon joined by Katara's. "This has been a really great day, Zuko. Thank you." He smiled and put his arm around her, pulling her closer to him. They stayed like that in silence for a while, before Zuko pulled away and turned to look Katara in the eyes.
"Katara, I-" Zuko looked down and took a deep breath before locking eyes with Katara again. She saw the same determination that had always been there, except this time she could see something more. His eyes were passionate, and his voice held the same emotions. "I love you."
His eyes didn't stray away, and he held Katara's gaze with the same confidence he displayed in battle. "I- I love you too." They both smiled before Zuko closed the gap between them and kissed her passionately. He wasn't going to pull away quickly this time either.
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A/N: The hill was supposed to be the same one Iroh honored Lu Ten at in Tales of Ba Sing Se. Also, I'm a guy, and one who knows nothing about jewelry. Just clearing that up so no one flames me for my terrible jewelry description or lack of ability to get inside Katara's mind when it comes to dating. Yah, Review!