Katara swiped at Zuko's forehead with a cloth, keenly aware of Iroh's gaze. She squared her jaw and ignored his oddly knowing look, preferring to continue healing the boy laying ill before her.
"Katara…" Iroh began, but Katara merely shook her head.
"Please, Uncle; don't. I know what you're going to say," she replied before Iroh could finish. "I know. But right now…right now being close to him won't hurt us."
"Katara…" Iroh's voice held a note of warning, but Katara refused to mind the admonition.
"He's unconscious, Uncle!" She exclaimed tersely, her eyes snapping to meet Iroh's angrily. Then, she forcibly calmed herself and looked back to the ill boy. "He'll never know. Iroh, this is the only time that I'll ever be able to spend this time with him. It's my only chance," she whispered, touching the boy's cheek tenderly, her eyes gone soft and watery.
She heard Iroh get up, and the sound of his sandals shuffling across the metal floor alerted her to his presence behind her. Nevertheless, she flinched when he rested his hand on her shoulder.
"My dear," he said gruffly as he gave her shoulder a little squeeze. "The tighter a miser clings to his gold, the harder it will be for him to let it go."
"I don't want to hear any of your proverbs, Uncle!" Katara snapped before she could stop the flow of words, and then she hung her head in shame at her harsh words.
Instead of shaking his head with disappointment and walking away as Katara had expected, Iroh chuckled. "You are more like my nephew than you know," he said, his voice thick with humor.
Katara glanced up at him curiously, and he smiled. "He said the same thing to me once…a lifetime ago." Iroh paused and Katara bit her lip in anticipation at his next words. "You do realize that clinging to him will only hurt you more, in the end," he said softly, and Katara let out a harsh sigh.
"I know," she murmured softly, and Iroh squeezed her shoulder in comfort. "But right now I just don't care," she added, and Iroh clucked his tongue in disapproval. Katara knew she sounded childish, but at the moment, she just didn't care. Her heart was heavy, her mind full, and her soul burdened.
"Katara…" Iroh began, his voice stern rather than comforting. It was on the tip of Katara's tongue to shout at him; to tell him that he wasn't her father, but a sharp rap on the door prevented the argument that would have inevitably followed.
Iroh paused, his gaze lingering on Katara's face for a moment. The knock came again, louder this time. Katara slid her gaze over to Iroh's and the man sighed heavily. "I'll get it," he mumbled and Katara managed a brief nod before gently swiping the cloth over Zuko's forehead again.
"Kaya! Oh…I beg your pardon, sir!" The usually smooth and cultured voice of Sora was panicked, and it startled Katara to whirl around and face the door. "Is your…wife…present?" the woman asked, her tone shaky and confused.
"No," Iroh replied, the heaviness gone from his voice and a twinkle in his eye. He gave Katara a sly wink, and Katara's face scrunched up in confusion. "But my niece is," he added, and held the door open wide enough to grant the girl access.
Katara started at the sight of her. Black hair was in disarray, her eyes were red rimmed, and her clothes were disheveled. "Sora!" Katara cried in dismay, and her new friend rushed over to her, falling to her knees in her haste.
Katara hurried over to the young woman and helped her to her feet. "Sora, what is it? Tell me what happened!"
Sora gripped Katara's forearms tightly, and Katara frowned. "Where's Nozomi?" Katara cried. "Is she all right? Has anything happened to her?" she exclaimed, feeling a bubble of panic rising in her belly.
"No…no…she's fine," Sora replied quickly, and Katara breathed a sigh of relief. "For now," Sora added under her breath, and Katara felt her heart take a dive into the pit of her stomach.
"I'll go get some tea," Iroh said, effectively breaking into their conversation. Katara nodded towards him gratefully, and the aging man hastily made his exit.
"What is it?" Katara prodded, drawing Sora over to her bunk and sitting the woman down before taking a seat beside her.
"My father…he replied to my letter," Sora replied after some time, and her voice quavered when she spoke. "He…he told me that he would let me come home…but only if…" Sora's voice broke again and she buried her head in her hands.
"If what?" Katara prompted, trying and failing to keep the edge of panic out of her voice.
"If…If…" Sora started and then paused again. "If I…" she stopped again, unable to continue.
"If you what?"
"If I drown Nozomi!" Sora cried, and Katara felt her heart sink.
Silence descended between the pair, and when Katara finally did speak, her voice was full of suppressed emotion. "You're considering it," she observed, trying hard not to sound judgmental.
"What else am I supposed to do?" Sora cried, burying her head in her hands. "I don't have anyone else that I can turn to, Kaya! My parents are all I have left in the world!"
"You have a daughter!" Katara protested, and tears began to stream down Sora's cheeks.
"Don't you think I know that!" she shouted and Katara stilled. "But I don't have a choice," she added, her voice lowered to a harsh whisper.
"Of course you have a choice! You gave birth to her! Isn't it your responsibility to love her and care for her until the day she dies? Isn't it…"
"Maybe that's the way it works in the Water Tribes, Kaya, but not in the Fire Nation!" Sora shouted, and Katara found that she couldn't even breathe.
"You can't kill her," Katara said with conviction, and Sora averted her gaze, swiping at her wet cheeks with a trembling hand.
"Do you think I want to?" Sora replied in a whisper, her gaze directed to her lap. "I love her, Kaya, but there isn't a place for her in my world. She would be ridiculed and she'd probably never find a husband… Maybe it would be better if she died now. Maybe I'd be doing her a favor."
Katara pressed her hand to her breast, tears falling down copper cheeks. "No," she whispered hoarsely and shook her head. "No!" she exclaimed, and Sora bit her lower lip hard. "You can't do this!" Katara shouted, and Sora began to cry harder again.
"Kaya…"
"I'll take her!" Katara exclaimed before Sora could say anything further. "I'll adopt her as my own. No one will ever know the difference!"
Sora froze, her tear filled amber eyes meeting Katara's blue ones. "You…you would do that?" she whispered, wiping tears out of her eyes.
Katara looked away, biting her lip. "The ship is docking tonight," she murmured, and then met Sora's eyes. "Get off the ship and stay at an inn for a few days. When enough time has passed, write a letter telling your father that…that it is done. Then, take a different ship back to the Fire Nation."
Sora was frozen in place, as though she couldn't quite believe what was happening. "Tonight…" she murmured under her breath, and Katara noted that Sora's chest stopped heaving and her breath came easier. "But that means…this is my last day with Nozomi," she whispered, and Katara nodded stiffly.
The Fire Nation woman let out a shuddering sigh, nodded, and then attempted to smooth her rumpled skirts. "Kaya…" she began, but Katara held up a hand to stop her flow of words.
"I'll do this on one condition, Sora," Katara said softly, but her voice was as hard as steel. "Nimi will never know that you are her true mother. If you ever find us, don't come and speak to her…or to me."
Sora's breath caught in her throat, but she forced herself to nod. "Not being able to see her is better than her death," the woman whispered shakily, and Katara frowned deeply. "I…I should go," Sora added, wiping away the rest of her tears. Katara nodded, and walked the woman to the door.
"Kaya…thank you," she said gratefully when she went to leave the cabin and Katara managed a slight nod before closing the door.
It wasn't until several hours later, when Sora placed Nozomi in her arms before disappearing into the night, that Katara realized the full implications of what she had done.
---------------------------------
"You what?" Sokka shouted once the group was ensconced in his cabin. Katara winced and clutched the baby closer to her when it began to whimper.
"I adopted her," Katara repeated, her voice filled with defiance as her chin lifted a fraction.
"But you can't just…I…look…You…" Sokka swiped his hand over his face in frustration. "Suki! Tell her!" Sokka finally exclaimed in exasperation, and his girlfriend crossed her arms over her chest, looking distinctly uncomfortable.
"You knew that she would endanger our mission," Suki observed, more to make Sokka happy than anything else.
"Yes."
"Then why do you do this without telling any of us?"
"Because you would have said no!" Katara snapped, and Sokka rolled his eyes.
"Of course we would have said no! Anybody with any brains in their heads would know just exactly what a stupid, lain-brain…"
"You haven't even let her tell her side of the story!" Aang exclaimed, quickly stepping in to defend Katara. He glared at Sokka, and then turned to the girl. "Now, Katara, why don't you tell us?" Aang prompted, tossing Katara a large smile.
Sokka mumbled incoherently under his breath, and Toph punched him hard in the arm. "We all know why Sugar Queen did it. She's sugar Queen!" Toph grumbled, and Katara tossed a glare at the girl.
"Sora needed to get rid of her. It was either me who took her or else…" Katara trailed off, but the implications of her statement were clear. For the first time since she'd announced her adoption of Nozomi, there was silence.
"My dear…" Iroh began, his voice grave. "I understand the gravity of the situation, but have you considered what would become of the child after the war is over?" he questioned, and Katara shrugged her shoulders slightly.
"I guess I'll take her home with me," she replied slowly, although she hadn't really thought of it beforehand. Her decision to adopt Nozomi had been an impulsive one, and now Katara was realizing that there were serious consequences for what she had decided so nonchalantly.
"To the South Pole?" Iroh queried, and Katara nodded. Sokka slapped his forehead with his hand and groaned, but the groan quickly turned into a yelp of pain when Toph stomped on his instep. "What about Zuko?" Iroh asked further, and Katara frowned.
"He may get attached as well, since it is technically Lee and Kaya who have adopted this baby. What if he doesn't want to let her go?" he continued, and Katara chewed on her lower lip.
"He can come and visit," Katara said, and Iroh shook his head.
"I think we both know that is a terrible idea," Iroh said, and then placed a hand on the girl's shoulder, "Little swallow."
The nickname brought their conversation to mind, and Katara felt her stomach churn at the thought of never seeing the boy again. "He'll have to learn how to say goodbye," Katara murmured, clutching the baby close to her chest. She felt the child rooting, and she drew her lip between her teeth again.
"Nimi's hungry," she whispered, effectively changing the subject.
Iroh stared hard at the girl for a moment before he sighed. "I suppose I'll head down to the galley and get some milk then," the aging man said wearily, and Katara gave him a smile of gratitude as he headed out of the cabin.
"That's it?" Sokka demanded, his disbelief evident in his voice. "We can't keep it!" he exclaimed, and Katara threw him a furious glare. "Look, Katara, you're nod ready to be a mother yet. You're fifteen years old, for La's sake! How do you expect to raise a child?"
"I've done a decent job of looking after you," Katara snapped, and Sokka stared at her, bug eyed.
"Quiet!" Toph shouted, stamping her foot on the iron ground and causing it to tremble beneath her bare feet. "There's nothing we can do about it now, Snoozles. You might as well get used to the kid," she grumbled, and Sokka swallowed hard.
"She is your niece," Suki added, laying her hand on Sokka's forearm gently. Sokka glanced between his sister and his girlfriend before throwing his hands up in the air and marching out of the cabin.
"Just how the hell am I supposed to explain this to Dad?" he muttered under his breath as he stalked out and slammed the door behind him.
The girls stared at each other in silence before Suki quickly crossed over to see Katara. "Oh, she's adorable," the Kyoshi warrior practically squealed, and it took everything in Katara not to laugh. Toph made a gagging noise, and then turned to Aang.
"Come on, Twinkle Toes. One more minute of this and I'm going to be sick," the blind earthbender grumbled, letting out a huff of air that made her bangs flutter.
"But I want to see…" Aang protested, but Toph cut him off.
"Now!" she exclaimed, and Aang shrugged sheepishly.
"Okay, okay! Don't be so pushy," the boy muttered, quickly following the earthbender out of the cabin lest he invoke her wrath. He turned around at the door to wave at Katara, but Toph dragged him off before he could say anything else.
Katara met Suki's eyes and burst into laughter. The baby cooed garbled nonsense in Katara's arms, her mouth stretching into a small smile of her own as she observed the two women's mirth from behind amber eyes. Katara laughed again, cuddling the small child closer to her.
Suki smiled, and then gently touched the little girl's cheek. "I wonder if If Sokka'll want a baby," the Kyoshi warrior whispered, and Katara frowned.
"Of course he will," Katara assured her friend, and then her eyes narrowed slightly in mischief. "And from the amount of time you and Sokka spend 'gathering firewood…'"
Suki flushed, and then scowled. "Well at least we don't gawk at each other like you and Zuko do," the Kyoshi warrior muttered under her breath, and Katara shook her head.
"We don't gawk. We observe each other's battle techniques," Katara replied smoothly, making Suki choke back another round of laughter.
"Now that's one that I've never heard before," Suki replied, mirth in her voice. A comfortable silence settled between the two women again, and then Suki sighed heavily.
"Katara…you know Sokka better than anyone. Do you think…do you think he really loves me, or am I just another girl to him?" Suki asked awkwardly, fiddling with the hem of her dress.
Katara started, and then frowned deeply. "Sokka's been…admired…by a lot of girls, but there's only two who really actually count. Yue and you. But my brother and Yue didn't exactly have the closest of relationships. I mean, she was engaged to another man, and… Suffice to say, they couldn't develop too serious of a relationship." Katara paused, and then gripped Suki's hand with one of her own. "He loves you, Suki."
Suki nodded slightly, and then fidgeted. "So he says," she murmured, and then clasped her hands tightly together. "But do you think he'd still love me if something horrible happened?"
"Of course…"
"I mean, something really bad? If something that he really didn't want to happen did?" Suki continued, and Katara's frown deepened.
"What kind of 'thing,' exactly?" Katara asked, looking into Suki's eyes. The girl's face had been pale for the past few days, but Katara hadn't thought it serious until this moment. The bags under her eyes told of more than sleep deprivation; they spoke of a troubled spirit. The sudden realizations made Katara's heart stop and her breath catch in her throat. "Suki?" Katara prompted, steeling herself for the worst.
The warrior fidgeted again, and then she let out a deep, shaking breath. "Katara…I think I'm pregnant."
------------------------
The first thing that he was aware of was light, bright and blinding. Zuko winced and shut his eyes once again, relishing the darkness. A cool, soft hand touched his forehead, and he frowned, unused to the sensation. He attempted to sit up, but the attempt was feeble at best.
What, by Agni… Zuko thought, and then remembered. Azula had tried and failed to kill Katara, and he…he had taken the brunt force of the lightening. Panic set in when Zuko realized that they had been severely outnumbered, and that his fall in battle had placed the group in even greater danger. Were they captives of Azula now? What had his sister done to his friends, to… "Katara!" Zuko had meant to shout, but the word came out more as a whimper than anything else
A gentle touch on his arm distracted him and drew him out of his panicked wonderings. Slowly, he forced himself to open his eyes. His vision swam at first, but he saw red cloth when he finally got a hold on his surroundings. A frown furrowed his brow, and he slowly moved his eyes upwards.
The cloth gave way to a slash of tanned skin and then cloth took over again as it swathed its way about a woman's breasts. The cloth fell away once more to reveal soft, slim shoulders and upper arms encased in gold bracelets. He lifted his eyes higher, over a small, rounded chin, full lips and a dainty nose, to meet familiar blue eyes. "Katara?" he whispered, staring at the stranger before him.
Gold bangles jangled as the girl crossed her arms over her bare stomach self-consciously, but Zuko's eyes never strayed from the girl's. "Is that really you?" he asked, and he felt his heart squeeze when he saw tears fill the girl's eyes.
Then, she launched herself at him, bare bronzed arms wrapping their way about his neck as she buried her face in his chest. She was mumbling things into his flesh, but he couldn't make out a word of it. Weakly, he encircled her with his own arms and rested his head on her hair.
"Where are we?" he asked once she had stilled in his embrace, and he felt her sigh against him.
"On our way to the Fire Nation," she replied softly, clinging tighter to him at the thought of the foreign country.
"Azula…"
"We escaped."
Zuko nodded, and then frowned deeply when he recalled how the battle had gone. "How? She was beating us; we didn't stand a chance! How could…"
"I destroyed her ship." The soft statement startled Zuko more than anything else could have. He had expected for her to say that Aang had gone into the Avatar state. Hell, even Azula's ship smashing into a cliff would have made more sense. But the thought that this small, quaking girl in his arms had defeated his sister…it was unthinkable.
"How…"
"When I saw you go down, I…" Katara trailed off and she clutched him closer to her. "It was like something inside of me snapped. I was able to channel of my rage and fear and lo…and, well, all of my emotions into my bending. I haven't been so terrified in years, Zuko!" she finished the last statement in a whisper, and she felt tears threaten to spill over her cheeks.
"Katara," Zuko whispered, pushing her away enough so that he could see her face. A tear dropped from her cheek and onto his lap, and his heart constricted. Gently, he placed his hand beneath her chin and lifted her face up so that he could see her eyes.
There was so much that he wanted to say to her; so many words that needed to be spoken between them. But as he looked into her eyes, he saw fragility, and knew that she wasn't quite ready for that conversation yet. So instead of talking, he angled his head and lowered his lips to hers.
He'd half expected her to pull away, considering how their last kiss had ended. Instead, she dug her fingers into his hair and thrust her tongue into his mouth, as though she was desperate to feel him, to know that he was, in fact, alive. Startled by her quick reaction, it took a moment for Zuko to respond.
More than anything he wanted to give into her touch and kiss her back with as much passion as she was kissing him, but he knew that wasn't what either of them needed. Instead, he cupped her face with his hands and gentled the kiss, letting her know in his own way that he wasn't about to leave her again.
When they finally drew apart, Katara's breathing was labored and a dusting of red covered her cheeks. Zuko smiled in amusement at her sudden modesty and then sank back against the pillows, exhausted. His head was swimming from the encounter, and not exactly in a good way.
Katara seemed to notice his sudden weakness and she bit her lip. "I'm sorry…I shouldn't have…" she trailed off and then sighed harshly. "Some healer I am, pushing my patient beyond his limits," she grumbled to herself as she reached behind Zuko to fluff his pillows and then pressed her palm against his forehead to feel for his temperature.
When she went to her hand away, Zuko captured her wrist. "I guess this means I'm off the hook for kissing you in front of your brother, hm?" he asked with a slight smile, and despite herself, Katara chuckled. Then the chuckle developed into a true laugh, and she fell back into his arms again.
"Maybe with me," she admitted once her laughter had died down and she was once again snuggled against his chest. "But Sokka'll never forgive you."
"Figures," Zuko murmured, thoroughly enjoying the feeling of Katara against him. He would have been content to lie beside her for hours, but a shrill cry from Katara's bunk chased away such fancies. "What the…" he muttered as he struggled to sit up, cold overtaking him when Katara moved out of his embrace.
The girl hurried over to her bunk and lifted a small bundle into her arms, crooning to it softly. Zuko felt a seed of horror grow in his gut when he realized that the shrieks were indeed coming from the bundle, and something told him it wasn't a hogmonkey that Katara was cradling so close to her chest.
After a time, the shrieking stopped, and hiccups and sniffles were left in its wake. Zuko stared at Katara, his good eye wide as she turned to him with a wan, tired smile. When she came to sit back beside him, it was all Zuko could do not to bury his head under the blankets and scoot as far as he could to the wall in order to avoid the thing she was holding.
"Zuko…" Katara began, tilting the bundle in her arms towards him. "I would like you to meet your daughter."
Zuko stared in utter shock as the chubby face of an amber eyed baby was revealed to him. "My…daughter?" Zuko managed past the lump in his throat as he stared at the child cradled in Katara's arms. "But we never…when did…" Zuko stopped talking as he took in the size and probable age of the baby. "How long have we been on this boat?" he exclaimed, his head feeling fuzzy again.
Katara chuckled softly, and then gently began to bounce the baby. "She's not ours biologically," Katara clarified, and smiled when she watched Zuko breathe out a massive sigh of relief. "I adopted her. And since you're supposed to be my husband, she's yours by default," Katara explained, and Zuko's brow furrowed as he attempted to digest the information.
It seemed like it was just yesterday that Katara was angry with him for kissing her in public, and it felt like only minutes ago that he was attacked by Azula. Now, suddenly, the danger was gone and he was responsible for a child? It was as though the world had tipped on its axis, and Zuko wasn't quite sure how to deal with the situation.
"Hold her for me." Katara had placed the baby in his arms before Zuko had a chance to protest, and his eyes went wide as he stared at the bundle in his arms. "I need to go check up on Suki," Katara said before heading towards the door.
"What…wait! No! I just woke up! You can't leave me with…" the boy cried out in terror, but the door had already slid closed, and the room was empty save for him and the child that he was awkwardly holding.
Zuko had never been around babies; he and his sister were relatively close in age, and living with sailors for three years took the edge off of whatever fraternal instinct he might have possessed. Zuko scowled, and then looked down at the baby, who was peering up at him curiously.
His scowl deepened, and then Zuko's felt on the verge of panic when the baby's face screwed up. "Oh no…don't cry!" Zuko exclaimed, reaching down and lifting the baby by the armpits. That only seemed to make the situation worse, for the little girl's face began to flush and her face contorted even more.
"Shit," Zuko grumbled under his breath, and then he mentally slapped himself for cursing in front of a baby. Katara would no doubt have his hide. Meanwhile, the baby's fists had curled up and she looked as though she were about to begin screaming.
"Hey, sh, it's okay; it's okay," Zuko murmured. He quickly glanced about the room to be sure it was truly empty, and then he drew the baby against his chest, patting her back softly. When another quick glance confirmed that he was indeed alone, he began to hum a bit of the lullaby that he remembered his mother singing.
He felt the little girl relax against his chest, and he smiled slightly before leaning back against the pillows, keeping his hand pressed securely against the baby's back.
When Katara re-entered the room several minutes later, her warmed at what she saw. Zuko was sprawled out on his back, snoring softly, with Nozomi sleeping against his bare chest. Katara smiled, and made her way over to the pair softly so as not to disturb them.
She placed a gentle kiss against Nozomi's head, and then rested her fingertips against Zuko's cheek, wondering if she'd ever feel such love for a man again.
Once again, I'm sorry it took me so long to update.
Anyways, PLEASE REVIEW!