Another quick update! A reviewer asked me when the kids are making an appearance again, and lo, here one is. I was, honestly, writing the first scene, when that review showed up.
This is a lighter chapter. I am going to have some fun with what is about to happen, but now, Katara can actually tell Zuko what happened.
As usual, R&R.
As I promised in the previous chapter, here is a shoutout for my reviewers. Thanks folks. I love you all. I have read each of them and tried to respond to every one of them.
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Chapter 17
Zuko kicked in a wide arc, sending a trail of fire in a line. The night before played in his mind in an endless loop, with no relief whatsoever. He had deliberately chosen an aggressive kata to stop himself from going on in circles. Letting out a huff of smoke, he moved in short, precise movements, with bursts of fire jutting from his limbs. He turned to send punches through the air, with accompanying jets of flame, before spinning around and sending a burst of fire from his fingers to end the kata he had been working on. That done, he turned around and breathed in deeply to center himself.
"That's so cool!"
"Bumi!" Zuko said with a grin, surprised to find the boy there and glad to have something to distract him from the endless cycle his mind had been spinning in. Over the past week, he had not actively avoided Zuko, but had not sought him out either. The few times that they met over the breakfast they had spoken cordially, even going so far as to share a joke or two with Sokka's aid. But now, he was here, sitting on the bleachers by himself. This was a clear olive branch and Zuko wanted to use it. He grabbed a towel from the rack, threw it around his neck and walked over to the bleacher to sit with Bumi. "What a pleasant surprise! To what do I owe this honor?"
The boy gave a hesitant smile, "Actually… I wanted to see Fire Bending. Auntie Suki said that you're the best. So… I… I… I hope it's okay?"
"Of course. This is your home. You can go wherever you want. Do tell your aunt that she need not flatter me, though," He wiped his face and bare chest, and looked at the boy, "So, you think it was cool?"
"Very. I have never seen Fire Bending like that."
"Huh?" Zuko cocked his head to the side, "Your dad was a Fire Bender. And I know I taught him that kata."
"Oh yes, you were dad's Fire Bending teacher," Bumi said, nodding. "Dad told me once. But I guess, I sort of forgot. He didn't really practice Fire Bending as such."
Zuko frowned, stretching his leg in front of him, "Hmm. Yes, he never really liked fire as an element. He always preferred water and air, over earth and fire."
"So… you knew my dad well?"
"In a way," he said. "We were good friends once. But then… over the years, we sort of got busy with our lives and we sort of… fell apart. He still was a friend, though."
The boy pulled his knees up to his chest and hugged his legs, his face taking on a serious expression, "What kind of a person was he? My dad."
Zuko did a double take, wondering what to say to him. Over the past few days, based on everything he had seen of Katara, and of the parallels between Mayung and Aang, his respect and esteem for the latter had taken a serious hit. But this was the boy's father they were talking about. From what Zuko could tell, Aang had not harmed his children. He may not have been the best father he could have been, but he had not been like Ozai either. Whatever he said at this point could be pivotal and had the potential to make or break the nascent relationship he was building with Bumi. Zuko recognized this moment for the test that it was. He licked his lips and asked, "What did your mom say about him?"
Bumi shrugged and said, "Mom hardly ever talks about him. The few times that she does, she says he was a nice guy. No more than that."
"What do you remember about your dad?"
Bumi sighed and lay his head on his knees, keeping his eyes on Zuko, keenly studying him, "He used to be busy. I mean, he was the Avatar and he was working on reviving the Air Benders. So… it was tough. But when he did come to play with us, he was fun. If a little… I don't know what's the correct word here…"
"Flaky?" Zuko said before he could stop himself and winced internally.
Bumi, however, chuckled. "Yes. That he definitely was. Especially fond of that silly marble trick of his, wasn't he?"
Despite himself, Zuko smiled, "Yes. Yes, he was. Once, in the middle of this serious meeting that we were having with dignitaries from all over the world, he forgot his speech halfway through. So… guess what he did to get over his awkwardness?"
"Don't tell me! The marble trick?"
"Yup."
"Oh dad!" Bumi groaned, hiding his face in embarrassment.
Zuko reached over and ruffled the boy's hair. "You have his eyes, you know?"
Bumi looked up with a half-smile. "Thanks," his eyes then flicked to the wound on Zuko's chest and said, "That looks like it hurt something nasty."
"It did," Zuko said, running a hand over it as the memory of the blinding pain came back. "I almost died."
Bumi looked to the scar on his face, "Which hurt more? The one on your face or the one on the chest?"
Zuko leaned forward, crossing his fingers, startled by the depth of the question, "Wow. No one's asked me that before, you know?"
"No one?"
He shook his head. "I have not really thought about it, but… I will answer. Give me a moment to think?"
"Sure."
Zuko sighed and leaned back, tucking his elbows on the backrest, "Physically, the one on the chest was worse. But mentally, the one on the face."
"Huh. Why?"
"Because it happened when I was thirteen," Zuko said, trying to keep it as simple as possible. "At that age, people are just beginning to learn who they are, what they want and all that. It's a very confusing time in a person's life. And me? I had to deal with this scar on my face that changed how I looked. That hurt."
"How did you get it?"
Children really don't have any filters, Zuko thought. Aloud, he said, "A bad man did it."
"Where is that bad man now?"
"He's dead."
"Please tell me you killed him."
"No. He died on his own, in prison."
"Oh! Then you arrested him?"
"No. Your dad did."
Bumi grinned and punched the air, "Go dad!"
A minute of companionable silence later, the boy continued, "How about the one on your chest? How did you get that?"
"During a battle," Zuko answered levelly.
"Who won that battle?"
"Your mom."
Bumi looked confused. "Mom did that?"
"No," Zuko answered, chuckling. "I was fighting a very skilled Fire Bender. But that Fire Bender realized that your mom is there too and shot lighting at your mom. I jumped in front of it, trying to deflect it."
"That was both brave and stupid," Bumi said in a tone that reminded him of Katara.
"That's what Katara said too. Later. After I woke up, that is."
"Yeah. That's totally something she would say. So how did mom win the fight then?"
"After I took the lightning, I was in no shape to fight. So, she took over the fighting and defeated the Fire Bender."
"Wow, so mom's a badass!"
"Totally."
"You… you're…not who I thought you were."
Zuko raised his brow, "Why? What did you think I was like?"
"I thought you were all mean and nasty and scary," Bumi said with a grimace. "I didn't like you very much."
"I gathered as much."
"But you're okay."
"Thank you. I work hard to be okay."
Bumi snorted. "What should I call you, you reckon?"
"Zuko is fine by me."
"Oh no!" Bumi sounded scandalized. "Mom would kill me if I called you that."
"Okay… so what do you want to call me?"
"I won't call you dad."
"I don't expect you to."
"Auntie Toph had a suggestion."
A twinge of fear crept up Zuko's spine, "I don't know if that is a good or a bad thing."
Bumi sniggered, "I know what you mean. But don't you at least want to hear what she suggested? I mean if you don't like it, then I'll think of something else."
"Sure. Let's hear it then."
Bumi's eyes took a mischievous gleam as he said, "She said I could call you… fatherlord."
Zuko threw his head back and erupted into laughter. Beside him, Bumi joined. The two of them roared in mirth, with tears streaming down their eyes. "I like that," Zuko said, after recovering a bit. "Yes, you can call me that."
As Katara made her way to Iroh's chamber, she reflected on the night before, still unable to believe how the evening had gone. She had walked back into the banquet hall, fully expecting Zuko to be in a foul mood and berate her for being missing for as long as she had been. He had, however, walked over to her with a smile. Then, to her surprise, had whispered, "Thank you for coming back."
He had gone on to be perfectly amiable for the rest of the evening. The gala had gone on till late in the night and it had been well past midnight when she had finally begun the walk back to her chambers, with Zuko by her side. At the door of her chamber, she had requested him to come in for a moment as she wished to talk.
Once inside, Katara said, "I just want to apologize for what happened in the garden. I should tell you what happened."
Zuko nodded, waiting for her explanation in silence.
"I overheard some people say some very mean things about how you'd developed a… uh… taste for the exotic cuisine of Earth Kingdom and Water Tribe. And how… you'd be sating your cravings now and –"
Zuko face scrunched in revulsion, "Agni! That's disgusting! Who was saying that?"
"I don't know," Katara said, shrugging. "I heard only one name. Lady Surna, Surma or something."
"Sorma," Zuko said, an understanding dawning on his face, crossing his arms across his chest. "Why doesn't that surprise me? They had a cushy life under Ozai. But my rule has stripped them off a lot of material comfort, forcing them to actually work for their upkeep. They never forgave me for that."
Katara felt her lips twitch at his tone, "Well, point is, those words hurt, and I ended up screaming at you, when you were not really at fault. Sorry about that. I… I shouldn't have insinuated what I did. It's not fair."
Zuko shook his head, "I'm sorry too. I said some mean things too. I shouldn't have said you're having a pity-party either. Not when I know you're battling something big."
Katara looked straight at him, blue fixing on gold, "How? How do you know that?"
"How could I not?" Zuko said, not breaking his eyes contact. "It's written all over you."
A sob struggled to break through her as she took a step closer to him. "Even my father and Sokka didn't see it," she whispered. "Only you and Azula seem to have realized something is wrong."
"I don't know why they haven't," he answered coming closer, his voice was a low whisper. "I saw it in back in North Pole."
Every fiber in her being screamed to crumple into his arms and cry. Somewhere deep down, she knew that he would not judge her or stop her. She raised a trembling and tentative hand to his face, but before she could make contact, her courage gave way. She dropped her hand and stepped back, forcibly putting a distance between them. A shadow of something passed over his face but it was gone before she could pinpoint it.
She cast around to talk about something to fill the heavy silence that had settled between them, "I met Jion today."
Perplexed by the sudden change in topic, he blinked multiple times, before he said, "Azula's therapist? I didn't realize he was at the banquet."
"He wasn't," Katara said, "I met him in the garden. Along with Azula."
"Really? That's… unexpected."
"Why? Was he not supposed to be here?"
"No. I mean… it's not unusual. He has been given quarters very close to the palace, so he could be here at short notice. That's not the part that surprises me. Normally, he meets me when he comes over. He didn't do that today."
"You were at a banquet," Katara reminded him. "Maybe he thought he would meet you tomorrow for the update?"
"Possible. Listen, before I forget, Uncle said he has something important to discuss with us tomorrow morning over breakfast."
"Oh… okay," She was about to say something more when Zuko tried and failed to hide a yawn. "Oh! You're tired. Go, sleep. We will talk tomorrow."
"No, it's okay. What were you saying?"
"It's not important. Go. Sleep."
It spoke to how tired he was that he did not need much more convincing. Katara, however, had spent the entire night tossing and turning. The burden of keeping everything within her was corroding her from within. She was exhausted from carrying the burden that was crushing his soul. If Azula could go from being torn apart, like she had been after the Agni Kai, to the person she was now, Katara was certain she could get some peace too. Jion had said talking would help and Zuko had been trying to get her to talk.
But talking about it, admitting it, acknowledging it would make it all real. Sometimes, pretending that it had all happened to someone else had helped her survive. But then, pretending and running away from her truth was what had landed her in prison in the first place. It had given her more trouble than she cared to admit. Hiding had not helped her, in any way. It had only served to make things worse. She was done being the victim. She was done with her suffering. She was done with letting her wounds define her. She was going to take charge.
Her mind set, Katara walked up to Iroh's chamber and knocked on the door.
At the knock, Zuko's head jerked up and he resisted the urge to hide behind the table. He was still reeling from the events of last night and was not sure how to react to her. Something had happened last night. Something had shifted and Zuko was not sure what was happening. Katara's eyes had held a world of emotions that had knocked his breath out. The way she had looked at him… it had simultaneously warmed and scared him.
Warmed because it had been so soft, so beautiful. No one had looked at him like that. Ever. Scared, because she looked so vulnerable and in so much pain. He didn't know what he was supposed to do. How was he supposed to react to what had passed? He had been attracted to her at the beginning of the gala, yes, but that had been entirely physical. That was something he could both understand and deal with. It was simple. He was a man. She was a woman. And he had not touched one in seven years. However, in a matter of hours, the simple equation had shifted. Things had changed and he did not know how to deal with it. He let out a breath he didn't know he was holding. Soon, much too soon for him, the door opened, and she walked in. Even amid so many people, in the low light, he could see the dark circles under her eyes.
"Gran Gran," she said cheerily. "Good to see that you're feeling better."
"Katara, my child," Kanna said, holding her arms wide. She almost flew into her arms. "Sit, sweetie. We need to talk."
At that, Katara met Zuko's eyes and raised her brows, as if to ask what this family meeting was for. Zuko shrugged. He was just as clueless as her. She took a seat on the bench facing Kanna.
"Zuko," Uncle said, "Join Katara on the bench please. We need to talk."
No. I need time. With a nod, he obeyed. He lowered himself on the bench, taking care to keep a distance between him and his wife. "Is something the matter?"
Hakoda, who had been leaning against the wall thus far, walked over to them and sat in between his mother and Iroh. Zuko suddenly felt like an eight-year-old boy who had pissed off his teachers. Shaking the ridiculous feeling he said, "What's this? Some sort of intervention?"
"In a way," Hakoda said. "Look, I know you both might be averse to the idea, but we have a plan for you."
He looked at Katara who had an identical expression of horror on her face. "What plan? Did you three hatch it?"
"That's…. ominous," Zuko said, his eyes widening.
"Don't knock it down before you've heard the idea," Iroh objected. "We only have your best interests in our minds."
"Uh huh," Zuko said.
"And to that end, we have taken a joint decision," Kanna said. "We are sending you both on a holiday."
"What?" the two of them chorused.
Hakoda cleared his throat, "Look, given how you both got married, you both have not had the chance to really bond as a couple. You both have been friends for a very long time. But suddenly, your life has changed. Drastically. We think it would be advisable if you both take some time for yourselves. To understand each other. You both have to spend your lives together after all."
Zuko blinked. What they were saying did make sense but he wasn't certain he was ready for it, "Oh… Ummm… yes, I see… When are you thinking we should go?"
"Now," Iroh said, gleefully.
"Now? What do you mean now?" Katara squeaked. "How can we do it now? The children –"
"We are all here, we can take care of them," Kanna said.
"I run a nation," Zuko added.
"And it works like a well-oiled machine, nephew," Iroh said. "I'm sure I can look after it."
Zuko shared another look with Katara, wondering what other excuse they could come up with. She spoke next, "What about our bags? At least give us time to pack out bags."
"Oh that's been taken care of," Hakoda said dismissively. "Suki, Toph, and Ty Lee packed Katara's bag while Sokka packed Zuko's. They're on the ship already."
"But –"Katara began when Kanna cut her off.
"My dear, it has been so tough for me to see you lose the man you loved from a young age, becoming a widow, put on trial, marrying suddenly… I have seen you go through a tumultuous time in life. At this stage of my life, all I want –"
"Gran Gran, stop," Katara deadpanned. "Don't play the age card."
"Tch, you know me too well," Kanna complained, pouting.
Seeing an old woman resorting to a toddler-like action made Zuko chuckle.
"So… All is set then," Iroh said, clapping his hands. "Come on, the carriage is ready."
"Don't we get a say?" Zuko asked.
"You do," Hakoda said, "We just don't listen to it. Now come on, everyone is waiting for you."
"Everyone?" Zuko rubbed his temple, trying to wrap his mind around the whole shebang. "Of course. Is it too much to ask how long we would be going for?"
"A week," Kanna said.
"And where?" Katara asked.
"Ember Island."
