Chapter 5: Hair Ties and Compromise
It was, admittedly, nice to be around Iroh again. The old firebender had a way of making things peaceful, of making people happy. He didn't leave Katara and Zuko alone together, but he alternated between them when he talked to them. He had a way of giving people hope. It was certainly something Katara needed, in the situation she was in. It was different than before, when at least she had had some idea where she could find Aang and Sokka. Now, her only hope was that by sticking with Iroh and Zuko, destiny would lead them back to her friends. She could only hope that if destiny lead Zuko to Aang, then it wouldn't just lead to more trouble.
She hoped Sokka and Aang were okay.
If nothing else, she noted, they would certainly be happy to see me when I find them. Unless they just go into shock. After all, they certainly though she was dead.
Katara, Iroh, and Zuko continued traveling, Iroh determining where to go. Once Katara thought about it, she actually wasn't sure that Zuko even knew where they were going. Iroh had shared his intention to go to Ba Sing Se with her, but had he ever shared that plan with Zuko? Knowing Zuko, he wouldn't be particularly fond of that idea. From what Katara had seen of Zuko, it wasn't in his nature to lie down and hide. He'd rather fight. Not to mention how…permanent Iroh's solution sounded. Go to Ba Sing Se, and wait the war out as refugees. No, Zuko wouldn't like it at all. She realized that Iroh hadn't told Zuko.
In the few days that Katara had been back with the two of them, she and Zuko hadn't talked to one another. Iroh had suggested it, and they were both happy to oblige. They traveled with two on the ostrich horse, switching out with one of them walking beside them. They went at a fairly slow pace, apparently less afraid of being tracked.
"We don't seem to be in immediate danger," Iroh told her one morning. Zuko had left the two of them, going into a nearby town. "I don't believe that Azula is following us right now."
"You think you've shaken her, then?" Katara asked.
Iroh narrowed his eyes a little, shaking his head as he frowned thoughtfully. "My niece has always prided herself on being better than anyone else, at anything she does. I believe that she is arrogant, and sometimes overestimates herself, but I'm afraid that she is more often than not skillful enough to back up her claims." Iroh shook his head again. "No, I believe that if Azula were still focused on us, she would have already found us by now. While this has been good news for us, I fear that something−or someone−else has drawn her attention." Iroh was looking at Katara, and after a few moments, she understood what he was thinking.
"You think she's going after Aang now." Internally, she groaned. Not another enemy for Aang and Sokka to worry about. And I'm not even there to help them.
He nodded. "I fear it's possible. I can recall one of the Fire Nation's nobility was seeking governorship of a captured city in the Earth Kingdom, and I thought perhaps his name was mentioned when news of Omashu's conquest came. As it happens, that man has a daughter who is friends with Azula." Iroh stroked his chin for a moment. "If your friend and your brother went to Omashu and were noticed, then it's possible that Azula was informed, by her friend if not by the governor himself." He frowned. "There would be no small amount of glory for anybody who defeats the Avatar. And it is another opportunity to prove herself better than Zuko."
Katara let out a frustrated breath, nodding. "So, she's probably going after Aang now." Katara looked away. The good news, she supposed, was that they must not have captured Aang, or they wouldn't still be chasing him. The bad news was, just as soon as he didn't have to worry about Zuko anymore, he had to deal with Azula. And as angry as Katara was with Zuko, she still knew that Azula was even worse. "Azula is considered a prodigy at firebending, right? How dangerous is she?"
"She's one of the best firebenders seen in centuries," Iroh told her grimly. "She's already considered a master, and even worse, she has also mastered the rare ability to produce blue fire."
Katara blinked. "Blue fire?" She had never seen that before. She hadn't even heard of that before. "I didn't know firebenders could do that."
"Blue fire burns hotter than normal fire."
"Super-fire then. Great." Katara shook her head. Aang had always managed to beat Zuko, but Azula was sounding even worse. She looked to Iroh, curiosity peaking. "Can you produce blue fire?" From all she'd seen, Iroh was a rather powerful bender as well, and though she hadn't seen much, the fact that he was the Firelord's brother, and had apparently been legendary as the Dragon of the West, left her certain that he was quite skilled, too. Could he produce blue fire?
Iroh just shrugged. "I've never particularly cared to try, to be honest. Blue fire has more blunt power, true, but it is how you wield fire that makes a true master. From what I know, blue fire also takes more energy to produce. It's a powerful technique, true, but its greatest strength is in a quick blast. An overwhelming, decisive blow." Iroh put a finger to his chin. "It seems to me that it wouldn't as practical for a long battle. Using so much energy would eventually wear a bender down, leaving them exhausted. But, a skilled firebender using normal flames could endure, withstanding the raw power of the blue fire. Then, when their opponent is worn out, they would be the one with the advantage."
"So it's not really practical, then?"
"Not for a long battle. And this is why I call Azula arrogant: she doesn't expect people to withstand her. She is enamored with the rare ability she mastered, and proud of how no other living bender can produce it. In her love of her power, she now uses only blue fire. Which works fine—unless somebody can match her long enough to wear her down."
Katara blinked. "But wouldn't she realize it's a bad idea to fight all the time with it? Like you just said…"
"She is not as adept at assessing people as she thinks she is," Iroh stated bluntly. "She terrorizes her supposed friends, and then convinces herself that they follow her of their own will. She thinks her father values her−Zuko's scar is proof of how little he regards his children. The moment she fails him, he will discard her as well."
"She called me an inferior being," Katara recalled, scowling.
"She has grown so used to being the most powerful fighter in the room that she believes that nobody can defeat her. Instead of walking into a fight certain that she can win, she walks in certain that she will win."
Katara nodded as she listened. It was interesting, really, to learn the thoughts behind a dangerous enemy.
"She has another skill that may be even more dangerous, though not as rare. She has the ability to bend lightning." Katara's eyes widened.
"Lightning?! That sounds…really dangerous."
"It is a skill that is rarely used. It has its uses, but frequently, that use is to kill one's opponent. And it is difficult to fight against such a skill."
"No kidding," Katara remarked. She thought through the elements. An earthbender may be able to pull up a wall, but that would easily be blasted to bits. A waterbender may also pull up a shield, but she doubted it would work. Airbenders and fire benders wouldn't even be able to make a durable shield. "How do you fight against lightning?"
Iroh grinned. "I actually created a technique myself." Before he could explain, Zuko walked up to them, back from town, and dropped a couple of large baskets in front of them, both filled with food.
It was undoubtedly more than they could afford. Katara crossed her arms, glaring at Zuko.
"Where did you get these?" Iroh asked him.
"What does it matter where they came from?" Zuko responded, before walking away from them. Katara narrowed her eyes. He'd stolen them. Great.
"Mmm!" Iroh had taken a bite out of one anyways.
She let out an indignant sound. "So you're just going to eat stolen food?" Shaking her head, she got up and went to follow Zuko.
She'd been silent for long enough.
She followed him through the forest, finding him by a tree. The trunk was hollow, and it seemed that there was something hidden in there, which Zuko was grabbing.
"You know I really thought you'd have figured it out the first time," she started, surprising Zuko. He quickly shoved whatever he was hiding back into the tree, turning around to glare at Katara. "I don't approve of stealing." She glared at him, crossing her arms.
"What makes you so certain I stole that food?"
"I'm not an idiot, that's what. I know how much money we had, and it wasn't enough to buy that much. And besides, what are you hiding there?"
Zuko looked away for a moment. Then he stepped aside, allowing Katara to walk forward and look into the tree. The first thing she found was a pair of swords. She pulled them out slowly. "You know how to use these?" Zuko gave a terse nod, putting his hand out to take them from her.
Slowly, she handed them to him. "I didn't know you knew how to use swords."
"I started lessons when I was young," he told her. "When I first realized how awful I am at firebending. I thought maybe at least I'd be good at this."
"Are you?" She'd never seen him using swords before. Only firebending.
"I am, actually. I believe I told you before, when I broke the Avatar out after Zhao captured him, I didn't use my firebending."
"So you used these. Huh." She kept looking at the swords. They seemed familiar. "Are those the same swords that guy was swiping at your uncle's feet?"
"You can NOT seriously be upset I stole from that guy? He could have hurt my uncle, and he was going after you next. It's probably better for everyone that that guy lost his weapons." He glared challengingly at her, before turning his attention back to the hollow tree.
To her surprise, Katara found herself agreeing. She shivered as she recalled how that man had looked at her. "I suppose you're right there," she acknowledged. Zuko looked over to her, an expression of surprise on his face.
"You actually agree with me?"
She folded her arms. "Well, that man was a jerk. I suppose if you had to steal from someone, that guy would probably be my pick, too." She went to look at the other contents of the tree, not noticing how Zuko had brightened slightly. She pulled out a mask. It was mostly blue, with a few parts being white. It looked…menacing. "What's with the mask?"
Zuko took that, too. "My face isn't exactly forgettable," he pointed out. Katara looked at him, focusing in on his scar, and then looked away. She remembered how he'd gotten it.
It occurred to her that she had never really talked to him about it.
"At least your…activities won't lead back to us, then," she noted. No firebending, no face. She crossed her arms again as he put the mask on. "So you're just going to go out and steal again?"
Zuko turned back to her, looking at her through the mask. "I thought we were on the same page?" He sounded slightly upset.
"No," she responded, shaking her head. "No, we are NOT on the same page. Just because I agreed that that one guy deserved to have his swords taken, does not mean that I approve of you going on a crime spree across the Earth Kingdom!"
Zuko groaned. "Well, what are we supposed to do? Beg? How has that been working?" He took a step forwards. "We can't live like this! Begging for spare coins, hoping we'll get enough for a meal. Not to mention how people treat us! You saw that guy, what he was doing! Why should we have to subject ourselves to that?"
"I'm not saying that you should! Just−"
"And now you're here, too! That's three of us, as well as the ostrich-horse."
"Well, maybe you shouldn't have stolen the ostrich-horse, then!" She glared as him.
He threw his hands up in the air. She couldn't see his expression through the mask, but she could certainly see his anger. He turned away from her. They seemed to be at an impasse.
She could never approve of letting him steal from innocent people who needed food and items, but he seemed dead set on taking what they needed. They could never convince each other to switch their views.
But then…
"What if we compromise?" She said it quietly, mostly to herself as she thought. Zuko looked back to her. Her eyebrows were furrowed, her fingers on her chin.
"What do you mean, 'compromise?'"
"I mean…well, those baskets of food were a bit much, anyways, right? It's too much, it could spoil, and then nobody will have benefitted from it. So…" She continued thinking, trying to find a way to make everyone happy. "How about you just steal money? And then I'll take charge of what we do with it." Zuko folded his arms as he looked at her. "I'm good with money," she defended. "Back when I was with Aang and my brother, I was always in charge of funds. I know what we need, and how much we need. So, if you get us money, I'll take care of getting what we need, and only what we need. We can make it last."
Zuko folded his arms. Katara couldn't see his face, of course, but she couldn't help but imagine that he had his eyebrow raised. "That's all? And you're fine with this, then?"
"No," Katara told him. "I'm not fine with this, and that's not all. Look, I admit I stole that scroll from those pirates. But, seriously, what were they going to do with it? They were selling it to some Earth Kingdom noble, someone who couldn't even use it! At least I put it to good use. I don't regret taking it," she admitted. "And I can't say I blame you for taking that jerk's swords. But I absolutely do not approve of you stealing from Song and her mother. They didn't deserve that! They helped you and Iroh. How could you do that to them?" She heard Zuko sigh, shaking his head. He looked away. "If you think you have to steal for us to survive out here−and I still think you're being an idiot, for the record−then I don't want you stealing from people who desperately need that money."
He looked back at her. "So what are you saying?"
"I'm saying I want you to use a bit more judgement when you decide to steal. There are a lot of people out here who are in just as bad a situation as us, or barely better. Please," she stressed the word. "Don't make things harder for these people." She balled her fist as she thought of why many of those people were in such bad situations. She let out her breath, unclenching her fist. As angry as she was at the Fire Nation, picking a fight with Zuko over it wouldn't help anyone. "Find people who have money to spare," she told him. "And leave everyone else alone."
Zuko stared for a moment. "Fine," he agreed. "I'll take money from those who have it, and you can decide how to spend it." Katara found herself smiling.
The two of them were then alone. It was awkward. Katara had been mad at him ever since Zuko had taken the ostrich-horse. And she hadn't been happy to see him again. And she didn't want to talk to him.
She was sick of thinking she had him figured out, just to have him turn around again.
"Did you eat?" he asked awkwardly.
"I was more preoccupied with you," she told him.
"Oh." They were quiet again, the buzzing of bugs being the only noise. "I'm glad you didn't get in trouble," Zuko said, finally. "After I took the ostrich-horse. Uncle said you could get blamed…I didn't mean to get you in trouble."
She shrugged. "Song saw it all. She backed me up."
"She did?" Zuko seemed to panic for a moment. "You mean…she saw, and she didn't do anything?"
"Like I said, they didn't deserve that. They knew I wasn't part of it, and weren't interested in punishing me for your actions." Zuko looked away again.
"I didn't really want to leave you behind," he told her. She looked away from him.
"I know, I guess. You did ask me to get up on the ostrich-horse with you. But…that was out of line. I didn't want any part of it." She crossed her arms.
"You should get back to uncle," he told her, putting the mask back on.
She nodded. "You had better follow the rules I set," she warned him. "I will NOT be happy if I hear about you robbing random villagers."
He walked off, in search of a target. Katara sighed, shaking her head. She hoped this was a good idea. She hadn't really thought it through. She was just trying to avoid another fight with Zuko, where they'd yell and get nowhere. She was vaguely reminded of when Aang, Sokka, and her had met the two feuding Earth Kingdom tribes. She and Sokka had fought over…what? How to set up tents. All of the fighting served no purpose, dividing the tribes, and setting her against her brother for the pettiest of reasons.
Aang was the one to mediate, to balance everyone out.
Katara had tried to channel him to settle the issue with Zuko. She wondered if Aang would approve. Of course, her compromise still involved letting Zuko go off and steal stuff for their own benefit, so perhaps Aang wouldn't approve.
Neither would Iroh, she thought as she walked back to him.
"Katara," he smiled as she finally returned. "How are you? You were gone for quite a while." He looked her over.
She took a bite of the food Zuko had brought, avoiding Iroh's eyes. "I was just talking to Zuko." She chewed, swallowed, and took another bite. If nothing else, keeping her mouth full kept her from having to elaborate.
Iroh raised an eyebrow. "I didn't think the two of you would avoid talking forever," he admitted. "But I am sort of surprised you've resumed talking so soon. Knowing you two, I thought the two of you would remain angry for quite a while."
She shrugged. "Can't remain angry forever. You know, I used to get mad at my brother a lot. We disagree about a lot of stuff, and he's really immature sometimes. And I always get stuck doing the chores. We'd argue a lot, but I still love him. So even when I do refuse to talk to him, I usually cave pretty quickly." She chewed and swallowed another bite. "Not that I love Zuko."
"Hmm." It hadn't been this awkward between Iroh and Katara since she'd first been on the raft with them.
"I've sorted things out with him, though. So, no more problems. For now, anyways." She took another bite, wondering if Iroh would realize what she and Zuko had agreed to. The old man was perceptive, and he knew Zuko well. Would he believe that he stopped?
"Well," Iroh said. "I'm glad the two of you are getting along again. It was becoming rather stressful being the only one who gets along with everyone." Katara smiled.
Zuko observed the town from the rooftops, keeping out of sight. He was searching for a target…
He had agreed to Katara's rules, and he intended to follow them. He had hoped she wouldn't notice his activity, but she had. Of course she had. And she had confronted him about it, angry like he figured she would be. They started to fight, again.
And then she decided to compromise. Zuko hadn't been expecting it, and he suspected that Katara had surprised herself with the idea.
He had agreed to her terms. They were a good idea, he felt. And he found that he approved of targeting the wealthy people, avoiding people who would be truly hurt by the loss. It made sense anyways−there'd be more money to take. And, it wouldn't hurt to let her control the money.
Certainly better than letting Uncle Iroh control the funds, he thought, remembering the shopping spree his uncle had gone on while looking for his lotus tile.
Finally, someone caught his eye. A well-dressed man, carrying an ornate chest. He was getting into a carriage, two guards along with him. Behind his mask, Zuko smirked.
Perfect.
Later in the day, Zuko returned.
"Nephew," Iroh said, offering a smile. "It's about time. I was getting worried."
"I'm fine, Uncle." He walked towards Katara, and sat down. He ate while Iroh spoke for a few minutes.
"I've been telling her about some of our nation's stories. The plays, the legends. I was just about to start telling her about Love Amongst the Dragons, but now that you're here maybe you should tell her about it? I believe you've seen the play more times than I have."
Katara raised an eyebrow. "Really?" she asked, looking to Zuko. "I never pegged you as one to love a romance story so much."
"It was my mother's favorite play," Zuko told her. He looked to the ground. "She insisted on going to watch it every year." Zuko gave a small, wistful smile. "I've practically got it memorized." Katara smiled. Zuko stood up again. "I'll tell you while we go into town," he offered. Katara stood up, realizing that he was asking her to do her part of the deal. Control the funds.
"Sure," she agreed.
Iroh, however, didn't look particularly pleased. "So soon? You only just came back from your walk." He was looking at both of them. Katara was sure she wasn't imagining the suspicion in his eyes.
"I've been in this forest all day," she told him. "A bit of civilization would be nice."
"Hmm." But Iroh let them go.
Before heading towards the village, they stopped at where Zuko hid his mask and swords. Pushing them aside, he pulled out a small, but ornate chest. He opened it, showing it to Katara.
Her mouth dropped.
"Whoa," she said quietly. The chest was filled with gold coins. "I don't think I've ever even seen this much money before."
"You said to target people who could afford to lose some," he reminded her. "The guy I took this from could definitely afford it."
"No kidding," she said. Blinking, she knelt down and took some of the coins, putting them into her moneybag. Despite taking a few coins out, the chest remained just about full. "This should last us a long time," she said. "Honestly, I don't know that you'll even have to take any more." She frowned as she thought of something. She filed the thought away, deciding she'd talk to Zuko about it later. After all, her compromise seemed to be working so far. Maybe she should wait just a little before pushing it further. "Come on."
They walked towards the village. "So…are you actually going to tell me about that play, then?"
Zuko glanced at her. "Do you want me to?"
Katara shrugged. "I'm curious," she admitted. "I grew up in the South Pole. I know all of my tribe's legends, but the rest of the world is pretty unfamiliar to me. And I definitely don't know much about the Fire Nation, since most of my experience with your people has involved them throwing fire at me." Zuko gave a sharp glance towards her. "Your uncle told me about some other Fire Nation legends and plays. A lot of them seem really interesting. I'd love to hear some more."
Zuko awkwardly scratched his head for moment. "Alright…let me see…"
As they walked, he told her about Love Amongst the Dragons. He really must have seen it a lot of times, Katara noted. He told her all about the play, down to every detail, every character. It sounded like an enjoyable play, though Zuko noted that the troupe that performed the play was awful.
"You wouldn't believe how bad the Ember Island Players are," he told her, shaking his head. "You can give them the best story in the world, and they'll still find a way to mess it up."
"They can't be that bad, can they? I mean, your mother must have liked them enough…"
He frowned. "She loved the story so much that even the Ember Island Players couldn't ruin it for her. But, believe me, if there were a better troupe in our vicinity, she'd have probably wanted to go see theirs." Katara smiled. She could actually almost see it. A young, scar-less Zuko and his family going to see a badly performed play. It was hard to imagine them being…functional. She wondered if they really had had normal moments.
They reached the town, and they stopped talking. After all, 'Lee' shouldn't be talking about Fire Nation plays. He turned to her. "There's something I need to get," he told her. "I know you want to be in charge of the money, but there's something I want to get."
Katara frowned. "How much do you need?"
"I don't think it should be too much. Maybe one gold coin?" He looked confused, and scratched his head. "I've never bought this before; I don't know how much it costs."
Katara blinked and raised an eyebrow. "What is it you're buying exactly?" But she still handed him a gold coin. Hopefully, whatever it was, it wasn't anything too stupid. After all, they weren't exactly lacking for funds anymore.
Zuko blushed. "It's a surprise," he told her. He quickly walked off, looking around town. Katara raised an eyebrow, hands on her hips.
"A surprise?" she murmured. "Do I even want to know?" She shook her head, moving on to get the things she'd thought of.
Zuko walked around the shop he had found. It had a lot of girly things in it. Makeup, fancy robes, hair things. Finally, he found what he was after.
Hair ties. He recalled that Katara had previously held her hair back in some elaborate braided style. It was a Water Tribe style, he figured. She had also had her hair formed into some sort of loops in the front. After she had ended up on the raft with him and Uncle Iroh, the loops had quickly come undone, the beads falling out. Her braid, as he recalled, had also come undone after a few days, and her hair had become tangled. When they had finally reached shore, she had her hair trimmed a few inches to remove the tangles. Ever since, her hair had been hanging loose, though he had noticed that she had occasionally tried to braid it or tie it back without any ribbon or strings. It had always come undone fairly quickly.
She's probably used to keeping it tied back, he reasoned. Like I was used to keeping part of my head shaved. So he figured that she would appreciate a new hair tie. It felt sort of weird to be in the store, looking to buy something for a girl. He had never done that before. But he was hoping that it could serve as a peace offering to her. True, they had started talking again, and she didn't seem to be anywhere near as angry as she was before. Still, it all seemed a little fast, and he didn't want her to resume her hatred of him. Girls are crazy, he had said many years ago, and it still seemed to be true.
Katara was baffling. She defied all his expectations, all the time. The fact that she had once again decided to travel with them only added to it. A waterbender who willingly chose to travel beside a pair of firebenders−royal firebenders at that. Zuko recalled how he had overheard Uncle Iroh telling her that he believed that she and he were similar. He hadn't believed it at the time, and neither had Katara if he recalled correctly. But then, he was increasingly realizing that his uncle may have been right. They were both passionate, and stubborn. They were dedicated to their goals, and refused to give up. When they argued, they were nearly reflections of one another. Zuko recalled how they had argued on the night he had taken the ostrich-horse. There was fire in her eyes, just as he was sure there was in his own.
The truth was, he had missed her while she was gone, and now that she was back, he didn't want to spend their time together, whether that be another month or only one more day, fighting.
He hoped a gift would make it easier to talk to her.
There were no blue ribbons, he noted, but there was a brown one. It was almost the color of her hair. He didn't see any beads anywhere, though. He grabbed the ribbon, walking up to the shopkeeper.
"How much for this?" he asked.
"Two silver," she told him.
"Is one gold coin alright?"
The shopkeeper frowned, and went to check to see if she had change. "It'll work," she told him. "Don't you want anything else though? You didn't seriously come here just for a ribbon, did you?"
"Do you have beads?" Zuko asked. "For hair?" Unhelpfully, Zuko put his hands to his head, curling his index fingers downward, trying to imitate Katara's hair loopies.
"Put your fingers down," the woman said. "You're making yourself look like a fool." Zuko quickly put his hands down, glaring. "We don't sell beads here, sorry."
"Fine," Zuko muttered. "Just the ribbon, then." He exchanged the gold coin for the ribbon, as well as a few silver coins. He left the shop. It was almost nighttime. He blinked. He hadn't realized how long he had been in there, searching for the ribbon.
"Lee!" He turned around to see Katara. "Did you get what you wanted?" she asked.
"It was more trouble than I thought it would be," he grumbled. "Did you get what we need?"
She nodded. "And we've got some money left over." She smiled, looking hopefully at him. "Actually, I was hoping we could give that away? To people who need it, I mean."
"What?!" Zuko looked at her. "But what if we need it later?"
"We still have plenty," she pointed out. "That chest should last quite a while, even if we do give some away. And if we do run out, it's not like we can't get more. This way, not only will we benefit, but so will some other people in need." She bit her lip. "It would make me feel better about all this…"
Zuko looked at her as she said that. He had been trying to patch things up, after all. The gift idea was barely panning out, so perhaps going along with this would appease her?
"Alright," he agreed, folding his arms. "You can give what we have left over away."
Katara grinned, and dragged him off to start giving coins to people who seemed to need them. Zuko blushed as her hand grasped his. He felt vaguely strange as he saw her smile.
They spent an additional hour walking around town, giving coins to a variety of people, many of whom were clearly poor. Some were refugees. Katara was the one picking who to give the coins to, but Zuko also noticed the people he had taken the food from earlier. He felt a stirring of guilt, and quietly pointed them out to Katara. They followed the couple home, and pushed several gold coins under their door.
It was nighttime when they finally began walking back from the town. Katara seemed to be in a much better mood than she had been in the beginning of the day, and she even talked to him, smiling as she spoke of the people who'd she had given money to.
It was as good a time as any to give her the gift, he supposed.
"About what I wanted to buy earlier," he began awkwardly. "It wasn't really important or anything…"
"What is it?"
"It was, well, actually it was for you. If you want it, mean. If you don't like it I can just…I don't know…" He pulled the ribbon out, offering it to Katara. "Look, I know we aren't exactly friends, but…I don't want to be fighting with you while you're here. So I was thinking maybe this could be a peace offering?"
Katara's eyes widened. "You bought this for me?" She took the offered ribbon.
"You used to wear your hair back, but you lost your beads and your hair tie…I figured maybe I could replace them. But the shop didn't have any beads, so I just got this ribbon…"
"Thank you." Katara said, offering a smile. It was dark, but Zuko could almost swear that she was blushing. "It's more than what I had. Thanks, Zuko."
There was that feeling again. "You're welcome." It was awkward for a moment. He cleared his throat. "I guess…we should get back to Uncle, then."
"Right," Katara quickly agreed. "He's probably worried about us."
They continued walking.
Iroh wasn't there when they reached their campsite. It made Katara worried, but Zuko assured her that Iroh knew what he was doing.
"He already poisoned himself once," she pointed out.
"Well that was tea," Zuko told her. "Usually he has more sense." He scowled. "He's been here all day, too. He probably wanted to get out for a bit."
"You don't think he went to town to look for us, do you?"
"If he did, once he realizes we're not there, he'll come back."
So the two of them waited. Katara took the silence as an opportunity to do her hair, using the ribbon Zuko had bought her. It really was a nice gesture, she noted. She found that she appreciated it. It didn't absolve him of stealing the ostrich-horse, or his more recent thefts. But then, as long as he played by her rules, he wouldn't really be hurting anyone who needed the money. He even went along with her idea of giving some of the money out to others. She smiled as she recalled how he had pointed out the couple he had stolen the food from. As much as his contradictions frustrated her, it was moments like these in which she found that she didn't mind being with him. She could almost call him a friend on days like this.
She fiddled with her hair, trying to decide what to do with it. She had no beads, no pins, and her hair was a little shorter than it had been. Her usual style wouldn't be feasible. Messing around, eventually she just pulled most of her hair back into a low ponytail. She loosened two strands of hair, one on each side; so that they would hang by her face a bit, before reaching the hair tie. They weren't quite like her usual hair loopies, but they as close as she could manage. She wasn't sure how it looked. It was dark and there was no mirror. And there was no way she was going to ask Zuko what he thought of her hairstyle.
Iroh finally arrived, walking into the camp, by the fire. He looked at the two of them, and at the few things Katara had bought. He turned over to look at Katara. He raised an eyebrow, and Katara couldn't help but feel that he was disappointed in them.
"I see you bought us a few more supplies." He picked up the bandaging cloths that Katara had bought. "I hope we won't have need for this." He looked back to Katara. "You also bought a new hair tie."
"Zuko did," she said. "It was a peace offering."
Zuko sat, brooding. He still didn't speak.
"I understand that we may need these things," Iroh said. "But where did you get the money?" It was like a stone dropped. Katara's face faltered, and she looked to Zuko.
It occurred to her that the tree they had the chest and Zuko's stuff hidden in wasn't that hard to find. It was almost right next to their campsite. Had Iroh found it? Was that where he had been? She should have known they couldn't keep this from him.
Iroh sighed, shaking his head. "Katara, if you please, I need to speak with my nephew. Alone." She frowned.
"I let him do it," she said.
"But it was his idea." Katara gave a glance to Zuko, who avoided her gaze. She stepped out of the campsite, walking away to give them the space Iroh had asked for.
Guilt gnawed at her as she waited. What had she been thinking? She should have known this was all a bad idea. She had been enamored with the idea of peace between her and Zuko, she realized. Her compromise hadn't solved the problem. And, as she had feared, Iroh had figured it out, nearly immediately. And he was disappointed, just as she knew he would be. He had easily identified Zuko as the one who had begun the stealing, and he was confronting him about it now. But Katara just knew that he was disappointed in her as well, and that hurt. She had grown close to Iroh over the weeks. He had been the mediator on the raft, offering her comfort and company when she had never been lonelier. He had protected her when they came ashore, and offered her information and guidance. Truthfully, he had been filling a position held previously by Pakku, by Gran-Gran. Her relationship with Zuko was…complicated, but Iroh felt almost like family.
It hurt to know that she had let him down.
She had walked over to where their things were hidden. The chest of gold was gone. Iroh had probably done his best to return it to its original owner, she supposed. The mask and swords, however, were still there.
She felt like kicking herself.
You'd think I'd have learned after the pirates, she thought.
After a few more minutes, she decided to head back to see if they were done yet. Zuko wasn't there, she immediately noticed. Iroh was sitting alone, looking to the campfire.
"Hey," she said quietly, awkwardly. "Look, I'm really sorry about all of this." She was looking down, holding her wrist. "I knew immediately that he'd stolen the food earlier. So I went and confronted him about it…"
"And decided to allow him to continue?" Iroh's voice was as kind as ever. It actually made Katara feel even guiltier.
"I thought we could compromise," she told him. "I controlled the money. I only bought what we need. And he would only rob the wealthy."
"And did that stop it from being a crime? Did it change the fact that Zuko was going up and taking that which didn't belong to him?" Iroh shook his head.
"No," Katara said softly. She kicked a foot against the ground. "I just thought that maybe if we worked out a compromise, then we could get along again. I missed it," she admitted. "But you're right. We shouldn't be stealing, and I shouldn't have let him continue." She sighed. "I'm just as much a thief, too. I used the money, after all. I'm sorry."
"I'm not the one you should be apologizing to," Iroh said. He was still calm. "Come, sit with me." She sat down across from him. "I'll admit," he started. "I wasn't expecting this from you. I thought you had better judgment than this." She looked down. "But perhaps I shouldn't be so surprised. I do recall an incident involving pirates."
"I really should've learned my lesson then, shouldn't I?"
"I said Zuko learns from consequences. I never said he learned the first time. Sometimes, we do make mistakes twice. Of course, I should hope there wouldn't be a third time." He was looking at her. She nodded.
"It won't happen again," she promised. "Lesson learned." She frowned. "What about Zuko? Did he promise not to do this anymore?"
Iroh looked troubled. "My nephew is going through a hard time," he told her. "Bad enough when he was just banished. Now he has been labelled a traitor. All he had, gone. I'm afraid he isn't adapting well."
"Will he be okay?"
"In time," Iroh said. "But I don't know what it will take for him to find his path again."
"Guess my compromise wasn't exactly helping," she muttered.
"That wasn't the best idea," Iroh agreed. "But I do believe you are helping him, more than you realize."
She looked over to him. "You think so?"
"Sure. I know he care about you. You have the hair tie to prove it."
Katara gave a small smile. "I did convince him to give some of the money to others who need it."
Iroh smiled. "It is a good use for the money," he agreed. "If you weren't here, I fear Zuko would have indulged in a bit more senseless spending." He chuckled. "I suppose my own spending habits may have rubbed off on him."
"You can't be that bad," she denied.
"Oh, no." He grinned. "Did Zuko ever tell you about the time I lost my white lotus tile?"
Katara blinked. "No…"
He recounted the story, down to where Zuko had tossed the tile away at the end. He told her about several other occasions when he had gone on particularly large shopping sprees. She laughed at his more bizarre stories.
Before long, she fell asleep.
Zuko still hadn't returned.
Morning came, and Katara woke up wearily. She had been up fairly late. Iroh was working to prepare breakfast with what they had, and she quickly set herself to help. She saw Zuko coming back. Was he seriously gone all night?
"Zuko?"
He paid her a quick glance, and for a moment Katara thought he almost looked guilty, but he quickly focused his attention on Uncle Iroh. "Uncle. I thought a lot about what you said."
"You did? Good!" Iroh seemed surprised.
"It's helped me realize something," Zuko continued. "We no longer have anything to gain by traveling together."
"What?!" Katara dropped what she was holding, staring at Zuko in surprise. He can't be serious… "You aren't seriously talking about leaving us?" She shot a look to Iroh, who looked resigned. She looked back to Zuko. "You can't leave Uncle Iroh." She shook her head.
"I have to do this," he told Katara firmly. He wasn't angry. He wasn't shouting. He looked back to his uncle again. "I need to find my own way."
Katara glanced at Iroh again as Zuko picked up a pack of supplies. Katara frowned, and then began following Zuko.
"You can't just leave like this," she insisted. She shook her head as he looked back.
"Katara, my destiny is not here."
"How do you know where your destiny is?" she fired back. "What makes you so sure it isn't here? With Uncle Iroh? With me?" She hadn't even thought before adding that last one in. She started blushing. "I thought we could be friends," she told him. "I thought you wanted to be friends. But now you're just gonna leave again?! Why is it every time I think we could be friends, you leave me behind?"
"This isn't about you!" Zuko snapped. He was quiet for a moment as Katara glared. "I don't want to leave you behind."
"Then don't!"
He hesitated for a moment.
Iroh walked up, pulling the ostrich-horse behind him. He handed the reins over to Zuko as Katara stared in shock.
"Are kidding me?" she asked him. "It's like you want him to leave!" Which Katara was certain wasn't really the case at all.
"Katara," Iroh shook his head. "This is his choice. Not ours." Katara's mouth dropped as she stared for a moment. She looked back to Zuko, who looked back at them. He looked sadly at Uncle Iroh, and then looked to Katara. She met his eyes, arms folded. He like he wanted to say something for a moment, but then he turned his head, and had the Ostrich-horse start running.
Katara waited for a few moments before rounding on Iroh. "What was that for? Why didn't you try to stop him? And why in the world would you give him the ostrich-horse? Who knows where he's going? Does he even have any idea where he's going?! Did he take enough food? What if Azula finds him?" Katara's mind briefly ran through all the things that could happen to Zuko. He was, after all, Zuko. If trouble didn't find him, then he would find it. She could feel tears forming, and did her best to pretend they weren't. After all, she couldn't possibly be crying over somebody she was mad at just twenty-four hours earlier.
"Katara," Iroh said, putting a hand on her shoulder. "I could not have dissuaded him on this. Neither could you."
"You didn't even try," she protested.
"It wouldn't have worked. He is troubled; he believes that he needs to find his own path. Right now, the best we can do is let him."
"But what if he gets into trouble?"
Iroh gave a small smile. "That is why I gave him the ostrich-horse." He pointed to the ground. "Much easier to track than one teenage boy." The ostrich-horse's tracks were decently deep and unique. Katara slowly smiled.
"We're going to follow him, then?"
"I admit, I'm not ready to let him go off on his own just yet," Iroh admitted. "Especially with his sister after us. I don't intend on letting Zuko get into more trouble than he can handle."
"Neither do I," Katara agreed. "I suppose we should pack up camp."
Iroh nodded. "We'll let him keep a decent lead, but we should remain close enough behind him that we can intervene if necessary."
With a stone in her heart, Katara help Iroh pack up camp, preparing to follow Zuko. It had been a hectic day. With her angry at Zuko, then compromising, and then talking again. More than ever, she had begun to feel like they were friends.
And then he left again.
It actually hurt to think about how he had left again.
But, she decided as she and Iroh began following the tracks, we'll see each other again. And so help me, he had better not find another excuse to run off.