Title: Of Sparks and Tears
Author: Sadista
a/n: Hello, Avatar fans. FYI, this is my first fic in this category, so please tolerate me. And, because of the general lack of females and tolerable males so far in the series, I have now deemed Zuko/Katara as my favorite pairing here. Now, wasn't that wonderful? So. Go. Read. Now.
P.S. this a repost of the original story, with a slightly different title, an added scene, and editing of a few parts and grammatical errors.
d: Don't own Avatar: The Last Airbender, nor the song 'Neon' by Spongecola.
-
Everything about you
The world was something new
And I was there at the open
Well just to be with you
But every time I see the shelter
And every time I walk away
You're the laughter in my silence
The cold that feeds my day…
She saw herself in his eyes.
They were a gorgeous shade, of amber mixing with hazel, with flecks of green, a color she could only describe properly as gold.
His eyes were golden.
She saw herself reflected in them, and she had never seen herself look lovelier than she did now; her brown hair was messy but strangely elegant, her face taut but graceful, and her own eyes were wide and sparkling. Come to think of it, she couldn't ever have looked like this if it was just any other reflection, other than the one she saw in his eyes. But that wasn't all that she meant.
His eyes were fiery and aggressive, but if you looked closer, just a little bit, you can see his dreams, his obsessions… his weariness, and hopelessness.
He was just like her; but saying that would be comparable to saying, that fire is just like water.
But then, maybe it was.
Katara was snapped out of her reverie when his grip on her delicate wrists tightened, his face so close to hers she could feel his breath, hot on her lips. Zuko's angular face had an enraged expression on it, his mouth was moving as if he was talking, his eyes narrowing slightly, and his voice was barely audible to her, like some far away echo, like cries of distant angels, but she could tell that he was getting desperate by the minute. But, she had to admit, he looks kind of striking, and even the burn scar on his face seemed to speak of his brash elegance.
But she couldn't reply as swiftly as she would have liked to; she was too dazed by his presence, his closeness, his warmth almost pressed to her body. His scent drifted to her nose; like leaves in autumn, like burnt roses and vanishing candles. It was making her feel lightheaded.
She could distinctly remember that she said something in return; something bold, displaying more bravado than she had felt at that exact moment.
He trembled with indecision as they both stood there, still and unmoving, and then the intensity was gone. She saw him sigh, his hold on her loosening, and after a few instances of confusion, she found herself bound with the ropes again. Any bravery she had shown was as fake as a wolf in sheep's clothing; in truth she was getting pretty weak in the knees as she was staring straight into his eyes, for she found out that she could not look away even if she wanted to. Them tying her up was just as well, because if he held her a moment longer she would have collapsed.
Katara watched him get angry at his men, rampaging as they stood there awkwardly and helplessly. He threw occasional accusatory glares at her, like the whole thing had been her fault. She saw her cerulean necklace trapped in his clenched fist and gasped.
She didn't know why he was affecting her this way. It only took one moment, the split second she truly looked into his eyes and saw herself in them; but the entire ordeal left her heart skipping a few beats, her breath catching itself involuntarily, and her voice stopping in her throat and coming out as coarse wisps of air.
A cold blew by, the night air tingling her skin, and almost killing the flaming ball Zuko held strongly in his hand, with a threat to hurl it at his incompetent soldiers. It was then and there that she decided that he is striking.
-
For the second time in history, she saw herself reflected in his eyes again.
She had been here before: within his arms, face barely inches away from his.
Only difference was, it was the peak of midnight, when it had gotten darker as the moon was concealed by thy black sky, the air was crisper and icy, and now, there was a boundary.
Zuko had her pressed against a tree, the rough bark scratching her skin, her small hands trapped by his large and calloused ones. There was no water nearby; nothing that could help her get out of this situation, and again, she was rendered vulnerable and powerless.
"Alone again, aren't we, Katara?" He spoke, a smirk creeping onto his face at her expense.
Katara's face reddened in the darkness. The emotions she felt during that first close encounter with him had never left her, and now, they were coming back stronger than ever.
"What's it to you, Zuko?"She retorted, not as indignant as she hoped. One of his hands unclasped around hers and went to caress her cheek, much to her astonishment.
"Do you really want to know?" His tone was nearly teasing, like a predator playing with its prey, only gentler. Her blush was unceasing; in fact, she could have sworn even he felt the heat radiating from her face.
She opened her mouth to reply, but at that exact moment he closed his beautiful eyes and the tiny distance between their faces, his lips catching hers flawlessly.
The kiss was long, and almost passionate, as he held her tighter, and now, her hands were pressed up against his chest, eyes opened wide and disbelieving, her back no longer against the tree but supported by his arms around her. A hand pressed lightly into the small of her back, his mouth kissing her harder but softer at the same time, and she closed her eyes and allowed a quiet moan to escape, relishing this one moment of ecstasy. They were a perfect fit, it seems.
After a brief eternity, he pulled back, much to her silent dismay. A smile played on his lips, a direct contrast to the frown he always wore.
"Just wanted to drop by and steal something else of yours." He said mysteriously, as he tucked a stray strand of hair behind her ear, hand dropping to her collarbone and fingering the sapphire pendant on her necklace. She looked up at him, too confused to say anything.
Suddenly, they heard voices calling out her name nearby.
"Katara!"That had been Sokka. The next one had been Aang.
"Looks like your little friends are here. I've got to go, haven't I?" He asked in his drawling honey voice.
"I…"She stuttered, before he leaned closer to her, pastel lips hovering directly above her ear, sending shivers of pleasure down her spine.
"Just remember, I was first Katara. I will always be first." He whispered deliciously, then he stepped backwards and, with a smirk, seemingly disappeared into thin air.
She remained motionless, her back inches from the tree, arms at her chest as if to protect, eyes wide and mouth slightly agape. She shuddered, an aftereffect, before dropping to her knees.
"Katara!" The Avatar himself jumped out from behind a bush, worry etched unto his face. "Are you alright?"
The enchanting spell had been broken, by sheer accident. "Aang? O-of course I'm alright! Why wouldn't I be?" She stood up defiantly, and it was like nothing had ever happened.
"Well, we saw the smoke stop from afar, and realized someone must have put out our campfire. We knew it couldn't have been you, so we had to check it out." Sokka stepped out, going closer to her.
Katara's gaze drifted to the extinguished fire. Zuko must have done that.
Zuko…
Even the mere mention of his name brought a soft pink blush to her face.
Sokka looked bewildered. "Are you sure you're okay, Katara?" He raised an eyebrow.
Two of her fingers came to touch the pendant, then went up to her lips, which still blazed from the kiss. And heaven forbid, she could still taste him…
"Uh, yeah. Sure." Her eyes remained on the burnt pile of twigs, one small trail of smoke going out of them.
"I guess it was just… blown away by the wind."
-
Pebbles, when thrown at the river, caused ripples in the water, she learned that day.
The easy realization made her giddy, and for a moment, her thoughts were purely blissful and content, allowing a giggle to escape from her lips.
It had been so obvious; it wasn't like she didn't know it before. It was just that… she never really thought about it. And that was enough to send her into silent fits of private laughter.
"Something funny?"
Katara bit her lip to stop the laughter, bursting from her mouth. Usually, just the sound of his deep voice would freeze her momentarily, but it didn't work today. Not when she was this happy.
She turned her head to look up at Zuko; a slight smile on his face, clearly amused by her antics. Suddenly, her brow creased in worry.
"What are you doing? You shouldn't be here…" Her own voice sounded tense and unusually high-pitched. It made her wince; he noticed this.
"I do a lot of things I shouldn't be doing," He shrugged nonchalantly, sitting beside her on the lush riverbank, stretching his legs out and leaning back. She observed him with fervent eyes.
"The important thing is: Don't get caught." He winked, with the golden eye that was almost shut by the scar. "And I almost never do."
With that, he closed in and tentatively planted a soft kiss on her lips, making her flush a bit. She didn't think she'd ever get used to that; he was just too surprising.
When he drew back, she looked warily around them.
"Why so nervous, Katara?"
She glared sharply at him. He was just so calm, damn it!
"You know, Sokka and Aang could be anywhere here. In fact, they could be watching us, right now at this very moment." She gritted her teeth at the last words, just to put a little anxiety on his ever-tranquil mind.
"So? Why do you care so much?
It was funny how he made the most complicated things seem so simple; it was like making an igloo with an ice cube. And what really got on her nerves was that he actually succeeded.
She sighed. "We're two different people, Zuko. I'm like water and you're…"
"Like fire." He finished. "I've heard that before."
"See here? If I throw this smooth stone into the river, it'll cause ripples in the water. Fire won't cause ripples, won't it? It just burns." She the word 'burns' dropped from her lips like venom, like it was the thing that made them different, and what had been keeping them apart. She hurled the stone into the river, and, sure enough, big ripples erupted from where the stone stopped skidding along the water, and slowly sank into its depths.
He nodded, stroking his chin. "That's where you're mistaken."
He stood up, going to an area in the where there was a patch of dried grass; her eyes watching his every move. He snapped his fingers, and from it, there was a small spark of flame that then became a ball of fire. He tossed it to the ground, and soon the grass slowly tore into flares.
Zuko turned to her cockily with a swish of his pony-tailed dark hair, grinning almost deviously, a feat he was able to pull off perfectly.
"Your water ripples just as my fire consumes."
-
They would remain enemies, she knew, until he stopped in his quest to capture the Avatar. Her loyalty should remain as it is, she also knew; Aang had been her friend first, longer than Zuko had been her infatuation.
Until then, she would have to be content with stealing glimpses at him whenever their paths crossed; content herself with fighting his fire with her water to defend her allies; and content herself with the knowing looks and secret smiles only they shared with each other. She knew he knew it as well.
Every now and then, though, when they were faced in a battle, quite farther from the others, he would always kiss her, again and again and again, each kiss sweeter than the last; a reminder that he was first, always first. And second, and third, and fourth…
Forbidden love could only go so far.
-
She could not believe her own ears.
It was not only that; she refused to believe it.
Zuko, crown prince of the Fire Nation, cannot be dead!
He couldn't have died at the hands of the Earthbenders; the spear that they thrust into his side couldn't have caused such a fatal wound; and the agonized howl he screamed as he died couldn't have been his last breath fading away!
Zuko, crown prince of the Fire Nation, cannot be dead!
Katara stared incredulously at Sokka, who seemed sickeningly hesitant as he delivered the horrible news.
"Zuko's… dead?" Katara croaked out, the realization sending her head spinning and bringing hot tears to her eyes.
"Yeah." He said, scratching the nape of his neck. "I… I guess it's a good thing, right?"
No one bothered to answer him. Even Aang remained unspoken, big sad eyes averted to the ground.
Her nails pressed crescents into her palm as her fists clenched at her sides, in domineering anger towards her brother.
"We shouldn't be glad that someone is dead, Sokka." Aang said quietly, saying what she had wanted to.
"C-come on, guys… I mean, at least we don't have to keep on running and hiding anymore, huh?" He spoke in a rather unconvincing attempt to persuade.
A silence that had never been before there hung over them, with Katara wondering when her brother had become so… was the word inconsiderate?
"I'm going to the Fire Nation." Katara announced firmly, not caring what anyone would have thought. "I must see him."
"You can take Appa," Aang offered. She tried her hardest at a sincere smile in return, but it came out more like a mere twitch of the mouth, so she replied by wrapping her arms around him instead.
"Thanks, Aang." She said softly, in absolute gratitude. Sokka stared at them disbelievingly, torn between his strong beliefs in what is right, his persistent conscience, and his wavering hardened nature.
"I'd come with you, but I don't think I can take it…" His tone dropped an octave. "We were almost friends, Katara. Enemies, but almost friends." His young voice shook uncontrollably. She nodded in understanding.
"We were almost something more."
-
If she didn't know any better, she would have said that he was merely sleeping, by the looks of it.
Forevermore, he looked peaceful; golden eyes closed and features relaxed.
He was as perfect as the crackles of fire, the blinding crimson and orange that he held power and dominion over; as perfect as the stunning and unexpected beauty of his eyes. As perfect as the swirls of sky-blue and pearl-white of her own element, water; as perfect as the image of herself when she was once reflected in his golden orbs.
Without a thought in her head, she bent down and caught his pale mouth in one last kiss of farewell.
When she arose, she became conscious of the fact that Iroh, his uncle, who had been standing near the door of the parlor where the coffin was, had seen the entire display of affection.
"His lover, aren't you?" He asked, catching her off-guard. She expected him to be shocked, or angry, and not have spoken in the sympathetic tone in which he did to her. But nothing about the Firebenders had been what she expected.
"Y-yes…" She blurted out, vision clouding as her eyes brimmed with tears. 'It could have been.'
"You can say that."
He nodded kindly, solemnly, but kindly. "He died with your name on his lips…"
Katara whispered a hushed "thank you," turned her back to him, and walked away.
-
She watched the decayed old tree tear its roots from the ground, its brown leaves and branches rustling noisily, as it fell with a mighty crash, on the once-serene crystal river. The tree created a near-gigantic wave of strong current water that even reached and swept through the shallower edges of the riverbank. She stepped back to avoid getting wet, remembering the forest fire she had witnessed only yesterday devour everything in its path.
There were no second thoughts about it now; fire is just like water.
Now everything is silent
And everything is still
Without you near…
fin
-
a/n: Kind of short and confusing, but that should have been expected. But then, I didn't really mean for this fic to turn out the way it did. Wow, my first fic here and I already killed someone (don't get me wrong, I love Zuko)! Btw, if you are a true Avatar fan, you would have recognized the first part as a scene from the episode 'The Waterbending Scroll.' If not, well, congratulations to you all the same for making it this far.
REVIEW! Flames and water, please.