Do I love you because you're beautiful, or are you beautiful because I love you?
Am I making believe I see in you a girl too lovely to be really true?
Do I want you because you're wonderful, or are you wonderful because I want you?
Are you the sweet invention of a lover's dream or are you really as beautiful as you seem?
Am I making believe I see in you a man too perfect to be really true?
Do I want you because you're wonderful, or are you wonderful because I want you?
Are you the sweet invention of a lover's dream or are you really as wonderful as you seem?
Iroh and the crew returned a short time after Rie and Zuko's conversation, laden with food, more fresh water, and a lot of tea. One of the crew muttered to Rie, "If it hadn't been for us, the general would have returned with more tea than food."
"I don't doubt that," Rie replied, taking a crate of the tea. She carried it down to the storeroom, then suddenly felt extremely cold. Though it only lasted a minute, it left Rie with a sense of foreboding all day.
When Rie woke up the next morning, she was shivering even under her covers. "C-c-c-cold snap," she stammered, hurriedly changing and wrapping up in her cloak and hood. She left her cabin, lighting a fire before she left to warm it up.
The deck was a health hazard, coated with ice as it was. Rie stumbled to Iroh's cabin, knowing that if he were awake, he'd have something hot to eat and/or drink.
"Ah, Madam Rie!" The general was already wake and functional. "I see our cold snap has woken you up."
"Shocked me is more like it, General," Rie replied dryly. "I wake up and my coverings are nearly frozen to my bed. I thought these were warmer waters than the Northern Water Tribe's waters."
"So did I," Iroh admitted. "But, who can predict what the weather will do?"
Meteorologists, thought Rie. "I was just seeing if you were awake, and to see if I could have some of that lemon tea you have," Rie commented.
Iroh laughed and gave Rie a cup. Rie nodded her thanks, but refused an offer to stay.
"I planned on checking on Zuko and Katara before returning to my room and my bed," Rie said, leaving the general and crossing the passage.
Both Zuko and Katara were still sound asleep when Rie opened the door. Shrugging, Rie returned to her cabin.
Soon after she situated herself in front of the fire, Rie saw the flames make abnormal shapes. Figuring that Roku was attempting to warn her, Rie braced herself for his arrival.
She wasn't disappointed. Avatar Roku was standing before Rie in two seconds. "I was wondering when I was going to see you again," Rie commented. "I haven't seen you in about a week."
"You were doing well on your own," Roku admitted. "But now you need to see what is happening in the next cabin over."
"Zuko and Katara's?" Rie asked. "They're asleep, aren't they?"
Roku nodded. "At this moment, yes. But in about two seconds, Zuko's going to wake up."
Rie smirked. "Ooh, this is gonna be good." She followed Roku through her wall into the next cabin.
Sure enough, Prince Zuko was waking up as the two walked in. Rie could tell that the prince hadn't gotten much sleep.
It took a few minutes before Zuko reacted to the extreme cold. Shivering, he sent a blast of fire at the small pile of wood in the center of the room. Yawning, Zuko got up and sat shivering by the fire he had started. "It's almost as cold as those waters," Zuko muttered to himself.
"What waters?" came Katara's groggy voice from her bed.
"The North Pole waters," Zuko replied. "It's a cold snap."
The lump that was Katara shivered. "Brrr. Not even the Winter Solstice back home is this cold." Katara yawned and sat up. "Might as well get up now." Katara attempted to stand, but collapsed.
"Ow. I think my legs have fallen asleep or froze," she said. She tried to move them. No response.
Zuko went over to Katara, kneeled, then used Firebending to help bring the life back into her legs. Rie saw Katara blush slightly.
"Thanks," Katara muttered as Zuko returned to his spot. The prince just shrugged. Katara stretched once more, then joined Zuko, sitting on the opposite side of the fire.
Nothing was said while the two teens warmed themselves up, which made Rie very ticked off. The spirit next to her saw this.
"You are allowed to interfere with something if you feel it necessary, Rie." The girl gave Roku a grateful look and made the fire go out with the bending she had been granted.
Zuko, who had been preoccupied, noticed the flame go out. Sighing, he blasted the wood once more, but found that the flame went out, thanks again to Rie. "Stupid wood," Zuko muttered. He got up to get more from the pile next to the cabin door.
"Never thought Madam Rie's suggestion would come in handy," Katara said, grabbing her quilt. (The parka she usually had had stayed on Appa when she fell.)
"What?"
"Madam Rie was the one who suggested we keep some sort of kindling in here, in case we needed a permanent fire," Katara explained. The prince shrugged as he set more down and lit it, this time the flame staying lit.
Katara, wrapped in her covers, smiled. "I guess Firebending has its bonuses," she remarked. Again, Zuko just shrugged.
"Is something wrong? You've barely said a word, and usually you make some comment about how slow we're going," Katara said.
"I didn't get much sleep last night," Zuko told her.
"I thought I heard someone moaning," Katara mused. "Bad dream?"
Zuko looked like he was about to say yes, but changed his mind. "No. My scars were bothering me."
Katara shifted a bit. "I don't see why you won't let me heal some of the worse ones."
"I don't need your help," Zuko snapped. "How many times do I have to tell you? I've never needed help, and I don't want it."
If Rie could have given the prince a piece of her mind about how he knew he needed the help, but was afraid that asking would show weakness, she would have. Instead, she had to stand quietly, since no one could hear people in the spirit world.
Katara may have not be able to hear Rie's voice, but she sure got the thoughts, because in the next instant, Katara said, "What are you afraid of? It's not like I'm going to hurt anyone. Besides, I don't think that anything scares you."
"One thing does," Zuko whispered.
"What?" Katara asked. Then, she answered her own question. "Showing weakness? Asking for help doesn't show weakness. If that was the case, then Aang would be as weak as a baby. He knows that he needs help, and asks for it. Grant you, it's usually spiritual help, but it's still help."
Zuko turned away. "Why would you want to help a monster?"
It took Katara a minute to realize what he was saying. "Oh, about that. I'm sorry for what I said. I was missing my brother and Aang more than usual and thinking how if Appa hadn't been hurt by your catapult or whatever, I wouldn't be here right now," Katara said, truly sorry. "I don't really think you're a monster."
"That's not what you said."
Rie had to do a double take. Didn't he say almost the same thing when Rie told him that Katara didn't hate his gut and think he was a monster? "What is it with teenaged boys and not taking people seriously?" she asked no one in particular.
"He did take what you said seriously," Roku said. "He just wants to hear it from Katara."
Rie rolled her eyes. "No matter where you are, teen boys are really annoying," she muttered, turning her attention back to Zuko and Katara.
Katara bit her lip. "You've never really talked to a girl my age, have you?" (Rie had to laugh at that.)
Zuko snorted. Katara looked at him. "I'm gonna take that as a no. Sometimes, we, and by that I mean people, say things we don't really mean. Haven't you ever done that?"
Rie watched Zuko's expression very carefully. She saw him let out a sigh. This could very well be it, Rie thought.
The Fire Prince nodded. Katara smiled. "See? Just because I said you're a monster doesn't mean I think so."
Zuko looked at Katara. "What do you think, then?" He looked at her keenly.
From her unseen position, Rie could tell that Katara had hoped that he would not have asked that. "Wh-what?" the poor Waterbender stammered. "What do I really think?" Katara reached up and touched her necklace. Rie, knowing that the necklace had been her grandmother's engagement ring-type-thing, got what Katara meant. Zuko, though, didn't.
"Well?" Zuko asked, getting impatient. Katara bit her lip. Shaking her head, she got up, nearly crying, and tried to run out of the room.
Rie, thinking fast, ran over to the pile of wood in the room and knocked several pieces of the wood down. This caused Katara to trip and fall back, right into Zuko.
Zuko had stood up, ready to follow Katara, so Katara landed in his arms. Again. Rie watched hopefully as the two started blushing furiously, Katara's face wet with tears. Zuko helped Katara upright, his face not as deep a shade of red as hers. Katara was now at sobbing stage. Rie could barely hear her mutter repeatedly, "No, no, not again."
Behind them, the fire had spluttered out on its own, leaving them in semi-darkness and chill. Katara had shed her covering when she had bolted, so she was cold, crying, and confused. There wasn't much Zuko could do about the latter two, but he gave her the robe he had wrapped up in when he woke up. This was obviously something the poor prince had never dealt with.
Rie turned to Roku. "I know that they can't see or hear me, but is there some way I could, like, you know, tell that stupid prince what to say?"
Roku looked at her. "What do you mean?"
"Like, tell him that now would be a perfect time for him to admit something he's being trying to deny for the longest? And I am not talking about needin' help, either," Rie said, crossing her arms.
During this little conversation, Katara had broken away from Zuko. "I can't tell you what I really think, Zuko," Katara whispered.
Zuko shrugged, trying to put on his normal, impartial front. "Very well," he replied. Attempting to light the fire again, he muttered, "That stupid Seer was wrong. I shouldn't have listened to her."
Katara had heard him. "What did Madam Rie say?"
"She said-nothing," Zuko said. "What does it matter? She was wrong."
Was not, Rie thought. If you admitted something, I'm sure Katara will.
Katara sat back down, next to Zuko this time. After the fire started, there was silence for a few minutes, each of the two teens preoccupied with their own thoughts.
Rie gritted her teeth in frustration. "Those two are impossible! And Zuko's clueless!
Roku laughed. "I'm sure if he had known about the necklace's history, he might have understood."
"Yeah, good point. Why won't Katara confess?"
"Not only is she dealing with the memory of Jet, she feels if she tells Zuko, she'll be betraying Aang, Sokka, and her people."
"Talk about Stockholm Syndrome, huh?" Rie commented. "If only Jun had said the 'girlfriend' comment loud enough for Katara to hear. That'd give her something to ask Zuko about. It'd also be hard to bluff his way outta that one."
Apparently, Jun had, and Katara remembered, because she asked, "Something's not right."
"What?" Zuko snapped.
"I keep remembering back at the Abbey, when Aang got my necklace back from you. That woman with the horrible monster with the tongue, what was her name?"
"Jun."
"Well, I remember she had made a comment about your girlfriend. What was that about?" Katara asked.
Thank God. We're finally get somewhere with these two, Rie said, sighing in exasperation. Roku smiled and pointed to Zuko and Katara.
The Fire Prince was staring into the fire. "She thought that I was trying to get you, since her 'pet' was using your necklace to trace you and the Avatar."
"And what did you do about the girlfriend comments?" Katara inquired.
Zuko looked away. "I ignored them. What's so special about that piece of jewelry anyway?"
"I told you, it was my mother's, and my grandmother's before that. My Waterbending Master had given to her because they were arranged to be married." Katara smiled wistfully. "Gran-Gran wasn't too happy about the whole arranged marriage idea and ran away."
Zuko looked up. "It was an engagement present?"
Katara nodded and her hand instantly touched it again. "I had thought it was just some heirloom," Zuko said.
"So did I, until someone at the North Pole told me otherwise," Katara admitted. There was some more silence. Finally, Katara broke it.
"Zuko, about what I really think of you, well…" Katara trailed off. She placed her hand on his.
At that precise moment, Something There burst into Rie's head. "Curse my little sister!" she exclaimed.
Roku looked at her in surprise. "What do you mean by that?"
"She watches all these movies and anytime something like this," she said, pointing to Katara and Zuko, "happens, a song from one of the movies just pops into my head. Though, usually, it has some connection to the scene I'm witnessing," she added, focusing on the two teens.
The prince was looking away from Katara, but he hadn't withdrawn his hand. Rie could see that he had absolutely no idea what to say or do. All of the thoughts, emotions, and what Rie had told him, were flooding back to him. (Well, one thing's obvious, Rie thought. He definitely has an emotion capacity that is more that anger, regret, anguish, and pain.) Zuko's hand touched his scar briefly.
"Madam Rie was right, I guess," he murmured.
"What did she say?" Katara asked again.
"She told me yesterday that she had heard us the night before talking. She said she heard you say you thought I was a monster and the reason I saved you from Zhao's blast," Zuko said. "Then she said…something else, and said that you had asked her a question just before she left her cabin."
Katara looked a bit embarrassed. "Did she tell you what he question was?"
Zuko shook his head. "No. But she did say that you didn't think I was monster, regardless of what you said."
Katara smiled. "I told you that, didn't I?" The smile faded. "What did she say to you before telling you the exact same thing I did?"
Zuko tensed. "Nothing," he said. Then, he whispered, "She pointed out something I had been denying."
"What?"
The prince looked at Katara. "That I…" he trailed off.
"These two are incapable of finishing a complete sentence, aren't they?" Rie complained to Roku. Roku just shrugged.
In the silence after Zuko's incomplete sentence, Katara's hand went up to Zuko's scar. Gently brushing it, she muttered, "That had to hurt."
"It still does sometimes," Zuko told her. "Though not as much as it did." He paused. "Katara, I love you."
"Yes!" Rie exclaimed. "I thought that the idiot would never get it out. They've been alone for hours and it's taken him this long to finish his sentence!"
Roku smiled. "I understand how you feel. I felt the same way when I mastered Airbending all those years ago. It had taken me ten years to get it." The two turned their attention to the scene.
Katara, meanwhile, was in shock. "What?"
Zuko sighed. To Rie, it looked like he felt a huge weight was gone. She had to agree. Waiting… almost a month to admit something like that was like her having twenty bucks from her birthday and saving it for almost three weeks.
The prince looked at Katara, whose face had gone from tan to white, back to tan, then to red in a matter of minutes. "Really?" she asked. Zuko nodded. Katara smiled. "I…" Suddenly, Katara was hyperventilating. "No. I'm not going to let that happen again," she cried tearfully. She broke down.
Zuko looked hurt. (Rie, at this time, was swearing worse than a sailor at Katara. It was obvious that she kept thinking of what happened with Jet.) Katara looked at Zuko and stood up.
"It's not you, Prince Zuko. I just can't help but remember the last time I 'fell for someone', as Madam Rie put it," Katara said. "She's infuriating when she's right. Madam Rie told me to try and forget about Jet, but what he did hurt me way too deeply. The truth, though, is that I love you, too." Katara starting crying even harder.
"What the heck!" Rie exclaimed. "I know that us teenage girls are emotional, but this is ridiculous. I've got some weepy friends, but none of them are this bad."
"Remember, Rie," the spirit said, "Katara feels like she just betrayed her family and Aang. In her mind, falling in love with the enemy is not good. If anything, it's treason. Imagine how she must feel." Rie paused, then nodded.
"Good point. If I want to get home, Zuko had better do something to help this problem and fast."
Rie was in luck. Zuko got up off the ground and went over to Katara. Placing his hand on her shoulder, Zuko asked, "Why didn't you tell me?"
Katara was really sobbing now. "Because I feel like I just betrayed Sokka, Aang, everyone." Katara used her sleeve to wipe off her face.
Zuko turned Katara to face him. The Waterbender just collapsed into Zuko's arms. The prince helped Katara to her bed. There were slightly frosted wet trails on her cheeks from the tears as Katara sat down. Soon, Katara calmed down enough to speak without sobbing. Taking Katara's blanket, Zuko wiped the trails from her face.
"Thanks," Katara whispered, then yawning. "Sorry. I didn't get much sleep last night, and all this excitement has made me a tired. I'm going to try and nap." Katara leaned over to Zuko and kissed his cheek.
As Katara lay back, Rie was doing her victory dance and cheering. "Yeah! Does this mean I can back home now?" she asked Roku.
Roku shook his head sadly. "I'm sorry, but this was the first step to helping Aang win the war, Rie. There is still more to do before you can return home."
Rie sighed. "Okay. I've gotten kinda attached to this place anyway. I guess I can wait. How much longer?"
"Until the war is over, I'm afraid," Roku apologized. "Now, it's time for you to go back to your body."
Rie smiled as she stepped through the wall and felt the return to her body. "Wait 'til the girls hear about this little adventure," she said, taking the teacup that was long-since cold and heating it up. "They'll never believe it."
Disclaimer: I do not own Something There. Disney does.
The quote at the begining is from Rogers and Hammerstien's Cinderella, which I don't own. I thought it kinda fit, so I stuck in. This Chapter is NOT THE END OF THE FANFIC! There is still a lot more to come, so don't even think that this is the end.