Chapter 4 the return of…
Katara pulled away from Zuko for air. She couldn't help but let a small blush crease her cheeks. After all she hadn't kissed a boy like that in three months.
"So that's why I missed you so much." Zuko said brushing a strand of hair out of her face.
"You shouldn't have allowed me to leave." Katara said turning to face the prince.
"I know I shouldn't have. In fact, I could kick myself for allowing you to." Zuko replied.
"Then why did you do it?"
"Because I love you so much. And I knew you could be as stubborn as me sometimes." Zuko laughed.
Katara smiled and leaned into his embrace. She felt safe around him even though he was a wanted man in the fire nation. And without his Blue Spirit mask to hide him he could officially be tried for treason.
"So who was that girl? An old girlfriend you dated while we were broken up for three months?" Katara teased.
"No she claimed to be our daughter."
With Iroh!
Iroh walked back from Zuko's room to the dining hall. His nephew had gone off and joined the Avatar. That was going to be a great one to tell the men. He had to break it down gently although he already knew the outcome of the statement.
"Men, Prince Zuko is no longer with us." Iroh started out.
A few of the men looked up and studied the general with curiosity in their eyes.
"He has gone on to a better place. He's now where he should belong." Iroh continued on as more of the crew looked up at him. "He wants you all to know that you should go back to your towns to your families and stay with them until the war calls you back out to fight."
By now a few men where in tears; and Iroh was still completely unaware of all the trouble he was causing.
"Zuko also wanted me to tell you in his last message that he cared for you like his family." Iroh was lying about this last part. "And he hopes you all will remember him."
Ji walked up to the retired general and asked him a question. "Um… sir. Is the prince really dead?"
Iroh looked up and answered, "no my boy. He's joined the Avatar."
"You might want to tell the rest of the men that." Ji said pointing to the men who were now in tears.
Iroh looked up and saw each of the men holding each other. They were also allowing their tears to flow out. "Oh did I forget to mention that he's joined the Avatar?"
With Jun!
Jun was digging through anything she could find. That prince was getting on her nerves. Why in the world would a guy of his status drive her to the point where she was considered insane?
She threw things across the room; she was trying to find some kind of clue to why the prince had suddenly left without a single word. She finally found a journal of some sort. She sat down on his bed and read the date of last week some time. (K15: Yes Zuko keeps a journal)
Normally I would put dear journal. But that officially sounds funny. I'm sixteen and my journal really isn't dear to me any more. In fact like I have mentioned numerous times before hand Katara is now my one prized possession. Okay I really shouldn't be calling her a prize possession. She isn't an item and she really isn't a prize.
Katara means the world to me. And I could care less about my titles and money and crap like that. Right now all I care about is if she and I are together. My uncle has tried to hook me up with another women this week. That's about number ten I think. And that's for this week. All together it's been about a hundred I think. I lost track.
I'm thinking about performing the ritual. My father performed it and my mother died and caused me to be banished. It was rumored that he failed the love part of the test. I can see some truth to that.
The ancient ones, who were sacrificing things to the gods, started the ritual. It deals with different aspects of ones life. Each one is important in its own way. The endurance part of the test deals with how much you can stand of one thing. And it will help you deal with everything that is to come in the future.
The rest are pretty much self-explanatory so I won't bother going into explanation about it. Though if I fail any part of this ritual it would be mass chaos for my family and me. My life is pretty much at stake with some of these tasks.
Well uncle called me for dinner so I guess I better show up. I hope I'll get another chance to write. My uncle has been bugging me and trying to keep me busy for the past week.
Later Zuko.
Jun felt like gagging. The prince didn't have any real secrets in here. She already knew that he liked the water bender girl. She could see it already when he demanded to know where the Avatar was a while back.
Jun walked over to his dresser and dug through some more drawers. She finally came across an old piece of parchment. She unfolded and gasped at what she saw. It was a picture of Zuko. But not only the prince but the water tribe girl was there along with two people she didn't recognize.
She flipped the picture over and a little inscription. This came to me in a dream about a few weeks ago. I think it's a picture of my family because I've been dreaming about them lately. The young girl and the boy standing next to her are twins; Kianna and Kozu. Katara is standing behind them of course and I'm next to them.
"He draws?" Jun threw the question up into the air hoping nobody would answer it.
"Yes young lady, my nephew has always had a talent for drawing like that. Thus the reason I bought him the sketchbook that he's taken with him." Iroh said entering the room.
"General Iroh I didn't know you were here."
"It's okay my dear curiosity never killed the cat. It was always the fire bender who did." Iroh chuckled slightly. "As you can see, Zuko is able to see things that nobody else is able to."
"Is it a gift from Agni?" Jun asked knowing of the fire god.
"No, it's a gift from being the chosen one. Though he's a prince he deals with a lot more things than I had to when I was his age." Iroh chuckled again. "Though being the chosen one has gotten him into a whole lot of trouble with the young water bender whom he fancies. Of course, he is like me he's able to sense the spirit world when it gets closer to the solstices. Though this is just a recent development."
Jun nodded. "General Iroh, since Prince Zuko has joined the Avatar's side there's no use for me any more right?"
"Right and you are free to go once we dock." Iroh said leaving the room.
With Zula!
Zula searched the camp everywhere. She couldn't find her sister anywhere. The youngest heir was sick and tired of being pushed around by her older siblings. And of course that meant if she got them both out of the way she wouldn't have to deal with them any more. And then there was the throne as well. She wanted that more than life itself.
"Princess Zula," Zhao walked up to the youngest princess. "I have searched both the entire camp and ship, and your sister is no where to be found."
"You're just stating the obvious." Zula replied. "And I hate it when people state the obvious. Tell me something I don't know before I lose my temper."
"Your brother…"
"Has betrayed the throne." Zula finished. "Yes I already know that too, one last chance Zhao or I'll beat you."
Zhao gulped and looked around. He needed to come up with a lie, before the princess lost her temper. "The Avatar is in the Earth City by the camp."
"Isn't that were the rebels lead?"
"The ones that defied your father and had that help of the water tribe girl to take back their city." Zhao confirmed.
"Any sign of Jet?" Zula asked.
"None. He hasn't been seen since he raided the fire nation camp nearly six months ago." Zhao replied.
Zula thought about it. If the admiral was telling the truth, then, she could not only capture the Avatar but her pathetic brother as well. She looked out into the horizon and saw a girl walking towards them.
"State your business." Zula commanded.
"I'm here to help you destroy the prince." She replied.
Zula studied the peasant for a while. Her hair was long and brown and braided into a traditional water bending style. Her eyes on the other hand were a bright green. She was slightly taller than the princess. She also wore brown boots and a green flowing dress, indicating that she was of royalty from the Earth Kingdom.
"Who are you?"
"Katrina, I understand that you want Prince Zuko out of your way." She replied.
"Yes, how did you know that?" Zula asked cautiously.
"I over heard you." Katrina replied looking at her nails.
Zula raised her eyebrow. She was still very unsure of the earth bender. "Do you earth bend?"
Katrina laughed slightly. The laugh creep the young female fire bender out. It reminded her much of the laugh Ozai did when she first asked when Zuko was coming back home.
"No, you foolish girl. I'm a normal person. A non-bender if you will. But I also control the element of darkness." She replied. "I only dress like an earth bender to hide my true identity."
"And who is that?"
With Zuko and Katara!
Katara couldn't believe her ears. Their daughter was there? "Zuko, please say you're joking."
"I never joke, Kat, you of all people should know that." Zuko said running his fingers through the girl's long brown hair.
"She looked a lot like me." Katara stated. "Except the eyes, she had your eyes."
"That doesn't surprise me one bit. My eye color is sort of unique."
"What's that supposed to mean?" Katara asked looking up at the fire bender.
"Well I'm just saying that it wouldn't be a mere coincidence that she has my eyes. I already knew she had to be mine or one of my sister's daughter."
"One of your sisters?"
"Yeah I have two, you've already met Nyla and Zula." Zuko said grasping her hand. "Zula, I don't like to talk about much because she reminds me of my father."
Katara scooted back into the boys embrace. She let out a long sigh. "Big family right?"
"Other than my father, sisters, and uncle no it isn't." Zuko answered.
Katara looked down at his hands. She began to play with his fingers. Something was bothering her. But she didn't know what quite yet. Maybe it was still the fact she felt betrayed by her brother for not telling her that Zuko was there among them.
"Don't blame your brother." Zuko said suddenly. "I didn't want you to know that I was here. Any idea who the Red Spirit is?"
Katara shook her head no. "Why are you worrying about her?"
Zuko stood up and stretched. "I have a bone to pick with her." He paused before continuing. "Kianna, said that she told her about me failing the love portion of my ritual."
Katara stood up and laughed. "Don't worry about it. Let's go back to camp."
At camp!
Sokka couldn't help but smile at the fact that the two came walking in hand in hand to the camp. He had finally convinced Haru to join them. After all they had finished running out all of the fire benders from his hometown.
"Katara, guess what!" Sokka didn't give his sister a chance to answer. "I convinced Haru to join!"
Katara smiled. "That's great Sokka. Is there a downside?"
Her brother let his head fall. "Yeah he has to date Suki."
Again she smiled. "Didn't you say that the water bender princess we met in the North Pole was kind of cute?"
Zuko looked at the two siblings. "What Water Princess?" He asked his voice full of confusement.
"Huh?" Sokka blushed slightly. "She only the most beautiful girl in the world. Before your sister of course Zuko. No offense."
"None taken finish your explanation." Zuko urged.
"Well, Princess Kianna, helped taught Katara water bending; while Kianna's grandfather helped Aang. She's the most perfectist person in the whole world." Sokka said falling to the ground and wrapping his arms around himself. "And perfectist isn't even a word and she's that."
"You're brother's been struck by Cupid's love arrow." Zuko laughed slightly.
"Yeah." Katara laughed slightly.
"Is there something wrong?" Zuko asked as Sokka babbled on about Kianna.
Katara looked up. "May I talk to you?" She asked pointing over to the stream by the camp.
"Sure." He followed her over there. "Now is it something I said." Zuko asked lifting Katara's chin up.
She nodded and looked off to stream. "I don't know how much longer I can keep this up, Zuko." She said quietly.
Zuko looked down at his water bender. "What are you talking about?"
"I don't think I love you the same way any more."
K15: Gasp! Katara doesn't love Zuko any more! Oh no! That's never good! Anyway. Any ideas who Katrina's true identity is? I know who it is! Also keep guessing who the Red Spirit is. She gets herself in trouble next chapter and Zuko finds out whom she is! That's the only spoiler you get! Isn't it great that I got to update today? I didn't get have to go to school! We got it off! –Starts dancing- Anyway all new Avatar this Friday! I'm so excited! Anyway I'll stop now. –Stops dancing- So I'll try to update before Friday but I'm sitting on a major writers block. I'm open to any ideas again as always. So until I update. Later. K15