A/N: Yay! Last chappie other than the epilogue! Yay! Spazzes out
o0oOo0o
Zuko awoke with the sunrise, eyes opening to meet the half-blocked light of the sun. Katara was still fast asleep on his shoulder, face calm. Lily was across the path, curled up in a ball at the base of a tree. One golden eye was open. She was watching the older firebender. Zuko got up carefully while trying hard not to wake up the waterbender. Lily stood as well and stretched. Already, the girl was smiling.
"Good morning." she said with a smile.
"Morning." Zuko replied. He still gave short answers.
"Do you like her?" The girl pointed to Katara. Again with the question… Zuko fought back an uncharacteristic blush. Why did he even kiss the waterbender? Sure, he thought, she's likeable. Strong, determined, focused, pretty… Wait. What had he just thought? Great, now he was thinking things over because of a six year old. He shuddered, remembering how his baby sister was at six. Lily was no where close to being as aggravating as Azula. "Do you?"
Zuko was ripped from his thoughts. He stared at Lily for a moment. "Why do you want to know?"
"I could tell her for you if you wanted."
"No!"
"So you do like her?" Lily asked, pointing toward him with a smirk tugging at her lips. For that split second, the girl did seem rather similar to Azula.
Zuko grumbled. "I guess I do."
"Okay." And with that, Lily sat back down, arms crossed, back to the tree. She'd take that answer. But across the path, Zuko was regretting saying anything to the girl. She seemed to be planning something. He didn't like it. It sent an unwelcome crawling sensation shooting right up his spine.
o0oOo0o
Iroh was (surprisingly) the second person to wake up the next morning. The young Avatar sat out on the end of the branch with his knees held to his chest. There was a sad twinkle in his gray eyes. The retired general got up and slowly made his way over to Aang. He would have gotten there faster, but sleeping on a tree branch was definitely not good for his old joints. I should not even be traveling so much, he said to himself. Iroh was retired—he should be sitting at home playing Pai Cho and drinking tea for the rest of his life.
And we are all secretly glad he isn't. At least here he could annoy people with his hobbies.
Aang said nothing as the old firebender sat beside him. He didn't even seem to notice the newcomer. But Iroh spoke. "I'm sure you're friend is fine, Avatar."
"Just call me Aang." Iroh didn't know what to say to that. "And I know Katara can take care of herself, but that doesn't keep me from worrying. She's my best friend."
Iroh knew better. "Perhaps you think of Katara as more than a friend?" Aang looked up, horrified.
"How…?"
"Did I know?" Iroh offered with a small chuckle. Aang nodded. "I'm getting on in my years. I just do."
o0oOo0o
Zuko went off into the swamp, telling Lily he'd be back. The little girl nodded and watched the older firebender disappear into the shadows of the trees. As if on cue, Katara stirred from her sleep. Her blue eyes opened, but closed when she yawned. She scanned the area and noticed the party was missing a person. "Lily, where's Zuko?"
"He went to the bathroom." the girl replied with a shrug. "I think he just wanted to get away from me for a little bit. He was embarrassed."
Katara was curious now. "Zuko embarrassed? Over what?"
Lily giggled. "He likes you." She was like a gossiping little girl.
"What?" Katara couldn't believe her ears. Sure, Zuko had kissed her, but that didn't mean he liked her. Zuko was…Zuko. Wait. "He told you that?" Lily nodded. The waterbender stared at the little girl in front of her in disbelief. Zuko would never tell anyone that, let alone a little girl. Would he?
"I asked him and he said yes." Lily smiled. "He thinks you're pretty." Katara fought to hold back a blush. She was like some boy-crazy teen girl now. Lily giggled again. "Do you like him?"
The waterbender hesitated. Sure, Zuko was strong, determined, and handsome. But would Lily turn right back around and relay this information to Zuko? After all, the girl was six—almost seven, as she would tell you. But if the firebender did know, would it be that bad? She'd already kissed him so he should know. "Yes, I do." Katara bit her lip. Maybe she hadn't made the right choice… This could really blow up in her face.
o0oOo0o
Sokka woke to the ever-present noise of talking. He huffed, and grabbed for his blanket to pull over his ears. It was not there. And one of those voices wasn't familiar. Sitting up, the memories from the past few days came flooding back to the warrior. He groaned inwardly. They were still in that stupid swamp! He wished they could just get out of here. What was taking his sister so long?
"And Sokka said he doesn't mind." Aang was saying. That caught Sokka's attention in a flash. The young Avatar and the retired Fire Nation general were sitting out at the end of the branch. They were looking out over the swamp, deep in conversation. Sokka knew it was wrong to eavesdrop, but he couldn't help himself. He'd been mentioned…
"Really?" Iroh arched a brow. "I thought the boy would have been more protective."
Aang shrugged. "I guess not. I mean, this one guy—Jet—Sokka hated him. He didn't want Katara near him."
"But he doesn't mind you being near her?"
"No." Aang replied. Sokka was stumped. Why would he care if Aang was near his sister? "I was asking him for girl advice once and he said he thought Katara liked me too." The water tribe warrior could have fainted. He'd misunderstood the boy back in the village with Aunt Wu! Aang had a crush on Katara!
"Perhaps he thought you were talking about someone else?" Iroh suggested. For once in his life, Sokka was glad the man had said something. For once, he was right. But Aang shook his misunderstanding bald head.
"I don't think so."
o0oOo0o
Zuko came back to find Katara awake, talking to Lily. They were both giggling about something. "But don't worry about boys so soon." Katara was saying. Lily had told the waterbender the story of her first crush and how the boy (Ariko) had been a jerk. He had teased Lily, and for that, she punched him in the face. Lily nodded.
"Boys can be so stupid."
Katara nodded with a smile. She looked up to see Zuko standing at the edge of the path. She gave a small wave. "Hi, Zuko." The firebender in question gave a 'good morning' in response. He came over as Katara stood. "I'll be back." she said, disappearing into the trees herself. That just left the two firebenders alone.
"She likes you." Lily said nearly instantly.
"What?" Zuko didn't believe his ears. As if Katara would like a jerk like him. He had hunted her, her brother, and the Avatar across the entire world. There was no way in said world Katara would ever fall for him. She'd have higher standards. Zuko thought of the waterbender as one of those girls that could pick up tons of guys without even trying. She was witty, funny, adorable… There he went again!
"She likes you." Lily repeated, though it was clear Zuko had heard her the first time. She shrugged. "She thinks you're handsome." Lily rolled her eyes and stuck out her tongue as if she were gagging. Zuko ignored the last action and arched a brow. Him, handsome?
"She said that?" He didn't think she had.
"I asked her and she said yes."
The older firebender stared at the girl dumbly. How could anyone like him? Sure, they'd kissed, but they'd just…been caught up in the moment. That was all. Zuko decided not to think on it. That would only make matters worse. He'd worry about this when they all got out of the swamp.
Once Katara returned, Lily led the way. She said she was taking them to the center of the swamp. "See that big tree?" she asked, pointing through the treetops. She got silence as her answer. Which one? They were all huge! "Don't worry. It's there." The two other benders had no choice but to trust the girl.
"How long should this take?" Zuko asked.
"Not long." Lily replied over her shoulder. The older firebender sighed, trudging along behind the two girls.
o0oOo0o
Sokka stood and joined Iroh and Aang on the end of the branch. He played it cool. He didn't want them to know he'd been listening in on their conversation. "What's going on?" the warrior asked, taking a seat. The Avatar and firebender looked up. A grin covered Aang's face.
"Morning Sokka." the boy said. He moved over to make a little more room for his friend. "Nothing really. Just about girls." The multi-bender gave a shrug. Sokka smiled.
"And that girl you liked at Aunt Wu's?" Aang's face grew puzzled. Iroh, sensing what was coming, stood and walked away. This might get bad. "You know who I mean, Aang. What was her name? Meng?" Sokka guessed. Hopefully Aang would get the hint Sokka didn't approve of the Avatar liking his little sister.
"I didn't like her, Sokka." Aang said. So much for wishful thinking.
"Then who were you talking about?"
Aang stopped, realizing what he would have said. You're sister. That was a good way to get thrown from a tree. But Sokka would find out sooner or later. The Avatar took a deep breath. "Actually… it's Katara." The statement was barely audible, but the warrior still caught it. And once he actually heard the Avatar say it, it didn't seem so bad. "Sokka, I know you're really protective of her, but I can't help it. I mean--"
Sokka cut off his friend's rant. "It's okay Aang." the warrior said. "I'm okay with it. I mean, I can't protect her forever. She needs to grow up." He gave a shrug. "She's going to want to get married, you know? How's she supposed to do that with me breathing over her shoulder the entire time?" Sokka couldn't explain it, but he felt fine with people liking his sister now. She was growing up and she could handle herself. She was old enough to make her own decisions. He'd leave her love life alone from now on.
And all of a sudden, a voice came from nowhere. "SOKKA! AANG!" Both boys in question looked down to see Katara running through the shallow water to the gigantic tree. But what made Sokka's blood run cold was who was with her. Zuko. And to make things worse, they were holding hands. Technically, Katara was pulling Zuko along by his hand, but this is Sokka we're talking about.
The four people on the tree were bended to the ground in an instant, thanks to Aang's airbending. Katara released Zuko's hand, running to hug her brother. Sokka was nearly tackled by his sister, and Aang did the same as he joined the hug. Iroh had his nephew in a bear hug of doom, blathering on about how much he loved his angry nephew. And yes, Iroh did call Zuko angry. This got him a death glare from said ex-prince.
When the hugs were finished, they all stood around smiling (not Zuko since he doesn't admit things very well) like idiots. Then Katara's smile fell. She whipped around, looking back the way she'd come. "Zuko, where's Lily?" The firebender looked in the same direction.
"I thought she was--"
"Who's Lily?" Iroh asked. He knew whoever the girl was, she was someone they loved (or would love) dearly, but that didn't stop him from wanting to figure out the mystery.
"A little firebending girl." Zuko replied, scanning the trees. "She lost--"
"Oh, she's fine." This time it was the Swamp Man that cut in. Zuko arched a brow at the heavy man.
"Who the hell are you?"
"I live in a village here. But the girl—Lily--" he said, seeing Katara ready to protest, "will be fine. She was staying with us until she wandered off." Sokka rolled his eyes, pulling his sister toward Appa (who had found the gigantic tree the night before).
"I'm just a guy with a boomerang." Sokka said. "I didn't ask for all this trouble or magic," he sent Zuko a death glare, "or perverts holding my sister's hand…"
"Sokka, Zuko saved my life multiple times out there! And he's not a pervert!" Katara stopped walking, glaring her brother in the eye. "He's a human being with feelings that stands up for what he believes in! He's so much more than what you think!" The water behind Katara was splashing around as she threw her arms. Her words were met by silence. Sokka stared at his sister in disbelief.
"Can we just get out of here?" Iroh asked.
"It's not like we're traveling with you!" Sokka yelled.
"Sokka…" Aang said, holding up a finger. "About that…"
o0oOo0o
A/N: And there you have it. My crappy ending. I hope you liked it! The epilogue will be up soon!