A/N: Chap-ter threeeee! Chap-ter threeeee! Yay!
Zuko woke the next morning to find Katara already awake. It was barely after sunrise and the sky was still painted with pink and orange streaks. There were more nuts and fruit on the palm leaf for breakfast. Katara was currently crouched over the fire, attempting to re-light it. She wasn't doing so great. Apparently, she'd gotten lucky the night before. "Here." Zuko said from behind her. She jumped at the sound of his voice. The firebender crouched near the fire and sent a fist-sized flame toward the kindling of the fire. It caught immediately. Katara smiled at his work. How can she be so cheerful? Zuko wondered.
"Thanks." She turned to begin shelling the nuts and slicing the fruit. She started humming a cheerful tune. Zuko looked down at the ground. Even that little bit of firebending was challenging for him. He was a lot weaker than he'd originally thought.
"Thanks for the blanket last night." the girl said suddenly. "That was sweet of you." Sweet? Zuko hated to sound like that. He wasn't sweet, damn it. He only gave a small grunt in return. Unbeknownst to the exiled prince, the water tribe girl smirked. He doesn't like to sound nice. She said to herself.
A sudden squawk behind him made Zuko jump. There was the ostrich-horse, red juice surrounding its beak. It had probably been eating those berries again. The creature pecked at Zuko's head. Katara laughed. "He wasn't there when I woke up. I thought he wouldn't come back." The steed pecked at the firebender's head again. "He must really like you." Zuko only crossed his arms and ignored the annoying bird, head bobbing with every peck. A scowl was etched onto his face.
Katara served the same meal she did the day before, minus the berries. She sat on her log, watching Zuko attempt to eat while his lovey-dovey bird kept right on pecking. The firebender sent a glare Katara's way. She couldn't help it any longer and burst out laughing. "How about we let it peck you in the head for nearly half an hour!" the firebender snapped.
"That's not what's funny. It's your expression. You look like Sokka when he pouts."
"That's such a compliment." he shot back sarcastically.
"Come here." Katara said, snapping toward the ostrich-horse. It squawked and hurried over. The waterbender scratched its head. "All he wants is some love." Like an oversized dog, the steed laid at the base of Katara's feet. Zuko arched an eyebrow. How the heck did the thing listen to her when they'd only just met?
"I don't do love."
"So you're telling me you've never loved anyone in your entire life?"
"…" Zuko didn't want to answer that question. Of course he had but he didn't want to seem weak around the girl. "No." Katara stared at him and rolled her eyes.
"Granparents?"
"Hell no."
"Aunts?"
"No."
"Uncles?"
"We went our separate ways."
"Father?" Katara asked, ignoring the fact that the prior answer wasn't answering her question.
"He hates me."
"Mother?"
Zuko froze, unable to answer. He swallowed and looked away, pain in his softening eyes. Katara wished she had never even asked. Why did she always say the wrong thing? Finally, the exiled prince mustered up some courage. "I don't know where she is. I don't even know if she's alive." His voice was soft and fragile. Katara abandoned her empty bowl and sat beside him, hands in her lap. Zuko tried his best to ignore her but the fluttering in his stomach made it hard to.
"I'm sorry." Her voice was soft, too and full of pity and sorrow. She laid a comforting hand on his shoulder.
"You have nothing to be sorry about." he said sharply. He jerked away and went to sit at his spot, facing the ocean with his back to the waterbender. The waterbender clenched her teeth to hold back tears. She knew how hard it was to loose a mother. She wished she could tell him that so it would comfort him and help him but he was too prideful. She sighed.
Zuko stared out at the water. He heard Katara cleaning up the mess from the meal, but paid it no mind. He swallowed a lump in his throat. Hot tears stung at the back of his eyes. Zuko wished he could just know what happened to his mother. Even if she was dead, he would know and that at least would give him some closure. But the fact was, he didn't. So Zuko had only memories and words of her to keep him going. 'Never forget who you are.'
O0oOo0O
The used-to-be-prince sat in the same spot all day, watching the waves and remembering his mother. Katara called him for meals but he never came. He didn't even respond. The waterbender was beginning to worry about him, despite their prior relationship. She had opened up old wounds for him and she doubted they would ever close. At sunset, Katara tried again. She walked over to him with a bowl of soup in hand. She sat beside him.
"I know you're upset but you need to eat something." Katara insisted. Zuko took the bowl without looking. He took one bite and set it back down on the sand. The waterbender closed her eyes, taking in a deep breath. She pulled her necklace out. "Zuko, listen to me for one minute?" The Fire Nation refugee looked at her with hate in his eyes. She didn't falter. She only held up her necklace. He arched an eyebrow.
"This necklace was my mother's." Katara began. Zuko narrowed his eyes. "Think about it. Why would I be so upset over a piece of jewelry being lost?" No answer came.
"Zuko, I know what your going through. My mother's dead." Wide golden eyes snapped in her direction. "It must be harder for you because you don't know what happened to her, but we've both lost our mothers some way or another." Katara looked out over the ocean as her eyes wavered in the light. Zuko closed his eyes.
"I'm sorry." he said softly. Even though the apology was simple, it was great to here him say it. Katara smiled as she watched the foaming waves crash onto the shore. The cold water just barely reached her toes.
"Thank you."
O0oOo0O
The pair sat at the fire, talking about their mothers. It was the one topic that didn't seem to fizzle out. "And all I heard was a smacking noise. The next thing I know, my brother comes in with a red mark on his cheek." Katara laughed. "She never hit us, but he was going to get pneumonia if he kept walking around without a shirt." Zuko couldn't help but smile. Katara was enthusiastic in her story-telling. Then the familiar feeling of an awkward silence washed over them. It felt more uneasy than it had in the past, for some reason. Zuko just couldn't put his finger on it.
Suddenly, he thought of something to ask her. "Where are your friends?" Zuko asked. Katara's face fell and he mentally smacked himself for wanting to know.
"They're better off without me." Katara said softly. This sparked Zuko's interest further. Why wouldn't the Avatar and the water tribe boy need her?
"What?"
"I said they're better off without me." she repeated, this time with a sharp edge in her voice. "I finished teaching Aang waterbending so they don't need me anymore." Zuko continued to stare.
"Aang was planning on asking his friend in Omashu to teach him earthbending but Omashu is under siege of the Fire Nation. We were traveling and we found this girl named Toph in one of the villages. She's blind but the can still fight like nothing I've ever seen. She feels the vibrations in the earth and she knows where everything is." Katara paused, blue locking with copper.
"The way she fights, they don't need me." Katara scoffed. "Besides, there were these girls in Omashu that were after us. There was an acrobat that did something that took my bending away." Zuko's eyes widened. It couldn't be…
"Acrobat?" The waterbender nodded. "What did the girls look like?"
"The leader was a firebender. She was really powerful- the fire was blue when she bent it. She had black hair and gold eyes. The--" Zuko cut her off. He knew the rest.
"A pale ninja and a cheerful pink-loving gymnast." Katara stared.
"How did you--"
"I know them." Zuko answered grimly, looking toward the ground. "They've been friends since they could walk." All was quiet for a moment.
"Zuko, who are they?"
"The firebender is Azula, the ninja is Mai, and the acrobat is Ty Lee." There was a pause. "Azula is my sister."
O0oOo0O
The next morning, the exiled prince was woken up by Katara. She shook his shoulder gently. "Zuko, wake up." His eyes fluttered open. The sky was bright blue and the light hurt his eyes. The waterbender shielded his eyes with her hand. Wait, had he overslept? "You slept late." Katara said, sitting back and handing him a banana.
"Thanks." he replied. She nodded.
"I'm going to go practice my bending." Katara told him. He gave a nod and watched as she made her way down the beach, stopping at the water's edge. Her pants were rolled up and her dress was long gone. She had on a baby blue tank top in its place. Even once she'd reached her destination and began her practice, Zuko kept his eyes on her. He didn't know why; he just did. He watched her move gracefully, leading the water. It moved with her, flowing and mesmerizing. Zuko felt the familiar feeling of a fluttering stomach and tore his eyes away.
What's wrong with me? He asked himself. I haven't looked at anyone like that since…That game with the apple back home. Since Mai.
O0oOo0O
Katara sat in the damp sand, watching the sunset. The sky was painted beautifully with pale colors of orange, pink, and yellow. The water from the ocean crept over her toes, cool and refreshing. Zuko sat by the fire, watching her. All day he'd been wondering why he'd been staring at the girl so much but he couldn't help it. He finally stood to join her. Katara looked up when she heard footsteps. She smiled at the firebender. "I love sunsets."
The firebender nodded. He sat next to her in the sand, watching it with her. The waterbender glanced in his direction. His face was calm and serene with a pale yellow light over it. He's so handsome. She thought to herself.She felt a tingle go up her spine and heat rise in her cheeks. What am I saying? They both kept quiet and watched as the last rays of light left the sky and darkness fell.
Zuko glanced at Katara. In the new moonlight her eyes sparkled and skin glowed. She's cute. Zuko said to himself. A light blush crept across his face. What the hell am I saying?
She's cute. Great. Now his other personality was rearing its ugly head. The waterbender stood up suddenly. "'Night."
"'Night." Zuko said softly. Once Katara was gone, a heavy sigh escaped his lips. He closed his eyes, blocking out the world. Why was this happening to him? Why was he falling for a waterbender?
Katara pulled her blanket tight around her, her ears following Zuko's movement. He crawled under his blanket and settled in. The waterbender blushed again, remembering what she had thought earlier. Why had she done that? Was she falling for a firebender? Not just any firebender but Zuko? The girl shut her eyes, attempting to block out the world. This couldn't be happening.
O0oOo0O
A/N: How was it? Too fast? Let me know!
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