I AM SOOOO SORRY! I haven't updated in such a long time, mainly because I was lazy. But also because I didn't have as much time. Anyways, I hope everyone is still gonna read this, cuz I worked hard on it.

CHAPTER FIVE - SURPRISES

After spending a week on the fire nation ship, Katara grew restless. It wasn't the people who bored her, just the place. Every hallway looked the same and every room was similar. At first, Katara often got lost on the ship. This actually interested her because she pretended it was a game.

Now, she knew the entire ship like the back of her hand and she grew tired of the same scenery everyday. Having traveled halfway around the world with Aang, Katara had gotten used to adventure. She once thought firebenders brought the most adventure since they caused all the trouble, but now she was surrounded by firebenders and it was really dull.

Fortunately for Katara, the ship was running low on supplies and they had to stop by a port very soon. In face, the ship would be docking the next morning.

It was currently evening and Katara was feeling a little to hyped up. She couldn't even sit still for a minute. Deciding that some waterbending would tire herself out, Katara made her way to the deck. She leaned over the railing and began stirring the ocean water by waving around her hands. She lifted an arm and a jet of water shot into the air. Her other arm rose and a second column of water appeared. Katara brought both hands to her side in one swift movement, causing the water to shape into small icicles. They rushed towards the deck, landing in a neat formation.

Katara took a deep breath and lifted her arms again. The small icicles melted into one large one and floated up into the air. The pointed end was facing the sun and Katara wondered how far she could make the icicle go. With a sudden burst of energy, she pushed her hands forward, making the large icicle shoot forward like a bullet. It traveled for a reasonable distance before dropping into the water.

After relaxing her hands, Katara let out a sigh and leaned against the railing. That stunt drained more energy than she'd expected.

By this time, the sun had set and Katara figured it was pretty late. She knew it was time to go inside, but she also wanted to try her new trick again. Deciding it would be alright to stay for a few more minutes, Katara created another large icicle. She lifted it up above her head just as the ship suddenly swayed sharply to one side. Katara lost balance and toppled to the ground with a yelp. The next thing she saw was a stream of fire blowing away her large icicle.

The sky exploded into a mixture of soot and water droplets that landed all over Katara asshe was helped to her feet by a pair of strong arms. She turned around to see Zuko giving her an awkward smiled.

"Thanks, I owe you one", Katara grinned sheepishly. Zuko grunted in response and pulled away. He had his back turned towards the waterbender and was looking up at the sky.

"How did you know to show up at the right time?" Katara asked this even though she already knew the answer.

"I just happened to pass by", Zuko lied. Katara could tell he was lying since the deck was on the very end of the ship and it was impossible to "pass by" that area. She decided to play along and try to make Zuko confess the truth.

"Then I guess you didn't see Aang stopping by, huh?" she asked with a smirk.

"That's not possible! I would have seen him!" Zuko yelled, looking around.

"But you were just passing by", Katara teased.

"Fine. I watched you train and you were… pretty good", Zuko admitted.

"Do you want to spar?" Katara asked quietly, unsure of her opponent's next reaction.

"I've got nothing better to do", Zuko agreed. The two benders stood across from each other, each posed in a unique stance. Katara waited for Zuko to start, but apparently, he was waiting too. They stood motionless for a few seconds before Katara finally decided she'd attack first.

A column of water shot into the air and a jet of fire pushed it down a second later. Zuko blocked several icicles before being hit on his left arm by one. He blasted fire in Katara's direction with his right hand while she jumped back to avoid the flames.

A few minutes passed by and it was pretty obvious that Katara was winning. The moon had risen, giving her the extra strength she needed. She shot wave after wave of water towardsher opponent, drenching him in the cold liquid.

Zuko couldn't stand the thought of losing and for a moment, he had the urge to kill the girl. He shook off the water and lunged forward, shooting flames of fire at an alarming rate. One flame scraped against Katara's neck, burning away a portion of the strap that held together her mother's necklace. It fell to the ground with a clunk and immediately, the fight stopped.

Zuko picked it up and was about to examine it when Katara rushed forward, tripped, and fell, bringing Zuko down with her. He hit the floor first and Katara landed on top. She looked down at him with a frightened expression, as if her life and that necklace depended on each other. With one fluid motion, Katara snatched away the necklace, noticed its damage, and broke down crying.

The firebender lay with his back on the floor, a confused expression on his face, and a crying teenaged on top of him. He had no idea why the waterbender was so upset of a trinket, but he was enjoying the fact that her soft, warm body was covering his.

Cautiously, he sat up and pulled Katara into a hug, trying to comfort her. She continued to cry and buried her face into his shoulder. Zuko tried to think of something nice to say, but nothing came out. What was she even crying about a necklace? He waited patiently until all the crying had turned into silent tears. Katara pulled away and looked at him sadly while clutching her necklace in a trembling fist.

"This was my mother's necklace. And her mother's too. It was carved for my gran-gran by her fiancé, who happens to be the person who trained me in waterbending. But, to me, this necklace only symbolizes my mother", Katara explained, her voice quivering every now and then.

"Where is she?" Zuko seemed interested.

"Killed. By the fire nation. During the war your father started", Katara replied bitterly.

"That's all you have left of her. And I messed it up", Zuko murmured softly. Katara nodded. She was surprised that she hadn't gotten mad at Zuko, but instead, forgave him quite easily. "Maybe we can fix it", he suggested. That was as close to apologizing as Zuko dared to get. He simply wasn't comfortable saying "sorry".

Katara nodded again and stood up, followed by Zuko. They walked side by side into the cabin in complete silence. When they reached Zuko's room, he invited Katara inside and suggested they try to fix it.

After laying the necklace on a table, both teenagers were bent over it, examining it carefully.

"We can sew the straps together", Zuko said thoughtfully.

"I can't sew", Katara admitted.

"Neither can I", Zuko chuckled.

"Then how - "

"My uncle can. It's amazing how many things he can do", Zuko murmured.

"Well, he sure can sing", Katara smiled. She'd attended music night last night an it had been very entertaining. She'd done nothing more except sit in a corner and watch everyone else play music and get drunk.

"And he likes to shop", Zuko added.

"He's a really nice person", Katara commented.

"Yeah, sometimes I wonder if everything would have been different if he was the fire lord", Zuko said with a sigh.

"You look up to him a lot, don't you?" Katara asked.

"Like a father", Zuko admitted.

"I think he'd make a great father", Katara said softly. Zuko looked over at her and their eyes met for a brief moment before Katara looked away shyly.

"There'll be thread and needles you can buy at the port. This necklace will be fixed, don't worry", Zuko said, picking up the broken necklace and handing it to Katara. She accepted it from him and gave a brief nod before exiting.

XOXOXOXOXOXO

Katara was up and dressed before the sun had risen the next morning. She hurried out onto the deck and paced back and forth, eager to get off the ship. After a while, Katara managed to convince herself that walking around wasn't going to make the ship move any faster. She sank into a chair and watched lazily as the sun slowly dominated the sky.

The golden orb hanging in the midst of a cloudless blue sky reminded Katara of a fight she'd had with Zuko at the Northern water temple. She remembered him saying with an arrogant voice, "You rise with the moon, I rise with the sun". Katara smiled a little at these thoughts. She'd only been able to beat him last night because the moon was on her side. What if they had a fight during the day? She was sure she'd get fried instantly.

A creaking noise caused Katara to turn around and she saw Zuko emerging from the trap door that led to the cabins. He joined her on a nearby chair without hesitation and Katara was surprised at the boldness. Zuko was usually very distant to her. Actually, he wasn't too friendly with anyone except his uncle.

For a moment, Katara believed that what had happened last night may have brought them closer, but she quickly pushed that thought aside. Something like this was too good to be true and it was no use telling herself things that weren't possible, then feeling disappointed afterwards.

Katara looked over at Zuko and their eyes met briefly again. The waterbender turned to look away, but her companion spoke up causing her to look at him again.

"We're almost there. If you look hard, you can see the land masses", he explained.

"How much longer until we arrive?" Katara asked curiously.

"At this rate, I'd estimate half an hour. You should probably dress differently. The majority of the port are firebenders", Zuko suggested.

"I don't really have… other clothes", Katara said worriedly.

"Then I'm sure my uncle would be more than delighted to take you shopping", Zuko's statement disappointed Katara. His uncle would take her shopping? Did that mean Zuko was staying on the ship? Katara really did enjoy Iroh's company, but she felt she'd grown somewhat attached to Zuko.

"What about you?" Katara asked, hoping she didn't sound too forward.

"Me?"

"Are you staying on the ship?"

"Do you want me to?" Zuko asked, unsure of whether the girl wanted him around or not.

"It doesn't really matter", Katara replied. What she wanted to say was "yes", but to Katara, it sounded as if Zuko didn't really want to go.

"I guess I'll go, then", Zuko shrugged, trying to sound nonchalant when inside, he was jumping with excitement.

"Great!" a smile broke onto Katara's face and she felt her heart do a little jump. This feeling excited her, but it also scared her. Why did she fell like this? Did she like Zuko? Wasn't he supposed to be the enemy?

But I misunderstood him. Katara assured herself that Zuko wasn't really the enemy.

But, they were a firebender and waterbender; complete opposites. And their nations were at war. So was there no hope of them having a future together?

"We should prepare to dock", Zuko announced, shaking Katara out of her thoughts. She nodded in agreement and followed him through the trapdoor and into the lower deck.

XOXOXOXOXOXOX

As Katara took her first step off the ship, she felt her heart beat increase rapidly. But, why? She'd done things that were many times more exciting than this, yet she couldn't calm her nerves. Most of her felt fear while a small part of her felt other mixed emotions. But, why was she afraid?

It was true, there were firebenders all over the place, but she had been in a similar environment before.

It took Katara a while to figure it out, but when she did, everything became clear. She'd been so accustomed to feeling safe on the ship where she knew everyone. Now, there were strangers everywhere.

Katara looked around nervously and inched closer to Zuko while sneaking glances at her surroundings. They headed through a small street that ended in a three way split. Here, Katara, Iroh, and Zuko went one way, separating themselves from the rest of the crew.

Iroh led the trio to a small shop that was surrounded by a beautiful garden. Katara was the last to enter and gave a small gasp when she saw her surrounding. On the walls hung the most beautiful hand-made silk dresses Katara had ever seen. Each one was exotic and unique in its own way, but they all consisted of fire nation colors.

A tall lady with a pointed nose and long gray hair stepped out from behind the counter and greeted Iroh with a big hug. Apparently, they were very old friends.

"Is there any specific item you're looking for?" the lady asked, a mischievous twinkle in her eyes.

"Ah, we were just trying to find something nice for this young lady here to wear", Iroh explained, motioning to Katara.

"I see…and may I be bold enough to assume she is your playmate?" the lady asked Zuko as if she were talking to a baby. He grumbled a little but said nothing.

"All of these are very beautiful, but you must agree, red and black simply are not Miss Katara's colors", Iroh said, pulling Katara forward. The tall lady studied Katara carefully before speaking again. "I know just what you mean, Iroh. Come in the back. I have something that would suit you quite wonderfully", she dragged Katara into the back room, leaving Zuko and Iroh standing in silence.

Katara rubbed her wrists painfully as she looked around the new room. Here were many beautiful dresses here as well, but they were in a variety of colors. Katara watched silently as the tall lady walked around the clothes, selecting certain ones while talking to Katara.

"You know, darling, these would work for you perfectly. Especially since you're such a pretty girl. No wonder Iroh brought you here".

"What do you mean?" Katara asked.

"You see, Iroh and I are old friends. So I know him very well. He's a very nice man, but there's one flaw about him that I've learned to… appreciate".

"What's his flaw?"

"Well, Iroh is very protective. Over protective. And it's only towards Zuko. His own children have deceased, and it was a tragic death, so he treats Zuko like his own son. Iroh wants the best for Zuko. Only the best".

"But how can you tell?" Katara asked. Iroh did seem to care a lot, but he wasn't all that different from other parents.

"Before Zuko was banished, his father was searching for a young woman to produce an heir after Zuko. Thousands of girls came to try out. They had to be approved by three people: The fire lord, Iroh, and then Zuko.

Most of the girls didn't make it pass the first stage, but the few that Lord Ozai accepted, Iroh rejected. It seemed to me as if Iroh didn't believe any girl was good enough for Zuko. Until he met you, of course".

"But, Zuko doesn't even like me. And I'm not a firebender. How could the fire lord possibly be pleased?" Katara asked.

"I don't think that's for you to worry about. Iroh his a very persuasive person, you know? Here, put these on", the tall lady handed Katara a stack of clothes and ushered her into a dressing room.

XOXOXOXOXOXOX

Zuko paced back and forth while Iroh watched him with a wry smile on his face. They both looked up when they heard footsteps, but were both disappointed that it wasn't Katara.

"What? Am I really that repulsive?" the tall lady asked.

"Where's Miss Katara?" Iroh asked eagerly.

"Patience, Iroh. She's right here", the tall lady moved to her left, allowing Katara to step into view. As she did so, Zuko gave an audible gasp and Iroh chuckled.

Katara was dressed in a light blue dress; low cut with lacy edges. The waist portion was similar to a kimono and her back was revealed. The fabric was a soft silk that flowed gently in the breeze. (Hey, let's pretend the window was open, ok?)

Her hair had been let down, changing her whole appearance. Katara's eyes seemed bigger and her smiling lips looked fuller.

Iroh nodded in approval and Katara beamed. "So, Prince Zuko, what do you think?" the tall lady asked slyly.

"The- the dress is beautiful", Zuko stuttered.

"The dress?" Katara asked in disbelief.

"And… you. Are… beautiful", Zuko chocked out. He really meant it too, even though it didn't look that way. The waterbender standing in front of him was truly a breathtaking sight. She was much prettier than any other girl he'd ever seen.

"Well then, that's settled. Please accept this dress as a gift", the tall lady smiled kindly. Katara blushed and thanked her before heading out the door, cradling her old clothes in her arms.

Right before they stepped out of the garden outside the house, the tall lady rushed outside and thrust a package in Katara's already filled arms.

"I'm sure you'll enjoy it", she said with a wink. Katara thanked her and the trio began walking towards the ship. At the three way split, Iroh headed in a separate direction, searching for a special type of tea and some thread. Zuko was left with Katara and they decided to look around.

After walking several blocks, both benders noticed a group of drunk men following them. Zuko took Katara's hand and pulled her closer, a sudden feeling of possessiveness overcoming him. Why was he feeling like this? He didn't want anyone near Katara. He wanted her all to himself.

The drunk men walked closer until they surrounded the couple. Zuko was in no mood to fight, so he ignored them and tugged on Katara's hand. She followed him as he formed a ball of fire and pushed it out in front of him. The drunk men moved away, slightly shocked. They muttered to themselves and walked away, scattering in different directions.

Zuko didn't let go of Katara until they were both well into the ship. He sat down on a chair and motioned for Katara to join him. She obeyed and set the package she'd received on a table. Curiosity got the better of both teens and they eagerly opened the brown parcel.

Katara pulled out the present wrapped inside and Zuko immediately backed away. He felt himself turn red in a mix of embarrassment and anger. Obviously, Iroh and that tall lady were planning something together.

A/N : hmmm… I WONDER what it could be? Lol, I hope I update soon XD please review, because getting review makes me want to update more.