"But the beginning of things, of a world especially, is necessarily vague, tangled, chaotic, and exceedingly disturbing. How few of us ever emerge from such beginning!"
Kate Chopin, The Awakening
Zuko immediately regained his self-consciousness and threw a hand over his mouth. Holding his breath, he turned away until he reattained a sense of complacent composure.
Katara convulsed uncontrollably, "You're afraid to laugh?" Doubling over, she futilely tried to quell her own mirth.
Zuko drew in a breath and attempted to glower at the girl, but he immediately found himself grinning inanely. Frustrated with his own discomfiture, he stood up and walked briskly back to camp.
"It wasn't even that funny," he muttered as he left the girl to her own whims.
Katara stared as Zuko withdrew from the lake; she didn't understand him at all. His ephemeral exuberance was enough to convince her that he was indeed human, but he seemed almost indignant at his own enjoyment.
"Prince Zuko, my new enigma," she smiled as she tried to repress another fit of giggles.
Prince Zuko noisily emerged from the woods, and Iroh buoyantly greeted him.
"Good morning, nephew! You seem to be in excellent spirits today. May I ask what you are smiling about?"
Zuko scrunched his face, "I am not smiling, uncle."
Iroh chuckled as he handed Zuko a cup of tea, "I have not seen a smile on that face of yours for some years now. Unfortunately, Zuko, you are indubitably in high spirits."
Zuko did not respond, but he sipped the liquid to hide the remnants of his embarrassment.
"How many fish did you catch?" Iroh asked as he returned to the fire.
"None."
"That's odd. And why, if I may be so bold as to inquire, are you wet?"
"We fell into the water."
"Ah, of course. You should dry off by the fire. In any case, where is Katara?" The corners of Iroh's lips curled into a sly simper.
At that point, Katara emerged from the frondescence of the forest, carrying two sterling fish; she had made sure that their peregrination had not been entirely fruitless. She managed to find a sense of aplomb, and she glided taciturnly to the fire.
"Good morning, Katara!" Iroh beamed as he proceeded to take the fish from Katara. "I see that you are wet as well. Both of you should dry by the fire; I'll take care of breakfast."
Katara smiled as she perched herself on a log by the flames. Zuko situated himself on the opposite side, and he silently watched the flickers of the fire.
Katara attempted to catch his attention, but he assiduously averted his eyes from her direction. Iroh chuckled inwardly as he watched the jejune mannerisms of his nephew. Something had happened at the lake, and the repercussions of that something were absolutely hilarious.
Throughout breakfast, Zuko continued to ignore Katara, to a point where he refused to acknowledge her existence. His once-choleric temper had grown gossamer wings, and his uncle found the metamorphosis, however temporary it was, quite entertaining.
"This fish is fantastic!" Sokka exclaimed through a mouthful of meat. Aang chewed reticently on a bowl of lustrous berries.
"I'm glad you can tolerate my cooking," Iroh chuckled. "I haven't practiced the culinary arts in ages." He watched as Zuko continued to grump petulantly at his piece of fish.
Katara sighed at Zuko's lucid perturbation, and she announced that she would take a walk.
"Oh, do allow Zuko to accompany you! Otherwise, he will die of ennui with my constant prattling," Iroh smiled broadly.
"Um, I don't think that would be a good idea," Katara bit her lip.
"Nonsense! Zuko would be delighted! Wouldn't you, Zuko?"
Zuko glared at his uncle, "I don't feel like taking a walk, uncle. Perhaps next time you could consult my opinion before volunteering me for bothersome tasks?"
Katara whipped around and started off.
"Now, Zuko," Iroh reprimanded. "How can you possibly repay your debt if you allow the girl to wander about alone? You are bound by-"
"Fine!" Zuko snapped as he stood up and trailed after the girl.
Keeping at a distance, Zuko followed Katara until the two arrived at the beach. She sighed as she gazed distractedly at the ocean. Glancing downwards, she discovered a faintly cerulean-tinted conch. She gingerly picked it up and brushed off the grains of sand that encrusted its ridges. After dipping it into the briny seawater, the conch fulgurated with glossy new life.
Zuko watched curiously as Katara held the shell to her ear. Eyeing Zuko's bewilderment, she walked to him and positioned the conch to his ear. Although he flinched at her approach, he ultimately relaxed and listened.
"Do you hear it?" she whispered.
"Hear what?"
"The ocean!"
He sneered, "I don't hear a thing. I see that you're delirious in more ways than one."
Frowning, Katara flung the shell back onto the beach, and she stormed irascibly back to camp.
Zuko knelt down and picked up the conch. Examining the iridescence of its interior, he slipped it into his pocket and followed after her.
When he returned, Katara had already begun another litany of chores. He felt somewhat guilty as he watched her sullen manner of executing her tasks. He slowly approached her.
"Need any help?" he asked flippantly.
"No," she replied curtly.
Zuko sat down against the nearest tree and observed her every movement; it was her turn to ignore him. The saturninity of the situation would have lasted had it not been for Aang's auspicious interruption.
"Hey Katara!" he called. "Check it out: I learned a new firebending trick!"
Katara looked up from her devoir, and Aang created a brilliant, aurulent rose of flames. Grinning complacently, Aang aggrandized the flame, and Katara laughed elatedly at his efforts. Zuko smirked; the tyro had much to learn.
"Aang, that's great! How'd you learn to do that?" Katara's eyes gleamed as they scintillated with the fire's light.
"I taught myself!" Aang beamed. "But what do you think of the rose?" Zuko watched as the Avatar turned a faint shade of pink.
"It's gorgeous!" Katara smiled.
Aang flushed violently. Zuko's eyes widened. Did the Avatar have a crush on Katara?
Suddenly, Zuko felt an inward tug. It was a foreign emotion, and he dismissed it immediately as some kind of uncanny byproduct of his earlier embarassment.
Iroh observed Zuko's indefatigable attention to Katara throughout the day, and he found his nephew's newfound interest quite adamant in her neglect of her observer.
A curious climactic point of the day went something as follows. Katara had been gathering herbs in the forest when she emerged from the shrubbery. Unwittingly, she tripped over a concealed root in the ground. Instinctively, Zuko grabbed her before she hit the ground. The two stared at each other for a full ten seconds before each turned away and blushed furiously. After regaining her balance, Katara shrugged her shoulder to repel Zuko's further abetment. Zuko frowned to feign repugnance.
After this incident, each stole clandestine glances of the other, and each developed a covert interest in the immediate activities of the other.
Another particular instance involved an affray between the two siblings. Zuko had watched in fascination as the Water boy furtively crept behind the girl. In one fell swoop, he tackled her as she yelped, clearly incensed.
After his initial incursion, the girl gracefully maneuvered herself on top of the boy and pinned him down.
"Ugh, Katara, get off! You know I was just kidding!" The boy wiggled vainly against his sister's weight.
She smirked as she jumped up. "Some warrior you are."
The boy stuck out his tongue and limped plaintively away. Zuko smiled. Katara had more fire in her than either of them would care to believe.
At dinner, Iroh asked permission for Zuko to practice his firebending. Loathe as she was to the idea, Katara agreed to the proposal, and Zuko set off immediately for the far side of the clearing.
Katara gazed as Zuko invoked rivulets of fire that surged nimbly towards the nearest tree.
"No, no, no! You're doing it again, Prince Zuko!" Iroh called. He gently bent his head to Katara, "If you would be so kind as to excuse us." He then proceeded to his nephew, "You must envision your target before attacking. You cannot allow your passion to overwhelm you. If you expect to master this move, you must have the patience to scrutinize what is before you and to then find your center."
"What about in battle? Would I have to beseech my enemy to stand still while I focused myself enough to attack?"
"If you master this move, Zuko, the entire process will take you seconds."
Zuko scoffed as he closed his eyes and concentrated. He always found mental preparation to be absolutely ludicrous, but he found no point in contending with his uncle.
Raising his right hand, he tensed his index and middle finger, curving his thumb inwards toward his palm. He thrust his wrist forwards, and the impetus created a linear force of fire, vehement and deadly.
Slowly dropping his hand to his side, Zuko looked strangely pleased with himself.
"Excellent, Zuko," Iroh nodded.
Sokka shifted himself closer to his sister. "As much as I hate to say it," he whispered. "He is one powerful bender. I'm glad he's with us."
Katara stared at Sokka, mouth slightly agape. "A powerful bender?" She reminisced immediately on her experiences with Aunt Wu.
"Yeah! Did you see that fire arrow?"
Katara lifted her eyes and stared as Zuko continued to practice. There were plenty of "powerful benders" in the world; Aunt Wu surely could not have meant Zuko. In any case, Sokka had once said that Aang was a powerful bender, but Katara knew that their relationship was strictly platonic.
"He's not 'with us,'" she muttered, quickly changing the subject.
"Well, maybe we'll get lucky, and he'll fall madly in love with you," Sokka yawned. He waited for his sister's appalled reaction, some affirmation of pure abhorrence, but she remained silent and turned away.
"I was just kidding, you know," Sokka laughed. "I'd probably kill him if that happened. Anyways, why are you so gloomy?"
She shook her head. "Sorry, I'm just tired. I think I'm going to go for a walk," she murmured as she stood up.
When Katara reached the beach, the moon was reflected incandescently in the sea. Instinctively, she drew up a paltry amount of seawater and fiddled with it. Twirling the water above her fingers, Katara heaved a sigh.
She scanned the alabaster sand for the conch she had picked up earlier in the day. After some minutes, she grew frustrated at the lack of light. Blowing an umber strand of hair out of her eyes, she concluded that the tide must have washed the shell away.
She soon decided to return to camp for a well-deserved respite. A night bird cackled ominously as she traversed through the woods. She could still hear the gurgle of the stream in the distance, and she found quaint comfort in its familiar babble.
When she reached camp, everyone had crawled into bed except for Aang. He gazed longingly at the fire as she approached him.
"Hey, kid," she smiled as she sat next to him. "What's up?"
"Can't sleep," he replied quietly.
"How come?"
"Well," Aang hesitated before continuing. "I keep having these nightmares. I think I'd rather stay awake as long as possible."
Zuko opened an eye and observed as the girl scooted closer to the Avatar. The Avatar began to speak volubly, but his words didn't carry far enough in the wind to reach Zuko.
He watched as the girl suddenly enveloped the Avatar into her arms. Immediately, the erratic tug that he had dismissed earlier resuscitated itself, and its effect on him was noticeably intensified.
The girl began to speak, enclosing the Avatar's hands in her own. The Avatar nodded in response, and she forced a weak smile. She then stood up and resumed her place near the fire.
Zuko watched as her eyes gently closed, and he listened for her regular breathing. As soon as he was certain that she was asleep, he sat up and took the conch out of his pocket.
Looking around to assure himself that everyone else was asleep, he lethargically approached her. Unsure of his next move, he quickly placed the conch by her hand, and he hastened back to his side.
Iroh peered out of the blanket as he watched Zuko's every move. He comprehended his nephew's temper well enough to know that a subtle yet radical change had ingrained itself into his infrastructure. Chuckling to himself, he strained to get a better view of the object that Zuko had placed next to Katara.
It appeared to be a faintly blue seashell, but Iroh could not comprehend what had prevailed upon Zuko to cause him to place it next to the girl.
Iroh shook his head. The prince had been sundered from the female sex for far too long. Had he forgotten how to-?
Iroh grinned; he had an ingenious idea.
A/N: I watched "Memoirs of a Geisha" yesterday, and I couldn't help but notice the water/fire references. Although I didn't find the movie a cinematographic triumph, the water/fire bits were rather interesting.
In any case, question and answer time!
Where the heck is the action?
I've been asking myself the same question. :-p Well, my darlings, I think that a well-developed story takes precedence over pure entertainment. I don't want this to be an action movie in print.
Is this going to turn into a lemon?
No, I don't plan on including too many babies in this fic. Iroh's "ingenious idea" is not in any way lascivious. Not to worry, there's plenty of romance to come ;-)
This isn't going to suddenly change into a Kataang, is it?
Of course not! Writers of both Zutara and Kataang generally tend to ignore the existence of the other pairing. Well, I think the story would be a tad more realistic if Aang's feelings were accounted for.
Why are you updating so often?
Two words: winter break. As soon as it's the 2nd of January, don't expect updates for a loooooong time. I'm a student first, and a writer next. Like I said in my last chapter, the more reviews I get, the faster I can crank out the coming chapters. I'm trying to channel everything out of my brain, so I'll be writing a lot in the coming days. How inspired I get is entirely up to you guys. :-D
Does the stream symbolize anything? You use it a lot in your story.
I believe that symbolism is a powerful literary device:-) But in case you're interested, you know how Shakespeare loved the double entendre? If you're bored enough, you can spot plenty of it in here. Teehee, I had way too much fun writing this.
Who's your favorite character?
Human? I'd say Zuko. Nonhuman? Appa all the way. Boy, if I had one of those things…
A HUGE thank you to all of my reviewers! JE VOUS AIME! Reviews mean soooo much to me :-)