A/N: yawn Ello, everybody. It is…9:47, and I'm writing the author's note to this chapter and proofreading it. If you're reading this, then it is indeed tomorrow, since I will not update it until then. Gosh. This is weird. Well. Sorry for the wait. This chapter was really hard to write. Especially since I'm kind of still in awe over Booter-Freak's fanfic, Close Combat. Gosh, she's good….Scary good, people, scary good. I've read all but one of her Avatar fics. The one I read today is Iroh's Folly, with two of my favorite parts being: A) Iroh saying hello to Momo and Momo screaming. That was written perfectly and made me laugh out loud and B) Zuko waking up. I almost fell out of my chair on that one. So. I'm done ranting. Sorry bout that. Oh. And after you're done reading this chapter, go read Booter-Freak's fanfics. Now. Also, (here we go again), before releasing the sequel to this I will be reading over this and editing it. This gives me time to actually plan out the next two sequels, cause their plots are kind of complex. So, enjoy. (now it is 9:54)
Disclaimer: Me: This disclaimer will be written by my darling brother.
Bro: I'm sorry if my sister is an Avatar-obsessed little girl but we can't change that now can we? Ok, I'm going to get to the point, the thing is my sister is a 5 foot yahoo with too many obsessions concerning anime and wolves but my sister DOES NOT OWN AVATAR.
Me: Ladies and gentlemen, my brother!
Thank you:
Eternal Silence: Uh huh! Well, from experience, love is sometimes gradual and sometimes it happens in an instant. Sometimes it is a mixture of both. That is the case with this, Katara has spent five days now with this guy and realizes that he's not that bad. Something clicks. I know! Yes, we curse him. Bad, Iroh, bad. Thank you! Me too! Thank you very much! Thanks! Sorry for making you wait so long!
Sokkalover: Thank you! And thanks for killing the lawyers, but, the painful truth is, they're robots controlled by evil squirrels. It's sad, but since the day a bunch of squirrels moved into one of our pillars they've been torturing me.
Serious Fan: Me too! Really? Thank you! I hope you like this one!
Tears Washed Away: Thank you! Yeah, sorry bout that. Okay. Yeah! You'll forgive him even more in this one. I tried! I'm sorry!
Goddess of love: Hey! It's okay! I know the feeling. Ick, I'm sorry! Maybe, I have a friend who moved away, but I still talk to her and email her. Do your friends have email addresses? Maybe you could keep in touch that way! And you never know, maybe you could organize a visit. I hope things work out for you. Will do! Thank you for reviewing!
XwildfiregirlX: Thank you! Me too. giggles Sorry for the wait!
1kenshinlover: Me too! Thank you! I DID try! Sorry!
starlightz1112: Hey! Thank you! Me too! I do try!
dragon's kitty: Yup. grinz evilly What really started me on manic laughter that day was seeing Zuko getting all close to Katara and Katara turning to jelly. Thank you! Yup! It's churning in my little noggin! Which, to quote Artemis Fowl (which I don't own)" is a process similar to a blender mixing concrete"…Not really…
TanakasHeart: Thank you! Yea! Another lover of music! Yup! Thank you!
Inutenshi no Shi: Thank you! Yea! Another one! Cool! Thanks! A rare stroke of brilliance, if I may say so. Thank you! Thanks! Ja ne!
Rykuta: Eeks…Um, thanks? Lol. Now you can! Oh dear, don't check every day! (though I do it too) It'll drive you insane. I miss my own sanity in fact. Thank you! I'll try my best! (I'm starting to sound like Misakichi…)
LoyalFan: Thank you! Thanks! Yup, he is! Thank you! Then, full steam ahead I say on the trilogy!
Zukos Girl: Thanks! Hmmm, that's not a bad idea…I may have to try that…Thank you! I try! Eeks! Really? I'll try!
lyria of danceing flames: Uh huh! You'll see…Mu wa ha hah-Actually I don't really know yet. Thank you! I did try!
animeloverja: Thank you! Thanks! Me too! Sorry for the wait!
Monito: Thank you! I tried! Thank you!
jerseygrl246: Yea! Yup, I thought it was a nice touch…Lol…I will!
almostinsane: Thank you!
Lost Darkness: Apparently so! Thank you, thank you! Eeks! Craziness abounds! Make the most of this mood Lost!
P.S. Apparently, from your reviews, my chapters are cute. Interesting. Now, I must say a few things. I have gotten several 'read my fanfic' requests. I want it, well, known, that I only read Zutara fics. Sorry to those of you who asked me to read something that's other than that. I'm truly sorry. With the others, I will try to read them, but my family only has one word processing computer, I have two younger siblings who also adore the computer, my dad does a lot of work on the computer, and my mom's a transcriptionist…which means that she's on the computer a lot. So, this is the main reason for the lateness of chapters. The only reason I was doing the once a day update thing, is, frankly, I already had the chapters written. Thus, I try my best. So please excuse the lateness and the lack of reading stories on my part. Now, onto much happier topics, I'm thinking of changing the title, I'm not sure, but maybe. The only reason for this is because I'm trying to come up with a series title for this trilogy (which may actually be "Learning to Coexist", but that…No…Maybe it's fine) Anyways, I'll be thinking on it. Enjoy!
Chapter 14: Fire- Falling
Day 6
Zuko laid in bed staring at the ceiling, taking deep breaths, trying desperately to go to sleep…with his eyes open…The reason for this? Because, well, frankly, every time our dear prince closed his eyes he found his head swimming with images of a certain waterbender.
I can't meet
Losing sleep over this
'Okay. Let's try this again,' Zuko took a deep breath and closed his eyes. There she was, her voice ringing in his ears. He could feel her hand on his cheek. Zuko jerked his eyes open again, waking himself from a dream that he was ashamed of. He narrowed his eyes and rolled onto his side, staring at the floor. 'This wasn't supposed to happen. How could some stupid little peasant-'
Zuko snapped out of his mental rant when he heard a knock on his door. He quickly got out of bed and faced the door, his arms folded across his chest. "Come in."
No I can't
And now I cannot stop pacing
His uncle appeared in the doorway. "Zuko? Are you feeling alright?"
"Yes, uncle. Fine. Why?"
"Because you missed your own meeting."
Zuko growled. "Shoot. This is so stupid. Of all the idiotic-"
Give me a few hours
I'll have this all sorted out
Iroh smiled as he saw his nephew storm past him, muttering in a continuous stream, even throwing in a few profanities. "That's my nephew."
Zuko stomped up to the ship's cockpit, roaring orders at the crew. The crew cowered in reply and went about their duties, trying to pretend to be as inconspicuous as possible. Zuko then addressed the captain. "What's our status?" He scowled.
The captain winced. What had gotten the prince in such a bad mood? "Well, sir, we're about three days away from the port."
"What's our supply status?"
"We'll be good for another week."
"Fuel?"
"Fine."
If my mind would just stop racing
Zuko nodded and stormed onto the deck, taking a deep, shuddering breath, trying to futilely soothe his nerves. 'Wait. Why should I calm down? I just stayed up all night worrying about some stupid girl and missed my own meeting. I feel much more like snapping then bending,' Zuko flexed his fingers as he felt flames curl around his hands. 'That's it,' Zuko smirked maliciously. 'The next person who talks to me is going to get it.'
"Hey."
Cause I cannot stand still
I can't be this unsturdy
Zuko turned around, about ready to unleash his fury, when he saw who he was talking to. Katara. His anger pathetically deflated. "What?"
This cannot be happening
"What has you so upset?" Katara's eyes shimmered with concern.
"None of your business," Zuko snorted, turning his back on her, his cheeks burning.
This is over my head
But underneath my feet
"Fine. Sorry I asked. Just thought you would want some breakfast."
"Breakfast?"
"Yeah, then do you want to spar afterwards?"
Cause by tomorrow I'll have this thing beat
And everything will be back to the way that it was
Zuko couldn't help but smile. That sounded great, despite the fact that his pride was positively screaming. Zuko nodded.
I wish that it was just that easy
Katara flashed him a brilliant smile and lead him to Iroh's deck table, two plates of rice and fish set there. They were halfway through their meal when Katara asked Zuko again: "So, what was bothering you?"
Cause I'm waiting for tonight
Been waiting for tomorrow
"You never give up, do you?"
"I'm known for it."
"Yes, you are. You didn't give up on those Earth benders."
I'm somewhere in between
"I couldn't help it. So, now that you know I'm never going to give up, you feel like telling me now?"
What is real
"No, not really."
Just a dream
"Alright. I'll check back later."
What is real
"You do that. Your funeral."
Just a dream
"Ha, ha. I thought we already discussed this. You couldn't hurt a fly."
What is real
"A fly, yes. You?"
Just a dream
Katara smiled cheesily.
"Most definitely. If only to wipe that idiotic smile off your face."
Katara glared, Zuko returning it with passion.
They stayed like that for a few seconds, before the ends of Katara's lips began to twist upward uncontrollably. She finally gave in, and launched into a fit of laughter.
Would you catch me if I fall out of what I fell in?
Zuko took advantage of her inattention and smiled too. But, this had unexpected consequences. He began to chuckle too, his shoulders shaking, his pride dumb with horror.
Don't be surprised if I collapse down at your feet again
Katara stopped dead in her giggles and looked up, her eyes wide. Prince Zuko…was laughing….Now, there was something you didn't see every day.
I don't want to run away from this
"You're…laughing…"
"Huh?" Zuko immediately stopped.
I know that I just don't need this
Iroh poked his head out of the cockpit, abandoning his Pai-Sho game. "Did I just hear what I thought I heard?"
Katara gulped, pointing at Zuko. "He laughed."
Cause I cannot stand still
I can't be this unsturdy
"So I wasn't day dreaming. And it wasn't an evil chuckle like the one you used with the pirate incident, Prince Zuko, that was-"
"Genuine laughter."
"It was not," Zuko growled. "You just looked really funny."
This cannot be happening
"Not as funny as you," Katara smirked.
"That's it," Zuko stood up. "We're sparring. Now."
Katara stood up, dusting herself off. "Sure, but you're gonna lose."
"You wish."
Cause I'm waiting for tonight
Been waiting for tomorrow
And I'm somewhere in between
The two young benders proceeded to fight, leaving Iroh beside himself, bursting with joy. He would much rather watch this than finish the Pai-Sho game. But, first things first. "I'm not coming back, gentlemen, so cheating will get you no where. And don't think I don't know."
Iroh's opponents groaned. "He has eyes in the back of his head," one said.
"Exactly," Iroh proclaimed brightly. "I have a sixteen year old nephew and before that I was a general. I thought it would have been obvious."
Quite awhile later, Iroh began to chuckle, watching Zuko and Katara pant, still facing each other. "Let's just call it a tie, you two!" Iroh called.
What is real
"Never!" They both screamed.
Just a dream
"Alright, more grilled fish for me."
What is real
Zuko and Katara thought about it. It didn't take long before they decided on dinner. Katara walked to the dining room, leaving Zuko and Iroh behind her.
Just a dream
"I'll never understand her," Zuko sighed.
What is real
"Prince Zuko, the only way to truly understand a woman is to love her."
Zuko eyes widened. "What!"
Iroh turned to him, smiling his knowing smile. "Then it isn't necessary to understand her." With that, Iroh left his nephew standing there.
Just a dream
Zuko's eyes remained wide for awhile, before he smiled warmly. His uncle had just shown him something he couldn't see through his pride. "Thanks, uncle." He whispered.
"No problem!" Iroh called.
"He's insane. That's the only explanation. He's insane."
What is real, just a dream
A/N: Poor, poor Zuko…(I say that a lot) Oh my, he didn't really admit it, did he? Oh well, better luck next time! The song for this chapter is Somewhere in Between by Lifehouse. Thanks for reading! Review!