Disclaimer: I do not own Avatar: The Last Airbender. But I do own this cool Batgirl mask I still use today.
CHAPTER 6: Firebending and Earmuffs
"Get up!"
The first roar of the morning reached Zuko's ears. He stirred slowly but didn't get up. Instead, he rolled over, lifting the fur sheets higher to his head.
"Just five more minutes, Uncle Iroh. Tell those impatient generals to wait. Offer them some ginseng tea…" he muttered drowsily.
Katara gritted her teeth, totally annoyed at the guy and the nerve of him to—
"I said 'get up' and when I say 'get up', you GET UP!" Katara grabbed the covers away from his body, so Zuko lay on the bed, shivering.
"UNCLE IROH!" Zuko yelled, now totally awake, until it registered to his brain whom the girl was in front of him.
"Oh, it's you," he said with complete indifference. "Can I get my blankets back now? I still want to sleep."
Katara fumed even more and Zuko swore he saw flames erupting from her nostrils. But she isn't a Firebender, so how was that possible? The only thing that could come out of her nose, being a pathetic Waterbender, would be snot and mucus.
"I'm sorry to have disturbed His Highness's peaceful slumber," began Katara bitingly, trying to calm down or this infuriating king would have his untimely death by drowning. "But your uncle suggested that you get off your lazy ass and train or whatever for today, seeing as you've fully recuperated from your fever."
"Tell Uncle Iroh I'm enjoying myself, finally having the rest I deserve and want to rest some more," he ordered, as if he were talking to a slave and not the chieftess of the tribe.
At this, Katara snapped.
"You are so annoying!" she yelled in complete fury. "Let me tell you, king or no king, you are still a guest in my tribe and your safety rests in my hands, even if the whole army of the Fire Nation is outside. Furthermore, this is my room you're crashing into, and I have had to endure two nights making myself comfortable in a chaise lounge in my office.
"I've just had enough of you! First, you took my room from me, insult my cooking, treat me like one of your damn slaves, and even have the nerve to insult my Waterbending skills! I am the chieftess of this tribe you're stepping, eating, sleeping into! I love Aang and Sokka dearly and have regarded Uncle Iroh as a close friend right now, and if it weren't for them and the good of my people, I would have never put up with you. Now, if only Uncle Iroh hadn't practically begged for me to make up with you I would have never come here in the first place and leave you sleeping like the overgrown baby you are."
Now it was Zuko's turn to snap. He stood up and faced her angrily.
"Why, did I ask for this room, did I ask for you to take care of me, did I ask for you to be at least on 'civil terms' with me? I never wanted all of this—this shabby shack you call a house," he indicated the room, "your putrid cooking and most of all, putting up with a nagging, irritating girl like you. It's no wonder you don't have a boyfriend. No man would ever have the stomach to live with you for the rest of their miserable lives."
"Don't you dare put my private life in this argument! And what about you, you don't have a girlfriend, either, because women actually have eyes and they can see the boorishness and arrogance they'd rather not live the rest of their lives with. And moreover, if you don't like my house, my cooking and me so much, why have you stayed here? Why didn't you just get on your stupid boat and leave?"
"It's not a boat, it's a ship! Uncle Iroh…it seems that you're getting familiar with my relative, aren't you?"
"It was Iroh himself who asked me to call him that, and I have!"
Their faces were mere inches from one another's, their breaths haggard from all that shouting at early morning. Zuko and Katara were both controlling themselves, lest they destroy the whole South Pole with a fierce bending battle at the wee hours of the morning. Steams escaped from their mouths as they breathed levelly. Cerulean eyes were locked with golden ones, both sets of eyes registering fury, rage, contempt, irritation, and loathing.
Zuko noticed slightly that the girl had grown taller, and last year, when he last saw her, she barely came up to his chin, but now their eyes were almost level. Must be those three-inch heels women favor so much. How they can stand that agony of walking around it all day is beyond me…. Seeing her face up close made him note the smoothness of the creamy brown skin, its pimple free-ness, and how her eyes stood brightly against that face.
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Katara noticed how Zuko's eyes softened as it scanned her face, and the slight tremor that shook his body when he stared at the oceanic depths of her eyes. He must be getting a cold, good for him, she thought sadistically, enjoying the thought that his fever was coming back. However, Katara banished the thought. No, she wasn't that sadistic to wish the man his sickness back.
Being so near to him made Katara conscious of her own femininity and how she reacted whenever a man as imposing and—majestic—as Lord Zuko. She became fully aware of how their faces were so close and how their lips merely four inches apart. But this near, dare she say it—intimate—contact with him provoked a feeling that she would have never thought she'd feel at this point in her life, being just fifteen and all.
All fury vanished from their eyes as they turned into searching, observing ones. Katara saw how the paleness of his skin made the scar on his left eye stand out, a mark of how much he held on to his torrid past when he refused to have it treated. The oval-ness of his head was quite ridiculous, but his strong jaw made up for that. A year ago, he had the look of a desperate, angry man, but now he had the look of a very much matured and satisfied man. He was a man no woman would pass up easily and someone, she knows, who's very hard to fall in love with.
His lips were pale from the cold of the place, but even she felt the pallor of her own skin when she saw that the loathing in his eyes were replaced by an oddly amused look.
What is he so amused about?
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"There you two are!" said Iroh genially, coming into the room with Jing. "Oh dear, have we interrupted something?" but his happy tone betrayed the impassiveness of his face.
Immediately, the faint spell lifted and the two teenagers were able to pull their heads. Conscious of how their position might have looked like to the two elderly men and how they were sizing up one another in a more than what is appropriate manner, they blushed furiously, something you don't see in Zuko's face everyday. Katara and Zuko jumped from one another and stayed ten feet apart.
"We…we were just having an argument," said Zuko finally, unable to stand the grinning of Iroh and Jing. "This stupid girl had the nerve to tell me that I am an unrefined king—"
"Which you truly are," Katara snapped.
"Shut up, woman." Zuko didn't want to lose his temper again, not in front of Iroh or he'll start again with his proverbs about not aiming fireballs at women.
"Don't you dare tell me to shut up!"
Iroh and Jing cleared their throats loudly.
"Lord Zuko, it's such a wonderful day out, and I have asked Lady Katara to tour you around the their tribe. It's such a refreshing trip, you'll see, and you need to stretch your legs for a bit."
"Uncle, I have no time for a stupid field trip. Call the men, we'll leave this forsaken place at once!" The two didn't catch how Iroh referred to Katara as 'Lady Katara' as if she were royalty.
"Good riddance!"
Iroh was about to say something when a Fire Nation guard entered, and after bowing respectfully to the four, said in an officious voice, "My apologies in interrupting you, Your Grace, but there has been a problem with the ship."
"What happened? Did the boiler room explode?" asked Zuko, in his voice all the exhaustion and exasperation he felt.
"Not exactly, sir." He took a sidelong glance to Iroh, unsure if he should go on, but Iroh nodded, egging him on. "The…the steam engine exploded and well, now, it will take at least a month to get back into working order."
"A month!" Zuko was unable to get a hold of himself and fire was already circling in his hands.
"Y-Yes, sir. We have already sent a messenger back to the Capital, asking for a technician, additional supplies, and a rescue ship. The rescue ship will arrive in two weeks."
Zuko sat back on the bed. "Tell the messenger that I want the fastest ship to come here. I want the ship in here in a week. No excuses. You're dismissed."
"But sir, our ship is already the fastest on in the navy."
"Well, they'll just have to make the other ships faster than it, don't they?"
The soldier gulped. He hated it when the Lord becomes all fiery and angry. What got in his pants? He glanced briefly at the pretty chieftess. Of course he should have known. Not wanting to stick around and get burned by their king on his first month on the job, he spoke.
"Yes, sir, I'll go do it right now!" With that he bowed and left, hurriedly.
"What a coincidence!" said Iroh happily, clapping his hands together. "Now we can stay here! Come on, let's all have some of Gran-Gran's refreshing ginseng tea before you two get on with the tour."
"Why me? Why?" Zuko buried his face in his hands, the look of a man in utter defeat. "I should have never come here. I should have never listened to the old coot, I should have never…." He mumbled something unintelligibly.
"What was that, Zuko?" asked Iroh, craning his head to the distressed king.
"Nothing." Though what he said was, "I should have never expected to find what I wanted to find here."
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"This is the clinic and that building right beside it is the herbs and medicines store," said Katara stoically. She and Zuko were outside, thanks to the forceful insistence of Iroh and Jing. She looked at Zuko who was trying is damnedest to keep from shivering. Katara laughed silently.
Zuko was already wearing his thickest armor and clothing but it wouldn't drive away the damn chill.
"Must you go on like that forever?" asked Zuko with a groan. He noticed the uneasy and reproaching stares the villagers were giving him. "What's up with them?"
"To answer your first question, it's because your Uncle asked me to tour you and I believe what I do is touring a guest in our village. On the second one, it's because the last time Fire Nation people came to our tribe, it was to cause destruction and chaos." She didn't have to add, 'including the death of my mother.' It caused her too much pain to remember that his people killed and tortured her mother. And here she was, walking and touring their king.
That shut Zuko up.
"Plus, the people don't trust you with me."
"Why the hell is that?"
"Like I've said before, they're still wary of the Fire Nation people, although your soldiers are doing a better job at being friendly to them than you are. And they think that you might do something to me when…forget it." She had talked to a friend yesterday and expressed her feelings about Katara being with such a man as Zuko. She said that half the village believed that there was something going on between them.
"And why would they think that way?" Katara had retorted, blushing.
"Mr. Jing said that when you were away, you had many brushes with him, and besides Sokka and Aang, he's the only man you've given that much attention to." Katara noticed the slight edge in her voice when she said that.
"Look, I'm sorry about your brother and all, but I can't just—"
"It's okay, he's gotten over it. But I warn you, Katara, don't get too close to him. He might harm you in more ways than you can imagine."
"When we're alone?" Zuko snorted, making Katara jump back to reality. "Believe me, I wouldn't touch you with a ten-foot pole." He brushed past her and walked forward.
Katara breathed heavily but managed to control herself. She didn't want to argue with this man in public. She took a deep sigh and followed him.
"Katara!" a little voice called her and made her look behind. "Katara!"
A pair of little legs came running towards her and Katara noticed that it was Fei.
"Mom said I could go out today and come and play with you. I can, can't I?"
Katara kneeled down to the height of the child and ruffled her hair. "I'm sorry, sweetie, but I have something to do today. I have to tour our guest around the village. Later this afternoon, if I have some time, I'll play with you."
Fei frowned and her lower lip wobbled. "But…I was sick and I couldn't play and now when I could play you said you can't."
"I'm really sorry…."
But immediately, Fei's face lighted up. "Okay, so I can't play with you, but can I meet our guest?"
"Sure." Katara stood up and saw Zuko nearby, staring at her with narrowed, calculating eyes. "He's the man over there, Fei, the one in the red parka. Would you like to go and introduce yourself?" She hoped that by seeing Zuko's nasty face the child would shake her head and run off. Katara doesn't know if Zuko had patience with children; he might throw a fireball at her when annoyed by her probing.
But Fei was interested. "I want to meet him."
Resigned, Katara took the child by the hand and led her to Zuko, who was standing with his arms crossed.
"Zuko, I'd like you too meet a friend of mine. Fei, this is Fire Lord Zuko, and Zuko this is Fei."
Fei stared up at Zuko with wide, interested eyes. "You're a king?"
"Yeah, I am, little girl." Zuko unfolded his arms and bent down to the little girl. He had some sort of experience with little children, as he's visited a few orphanages during his tour of the nations. He was used to the awe and fright the children gave him when they knew he was a king. Fright and hostility mostly from those children who were orphaned by Fire Nation soldiers.
"Cool! I have never met a king before! Are you from the Fire Nation? Are you a Firebender? Will you show me some cool bending tricks?"
Zuko sighed. "Yes, I am from the Fire Nation and I am a master Firebender. And I'll only give you one demonstration of my awesome abilities."
Katara rolled her eyes.
"Okay, then. Show me."
Zuko clenched his fist and then slowly opened it, revealing a small, fiery rose. It was made from flames yet it held such elegance and beauty that even Katara wanted to clap along with Fei.
"That was awesome!"
"I told you."
"Can you also show it to my friends? Grandpa Iroh came yesterday and showed us some tricks, too."
"Fine," said Zuko grudgingly, unable to say a flat no to that cute little face. He straightened up. "But just once, okay?"
"Okay!"
Fei grabbed Zuko's hand and led him to the end of the village, near the sea. The three saw a group of small children playing games with snow forts.
"Everyone!" Fei called and the other kids stopped and ran to her.
"You're okay!" a girl remarked.
"Yeah, I am. Anyway, everyone, I would like you to meet Lord Zuko of the Fire Nation."
The children eyed him with a mix of wonderment and apprehension then began whispering to themselves.
"Fei, come here," one of the larger boys called and Fei went obediently and they moved away from Zuko and Katara and began huddled in a circle, their voices drowned by the arctic wind.
"What are they talking about?" Zuko asked Katara but she shook her head.
"I don't know."
"Fine, then," another boy piped up, his head breaking from the circle. "Show us your skills!"
The children crowded around him except for one boy who remained at a distance.
Zuko clapped his hands together and a small flame erupted form his palms. He held the fire in his one hand and clapped again. But when his hands parted, a small flaming phoenix appeared and he held it out for the kids to see.
A girl attempted to reach out and touch it, but Zuko drew away. "Don't. it looks pretty, but it can harm you. You don't want to burn your hands, do you?"
The kids immediately hid their hands in their pockets and Zuko extinguished the flame. The group clapped.
Zuko gave them a slight, forced smile but it satisfied them all.
"Fire is dangerous," spoke up the boy who kept his distance from Zuko. "It can kill you and burn you like hell. It can never be regarded as something pretty. It keeps us warm but when too close, it can kill you."
"Jiro!" exclaimed Katara. "That is foul language!"
"I don't care!" Jiro yelled and ran off.
"He's right," asserted Zuko, shrugging nonchalantly. "So take care when you use fire."
The children nodded and after thanking him, went off to play again.
"I'm sorry about that," said Katara sadly as they went back to the village for some lunch. "Jiro lost his father, mother, grandma and sister when the Fire Nation attacked here. he was left alone and has a bitterness for Firebenders or anything to do with the Fire Nation."
"Just like your brother, isn't it?" Zuko commented dryly.
"Yes, but Sokka has come to terms to at least be civil with the Fire Nation people for the good of our people."
"Tell me something."
"What is it?"
"Do you blame me for what happened to your mother?"
Katara was taken aback by the sudden bluntness but she thought about it. Slowly, she shook her head. "You had nothing to do with it. I can't blame you for something you yourself hadn't done. I can't live with myself knowing that I'm blaming you for something you were in no part of. Forgive me if I say this, but…."
"It's my father you feel angry at."
Katara nodded. "I'm sorry…"
"It doesn't matter. He's gone, the Avatar's beaten him, and I've gone back to my home and made king. I'm happy with my life."
Suddenly, another chilly wind blew and it caused Zuko to shiver.
"I hate this cold weather!"
Katara laughed softly, removed her earmuffs and placed them on Zuko's ears.
"What the—"
"Keep them on. You'll find yourself warmer."
"What about you?" He really was starting to feel warmer.
"I'm good. I'm used to this weather, unlike you…. Will you stand one more of my putrid cooking, as you put it, and have lunch with us or would you rather go back to your ship?"
In truth, Zuko was already becoming used to the strange dishes Katara was serving him the past few days, but he needed to oversee the ship. God knows what's been happening there when he was sick.
"I need to go back to the ship. I need to see what happened to that steam engine. But if Gran-Gran makes those little pastries again, save me a whole plate."
Katara laughed.
"What's so funny?" Zuko demanded.
"Now you're the one who's getting familiar with my relative. It is interesting to note that with her allowing you to call her like that means that she's grown fond of you. Watch out, or she'll be adopting you!"
"Shut up!" He turned. The thought of having to live in this deserted wasteland gave him shivers that didn't have anything to do with the cold. "I'm going. Bye, then. I'll come back after a few hours."
"Okay." I'll be waiting.
Now, this chapter is really long. Ten pages! Took me three hours, but I had a lot of toilet and snack breaks, so…. I hope you liked this chapter. The Zutaraness isn't what I had promised, but I hope it was adequate. I didn't want the two to rush into things; I wanted them to fall for each other so subtly that…. Forget it. Wouldn't want to give anything away. Review, please! I'll update faster when I get plenty of reviews. I just love all of your reviews!
And yes, I'll be making a short competition just for fun and because I'm bored and I don't know what the answer is to the second question. Don't care if you think this is pathetic or overused. Just answer one of the questions below through a review and the winner will get to choose what special 'thing' Zuko will give Katara as a present and have an entire chapter dedicated to him/her. Even if the winner decides he/she wants Zuko to give Katara an extra-revealing negligee. Just as long as the 'thing' is an item and will not in ANY WAY ruin their relationship.
The question is:
What question will you ask the character/s of Avatar: The Last Airbender when given a chance to meet them?
Or if you think that the question is cliche, then answer this one:
What would you imagine Zuko and/or Katara saying/doing when they profess their love for one another? Make it short, sweet, and oh-so Zutara-y. (I really need help on this one. I'm not a very romantic person and I haven't fallen for anybody yet, so I wouldn't know how to confess.)
Got that? Now, dust off your neurons and start thinking.
Contest ends February 13, 2006. Winner will be notified through later chapters. Winner will be chosen by an impartial judge and not the author.
Rienne ;p