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regina star, k, C.A.M.E.O.1 and only, kayko15, Monito, Zukoscute2, almostinsane, DemonDaughter, sunshine 60, Indiehippie, sweet-but-evil, Sukia Fire, Naomi, mnkyclmbr, Lionessmon, and Rashaka.

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Love y'all!

And to answer Zukoscute2: I'm agateophobic.


CHAPTER 9: Invitation

Katara walked around the deck of the ship, letting the cool breeze fan the wisps of her chestnut hair. Her azure eyes blinked at the vastness of the ocean, the clear blue pools that were her eyes mirroring the cerulean beauty of the water. As Katara took a step, the wind blew along the hem of her blue silk robes, making her look like a descending fairy.

Katara sighed as she took in her surroundings. She was aboard the Fire Nation Navy ship, the Sea Flame, which was courtesy of the infuriating current Fire Lord, Zuko.

She had received a letter a few days ago from the Council of Leaders, reminding her that a meeting would take place in a few weeks and her presence was greatly required. It was a small assembly of the various leaders of the nations and large tribes. Mainly, they bunch up together once a year, talking about the peace, and the progress of their nations among other things. Zuko and King Bumi were the ones who initiated this council only a month after the war was over. Zuko needed to know what damage had been caused by his kingdom and to what extent, so that he may lend a helping hand to those who suffered badly. King Bumi eagerly helped, seeing that the young man was more than willing to undo the mistakes his predecessors did. And so, the Council was born.

"I tell you, Katara, that this young man holds a lot of promise. He is not like the ones before him. He has something that their past kings don't have," King Bumi had said the last time she saw him.

"What does he have?" Katara asked softly.

"A heart."

A heart, my ass, Katara though sullenly. What kind of man with a heart would just come up to you, insult you, harass you, and then threaten you after stealing your first kiss!

So far, Katara had only been to the meeting once, when Sokka was still the chieftain. She had come as his advisor and right-hand. Aang had also come, as he is the Avatar and his opinion and presence was greatly needed by the leaders who were still awkward about meeting with a King of the nation that has for the past one-hundred year, pillaged and destroyed their people.

But Katara had loathed that first meeting at the Earth Nation's Palace. Many nobles and leaders mostly from the Fire Nation looked down at her and Sokka, in their minds wondering what two teenage beggars from an unknown tribe from the South Pole could possibly do to merit being in the presence of their lord. The leaders looked down on her more than they did Sokka, because she was just a girl. Most of the time, the ladies there scoffed at her, whispering behind feathered fans as she talked with some of the most powerful men in the world, including King Zuko. But under the quelling gaze of Fire Lord Zuko, King Bumi and a lot of other leaders who were close to her and her brother, they couldn't say anything out loud, at least not in their presence.

Katara went back to her room in the ship, bowing and nodding to the guards and soldiers who passed her way. As she went inside the spacious room, which was easily the best and biggest room in the ship, she sank to her bed. She stared around the room, wondering just how much they spent on preparing this room for her. A servant said told her that it took workers two months just preparing the all-blue room. The Fire Lord was adamant about making her feel comfortable in a ship of the Fire Nation and made sure that only the best was used for the furnishing. The servants were extra attentive to her, and a guard was always following her, though not too closely and she resented all that. It's not as if there was an attack coming to her soon.

At first, Katara didn't want to go to the Council and suggested that Jing take her place again, like he did last time. But the current King of the Southern Water Nation, King Rayzu, said that she needed to go as his wife was in bed and cannot make the trip to the Fire Nation where the upcoming meeting was going to be held. When Katara protested that Jing was enough to represent the whole of the Southern Water Nation, King Rayzu said that it was her that was needed there, for it would greatly offend some of the leaders—it would be her second time declining an invitation to the meetings and send someone else.

So, Katara had no choice but to accept the invitation. Jing had come along to be her right-hand and the tribe was left to the care of Gran-Gran. Katara felt bad about leaving her grandmother, but Gran-Gran was more than capable of taking care of the tribe for a month.

As soon as she said yes, Jing had sent a messenger to the Council, saying that they will be there. The messenger came back, aboard the Sea Flame, telling them the Fire Lord sent the ship for her. Katara thought it was just out of civility, but when she first stepped into the room where a servant indicated she would stay, she knew that Zuko dispatching the ship solely for her was more than that. He probably felt guilty for harassing her and this is the closest she'll ever come to a real apology from him. What, he thought that she was some materialistic girl and a lavish room with everything she ever needed at her beck and call would make her happy?

Zuko…. It's been six months since their last encounter at the cave. When he left the port, they refused to look at each other and Iroh and Jing did most of the goodbyes. She said a forced 'safe trip' and he a mumbled 'thanks.' That was the last time she heard him talk.

Katara got from bed and proceeded to the ornate bathroom. The Fire Nation people really did know the meaning of luxury: indoor plumbing, ivory and onyx marble facilities, gold-plated taps and towel racks, the softest and fluffiest towels, and every shampoo, soap, conditioner, lotion, and beauty products at her disposal.

She opened the taps and filled the tub with steaming water. She took off the pearl comb that held her bun and shook off her wavy chestnut hair. After slipping out of her robe and undies, she sank in the water, feeling as if she were massaged from head to foot.

After the relaxing bath, she put on a fluffy white dressing gown and made her way to the closet. Only one-third of the contents in the closet really belonged to her. The rest of the beautiful dresses, qipaos, and robes were again, a gift from Zuko. But it didn't mean that she couldn't afford expensive dresses. She could, now that her tribe was prospering, but she opted to spend her money in the developing of the lives of her people, and kept just enough for day-to-day living. Though she indulged in rich robes and accessories, it was rarely and she only used those for important functions and gatherings.

People might think that it was materialistic of her to spend so much on a magnificent robe, when a simple, cheaper one would suffice, but she thought differently. For her the clothes were a kind of armor, mostly against from the demeaning eyes of those nobles who see her as nothing more than scum from the Water Nations. They give her a sense of security, a proof of how much farther she had gone in her life, and were no longer the weak, poor and starving beggar. And besides, it was only rarely that she uses them.

She chose a pure white chemise from one of the drawers and from among the many different colored robes, a simple powder-blue one she had bought from a trader a few months ago. After fixing up her hair, she went to the bridge and look for Jing. She found him there, talking to the captain, a burly man in his mid fifties.

"Good afternoon Lady Katara," said the captain pleasantly and Jing greeted her as well.

Katara said her greetings back and sat down on the table with them.

"Excuse me, captain, but how long until we arrive?" asked Katara.

The man thought for a while. "Around two weeks, if nothing goes wrong. After we dock, carriages will take you and Mr. Jing to the palace."

"I see."

"Why, Katara, are you getting a bit impatient?" said Jing.

"It's just that I feel a bit strange, being on a ship for so long. I'm mostly used to riding in the skies on the back of a flying bison," Katara answered truthfully, not caring how strange she sounded. It caused her a pang to remember those wonderful times she was riding on Appa.

"Don't worry, dear, it would be just for another week."

Katara nodded and excused herself, saying that she was hungry. The captain suggested she go to the kitchens and tell the cook whatever she wanted. Katara followed his advice and found the cook, busy cooking lunch for a crew of a hundred.

"Um, hello," said Katara, not wanting to bother the already frustrated cook too much.

"Yes, miss?" the cook snapped, briskly stirring what looked like stew with an oar-like thing.

"I just want something to—"

"To eat? Well, missy, you just have to wait. I ain't finished yet. A servant will send some stuff up to your room in a while."

Katara nodded her thanks and went out as fast as she could. The heat and the cook's glares were killing her.

She went back to the deck, feeling her guard follow her every move. For a while, she ignored him, wanting nothing more than to stare at the wide blue ocean, wondering what will happen to her once she steps into the Fire Nation palace….

----------

"Lord Zuko, these things needed to be taken care of," said one of his assistants, a little man named Tori as he dumped an armful of scrolls at the King's polished oak desk.

Zuko grumbled and buried his head on his arms. He hadn't slept for a week just trying to get all through the mountain of work everyday. He felt the beginnings of an ulcer already and his head was spinning from lack of any kind of rest. But who said that being a king was easy? It's not all sit on the throne and bark orders. There was a lot involved and Zuko couldn't handle all the pressure, no matter how much he tried to show he could.

He was a man not comfortable with showing weakness and always bitched about a country having a weak king is a weak country. He had a lot to uphold to. The people expected much from him and he wasn't going to fail them. He was set out to prove that he wasn't at all like his father, who loved war and bloodshed more than his own son—the man who banished him from the country he loved and made his life a living hell for sixteen years of his life.

He's gone now, so stop thinking about him, damn it! Zuko furiously picked up his pen and opened the scrolls with more force than what was necessary. He tried to be absorbed in his work, no matter how tired his eyes were getting, trying to force out of his mind thoughts of his father. He succeeded in both tasks and felt that he had accomplished a lot of things when he finally threw down his pen and escaped to his room, lest Tori would come and dump another mountain of scrolls at his desk.

He gave the guards standing in front of his room specific orders about not bothering him unless it was absolutely necessary.

"Don't let anyone disturb me for the next ten hours or heads will roll—literally," he said darkly and the two soldiers nodded, knowing that their King never said any empty threats.

After a relaxing bath, Zuko jumped into a pair of baggy black pants and snuggled under the covers. These were the times that Zuko wished there was someone by his side would help him in work, then rub his aching shoulders, and cuddle up to him while he slept.

But he, the ever-pessimistic person, knew that it would be long before that time will come. He gave a sigh and slept, snoring loudly.

----------

"So you see, the help we have gotten from the Fire Nation has been highly appreciated, Your Majesty. We have been able to rebuild many houses, hospitals, schools, orphanages, and other social institutions. On behalf of the Northern Water Tribes, I thank you, Fire Lord Zuko."

Zuko nodded to the man who had just spoken. He was the King of the Northern Water Tribes but politically and economically speaking, he was a weak man, but held a lot of influence. Zuko needed that in order to expand trades for his country.

"I am glad that what have done had been a great help, though it's only small," said Zuko diplomatically, the epitome of the perfect ruler. "It is the least we could do after what happened to your tribe during the war. Rest assured that we will not stop helping you until your tribe has been rebuilt back to its former glory."

A multitude of clapping and approving nods followed his speech. Zuko gave the faintest of smiles, not betraying his desire for the meeting to get over with so he could sleep. Zuko scanned the room and didn't see the chieftess of the Southern Water Tribe. What he saw in her place was her right hand, Mr. Jing. The old man had said something about Katara being too tired and retreated to her room. The journey had left her dizzy and wouldn't make it to the first of several meetings.

Zuko sighed, though not audibly and obviously. He had wanted to meet her at port when the Sea Flame came back to Fire Nation waters, but Tori had it in himself to thrust a lot more work in his hands. So, he just sent his Uncle Iroh to meet the delegates from the South Pole.

He had wanted to see her, tell her that he was sorry for what he did and he didn't mean it.

Wait, he chastised himself, why am I going to apologize to her. I'm a king; it's not a thing for a king to do. She's just a lowly water peasant. She's not worth my time.

Finally, the meeting ended, and Zuko got up from his seat at the head of the long mahogany table.

"This meeting is adjourned. Please don't forget about the ball this coming evening."

And with that, Zuko nodded to the delegates and sat back down in his seat while the rest of the men in the room left, assured that the new Fire king would do a lot for the improvement of their own lands.

"Well done, King Zuko," commended Iroh when everybody else had left. "The leaders are happy about the help they're getting from us and I have heard some that you are the best thing to happen to the Fire Nation since noodles and tea!"

"Stop it, Uncle," muttered Zuko, rubbing the bridge of his nose.

"Why the sad look on your face? You've been looking like that ever since you came to the room. I thought you'd be excited after hearing just how much good work you've done for many people. Why? Missing a certain lady?"

"Just shut up. I know who you're talking about and she can avoid me for all I care." But while he said that, something hurt inside him and he ignored it.

"I don't blame her for wanting to avoid me, though. I did hurt her…."

"Well, then, why not make it up to her on the ball tonight? Back in the days when I was still young, whenever my girl Friday would get angry at me, I just simply ask her to dance when there was some party. After a few drinks, talking, nuzzling and kisses, it all worked out perfectly. And afterwards, I just find myself tied to the bed by the wonderful girl who wouldn't even let me stand up from the bed to pee."

"Uncle, I do not need for you to tell my anything about your sex life with your girl Friday or girl Saturday!" Zuko blushed and shuddered when the image of his uncle being tied to the bed with ropes on both hands and feet—naked—came creeping to his mind maliciously. For a second, he wondered if Katara was that aggressive…. He erased the thought angrily. "Now I'll have nightmares. And I don't care about that water peasant!"

"Whatever you say, Zuko, but you know, it was you who mentioned ever caring for the girl, not me. I just said you better make it up to her and then send her on her way home. Simple and less heavy on the heart."

"Why the hell do you know more about me than I know myself?"

"Remember, King Zuko, ever since you were born, I was always there by your side…. From the time you came out of your mother's womb, to the time you're now king and start harassing a young Water Bender chieftess, who by the way, is immensely angry with you and would never likely forgive you."

"She told you that?"

"Yes, when we were on the carriage. However, I did tell her some things that will prove to be your advantage."

"Yeah, like what? You told her that I am a sweet, kind and caring man who wouldn't hurt a fly? Or some demented king who's just too frustrates with life and bullies Water Tribe girls because he doesn't have anything to do in his spare time and would she please forgive little old me 'cause I can't help being that way?"

"No, not exactly, I told her that you were a sick, dying man who's frustrated with life and needs heirs soon on order to keep the country going. A fortuneteller came up to you and told you that the first girl you'll ever fight with is the girl you'll marry and bear your children. So, you continue to fight her because you couldn't believe it either. And now, as a dying man's wish, you want to marry her."

"WHAT!" Zuko's voice rumbled through the room and the guards outside were tempted to barge in, had not only their lord given them specific orders about coming inside the council room without his permission. He shot to his feet. "Why in Agni's name did you tell her that! Crap, she'll just laugh at my face!"

Surprisingly, Iroh laughed, his huge belly shaking in the process.

"Relax, Zuko, I was only kidding. You know I wouldn't tell her that. I just told her that you had a temper and well…she said that…."

"She said what?"

"She said that you were 'a pompous asshole with not one grain of decency, gallantry, and gentlemanliness left in you and probably the world is getting fucked up because a fucked up bastard is ruling a country. Ah, the world really is a shitty mess right now, and I'm more than shit because even though I should stay mad at him, I can't…for the sake of my people. Damn it all, I really need to get this load of crap off my shoulders.' Yes, I believe that those are her words, though I've changed some of the cursing part. I didn't know that someone could curse like that. She should be a rapper."

"That's what she said? That the world is getting fucked up because a fucked up king is ruling half of it?"

"But she did say that she can't stay mad at you."

"For the good of her people! That's the only reason why she couldn't exactly launch a full-scale war against me!"

Iroh laughed again.

"What's so damn funny?" Zuko demanded, the fire in his clenched fists getting bigger.

"I didn't know that you cared for one person's opinion this much, Zuko."

"I…don't…." Damn, why in shit did he ever have an uncle who was so witty and annoying? This is the second time he caught him thinking about Katara.

Iroh just shook his head, still laughing as he made his way to the exit.

Zuko wanted to burn the palace right this very minute and he would have done so, if not only he kept his temper in check. It's what got him the problem of Katara in the first place.

Shit, crap, fuck, damn, why the hell am I thinking about her?

Great Agni, tell me…what the hell is wrong with me?

----------

Katara glanced outside the window of the room they had indicated she stay. The room was as opulent as the one in the ship, but his time, it was in every shade of red, orange and yellow: Fire Nation colors. She didn't feel comfortable in that room and made her feel as if she was surrounded by fire—the uncomfortable fire that has lingered in her body ever since those intimate contacts with Zuko. Getting up, she found her way to the gardens and found a nice spot at the very back. Tall hedges surrounded the area and the fragrance of the flowers from every corner of the garden wafted through and relaxed her body and spirit.

This was paradise; imagine having lived most of your life in a small village where nothing could grow and where flowers were a thing of absolute non-existence if not rarity. To be able to have the beauty of nature surround you…this was the real heaven. If only there was a strong, young man who was there by her side, holding her hand and experiencing the same tranquility she felt.

The Water Bender sat down on the dewy grass and closed her eyes, leaning on the thick wall surrounding the palace. For a while, all she wanted in the world was be in that spot, unafraid and uncaring of anything—even hot headed scarred kings.

----------

The Fire Lord got up from his chair at the council table, the heat and his thoughts suffocating him. He needed some fresh air, so he went for the gardens. There was a spot he had always loved to just sit and feel the wind and nature encompass him to the point that he falls asleep in the grass, and only waking up when he hears the frantic screams of his uncle and guards.

He had discovered that spot just a few days after he took over the throne. The advisors, accountants and other officials were driving him insane. Add to that, he was getting some lessons on Ruling a Kingdom 101. After almost setting fire to his office, he ran out to the gardens, got lost on the maze-like hedges and, wanting to escape from it all, curled on the grass, feeling all calmness encase him in a comfortable cocoon.

After that, it has become his secret place, where he meditates when the mask and the candles just didn't cut it, where he collects his thoughts and relaxes for a while, and the only place where he becomes from Fire Lord Zuko, supreme ruler, to just being Zuko, a seventeen-year-old who was thrust with the responsibility of the gods.

So imagine his surprise when he sees that girl, all curled up on his sacred spot, with an idiotic look on her face, as the wind lazily blew through her messily braided hair.

For a while, the world stopped, and everything disappeared, and all he could see was her, having that happy look on her face. A look, Zuko knew, she would never show him consciously. A shot went through his secret heart as he remembered their first kiss together, and as he stared at the soft pink lips that opened and closed slightly at her every breath, he almost lost control and would have run to her, take her into his arms and kiss her under the glaring sun with the wind billowing their robes.

The young king mentally slapped himself back and forth until logic entered his brain. This was stupid!

Damn, I should have just gone to my room….


Okay, this is pretty short, but I don't have much time on my hands right now. Plus, it's 12:46 a.m. when I finished this. I hope you guys liked it! Sorry if the story sucks. I've been experiencing the worst part of the writer's blocks I've been having for a year now and still haven't conquered. And I'm also suffering from burnout.

This story will be on hiatus for a week, as it is midterms next week and I gotta study hard if I still want to be included in the DL. Word of advice: never ever enroll in a course that has a quota. I give you fair warning, or you'd be like me, already having an ulcer and caffeine dependent (just finished my third cup of coffee), and I just had about less than twenty-four hours of sleep for the past week.

So far, I've only received a few replies from the contest. So, how about another incentive? Winner gets to take a sneak peek at the next chapter before anybody else does, which means, he or she gets an exclusive read to upcoming two chapters. Did that get your neurons working?

Okay, guys, REVIEW please! Make me happy so I won't fail my exams! Or else Zuko and Katara are seeing nothing in their future. I can see it now…Katara and the Cabbage Man and Zuko and Meng. I can hear wedding bells and it's not for Zuko and Katara.

Rienne ;p