In the Mist
by
Amber M.

Disclaimer: I do not own Avatar: the last airbender or any of the characters featured in this fun show. (smiles)So, please… put them lawsuits out of mind. (cowers)


Chapter 1
Struck By Lightning

"Katara, can you come here for a minute?"

The waterbender blinked, her big blue eyes putting the stars to shame with their glittering beauty. Katara was beauty. Even dressed in a simple azure nightgown, she looked like an angel. Zuko refocused on her lovely round face before allowing his thoughts to sway elsewhere.

A small smile curled his mouth. It was the first time in a long while he felt happy, regardless of the yarns of nervousness knotting in his stomach. He reached out a hand and gently clasped Katara's cheek. She blushed and gave him a warm smile. It made him feel ever surer of himself in the life changing event about to take place.

"You mean a lot to me, more than the world, my honor… myself."

"But, Zuko—"

"Wait," he said softly, brushing his thumb over her lips. She hesitantly closed her mouth and he went on, "If I had one wish it would be to stay with you… forever. I don't know how long that is but… at least we have this life. I intend to make the most of it. Hopefully, you feel the same. Do you?"

She bit her lip a moment and nodded.

Zuko's smile got more life. He then extracted his closed hand from the pocket of his pants and opened his fingers before her, presenting a ring.

Katara's eyes widened as she saw it.

"Sorry for the lack of presentation. I don't really have much money…" he said with a slight waver at the end. It was the first it'd occurred to him that he was financially… lacking. Still, it wasn't as though hopping the continents randomly with the Avatar demanded immediate stability in that field. But what about after the Avatar's quest was fulfilled, assuming they all live through it?

The worrisome questions ebbed almost instantly as Katara spoke.

"Are you asking me…?" she said breathlessly, looking up into his eyes.

At first, Zuko felt his earlier knot of nervousness tighten more. He paused for a long moment, his gaze downcast to the ring in his palm. Finally, he gulped and met Katara's eyes. "Yeah…" he uttered lamely. The life in Katara's face seemed to deplete at his mistakenly lukewarm reply. He fumbled and nearly dropped the ring before taking her left hand and poising it at her ring finger. "I'd like us to be joined officially…"

"Do you love me?" she whispered, her eyes becoming a little watery.

Zuko smiled at her. "Of course. Didn't you know?"

"I want… I want to hear you say it," she said, trying to sound resolute as a tear rolled down her cheek.

Zuko gently slid the ring on her finger, clasping her hand with one of his while the other reached up to wipe away her tears. He kissed her tenderly on the lips and…


"Uhg…" Zuko groaned as a mild throbbing in his head woke him.

He opened his eyes to a hazy mix of shadows and sand. Soon as his vision cleared, he saw the sand was actually the beige interior of a tent and the shadows danced from a lantern set in the middle. Zuko found another occupant of the tent on the other side of the lantern. A woman, one he didn't recognize.

She was a woman in her forties with dark brown hair peppered with gray hanging in slightly unkempt waves down her shoulders. Her dark green eyes brightened up as she saw Zuko.

"Ah! You are awake!" she said, stating the obvious.

Zuko was confused. Where the hell was he? And what happened? The painful throbbing in his head barely faded and was actually almost outweighed by the burning static electricity feel flowing through his body. The last he remembered was being out in that thunderstorm… Oh.

"How do you feel?"

"Where am I?" he asked bitingly.

The woman cocked her head to one side. After a delay she seemed to nod in comprehension, and answered, "My tent! We're close to the road to Asamoya. Do you know where that is?"

Zuko was fairly certain he did. If he was right it meant he had to be a rather far ways from where he left his Uncle Iroh.

He gingerly pulled himself up to his elbows. His head protested with a kick but settled back to its throbbing tempo a second later. He opened his mouth to ask another question but he found a wet rag smacking into his face.

"Hey!" he exclaimed and sat up fully. The pain forced a growl from him and he automatically pressed a hand to his temple.

The woman made a ponderous noise. "Oh. I thought you would catch it. Sorry!" she said lightly.

Catch it? He clenched the wet rag in his lap with his free hand. It was cool, and he felt his head could use a bit of that so he pressed the rag to his forehead before glaring at the woman. She had her arms folded into the russet sleeves of her robe, an annoyingly perky smile on her lips.

"My name is Kenbo. And yours?"

"None of your business," he replied in a bitter undertone.

"Zuko, isn't it? Did you have a pleasant dream?"

Zuko's eyes widened. He slowly turned his head toward the woman but didn't speak. Up to the moment, the dream hadn't occurred to him. In fact, it might have even been forgotten but now…

"It was a little blurry, but there's no doubt your happiness was real… and lasting!"

"Make some sense," he demanded.

Kenbo closed her eyes in happy little arcs and chuckled inwardly. Then she shook her head and cleared her throat, opening her eyes again. Strangely, her eyes seemed to have white glowing rings amidst the green for a second. Zuko decided he probably imagined it.

"Listen, Prince. Although it is surprising, you… a socially awkward meanie… are destined to find your princess in the kindness of this young waterbender. Aww… the 'Beauty and the Beast'. That would make a divine little bedtime story, wouldn't it! But I suppose you aren't too beastly…"

"What! Listen to me, old woman—"

"My, what a temper. She will have her work cut out for her. Indeed!"

"Crazy hag! That's all you are, aren't you? I'm out of here," he said at last and went to standing up. It took a moment for his pain to adjust again, and he ruled out throwing the rag back into the crazed old bat's face as he now felt hotter from the ire boiling up in him.

Kenbo sighed. "It will happen, Prince Zuko. You will find bliss in the undying love of another. All you need do is have faith."

Zuko stopped at the tent's exit. "I suppose you think of yourself as a predictor of the future?" he muttered.

"Mm… Yes! That sounds exotic, doesn't it!" she responded cheerfully.

Zuko grunted. "Some Seer you are. If you could predict such things, you probably would've realized I'm no 'Prince' anymore," he said coldly and tore the flap open to escape to the dark outside.

Of course, Zuko still thought himself of that noble title but technically, his country would think him anything but a "Prince". As would practically everyone else. He pressed the rag to his head, mentally cursing that crazy witch for her absurdity, and walked off down the dark path to Asamoya.

With mild curiosity, Kenbo watched the canvas tent entrance flap in the breeze briefly before it closed her in again. She sighed, rolled her eyes and said, "Oh, Zuko, Zuko. You may seem hopeless but your fires have hardly died out."

to be continued.