Chapter Seven: Lightning
Zuko was woken up very early the next morning. Kaya shook him awake, but after seeing that the sun hadn't even risen yet, he moaned and tried to go back to sleep. But Kaya refused to let him be.
"Come on, Zuko!" she said, nudging him again. "You're going to miss it if you don't wake up now."
"Miss what?" he grumbled.
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Kaya, pulling Zuko by his elbow, led him to a tall hilltop on the very edge of the valley. They sat down and looked out at the horizon opposite the mountains.
"Kaya, why did you drag me up here?" he asked impatiently.
"You'll see," she said.
At last, after about five more minutes, the sun began to peak over the trees far off past the valley. Its soft, orange glow began to spread across the sky, turning it from its deep blue to a wonderful shade of citrus. They watched it climb higher and they soon had to shade their eyes. But as they did, they looked down at the valley which was being affected by the morning sun as well. The grass began to shine and sparkle from the fresh, wet due that had sprinkled the blades neatly. As the sunrays hit the grass more brightly, the emerald surface looked polished and elegant, as if made of glass. The two said nothing for a long time, only wanting to watch the sun take its place in the sky. And when at last, it finally did, they barely had anything to say.
Kaya hugged her knees with her right arm and let her left hand drift over the small dew drops on the luscious blades of grass. "I love watching the sun rise. The feeling of watching the day begin always gives hope for the new hours ahead."
Zuko nodded. But he still had a question on his mind. "Why did you bring me up here?"
She sighed. "Zuko, sometimes you just need to enjoy the little things in life. You, out of all people, need to know this the most."
He frowned. "What gave you that idea?"
"You've been through a whole lot what with your parents and your sister. . . Sometimes, you just need to block off everything troublesome in your mind."
Zuko stood up. "Nothing troubles me," he said firmly. "I'm going back to the campsite."
He left before she could even open her mouth. She sulked sadly as she watched him walk down the hill. He was very stubborn. But she had to keep her promise. She waited him to vanish from her sight until she finally got up and followed his path.
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By the time she came back, Zuko was not there. Iroh was awake though, fixing a pot of tea. She took a spare cup and poured herself some.
"Where is Zuko?" she asked, sipping the jasmine tea.
"He went to go find some water," he responded.
At first, Kaya was afraid that Zuko would find Aang and the others. But then she figured that they should've left after knowing that Zuko was only a few minutes away from them. She finished the rest of her tea.
"Kaya, are you able to conjure up lightning?" Iroh asked as she put down her cup.
"Yes," she said. "But I prefer using fire."
Iroh nodded. "I understand. Can you demonstrate to me what you can do?"
Kaya stood up and closed her eyes. She breathed in and remembered all the things putting pressure on her. Keeping Aang's promise, becoming a fugitive, the things she had learned about Zuko. She breathed out and removed all those pressures from her mind. Then, she moved her arms in a slow and flowing motion. Sparks poured from her fingers and around her arms. She jabbed her right hand out swiftly and guided a path of blue and bright lightning from her index and middle fingers. She turned to Iroh who nodded slowly, seeming satisfied.
"Good, good," he said. "Now I would like you to teach Zuko."
Kaya was surprised. "Why me?"
"I have already tried many times," Iroh said, his eyes closed, "but he cannot let go of his problems like I keep telling him." He looked up. "You on the other hand. . ." He took a moment to look at her with an all-knowing grin on his kind face. "He has opened up to you faster than anyone he's ever met."
"How do you know that?" she asked.
He chuckled. "I may be growing old, but that doesn't mean I'm going deaf."
Kaya thought about it. Teaching Zuko to bend lightning may help him out. It would also be a good opportunity to learn more about him. She bowed her head. "I will try my best to teach him."
Iroh bowed his head as well. "Thank you, Kaya."
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"Why does Uncle want you to teach me?"
Kaya shook her head. "It's a long story. Do you want to learn or not?"
He looked ready to object, but thought against it and sighed. "Fine. You can teach me."
Kaya smiled in approval. "Okay, then. Firstly, I need to see how you attempt to bend lightning."
He nodded, closed his eyes, and breathed in and out. He waved his arms around as smoothly as Kaya had. His intentions were high, but when he shot his hand out, an explosion of fire erupted from his fingertips and he collapsed onto his back. Kaya ran to him and helped him get up.
"See? I was right," she pointed out as he stood back up. "You do have a lot on your mind."
"I do not!" he exclaimed.
She shook her head. "I rest my case."
He gritted his teeth. "And what do you propose we do about this problem?"
"I propose that you stop thinking of everything that has ever troubled you," she said. "Breathe in and think about every single thing that has ever burdened you. And when you breathe out, forget it all. Let it all go and concentrate on your bending."
He stared at her for a second, as if she was crazy for having such a proposition. But he obeyed and breathed in. Everything rushed to his mind. His father, his mother, Azula, the Avatar. He breathed out and tried to think only of the lightning he was to summon. He waved his arms around again and released his energy. But just as he did, a quick thought came to mind. Azula. She was still after him.
Once more, fire exploded and he fell back.
He pounded his fist against the ground. "It's the same thing every time!" he shouted.
Kaya crouched down next to him and put her hand on his back. "Zuko, is there anything that would make you happy right now?"
"No," he said immediately. "Why do you ask?"
"Sometimes happiness and bliss is all that is needed to calm the mind and be rid of the rest of our emotions."
"The only thing that would do that would be to have my honor again." As he uttered the word "honor", he hung his head and gripped the dirt ground below him with white knuckles.
She gave him a hand and helped him up.
"I know you can do this, Zuko," she said to him, looking straight into his eyes. "You are a great person, and you don't need honor to prove that. Keep trying at it and you'll get it sooner than you think."
"Why are you doing this for me?" he asked. "My father is the Fire Lord and you're against the whole Fire Nation itself. It seems you would be one of the last people helping me."
"Because I don't judge by heritage or beliefs. I judge by what I know of that person. And I know enough to want to help you. I don't care if you're the heir to the throne. I don't care if you don't mind the war. What I care about is what you've been through and what you're like underneath the rumors spread about you."
He took in her words slowly and his lips curled into a small smile. "Thanks, Kaya."
"You want to try again?" she asked, returning the smile.
"Unless if you have the key to earning my throne with you, I don't think there's much that'll calm my mind."
But Kaya had another idea. She didn't want to know if she was doing it because she wanted to. She didn't even take much time to even consider it. The fact was that after seeing the sadness in his ember tinted eyes, she leaned in closer and gave him a small kiss on the lips. It didn't last that long. But even so, after she broke it, they were both blushing intensely. She looked into his eyes one more time, cleared her throat, backed away, and gave him a small hand gesture indicating for him to try again. It took him a while to figure it out, seeing as he was still shocked by what she had done. But after a few awkward moments of silence, he found nothing better to do.
He repeated the exercises. But when he breathed out this time, all that came to his mind was the feeling of Kaya's lips against his. This filled him with an indescribable sensation and gave him the energy to concentrate harder. He moved his arms around again.
This time, sparks were conducting from his fingers. He smiled widely and continued. And when he shot his hand out towards the sky, a dazzling, azure bolt of lightning was sent forth and went out with a large thunder clap. His smile grew and his heart thumped excitedly.
Kaya applauded eagerly. "Zuko, you did it!" She ran up to him and embraced him. "I knew you could do it!"
But as soon as she wrapped her arms around him, she suddenly remembered what she had done earlier. They both backed away, their faces returning to a soft, scarlet shade. She cleared her throat again.
"Let's try it a few more times," she said, not looking up at him.
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They practiced throughout the afternoon. Zuko improved his hand motions and Kaya promised herself not to do something so stupid again. If she had too much on her mind, she would have difficulty trying to travel with them. She didn't want to make it awkward for them to be around each other. But she couldn't help but think about the pleasant feeling that had shivered up her spine when she kissed him as they walked back to their campsite around the dawn of noon. She shook her head, pushing the thought from her mind. But no matter how many times she had tried to avoid it, the stronger the idea became. After all, she had never taken much consideration into it. What if she loved Zuko? The very concept made her turn red. That can't be possible, she told herself. Like he said, I'm against the war and he's okay with it. It would never work out. . . Yes, that's what she what keep at mind. For now at least.
When they got back, Iroh was cutting a mango into slices and placing them on washed slabs of stone for plates. They ate quietly, not wanting discuss much. Iroh didn't even ask if Zuko had learned to bend lightning.
He might be growing old, but that didn't mean he couldn't tell the short term look on Kaya's face every time she looked at Zuko.
