Gahh, my breaks weren't working! So, the zero/period combo is my break until the lines work.
0.0.0.0.0.0.0.0.0.0.0.0.0.0.0.0.0.0.0.0.0.0.0.0.0.0.0.0.0.0.0.0.0.0.0.0.0.0.0.0.0.0.0.0.0.0.0.0.0.0.0
Zuko woke up the next morning to the smell of something cooking. Had he really slept in or was Lakai just an early riser? He rolled off of the cot and looked over at Katara; she still slept soundly.
Careful not to wake her, Zuko exited the tent. Lakai was talking to someone else by the fire.
"Are you sure this water's hot enough?" The voice that spoke caused Zuko to stop and stare.
"Miss Lakai, I'm sure it's hot enough. What I'm not sure about is these being the right plants," Iroh said.
"Uncle?" Iroh jerked his head around at Zuko's voice.
"Zuko?" he asked, dropping the leaves he had been holding. Lakai looked at Zuko, then at Iroh, and back again,
"You two know each other?"
"This is my nephew, the one I told I had been separated from in Ba Sing Se," Iroh explained.
"What's goin' on?" a very groggy Ty Lee asked, coming out of her tent. "Oh! General Iroh!" she exclaimed upon noticing him. "Nice to know that Azula didn't kill you."
"Azula? Isn't she some insane Firebending princess?" Lakai asked. Then she paused. "Zuko...as in Prince Zuko?" Iroh nodded.
Zuko expected the woman to scream and panic, but instead she just shrugged. "You could have said something last night. Y'mind waking up your other companions?"
"I want to hear what happened to my uncle first," Zuko insisted. He was a little shocked by Lakai's acceptance, but didn't show it. After the events of the past few months, he was surprised anything shocked him.
"That can be explained in due time, Zuko," Iroh said. "Like over a hot meal and tea." Zuko rolled his eyes and reentered his tent.
She looked so peaceful that Zuko was reluctant to wake Katara up. She seemed at peace in her sleep, not determined to help Aang at whatever cost, as she was awake. She had a soft smile on her lips, and was talking in her sleep.
"Really? That's nice…" Suddenly, she rolled over and faced Zuko, awake.
"You need to get up, Katara," Zuko murmured.
"No. Don't wanna," Katara mumbled, sounding like a young child. "I forgot how good a real bed feels."
"Katara, you're sleeping on a cot. I hardly call that a real bed," Zuko joked. He reached out and brushed a loose strand of hair from Katara's face.
"When you compare sleeping on the ground, in Appa's saddle, and not sleeping at all, a cot is like a feather bed covered with silk sheets and sinfully soft pillows scented with moon peach blooms and snow lotuses," Katara retorted. Zuko raised his eyebrow.
"And have you ever slept in a bed like that?"
"Do dreams count?"
"Not really. And why would you dream of a bed?" Zuko asked.
"The bed's just part of the dream. I was in some giant house, more of a palace, really. There was silk all over the place, but the bed stuck out, for obvious reasons," Katara explained. "It was round and there were all these balconies in the room. It was wonderful." She sighed that lovesick sigh that girls often sighed when they were daydreaming about a boy or something. Zuko bet if she had a pillow, Katara would have hugged it.
"Do you want breakfast?" Zuko asked, ignoring the look on Katara's face. Katara nodded and got up.
"Aah! Stiff back!" Katara's hands flew to her lower back and she arched, trying to get the soreness out. "A little help would useful here!"
Zuko smirked and heated his hand up to a comfortable temperature, placing it on Katara's back. He eased the stiff muscles, placing his other hand on Katara's shoulder to make sure she didn't fall back (or so he told himself).
"Ready?" he asked, removing his hand. Katara nodded and exited the tent, Zuko following.
"Do you want to wake your brother or do I do it?" Zuko asked. Katara pointed to Ty Lee.
"I say we let Ty Lee do it. Hey, Ty Lee!"
The acrobat looked up from her breakfast. "Yeah?"
"Wanna to have fun?"
"Sure!" Ty Lee bounded up. "What do you want me to do?"
Katara had an evil look in her eyes. "Can you go wake up my brother?"
"How is that fun?"
"Because, as his sister, I'm giving permission to wake him up anyway possible. Slapping, kissing…" Ty Lee perked up and dashed into the tent.
"That's mean, Katara," Zuko pointed out, all attempts at hiding his grin futile. Katara snickered.
"I'm his baby sister; I can get away with that," retorted Katara as she went to wake Aang and Toph.
Zuko had the feeling that his uncle was giving him one of those annoying, know-it-all looks. He turned around, and, sure enough, Iroh was giving him a look. Zuko looked at him as if to say "what?" Iroh smirked and shook his head, turning back to his tea, wincing when he jolted his wounded side.
"AAAAHHHH!" Sokka came running out from his tent, shirtless and hair a mess. "She…she…she…." He couldn't get a sentence out.
Toph, who had just woken up, turned to where she felt Ty Lee. "What did you do to him?"
Ty Lee giggled. "Kissed him."
Everyone, even Appa and Momo, starting laughing. "You did what?" Aang, just woken up, asked between chuckles.
"Katara gave me permission to wake him up any way possible, so I did," she replied, a smirk on her perky face.
"Katara, never do that again!" Sokka cried, realizing he was half-naked and running back into the tent to finish getting dressed.
0.0.0.0.0.0.0.0.0.0.0.0.0.0.0.0.0.0.0.0.0.0.0.0.0.0.0.0.0.0.0.0.0.0.0.0.0.0.0.0.0.0.0.0.0.0.0.0.0.0.0
"Okay, so can someone explain to me what's happened and how you guys know each other?" Lakai asked as she dished out breakfast.
Everyone started talking at once. "Sorry I asked," the healer muttered. "Tell me one at a time. You." She pointed to Aang.
So, Aang told her about the iceberg and the various adventures. Toph explained how she had met the group and Zuko explained what happened to him after Ba Sing Se. Then, for the benefit of his nephew and traveling companions, Iroh explained.
"I wasn't dead when Azula attacked me again, merely unconscious," he began. "I was out for out for several hours before I regained my senses in Miss Lakai's care. She had healed my wounds as best she could before I woke up. Did you know that some Waterbenders, in particularly lady Waterbenders, could heal with their bending?"
Zuko looked towards Katara, who blushed. "Yes, Uncle. Continue."
Iroh nodded, taking more tea. "Miss Lakai said that it was for the better if I travel with her. 'I'm heading to a peninsula in the south; we might find your nephew or word of him', she said."
"Peninsula? I thought this was an island?" Katara said. Lakai nodded.
"During the spring and early summer it is, when the water floods the narrow neck. But rest assured, it's a peninsula," she explained. "Let Iroh finish."
"Thank you. Where was I?"
"Traveling with me."
"Oh yes. Anyway, Miss Lakai was not able to heal me completely, but she made it so I didn't feel old every time I moved."
"But aren't you old?" Toph asked.
"Older, young miss, and it's nice to see that you do have traveling companions," Iroh quipped. Toph smiled.
"Thank you, and you're right; you're nephew is S-T-U-B-B-O-R-N!"
"Watch it, Toph," Zuko warned. He would have glared, but it would have been lost on the blind Earthbender.
"Well, I'm right."
Sokka, who was busy trying to eat breakfast, rolled his eyes and noticed the spare tent. "Hey, what's that for?"
"What?" Lakai turned to the spare tent. "Oh, that's my shrine. Incense, candles, statuettes, embroidered words of prayer, you name it. I'm extremely spiritual," she explained. "If it's spirit, god, or goddess, I'll pray to it. Even the evil ones, but only when I try to exact revenge on someone."
"Then who's Jala? Zuko and I heard you mention her last night," Katara said, rubbing her stiff back.
"Water Goddess of Sea Faring Travelers, according to what my mother told me. Most Water Tribe people don't know about her, since they really don't travel much," Lakai said. "Zuko, in the tent you slept in last night is a purple vial filled with will smell like really strong grape scented alcohol. Go get it, please."
"So you pray to all the spirits and whatnot?" Ty Lee asked. "Even Agni?"
"Err, not him so much. Can y'blame me?" Lakai said as Zuko stood and entered the tent.
"Purple vial…there's a lot of purple vials here," he muttered, looking for the bottle. He grabbed the first one and uncorked it. "Eww. That's not it." He corked it and reached for the next one. It smelled of a melon. "Nope."
"Need some help?" Zuko jumped at Katara's voice. The young Waterbender smiled. "They're talking about the best way to cook a flying halibut. I'm allergic to halibut."
"Flying halibut?"
"A fish that has gills it can flare out like wings. I'm allergic to it, so I came to help you find that oil," she said.
"Is that what it's supposed to be?" Katara nodded and reached for a vial. "I've checked that one. Smells like almonds."
The two spent at least half an hour looking for the right vial. Finally, Katara found it when she stubbed her foot on it.
"What's it made from, crystal?" she muttered as she followed Zuko out.
"I still say to skin it first then remove the wings. They come off easier," Lakai was saying.
"But that's a big mess!" Sokka retorted.
"Are you still talking about flying halibut?" Katara asked.
"No. Hens and chickens of any type," Lakai responded. "Oh, you've found the oil. Good. Zuko can you heat it up in…that bowl? Katara, you'll need to lie down on a cot if you want someone to rub that oil in. It'll help your back."
"What's it made from?" Toph asked, smelling the tan liquid. "I haven't smelled anything like that before."
"A special blend of herbs and perfect grapes. Y'know the grapes that are round and firm skinned, bursting with flavor? Those grapes. I think I ate more than I put in when I was making that stuff," Lakai added as an afterthought.
Zuko rolled his eyes as he proceeded to heat up the oil. Katara sighed and went back into the tent. "I'll be waiting," she called over her shoulder. Briefly, Zuko thought of the other meaning that sentence could hold, but shook his head as he completed his task.
About five minutes later, Lakai came over to Zuko. "Could you help Katara with that oil? I know I said I'm strict with my rules, but someone has to go with those guys to the market to make sure they don't do something stupid, and Toph'll need help keeping Sokka back from the meat stalls. Tell Katara I asked you to."
"Do I have a choice?" Zuko muttered.
"Unless you want uncle to buy out every cheap tea stall in Port Len Sung, no," Lakai replied.
Zuko sighed. "Fine. Please make sure Uncle doesn't buy any statuettes, tea, porcleian, or even cheap glass. He will do that," Zuko warned. Lakai smiled.
"I know. I've traveled with him for about a month now; never let your uncle into a market unsupervised. Be back soon." Zuko shook his head and entered the tent.
0.0.0.0.0.0.0.0.0.0.0.0.0.0.0.0.0.0.0.0.0.0.0.0.0.0.0.0.0.0.0.0.0.0.0.0.0.0.0.0.0.0.0.0.0.0.0.0.0.0.0
You know my fics are gonna be long if I get to chapter fourteen and little fluff has been shown. (I'm home sick today, so I've got plenty of time to type.) Next chapter will be fluffier.