I'm so so sorry about the wait! I had a lot of things to do and a lot happened and... *sigh*, anyway, I'm pretty sure I won't be able to keep updating weekly, but I hope you'll still read it anyway. And now, I hope you'll like the next chapter!

I do not own Avatar The Last Airbender, nor its characters.


Chapter Six

Zuko decided not to ask Katara tonight. This was so easy and nice, and he didn't want to mess up, just because he was impatient to know if she would do it.

When they were asked if they wanted a dessert, both shook their heads. Zuko thought that dessert was too much like a date situation, when he asked just to get the bill, please.

It had become even colder outside and Zuko could see his breath in the air. He pulled his scarf tighter around his neck, when Katara left the restaurant behind him.

There were still people outside, laughing and talking too loudly. The semester was close to its end and some people had already written all their exams, so they naturally wanted to party now. Zuko still had two exams to write, until he could relax.

Katara wore a blue parka and a light grey wool scarf. She put her hands in her pockets and Zuko swallowed, since he knew he had to do now a very difficult thing. He had to ask a girl for her phone number without sounding as if he wanted something from her.

How was he going to do that?

"So... Thank you for the evening, Zuko. It was really nice. I would never have thought that I would enjoy dinner with you like that," she said shyly.

Zuko thought that this was definitely something positive and smiled. "Yeah, likewise."

She smiled back at him, and when he didn't say anything, she nodded. "Okay, then, I have to go this way."

Zuko inwardly grinned. It was good he had chosen a different parking lot today. "Yeah, me, too."

They started walking next to each other, away from campus and the university.

The street lamps in the capital glowed in a soft orange and always reminded Katara of the bonfires in the south. She loved the capital at night, since it seemed so warm and friendly.

Zuko knew he only had two blocks to walk, and that the underground station, which Katara probably headed to, was only one block away.

He searched for a way to ask for her phone number, but Katara started asking him about his studies, which distracted him.

He blinked, feeling surprised, when she told him that she had had the same professors as him one year ago. Both couldn't stand professor Longfeng at all, and Katara complained about how unfair he was.

"I'm actually a bit afraid of his exam," Zuko admitted.

Katara grimaced. "Yeah, you should be. But don't worry too much, it doesn't matter how much you study, you won't be able to answer all questions in the given time. Apparently, Longfeng does that with all freshmen."

"Oh," Zuko said, not really knowing what he should respond. He just didn't found Longfeng to be a nice person, but since he was highly used to unfair treatment, he didn't even think badly about it.

"If you want to, I could give you my notes from last year. It'll be easier for you this way," Katara offered.

"Oh, uh, thanks, but this would give me an uh, unfair advantage, and... and I already wrote a summary, so I don't know if I'd even need yours," Zuko stumbled, trying to be polite, but also showing her that he was an honest person. It wasn't quite cheating, but like he said, it would give him an unfair advantage.

Katara raised one eyebrow. "Are you sure?"

Zuko nodded, starting to panic slightly, since he saw the underground station entrance already ahead of him. What to do? What to do? His head jerked towards Katara, when an idea suddenly popped into his head. "Uhm, well... are you sure you want to give them to me?" he asked with raised eyebrows.

She nodded. "Yes, of course."

He exhaled deeply. "Then let's meet in this coffee shop again. I don't have time at the weekend, but are you free on Monday?"

"Erm... yes, probably. But only until six pm."

He inhaled, feeling relieved that she was okay with meeting him again. "Okay, then at four maybe?"

Katara twisted her mouth. "Well... Could we maybe meet somewhere else? Do you know Coffee Cups?"

"No. Where is that?"

"Not far. You can find it on google maps."

He nodded. "Alright."

Katara smiled, since she liked it how he didn't argue and said that he liked the tea in the other coffee shop too much to go somewhere else or something like that. Like Sokka would do, or Aang…

"Why don't you have time at the weekend?" she asked.

Zuko's facial expression turned grimmer, since he didn't like to think about that too much. "Tomorrow I'll go hiking. Sunday is family day. I have to meet with my sister and my parents at the volcano club."

Katara's lip twitched, and Zuko knew immediately that Katara knew what the volcano club was. "Are you going to wear a polo shirt for that?" she teased. "Or cargo pants? Maybe you'll wear a sweater over your shoulders and you'll knot the sleeves together! Do you play golf?"

Zuko put all his force into this scowl, but she just giggled at him.

"I play tennis," he murmured.

Katara's giggles became louder. "It's funny that those rich people clichés from TV are actually true."

Zuko rolled his eyes and looked down the stairs to the underground station, deciding to accompany Katara to the tracks. It wasn't that late, but it was already dark, and he didn't like the thought of Katara waiting alone at the tracks.

She looked at him in a surprised way. "Aren't you going to take a taxi? Or don't you have a chauffeur?" she still teased him.

He huffed. "I have a car, and I drive myself."

"But you didn't come here today by car?"

"No, I did."

"Then why are you following me to an underground station?"

He rolled his eyes again. "I'm not following you, I'm accompanying you. To make sure that no dishonourable creeps will bother you."

Katara could not stop her shocked look.

"What?" Zuko snapped.

"Wow. I guess you're a bit of the old school. Never would have guessed that," she answered, but nodded approvingly. "My dad would like you."

Zuko raised an eyebrow, wondering why she had thought of this, since it shouldn't be really important from her point of view if her dad liked him. It would be for him later, of course, but why did she think about that? He found it very endearing how she suddenly turned ten shades of red.

"I-I... I mean, it's just that while Aang was sweet and all, he wouldn't have done that, if I hadn't asked. He never thought that there could be dishonourable creeps anywhere. I'm not comparing you two or anything like that and I just meant... Urgh, you... It was the military academy, wasn't it?" she murmured, glaring at him.

He found that very amusing. "Oh yeah, you're right. After survival training and before battle strategies we had 'wooing ladies' and actually had to practise with the other students how to accompany girls to underground stations," he said sarcastically, but in an amused tone.

Katara blushed deeply. "I did not mean that. Just that you learn old school stuff in general there."

"Well, I like to call it manners," he replied stiffly, but cringed almost immediately after having said that, since he expected her to tell him he had sounded arrogant again..

But Katara did no such thing.

He shot her a sideway glance, and saw that she beamed. "Okay, now it is official. I don't just don't hate you, I like you."

Zuko felt heat crawl into his cheeks. She really did? "Uh, thanks. That's nice."

She raised an eyebrow, looking sceptical.

"I-I mean, yeah, you are also not that bad as I always thought. I mean, I like you, too. You, uh, are funny."

She giggled again. "It's okay, Zuko."

The train arrived, the noise so loud that they didn't say anything else, since they knew that the other one wouldn't hear it.

They both looked at the train, and then Katara mounted, and waved at Zuko, smiling.

He smiled back and raised his hand shortly before putting it back in his pocket. When the train left he could see how Katara walked around the people to find a seat.

Sighing he turned around, walking back up to the street.

So... The big showdown would be on Monday. Hopefully, his father wouldn't ask him on Sunday about his progress, since he didn't like to call this a progress, before Katara hadn't agreed on pretending to be his girlfriend.

oOo

"Zuko!" Ursa exclaimed, standing up and quickly walking over to greet her son. She had only got to see him every week since last July, and she still had a lot of time and feelings of guilt to amend. Every time she hugged him she made sure to hug him as tight as possible and so long as if she wouldn't see him for eight years again.

Zuko always closed his eyes and tried to memorise her hugs and scent as good as possible, as if he wouldn't see her for eight years again. Although he was twenty-one years old, he always felt like a little boy in her arms, and a lump kept forming in his throat, while he had to fight the memories at Uncle's house, when he had screamed for his mother.

But when mother and son let go of each other, they always smiled, as if everything was great and normal. As if Ozai hadn't forced them apart and had made their lives ten times more miserable.

Zuko ignored the fact that a little sweat broke on his forehead, when Ozai hugged him. It was not a stiff or unfamilial hug, but he never felt at ease with Ozai so close to him.

He swallowed and forced the smile back on his face, as he took off his coat. He sat down at his usual chair. Ursa and Ozai were sitting on the bench, while the chairs were for him and Azula. The chairs, sofas and benches were all bolstered with red velvet with golden dragon patterns. The room was light and the walls made mostly of sandstone, which was painted in a light red colour, only here and there could one find marble. In every corner and next to every table were palm trees planted in buckets and flowers decorated the whole room. The smell of spices and fried food hung deeply in the air, mixed with flowers and smoke. Zuko inhaled deeply and found that he loved that smell, while he tried not to pay attention to the other people's chatter.

The volcano club was the most and best known country club of the western province. Only the richest people could even afford to eat here. Zuko had already been here, when he had been a child. Being back felt familiar, although he sometimes found the prices of the meals way too high. After living with his uncle and working at the tea shop he knew a bit better how to cherish his family's wealth. He mostly spent his money on gifts for friends or his family.

The volcano club had more than just one restaurant. There were diners, ice cream shops and hotels, too. Lots of surface served for golf players or other sport courts, such as tennis, badminton, football, and rugby. Clubs for martial arts existed here, and Zuko visited different Kung Fu classes for advanced learners. His father wanted him to be the best, since all his family members and his ancestors had always been good fighters. Ozai wanted Zuko to also take lessons in a martial art with a weapon, and Zuko had chosen the dual dao swords. They were not considered as honourable by his family as the normal longswords they fought with, but Zuko felt more connected to them. He was a fast learner and surprised his teacher with his progress.

Azula had learned how to wield a sword since she was fourteen and had also taken Kung Fu lessons.

Since Zuko hadn't been here for almost nine years he had missed a lot of things his father had wanted him to learn. Now, Zuko had to make up for this lost time. Because of that he was always very busy and a common acquaintance in the club. Azula now mostly cared about the horses which were to be found in the stables on the club's grounds, just as lakes and pools. The members used the lakes mostly to sail or even to angle.

In the evenings there were concerts or other entertainment going on, and sometimes there were even sports competitions held.

Ursa immediately put her hands over Zuko's and squeezed it. "How have you been?" she asked him, smiling lovingly.

Zuko relaxed, and his smile became genuine. "Rather fine. I had two exams last week, and I think they went well."

Ursa's smile widened. "I would never doubt that."

Ozai raised an eyebrow. "You surely want to do better than 'well', don't you, Zuko?"

"Of course, father. I have done everything to get the best grade, and I studied for weeks to be prepared for every possible question. I'm positive to be one of the best, but I don't want to be too sure. No one knows what the professors really want in the end," he said, trying to show his father that he put effort into his studies, but he didn't want his father to expect only A+s, when it could be that all his effort only led to A-s or B+s.

Ozai looked more satisfied and nodded.

Ursa sighed. "Oh yes. Some professors are really unfair and only ask way too difficult questions or give the students too little time to answer."

"It's okay, mum." Zuko didn't want pity.

He turned his head to the left, when he saw his sister walking towards them. She looked self-confident, but walked fast, since she was too late. A waiter stepped to the side to let her pass, and she glared shortly at him.

Azula wore a tight red coat with a belt, black suit trousers and high heeled boots. Her hair was up in her usual knot.

Zuko smiled, when he saw her, and was a bit relieved not to be the centre of attention anymore.

"Hello dear family, I'm so sorry! I had some idiots in front of me on my way here. Colour blind idiots, because they stopped when the light turned yellow. There is still enough time to drive over the crossroads, but noooo... Urgh!"

Ozai smiled thinly, while Azula was hugging Ursa. "I told you that you can have a chauffeur if you want to. Then you won't have to put up with idiots like that anymore."

Azula returned his thin smile when she gave him a hug. "But then I would have to put up with an idiot chauffeur."

"This way you know you can always fire him if he does something which displeases you. You don't get the same satisfaction from anonymous drivers," Ozai explained, while Ursa's face went pale.

Zuko tried not to think about how cruel that sounded to him.

Azula rolled her eyes. "Dad, you know I don't want a chauffeur. I don't like to be dependent."

Ozai's smile suddenly became genuine. "Of course, Azula. No one will ever think you do."

Azula turned towards Zuko, and he engulfed her in a hug. Her perfume didn't smell sweet, it never had, it always reminded him of a lemon, but he liked it.

Azula sat down next to him, and took over the conversation from this point on. Zuko knew she was going to do that and he was grateful that she did.

A waitress came to their table and asked for their order. Zuko chose the speciality of the house: volcano noodles. They were orange noodles with tomato's, carrots, pepper and beef, all very spicy. He had to think about Katara, and how she hadn't seemed to like spicy meals that much. If she was going to be his fake girlfriend, he had to find some restaurants, where they would serve also a lot of nonspicy food.

Azula chose sushi, as usual, while Ursa went for steamed fish and Ozai for fire dumplings.

Their conversation focused mainly on what Azula had done last week, and then changed to the company, as always.

Ozai talked about his future plans for the company, since he wouldn't be able to keep functioning completely as its head when he would become president.

Zuko frowned at how he heard his father talk about it. It wasn't clear yet at all. The other candidates were quite strong, too, and had a lot of supporters. It was possible that Ozai wouldn't win the election, but that would be unlike Ozai. He always got what he wanted.

Zuko was happy that he was able to keep quiet the whole time and only eat his food. But he also knew that this wouldn't last long. He was also always on high alert, listening to everything, as if he were on enemy's territory. A reaction of his body he never understood.

Later, after their dessert, Ozai asked Zuko to talk to him alone. Ursa widened her eyes and smiled broadly, taking Ozai's hand. "Well, why, honey? You can always discuss things in front of wife and daughter, you know that!"

Azula smiled, too. "Well, yes, mother is quite right."

Ozai smiled thinly. "As much as both of you are right, I'm afraid this is something between men only."

Azula rolled her eyes. "As long as it isn't something sexist."

Ozai narrowed his eyes and Zuko laughed weakly. "Yeah, as if dad would even think something like that."

He got up and followed his father out of the room. He'd actually thought they would only sit down at another table, not go to a completely different room.

It was a private dining room, next to a window with a table set for six people and a record-player standing on a wooden dresser. The walls were painted in a deep crimson red and the curtains next to the window were golden, as well as the tablecloth and the napkins, while all the furniture was made of a dark wood which almost seemed black.

Zuko frowned when he noticed the colours. Was this room a private room for his father? Either that or the owner of the volcano club wanted to show his support for Ozai during the campaign. Gold, red, and black were the colours of the old flag of the western province and of Elementia. The flag of the Kasai Emperors.

Ozai motioned for his son to sit down. A waiter arrived just then and asked if they wanted to have something to drink. Ozai took a glass of whiskey, while Zuko went for coffee. He never drank tea in front of his father.

Swallowing down something which was not fear, Zuko turned to his father and waited for him to begin talking. He thought he knew what Ozai wanted to talk to him about anyway.

And he was actually right, for once in his life.

"So Zuko, tell me, did you make any progress in finding you a girlfriend?" Ozai asked, laying his hands on the table and leaning a bit forward.

"Uhm, yeah. I found someone." He looked onto the table plate for a moment, before looking back up at his father.

Quiet voices were heard from outside as well as the clatter of dishes.

Ozai's eyes narrowed. "That's all?"

"No, father," he said quickly. "We were out for dinner, and I'm going to see her again on Monday."

Ozai rose his eyebrows and leaned back a bit. "Hm. Good. But does she fit the description I gave you?"

"Yes, of course." Zuko nodded, looking to the side. "It wasn't easy to find her. There aren't many southerners living here after all."

"So she's a southerner?" Ozai wanted to know.

Zuko nodded. "Yes, I didn't find any girl from the mountains."

"I see. Now, tell me about her. I want to know if she will fit in the role I want her to have."

He swallowed. Dammit, that sounded almost threatening, and he suddenly worried for Katara. Hopefully she would be okay if she said yes.


Answers to reviews:

uchihaNaruto247: Ha, yeah, that would be understandable for her to think this. Honestly, I would think that, too, if someone would ask of me what Zuko is going to ask Katara.

Smckoy929: I'm very sorry, like I already said, a lot happened, and I had a lot to do, and I began reading other fanfiction stories, and I bought a few books and mangas, and read them instead of writing this fic... Reading is really the only thing which keeps me from writing, and I'm sorry. I hope you liked this chapter, though, and I'll really try to update the next one sooner.