A/N: So um, here's the next chapter. Hopefully, you'll understand why Katara's acting to weird...OMG I LOVE YOU GUYS YOU GUYS ARE THE FUCKING BEST THANK YOU SO MUCH SDKFJSLDKFJDSKJFLSDKFJSLFDK
Disclaimer: don't own LE CREYS
A Date With Disaster
Chapter Two: Out With Disaster
"Katara!"
The excitement in his voice made her giddy. He has like her. Who could fake the genuine excitement? She beamed at the sight of him.
"Zen!"
In front of each other now, neither knew how to greet each other. In a fit of confusion where Katara was going for a handshake and Zen for a hug—the two resolved with a lot of stuttering and blushing—in just forgetting the exchange and pushing on with the night.
He took her to a large restaurant called The Mu-long Dragon. So original, Katara bemused. She must've passed about twenty travelling the entire Fire Nation.
"I uh, reserved some seats for us. In the festival season everyone grabs all the tables quickly. It was murder trying to convince them to give me a table." Zen smiled sheepishly.
Katara felt a warm wave of gratitude thrown at her. Here he was, getting nice seats for them to eat in festival season—the busiest time of the year. How could Sokka even think that he was evil? He was so…kind. Shamefully, Katara never thought that he'd go through so much trouble for her. She thought he was just going to take her to a cheap play or the beach or something.
When seated, the tense atmosphere around them grew to the scale where it was almost impossible to breathe. Neither knew what to say for fear of offending one another was inevitable (through their narrow-minded teenage heads) so they opted to smile and blush awkwardly, frowning at themselves when the other wasn't looking.
In the end, Zen broke.
"So…uh, Fire Nation colonies, right? What's it like there?"
She tried not to sound stupid, considering she's never even seen any of the colonies, "Oh…it's nice. Very different and uh, more laid back than the Fire Nation."
"Oh, that's cool."
Silence.
"At the market earlier…um, was that your, uh—boyfriend?" Zen rubbed the back of his neck uncomfortably.
Blushing brightly, Katara reeled back. "Oh no, no…no. You've got it all wrong. Aan—I mean, Kuzon, is only a friend. He's uh, my best friend."
The thought that Zen automatically thought that Aang was her boyfriend sent jitters and a wave of rabid sharks in her stomach. How many other people made that same assumption? How many other people just labelled them together? Oh god, did Master Pakku think that they were together? Oh no. It was embarrassing enough when Sokka mentioned it…but with complete strangers?
Katara didn't know whether she was offended, disgusted or thrilled at the fact. He was her best friend. Why did people think that way?
"Oh, he's from the colonies as well? Are you travelling with a group?"
"Yes. Sort of. I'm travelling with my brother and friends. The colonies are nice and all but ah, we just wanted to see the Fire Nation." Katara's head was jumbled trying to find the perfect lie and trying to stop Zen's bright eyes from making her say something stupid.
"That's so cool. I wish I was allowed to travel around the Fire Nation. I've been stuck here ever since I was eleven years old when we moved from the capitol city. My parents hated the thought of raising me up there—things were really short in the middle of the war." Zen said wistfully.
The topic of the war made Katara uncomfortable. The last thing she wanted to do was to talk about the war with a Fire Nation boy on her 'date'.
"How did you get your parents to let you go anyway?"
More uncomfortable squirming, "My mother died when I was really young and my Father's fighting in the war. The rest of my friends have their stories. I'd rather not tell."
"Oh I didn't mean to pry—it's just…not many kids get to do fun stuff in the Fire Nation anymore."
"Really? Like what?" Katara's interest spiked, Fire Nation and fun? Those two combinations didn't really mesh well together in her head, even when Aang mentioned his first day of school, she was sceptical. In moments like this, Katara kept forgetting that before the Hundred-Year war, the Fire Nation was at peace with the world and was as normal as Earth Kingdom and the Water Tribes.
"Yeah. My parents told me that the Fire Nation was a different place a hundred years ago. But until I turned nine, things changed for the absolute worst. Back then, it didn't used to be so strict. We were allowed to do whatever we wanted to do. There was no pressure of being the best firebender in the street. There was no pressure of turning sixteen and fighting in the war. All the small communities used to gather together every night and have game nights and story-telling. All the kids used to get along together too. We used to be allowed to play all day outside and in the mud. Even firebending training was fun…"
Katara put her hand on his, he smiled at the comfort. "What happened?"
"…do you know the six-hundred day siege of Ba Sing Se?"
Katara nodded solemnly, how could she forget?
"Well…the strain of invading Ba Sing Se was…getting to everyone. I was too young to remember but my parents told me that that was the moment the Fire Nation was running out of supplies, things started getting tight. Food prices shot up, discipline was enforced and everyone started being…cold. I'm not really sure how to explain it considering I don't even remember most of my childhood, but my parents told me that…the siege was taking away all the men, the brothers and the husbands and the friends to fight; but it was also taking away our spirit. People were so…different. They were more withdrawn and reserved…no one wanted to speak to each other until it was absolutely necessary. And well, of course I didn't get it…not until we visited the capitol city a few months ago and—saw the change. It was like everyone was just thinking of all these different ways to throw you down; it was like all that they were thinking about was…hurting you in the worst way possible. It was like they were trying to find out whether you were a kind person and strike you down. Compassion and kindness aren't tolerated anymore, people are so afraid to love. Loving others would mean you're vulnerable, and vulnerability is not accepted in a time where the Fire Nation was supposed to be a strong and resilient Nation. It's terrible. But the worst part was, we knew—the entire Nation knew that what happened to us…was our Firelord's doing."
A startled silence.
Katara felt tears well in her eyes. Her heart was breaking, breaking for the poor boy who sat in front of her. She realized then, the other nations weren't the only ones suffering—the Fire Nation was too. Its people were broken and torn apart. Without love, what was worth living for? What was worth fighting for? The war had done so much more damage to the world than Katara realized. Her protective instincts were urging her, begging to give Zen a hug.
And she did just that.
Embarrassingly, the only reason she went through with it was to touch him. They stayed like that for a while. Hugging the hurt Zen kept in for so long.
When they pulled away, Zen laughed, "Do you have magic powers or something? You're the first person I've ever told that to."
"Well…people always did tell me that I was a good listener."
"They weren't kidding." Zen grinned.
Blushing brightly, Katara's heart thundered. How could he be so nice? How could anyone be so amazingly nice to her? She probably didn't even deserve it, and here he was, sweeping her off her feet when they've only met for the first time. How come he doesn't have a girlfriend already?
Before Katara could stop herself, she blurted it out, "Do you have a girlfriend?"
He looked with surprise, "No. Why the sudden interest?"
She felt embarrassed, "I'm sorry. It's just that—you're so nice. I can't imagine that someone as…sweet and caring as you doesn't already have a girlfriend. From where I come from, girls would've been on their knees for you…"
She wasn't joking either. Her village was comprised mostly of old women and young children, but there were a few pre-teenage girls that would've hurt themselves just by looking at Zen. She couldn't even imagine how the Kyoshi Island girls would've reacted.
Yeah—he was that handsome.
He blushed too, "Oh…you really think so? I dunno…the girls here don't really like my type of person. They're too busy looking at all those rough-tough guys that firebend according to which temper tantrum comes along. But what about you? How come you don't have a boyfriend—you're seriously pretty. One of the prettiest girls I've ever seen."
Her face burned with delight, "Well—in my uh, town, the boys and men are all gone to war and the rest aren't really concerned with you know, the whole dating thing. Besides, I've been travelling for a long time now, I didn't really have time to stop and consider…dating anyone."
"Oh…ok."
And they left it to that.
After dinner, Zen led Katara towards the beach. The night was warm and the wind was strong against their faces. Katara's eyes felt lazy, the warmness of the air was making her drunk—she wanted to lie down on the sand and sleep there forever. The nearly full moon shone brightly, reflecting on the gentle lapping waves like a portrait.
Slowly, both of them sat on the white sand and laid back, their eyes towards the stars. The silence of the beach was comforting and beautiful; the night sky was dotted with inky bright stars that twinkled whenever the eye caught them—like they were personally winking at you.
Zen softly started: "You know, when I was young, my dad used to bring me to the beach all the time at night. Most of the time, we'd sit back and just stare at the stars. My dad made up all these stories about them, like everyone in the world had their own personal star—like a guardian angel. And sometimes, they would come to earth in a form of a human to watch over and guide you, a little bit like a spirit. My personal favourite however was the story about one man who fell in love with his star, who came to him in the form of a beautiful woman."
Suddenly, Zen chuckled, "My dad used to tell my mom that she was his star all the time and she had no idea what he was even talking about."
Katara laughed with him. "That's amazing Zen. Do you still do that with your dad?"
His eyes grew sad, "No. With Ling and war around…there's just no more time to relax. Everyone's too busy trying to see the finish line that they never notice they haven't moved in the first place."
Katara once again placed her hand on his, "I'm sorry."
He smiled sadly at her. "It's okay."
Katara felt horrible for Zen. In spite of everything that he's been through, he's still going on strong. She couldn't imagine how it felt like, having all the people that you knew and loved suddenly turn cold and their backs to you.
Suddenly, Katara got an idea. She stood up and Zen looked at her with questioning eyes.
"Race you!"
Katara sped off laughing. Zen, after a moment of shock, scrambled to his feet after her—yelling 'cheater' at her back and grinning like a madman.
"You can't catch me!" Katara sang behind her.
"Yes I can!" he laughed back.
They raced for a while, dodging trees and blunt rocks in their paths, but Zen had longer legs and a faster build. He quickly caught up with her and in a burst of confidence; wrapped his arms around her waist, dragging her down to the sand. Both fell down, laughing at the adrenaline rush. They'd landed right in front of a palm tree that swayed in the wind and gave them shade from the moon, like it was hiding them from the world.
Katara noticed suddenly how his arms were still around her, and that his face was dangerously close to hers.
"…caught you." He whispered dazedly.
Heart racing, face burning, Katara felt her eyes close…closer and closer their faces were going. Anticipation and suspense gathered in her stomach—aching for the moment…
But...something was wrong...something was terribly wrong. She wanted to dive in completely but her insides were screaming, screaming to run...to run far away from him...to run away from him and never look back...
She thought it was the trick of the light, but she could've sworn that Zen's eyes glowed silver...
"AAAH!"
Yelping and scrambling away from each other like insects, Katara felt her shock magnify and her mouth drop at the interruption.
"Oh hey guys—I wasn't interrupting anything, was I?" Aang sheepishly smiled at them. The palm tree above them bent over from Aang's weight.
"You were spying on us?" Katara cried with disbelief.
"I wasn't spying! I was…looking for Momo!" Aang denied.
"You were spying, weren't you?"
"No I wasn't!"
"Yes you were! Did Sokka put you up to it? Did he? He did, didn't he?" Katara accused, attacking him relentlessly.
"No! I told you! I was looking for Momo!"
"An entire forest and a waterfall; and 'Momo' just so happened to barge into us?"
"…yeah."
Katara crossed her arms, steam sprouting from her ears. After Aang had oh-not-so-innocently interrupted Zen and Katara's almost kiss, Zen had blushed brightly and bid them both goodnight—scrambling away as fast as he could on his heels. Katara didn't say anything to Aang until they got back to the campsite, where she was able to yell at Aang without anyone else overhearing.
"I can't believe you would intrude on my privacy like that! You! Of all people!"
"Katara, I wasn't spying on you! I told you, I was looking for Momo!"
"Is that so? Then what is that sleeping on Appa's back?" Katara pointed at the bison, who in fact, did have Momo curled up on his tail, snoring.
Aang felt a little thrown off balance, "He must've snuck back when I wasn't looking."
"Aang."
Surprisingly, Katara's voice was softer and Aang's eyes shot towards her face. He was terrified to find that her lip was trembling.
All she could feel was hurt, a betrayal of trust. Why did everyone think that she was some helpless female? Didn't fighting Master Pakku, teaching him waterbending or saving his life mean anything? Was this how helpless Toph felt with her parents? Towards everyone? No wonder she's so brash to strangers—they always judge, they always assume that she's nothing but a helpless female.
But Aang? Of all people, Aang spied on them.
"Didn't everything we went through the past year mean anything to you? Am I nothing but a helpless female?"
"Of course not Katara why would you say that? You're more than just a girl. You're…everything to us…to me. You're the strongest person I know."
"So why did you spy on us? Why didn't you trust me to make my own decisions?" Katara once again asked, pleading for the answer this time.
Aang sighed, he couldn't lie to her. No matter how much he tried, he'd end up telling her the truth one way or another, "Because...I was afraid."
"Why were you afraid?" Katara asked him gently.
"When you left...it reminded me of when we first met...how you went against your whole tribe, your entire family, the only people you ever knew—to be with me. And I thought..." he trailed off uncomfortably, unable to finish the wretched sentence.
"...you thought I was going to leave you." She finished for him. "Oh Aang..."
She pulled him in tight for a hug. Diminishing all his fears in a second. Tears welled in her eyes, but she had no idea why she was crying. Maybe it was because of the war, maybe it was because she was going crazy—all that she knew was that Aang could never believe that she was going to leave him. Because at the end of the day, Katara was the only person he could lean on. Katara swore since the loss of Ba Sing Se, she would be there at his side—forever. No matter how difficult the time was, no matter the complications between or around them. In the end, it would always be Katara and Aang. Aang and Katara.
"Don't ever believe that I'd ever leave you Aang." She hugged him tighter.
"I won't." He whispered back, smiling.
In the shadows, five figures watched the two hug tightly. Their eyes glowed and there was a hint of a screech.
"I thought you said she was ready." The first figure hissed.
"She was. Until he showed up." The second was softer, more venomous.
"You," she barked at three minions, "set something up in the town. See if whelp can bend." They scrambled away obediently.
The second looked towards her, the first, "What do you want me to do?"
"Take her to the cave by the full moon—the weakest point of power and destroy the spirit before anything else happens."
"Yes, master."
The first glared at the two, "What did he say his name was again?"
He spit, "Kuzon."
Katara insisted that they stay a few more nights in the town; Aang couldn't disagree with her this time after just gaining her trust, while Sokka and Toph had to endure it. Long after Katara was asleep, Sokka shook Toph and Aang awake. Beckoning them to a nearby spring, away from the campsite, Sokka checked the area suspiciously. He didn't want the chance for Katara to wake up and overhear them—she's just explode on them again.
"Guys, something strange is going on with Katara." Sokka started.
"Well, duh, Snoozles, I think anyone by now would've noticed Sugar Queen's psycho-ness." Toph said.
"What do you mean?" Aang asked confused.
"You're seriously asking?" Toph raised an eyebrow, "Twinkle Toes, I know you're like, into Katara and everything—but I'm pretty sure even you can tell something is off about her."
"I've never seen Katara act like this before." Sokka interjected, frowning.
"Well—she did live in a village of only girls, little children and you, Sokka." Aang pointed out.
"Yeah, but it's not like that. Katara's...different. There's something way off about her, it's like she's sleep-walking or something. I mean, why would she want to leave us? Especially days away from the invasion?"
"She did that with me, you know. When we first met."
"But that was about waterbending and having found the last airbender. But this is the world we're talking about here. It's Dad. The one person who we've been waiting to see again for two years. The Katara I know would never do something as...stupid as this."
"But she's never liked a guy before..."
"What about Jet then? Remember, we all, except me, thought he was harmless up until the point he tried to drown an entire town. Are we really going to wait for something like that to happen again?"
"...I can't argue with that—but I don't know guys. Sure, Katara's acting a little funny but maybe she's just nervous about the invasion...she seemed pretty normal when we came back..." Aang hesitantly scratched his head.
"No. Her signature is different too. I almost didn't recognize her; I noticed that when she came back she was colder, less human. Tell me—when you purposely interrupted her, what was happening?" Toph asked.
Aang blushed, "I didn't purposely...Momo..."
"Save it Loverboy, tell me what you interrupted."
Aang grumbled, "They were about to...kiss."
Sokka freaked out, "THEY WERE ABOUT TO KISS?" his voice echoed.
"SNOOZLES!" Toph sent him flying to the floor. Again.
Turning back to Aang, Toph hesitantly asked, frowning every once in a while. Like she was battling a war with herself, "And did he seem...strange to you? Like something weird was on him or something?"
"No...What are you getting to Toph?"
"Do you really wanna know?" Toph frowned; staring at Aang with sight-less eyes.
"Yes, if Katara's in danger, I have to know."
"Well, I don't know, maybe I was half-asleep or something but...when I first sensed him...I thought my feet where joking, I really did...because I could've swore that they said that he...was half-fish."
Aang and Sokka looked in shock.
"WHAT?"
"SNOOZLES!"
"Sorry."
A/N: How...was it? Review please? REVIEW FOR A KISS FROM AANG.
PhantomPotterGirl