I am really happy with how this story is coming along! I hope all of my readers are too! I have really been getting a lot of hits lately (try in the mid 900's!) but I am getting very few reviews. I would really appreciate it if all of those fans that check out my story take a few seconds to write a review-I really don't care if it's only a sentence long, but please take the time. I can't make my writing better if no one tells me what to fix! Thank you again to all of you who do review and keep on doing so!
Plans
Katara's jaw nearly dropped, "What are you saying?" she hissed, "Go straight into Fire Nation territory with the Avatar and two banished teenagers-all of whom are probably wanted dead or alive? We'll all be killed!" Zana remained unblinking, "Not if we are smart…Like I said, the soldiers have long abandoned the island and it's nothing but dense forest there. Plus, it is close to the Fire Nation Capitol." She looked over at Zuko. He was listening to Aang speak and stifled a smile at the unheard words. "But there's no way Aang is ready to face the Fire Lord!" Katara couldn't believe what she was hearing. "True, but not by himself, at least," Zana responded. "You mean-" Katara began but was quickly interrupted, "Zuko is ready. He has waited years for this and there is no way possible he can master Fire Banding any more. Even his temperament has changed for the better and all that can do is aid in the battle." Zana's eyes never left the young man she spoke of.
Katara stared as well, sizing Zuko up as she once had when they were enemies. "He desperately needs the closure…and so do the other Nations," Zana whispered in a daze. "Do you really think he will stop the War if he becomes Fire Lord?" Zana turned to Katara with a thoughtful sigh, "Zuko will do what is best-and if he knows what is best for him, he will," she gave a lighthearted laugh. Katara softly chimed in.
"You seem to know him pretty well," the Water Bender stated, "Did you two know each other before you were banished?" Zana's face froze, "No. I guess it is just a subject's responsibility to know what goes on in the Palace. You know…it's probably because I have the same exact feelings."
Zuko looked up from his conversation with Aang and Sokka to see Zana and Katara talking in deep whispers. He gave a minute frown, Zuko wasn't used to being excluded from such, seemingly, important discussions. "Zuko?" the Avatar asked. "What?" he remembered he had been doing something before he got distracted. "You were in the middle of your sentence." Zuko looked into Aang's cloud-gray eyes, and saw Sokka munch on a fruit as he looked expectantly for the conversation to continue. "Yes…" he continued where he had left off-all the while wondering what it was the girls had been talking about so intently.
Zana and Katara finished their conversation. They had finalized the plans between themselves and they were about to propose them to the boys. Both were a bit apprehensive about what they might think of such a daring plan. "Zana," came Iroh's voice. The old man was resting beside the fire. He had also returned from collecting the food, but at his own pace. "Yes, sir?" she asked, walking over to him. Katara paused as Zana left her side, but she soon continued walking over to her brother. "Zana, I wanted to ask you something," he smiled. She sat down beside Iroh, "What is it?" He looked her in her crystal eyes, "What are your intentions with my beloved Nephew?" Spirits, he's blunt! thought Zana as her heart skipped a beat. "Well, I…uh, my mission is to put him back on the Fire Nation throne-" "No, no, I mean relationship wise. What about that?" Zana's face blushed a brilliant shade of red. She didn't know how Iroh could have known about their barely budding relationship. "I-I," Zana stuttered very uncharacteristically, wanting so badly not to embarrass Zuko.
"I don't know what you mean, Iroh. We have only known each other for several days. A time that short to produce a 'relationship' is impractical and improbable!" she finally found words. Iroh held his hands up in mock defense, "If you say so, Miss Zana, but I do indeed see the way he looks at you. He has an expression that I have never before seen on him," he gave a kind smile. Zana's cheeks and ears burned. Her body temperature began to rise uncontrollably again and it just kept going. She had to get out of there-clearing her throat, she spoke in a slightly squeaky voice, "Zuko's and my relationship is strictly in order to overthrow the current Fire Lord…" her voice sank. She hated so much to lie-especially to someone who had been so highly respected back when he was a part of the Fire Nation and who had only treated her with honor. Zana guiltily stood and strode down to the river.
Iroh watched her as she sped away. He gave another smile and chuckled to himself. "Zana, I expected more from you. Such a trained warrior is not usually such a terrible liar. Then again," he continued under his breath, "they don't really teach you about concealing matters of the heart in the Fire Academies, now do they?" It wasn't like he had expected Zana to tell him anything, but Iroh thought it only fare to give her a chance to get it off her chest. Iroh knew better than to give up on Zana and Zuko just because they refused to admit it aloud that they liked each other; it just might take some time.
Back near the river, Zana sidestepped Zuko, Aang, and the two siblings so she could reach the river. Quickly, she pulled a ribbon of liquid from the water and doused her face. Zuko, however, was the only one to notice the odd behavior. He wondered if she was all right. Zana soon came close to his side and sighed as if relieved of something she didn't want to deal with. Their backs were to the river, so Zuko knew that no one would be able to see it when he loosely placed his palm on the low curve of her spine. The gesture elicited a slight jump from her, but she relaxed eventually. As Sokka spoke about particularly nothing, Zuko's thumb ran across her back and caressed it softly with a side-to-side motion. Zuko heard none of Sokka's words, all he wanted to do was pull Zana off to the side and ask her what was wrong.
Katara felt that that moment was the right time to bring up the plans to the still potentially explosive ex-Prince. Just as she opened her mouth to speak, Zuko made a move to talk, "Zana?" She turned to look up at him. "May I speak with you?" She gave a half shrug, "Sure." What is with all of these people pulling her aside all of the time? Katara thought, getting thoroughly frustrated at that point. Soon, the two of them headed in the direction of the forest so they could talk without any interruptions. Katara stared at Sokka and Aang. If she couldn't speak with Zuko, then she would tell her brother and the Avatar about their plans.
After walking a little ways into the dense woods, Zuko stopped Zana. "Are you all right? You seemed a little shaken after talking with Katara and then my Uncle." She gazed into his amber eyes, "I am fine, but Iroh knows what you feel for me. He's not stupid, you know and you are not exactly being silent about it," she flashed back to the Momo incident. Zuko gave a small frown-he did know Iroh was not naïve, but Zuko had not realized he, himself, was that blunt with his actions.
His face melted into a minute and mischievous smile, "Is that all?" Zana cocked an eyebrow, "That all? I thought you didn't want your Uncle knowing anything about your life anymore." The look on Zana's face made Zuko want her the way he had imagined when he had been meditating…
Zana's stubbornness and actions would have made him pretty mad if it were only a day or so ago, but at that moment, all he wanted to do was kiss her. Zuko had no idea what was coming over him. He could not have cared less if Iroh knew the emotions he held inside, he didn't have such a short fuse, and he wanted to be around the girl in front of him every moment possible. Was it a possibility for such a hurt young man to change so drastically and quickly for the better? He couldn't take it any more and Zuko quickly closed the gap between Zana's and his lips in one smooth motion. Zana inhaled sharply and pulled away almost immediately, "What are you doing? We were trying to talk!" She hissed at Zuko. Her reaction shocked him.
"Zana…I don't care what Iroh does or doesn't know. It does not bother me like it used to-" the look on Zana's face made him stop mid-sentence. She made an aggravated noise that correlated with her completely confused emotions. Zana was so happy that Zuko had changed, but at that point, she felt he was different for her, not because of her. "Zuko…just…stop," Zana stepped back. "We have established that we obviously like each other, but there is no reason in the world for you to completely change yourself for someone. Whether it be for better or worse, to impress them or not; it just shouldn't happen." The slightly hurt look in Zuko's eyes caused a sharp pang in Zana's heart, making it feel that it had begun to crack.
Zuko didn't know how to respond to Zana's words. It was true that he had noticed a difference in his attitude, but he hadn't thought that is was for her. The more he pondered the idea, the more Zuko realized he had been acting strange. He always was so guarded and hidden, but since Zana came into the picture, he hadn't really given a thought to what was going on around him. He hadn't even wondered when and how they were going to get close to the Fire Nation. Zuko came to the conclusion that allowing Zana to get beneath his skin provided a welcome but potentially dangerous distraction. He would definitely have to be much more careful and return some of the sanity of his old life.
"Zuko, please say something," Zana's usually strong features softened with worry. He halted his space-out and looked her in the eyes again. "You are right…I haven't been very careful lately," he gave a small, sad smile, "but I promise I will be from now on. And I can tell you now that some of the old Zuko will come back as well, so you better watch out." Zuko gave a sly look. Zana grinned in reply to his positive words. "You know," she began, "everything doesn't have to change…" her sight flicked to his lips, "just some things." Zuko took the subtle hint and bent down for another kiss. Both pairs of brightly colored eyes slid shut with bliss.
His hands reached up to cup the back of Zana's thin neck and her arms elevated to grasp Zuko's shoulders. He finally got the chance to do what he had intended to back before Sokka had disturbed them by the river. The hand he had against the back of her neck pressed them together further, causing Zana's lips to part slightly. Realizing his chance, Zuko slid his tongue in to join hers. She let out a little elated moan from the back of her throat. She couldn't believe that just seconds before they had been arguing and then the next moment, they were kissing in the woods. Zana secretly hoped to have more moments with Zuko like the one they were sharing that second. What had started out as a quest for the Fire Nation had become a quest for the heart.
Near the river, Katara continued telling the others of the agenda she and Zana had created. She told them how they would travel on Appa to the abandoned island and work on a more detailed plan of how they would attack the Fire Nation and Zuko would finally get his chance for vengeance while Aang would have the opportunity to restore some semblance of peace to the world. The young Avatar's eyes grew large as Katara spoke, "But I can't fight the Fire Lord! There's no way that I am ready for that!" Katara stopped and sighed, "That's exactly what I told Zana, but…she believes with a little help from Zuko, you can. You know how stubborn she is, once she's got an idea in her head, there is just no stopping her."
"Yeah, but," Sokka began and soon changed to a whispered tone, "it's all well and fine, but is Zuko really that prepared to go against his own father?" There was a glazing of concern in her older brother's voice. Katara's eyes shifted to the sky, "If Zana says he is, then he is…she's the best fighter of all of us, including Zuko, so we should trust her judgment," no matter how hard she tried, she was unable to mask the slight apprehension in her voice.
All three turned their heads at a rustling noise coming from behind them. Soon emerged Zana and Zuko from the brush. Zana quickly ran her fingers through her pitch-black hair as they approached the trio. Katara shot her friend a confused and quizzical look, but all she got in return was a slight smile. "I have explained our plans to Zuko and he agreed." Truth be told, she had barely mentioned them to him just as they were exiting the tree line, but what little she had been able to talk to him about, Zuko had nodded in agreement. Sokka eyed Zuko, "But what about Aang? He's the one who has to help defeat the Fire Lord and, even after that, save the world. What happens if Zuko is not as ready as you say he is, Zana?" Zuko glared over at the Water Tribe boy and with that one look, Zana knew that Zuko would keep his word and allow some of the "old" Zuko to return. "Believe me, Sokka, he's as ready as he will ever be," she said.
Zuko stared at Sokka, "You think I can't handle it?" in a way it sounded like a challenge for the other young man to just speak up, let alone prove his point. Sokka was taken aback-he hadn't had Zuko speak to him like that in days and he was actually beginning to like it. He couldn't help but stare at the wide scar masking nearly a quarter of Zuko's face, Maybe he can handle it, he thought cowardly. There was so much hatred directed in Sokka's direction that Zana had to finally steer Zuko away to avoid the other young man from going into fearful spasmatic convulsions. She slowly brought him over to Iroh who was too busy loking at the clouds to notice they had arrived.
"What was that for? I know I said that some of the old Zuko should come back, but you didn't have to be so mean to Sokka," Zana looked at Zuko. He returned the look with a bit of a frown, "Well, he is underestimating me and he hasn't even seen me at my full potential. Sokka was the one to judge too quickly." Zuko's arms crossed his chest. Zana gave a giggle, "Wow, you really are back." Iroh sat up at the sound of their approaching voices. He greeted them with his usual warm smile, "Hello there. How is everything?" He had heard the minute spat back at the river and was mildly curious about what it had been for. "Fine, Iroh," Zana said. The older man stood to meet them.
"What were you and the Avatar talking about back there?" Iroh asked. "We were letting them know what we thought out best next move might be. So far, every one has pretty much agreed," Zana answered. "And just what might those plans be?" he gave a curious look. "Well, Katara and I discussed it and we felt that it would be best if we took Appa, Aang's Flying Bison, and flew to that tiny island off the coast of the Fire Nation Mainland-" "But, there are several Naval Battalions stationed there!" Iroh exclaimed. "No, not any more, at least. They left after the War steered away from the Fire Nation territory," Zana explained matter-of-factly, "But once we are there, we can hide out and prepare to advance on the Fire Nation Palace," she looked out of the corner of her eye to judge Zuko's expression over attacking his home. There was no change in his stone features.
"Are we sure that that is such a good idea?" Iroh questioned apprehensively. He did not doubt his nephew's abilities at all, he just questioned his teenage judgment-more so at that moment that there was Zana influencing him. Iroh trusted the girl, but he also knew that her own decisions might have been clouded by her own need for some type of revenge. "Of course. How else are we going to find some place to harbor all of us at once that we can also get access to the Fire Nation Capitol? It won't be too hard for Aang and every one else to find somewhere, he's the Avatar after all, but they definitely won't be willing to take a Fire Nation Prince and his two other Fire Nation traveling companions," Zana looked Iroh in the eyes-she was right about it all, "Then, even if by some minute chance that we are able to find a place to stay that hasn't heard of your permanent outlaw status, then they will most likely kill Aang and anyone else with him on the spot."
Zuko looked down at Zana from beneath his lids. She seemed so concerned about his well-being as well as the rest of the group's. Her words stirred inside of his chest. She was so brave and strong, not to mention cunning in so many ways. Zuko thought those were probably the reasons he felt the way he did for the young woman beside him. She not only knew exactly what he was going through, but she refused to give up hope and used her learned and natural abilities all to her advantage in her quests.
Zuko suddenly got the strongest urge to reach over and put his arm around Zana's body. His arm twitched slightly in response to the impulse, but he quelled it once he remembered his promise to Zana-besides, Iroh was standing right there and the more Zuko thought about it, the more he realized he really didn't want his Uncle in every aspect of his life. He was just too annoying. "-right Zuko?" Zana had been speaking to him and he hadn't heard a word of it. He was too busy admiring Zana to hear what she had to say. "I'm sorry, what?" he felt bad because they were in the middle of a very serious conversation and he had completely gone off into his own mind.
Zana shot Zuko an aggravated frown, "I was trying to tell Iroh that you fully agreed with the plans that Katara and I made. He thought that you were only going along with them because I thought of them," she gave an exaggerated eye roll. "No, Uncle, that is not the case at all," Zuko put on a heavy frown. "Then you do agree?" Zana seemed slightly agitated at his absentmindedness. "Isn't that what I just said?" Zuko returned her annoyed gaze. He hoped Zana was just putting on a show for Iroh, or there would be some things they may need to talk about in the near future.
The older man's eyebrows rose in confusion. He didn't understand whether or not the two teens in front of him were arguing or merely putting on a show. Before they could growl any more words out at each other, Iroh interjected, "I believe you…" Both Zana and Zuko's eyes flicked to him. He found more words, "I believe it is just more than an unnecessary risk that we should be taking at this point."
Zuko's brow furrowed deeply-Now Uncle doesn't even think I am capable of taking care of myself! The young man was already riled up and it wouldn't have taken much more to cause him to lash out. After all, he had promised that some of his old selfwould return: that included his trademark temper. His fists clenched tightly, "What? You don't think I'll be able to handle the pressure? Or am I just not able to take risks because I'm just a child? Well, have I got news for you, Uncle! I am nearly seventeen and if we were back in the Fire Nation, then I'd be betrothed by now-married at eighteen! If that's what the 'normal' men have to go through back there, then I think this should be just another step forward in life!" Zuko's eyes blazed with frustration. He was so sick of everyone misjudging his power because of his age-just being 'the spoiled boy Prince', and having every other person baby him. He didn't know if it was out of fear for him or they actually cared for him, but he constantly sensed it was the latter.
Zuko could no longer take the look in Iroh's eyes and he pivoted and stormed away, throwing his hands in a downward motion and creating bursts of flame directed at the earth. He gave a deep growl, "We move out tomorrow at dawn!" Zuko's voice was gruff with anger and if Zana and his uncle had been able to see his face, they would have seen a scowl to rival even the most loathsome of creatures.
Zana made a motion to follow the steaming Zuko, but halted herself. She, in essence, had asked for what had happened-though she had really begun to like the nonexistent mood swings. Zana faced Iroh. She knew that he had meant well with his words and that he was only worried for his nephew's well-being, but he should have known better than to set Zuko off like that. "Zana, I guess we had better do what he says," Iroh smiled, "If I know Zuko, he'll go on, with or without the rest of us." Those humorous words comforted Zana a little and she shrugged as she began to make her way back over to Katara and the others.
Sokka greeted Zana enthusiastically, "What has gotten into him again?" He had been referring to Zuko's earlier attitude towards him. Zana disregarded the comment and looked straight at Aang, "So, Avatar, think you are ready to head off to the Fire Nation?" The boy gave a nervous but optimistic laugh. "So, where is this Flying Bison of yours?" "Well, we left him back on a deserted section of beach nearby to where we met up with you…Gimme a sec," Aang smiled and crouched down. He quickly bent the air around his tiny frame and, with a flourishing spin, was elevated into the air high above the treetops. Slowly returning back to the pebbled stretch of earth, he spoke with a sigh, "I can see Appa, but he's really far away. I didn't realize just how far we traveled, but he is nearly on the other side of the island. It looks like it might take days to reach him…" The young Avatar stared up at Zana as if he had read her mind. "Zuko won't be happy at all," she gave a thoughtful look. "We'll just have to make due and keep going, but everyone try to stay on his good side…for all of our sakes." Zana gave a small smile and turned to depart so she could go look for where Zuko had run off to.