I don't know why. But I kinda went a little OOC on Katara in this chapter. However, I may be backing it with a plot twist later. I don't know. So be warned, Katara gets a little bit bitchy!
Zuko watched Katara closely as she sat on the edge of the saddle looking down at the earth moving below her. Zuko sighed and leaned back on his elbows.
"Don't let her get to you." Iroh said with a smile. "Your own mother used to get like that. Either homesick or just quiet."
Zuko looked at his uncle with an odd expression. He had never heard his uncle speak of his mother, not since she...Zuko frowned and looked away.
"Homesick?"
Iroh nodded and looked over at the girl as she craddled a sleeping Riyo in her arms. Iroh smiled.
"Yes, homesick. Homesick for the way things used to be. When things were peaceful." Zuko shook his head.
"Uncle you make no since. Katara or my Mother either were never around during times of peace, so how can they miss it."
"Prince Zuko, you have much to learn. Even you miss peace even though you have never known it. To raise a family without having to look over your shoulder. To be able to settle down in one place. Your mother always dreamed of a night where she could sleep without having to worry about you or your sister being killed in the middle of the night."
"Hn." Zuko looked back over to Katara s he heard Riyo stir. He could seen Riyo's golden eyes that had turned into a rich deep honey color, gleaming up at Katara. He could feel Katara smile back at the infant. She cooed at him and kissed his forehead.
Riyo let out a shrill giggle and smiled, and let his little tongue slip form his mouth. Zuko made his way over to them and looked at his son.
"Give me that tongue." Zuko smiled and reached up touching Riyo's tongue lightly. Suddnely Katara became rigid as she stared down at the ground below them. Zuko frowned and looked over the edge of Appa to see just what exactly was she staring at.
"Turn it around!" Zuko shouted as he looked down at the ground. Aang cocked an eyebrow and just looked at the prince as if he had lost his mind.
"Aang! There's a girl in trouble down there! We have to help her!" Katara ordered. Aang instictly pulled the reins and turned Appa completely around. Sooka leaned over the side to get a look at what all the ruckus was about. A young girl around Aang's age was running from three rather burly men.
Aang jumped down off of Appa and landed between the girl and the men.With a quick flick of his wrists he sent the trio of men flying into the water. Katara jumped down off of the bison as he landed and ran over to the girl and grabbed her by the arm.
"Are you ok?" The girl glared up at her with powder void eyes. She was blind. But that look that she was giving Katara could kill none the less.
"I was fine! I didn't ask for your help now, did I?" The girl huffed and pushed past Katara. Sokka slid down off of Appa and looked at the girl.
"Didn't look like you were fine from up there." He said and pointed skyward. The girl just continued on. Zuko jumped down baby in hand and stopped the girl.
"Look they just saved your life you should be grateful!" The girl shot a death glare in Zuko's direction, and with proper speed she stomped her foot on the ground tossing Zuko to the ground as a mound of earth sprug up. Zuko clung to Riyo and turned to land on his back so that his son wasn't harmed.
"You're an Earth Bender!" Aang squelled and ran over to her.
"No, I'm a mime. Now leave me alone."Katara ran over to Zuko and helped him up making that him and Riyo were both safe and unharmed.
"Well it looks like you should have looked before you leaped. You know a frog knows not the dangers of the waters if he jumps in to soon."
"Uncle! Not now!" Zuko hissed as Iroh chuckled from his perch on top of Appa.
"If you will not listen, then maybe you will learn." Katara shook her head and smiled at Iroh.
"You didn't know any better then we did."
"True, but who is still comfortable?" Zuko rolled his eyes and looked after the young girl. He took notice of the bag of food hanging securly around her waist. Just then the trio of men that had been persuing the girl came staggering out of the water.
" What did you do that for!" One of the men growled grabbign Aang up by the collar. Katara narrowed her eyes.
"Put him down!" The man just looked at her with a frown
"Or what?" Bad Idea. Yeah let's piss of the water bender when there is an entire ocean behind us! Katara reached up and drenched the three men with the salty water. A fairly older man wiped his face off and started walking towards Katara.
"You little bitch." Just as the last word exited the man's mouth a fire ball shot past his face. Zuko lowered his smoking hand and quickly looked down at his son in the other hand, then back up to his target.
"I don't miss twice." Sokka smiled. At least Zuko kwas taking care of Katara like he had promisesd. He had better. Sokka pulled out his bladed boomerang and smirked. Not that it would have any effect on the men as far as intimidation goes. They had already witnessed an air bender, a water bender, and a fire bender all in one place and traveling together to make matters worse.
The man who had a grip on Aang, even though he was drenched, finally dropped his hold on the young Avatar. He raised his hands in defeat.
"Okay, okay then. We don't want a fight. Ya'll can put up your fire and water guns now." Katara glared at him and crossed her arms. No matter what he said she wasn't going to let her guard down. Zuko glared at the men and walked up even with Katara, standing next to her, Riyo perched happily on his hip.
"All wes wanted was our foods back! That little dame stole our grub!" The third man said. The older man nodded and looked off into the tall grass where the girl had vanished.
"The little theif." Aang looked back at the grass then turne dback to the three men.
"We thought she was in danger."
"She was gonna be, until yous decided to go poking your noses where the don't belong." The first man landed a hard punch to the third man's arm.
"Shut yer yap. We weren't meanin the girl no harm."
"We just wanted to take back what was ours." The older man added. Aang kicked at the ground. He was supposed to be the good guy and here he was helping a bad guy...well bad girl. But Katara wasn't as eager to take faith in the men's statements.
"Really? Do you know her then?"
"No mam. They call her the Little Bandit. She's been a might of trouble since she showed up in these here parts."
"Yeah yeah. She's a little theif." Again the first man slugged the third man.
"I told you to shut yer yap."
"Boys! I have told you both plenty of times. QUIT FIGHTING!" The older man yelled. The two younger men cowered then nodded. The older man cleared his throat and looked back at the group with a warm smile.
"Was there any thing else?"
"Yeah, your feeding us garbage." Katara said. Zuko and Sokka both turned to look at her with confused eyes. This was really out of character for her. Normally she would be a slight bit trusting. The older man furrowed his brows in question.
"The girl was blind. I saw that with my own eyes." The old man nodded.
"Yes, she is blind in the eyes. But the girl is also a very gifted Earth Bender. I've never seen one so talented. That is why she has eluded me and my boys so much."
"Yeah that's the third damn time in a week that she had stolen from us."
"That little dames gonna pay if it's that last ting I do."
"Now now, gentlmen. I'm sure she wouldn't steal the food if she didn't need it." Iroh said coming down from Appa, Momo riding comfortably on his shoulder.
"That may be true, but.."
"She is blind. So why not let her be. The more you chase the weasle the more it will taunt you."
"I never thought about it that way."
"You can grow more. Perhaps she doesn't know how." The old man nodded and looked back at the two younger men.
"Okay boys back to the house then." He turned and looked back at the group. "Do you need a place to stay for the night? You look weary and with a pregnant woman and a baby you shouldn't be travling so hard." Zuko's eyes widened as he shot alook towards Katara. She was red as a cherry and the veins in her forehead were buldging. Her fists were clenched and her jaw was locked.
Sokka reached over and clocked Zuko upside the head.
"You bastard I am going to kill you!" Katara opened her eyes with a snap and turned to glare at her brother. Here eyes were dialated so much that they blue of her eyes were barely visible. Zuko bit his lip as she walked over his eyes as wide as they possible could get. Sokka felt his face ashen as he seen fire glowing in his sister's eyes. She walked right up to him and stared directly into his eyes, no more then six inches from him.
"Wanna know a secret, Sokka?" She hissed through clenched teeth. Sokka quickly shook his head no, but she didn't pay him any attention.
"I AM NOT PREGNANT!"
"So then you are just getting pudgy?" Aang said. Katara screamed and took off running after him flinging water spears as she ran. Aang squeaked and took off full sprint screaming his head off.