Took forever, I know, but anyone who's been reading my stuff know that I always do. I had wanted to write longer chapters, but I felt that if I tried to make this longer it would take too long, and I need to give you guys something.
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Katara lay on her bed, staring at the dull metal ceiling above her. She was tired of being cooped up, but she didn't want to go back out and face the rest of the crew. She didn't want to face Iroh. And she certainly didn't want to face Zuko.
She didn't want to see them because…she was beginning to like them.
Well, perhaps not like. Even such a vague word as 'like' suggested too strong a connection to describe what she was feeling. But when she looked at them, the burning hatred and disgust wasn't as strong. Slowly, as time passed and she continued to discuss with them, her hatred began to fade. These people weren't the faceless enemies she—and her people—had been fighting all this time. Actually, they were, but they weren't. They weren't the inhuman, disfigured monsters Katara used to visualize when she was child. They weren't cruel to her, like they were supposed to be. They weren't bumbling, savage thugs who only thought of violence and power—heck, Iroh spent nearly all his time playing Pai Sho! He wasn't the uncivilized brute her people made him out to be.
Katara clung to her pillow and clenched her eyes shut. For whatever reason, she wanted to hold on to the ideas and opinions she had been brought up with, even when they were beginning to shine not quite true. Water was supposed to be the element of change, but Katara didn't want to accept it. She felt as if the tide inside her was trying to sweep her off her feet and drag her out into a big, deep ocean of the unknown.
There was safety in what she used to think. She didn't have to become friends with or enjoy her company when they were all immoral monsters. But, if they were actual people, just like her…well, then she would have to put herself in a vulnerable spot and throw away everything she knew. She would have to accept that these 'monsters' that her people were fighting with for generations weren't as evil as she believed.
The small part in Katara's mind that always told her what she didn't want to hear, but needed to, was whispering to her now. She believed she was being heroic, taking Yue's place and agreeing to sign her life away to the Fire Nation. What if she didn't do it for Yue's sake, but so people would see what a brave thing she did and immortalize her after she was gone, turn her into a legend? Now, if the Fire Nation wasn't as monstrous as she thought, she wasn't making such a sacrifice, now, was she?
Katara sat up and tossed the pillow away. That wasn't true. She may be proud—alright, there was no question in that—but she had not done this for herself. And there were plenty of awful Fire Nation citizens, like the soldiers she had fought with in Yi Chang. And Zuko could be brutally cold-hearted when he talked sometimes. And Katara refused to think for a single second that the Ozai was deep down a good man.
But…there were bad people everywhere. Fire benders, earth benders, even water benders. There were bound to be thieves and murderers in all societies. Just as there were saints and truly good-hearted people.
Katara closed her eyes. No one was perfect. There were plenty of qualities in herself she didn't like to admit—her pride, for one. Zuko was just as proud as she was, if not more. Perhaps he had doubted what he had grown up with, just as she did, but his pride kept him from questioning himself.
"There I go again, getting all serious," Katara muttered, throwing her legs over the side of the bed. The air in the cabin was getting much too philosophical for her liking.
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The air out on deck was much better. It carried the scent of the sea and a slight chill up to her as she walked across to the railing, reminding her of home. She smiled despite herself as she rested her elbows on the edge and stared out over the water.
The ship was slicing through the water at a steady, unrushed pace, and Katara watched the moon's reflection shimmer and jump and chase across the waves. It was completely full, and she could feel her bending skills thrumming inside her, pulsing right along with her heart beat. She took her eyes off the reflection for a moment, closing her eyes and enjoying the feeling.
Katara wasn't sure when she made the decision to move, but her arms lifted and pulled the water up over the side of the ship and around her, eyes still closed. Maintaining a constant ribbon, she skipped out to the middle of the deserted deck and rose her hands to the sky, lifting her face. When she opened her eyes again, all the water she had gathered floated above her head in a sphere, mimicking the moon above it. Katara sucked in a breath, and the water contracted, tightening into a nearly solid ball. She released the breath slowly, and the water expanded into a thin disk over her head.
She went through all the basic movements required for water bending, making sure to take her time and hone every tiny detail—her stance, her breathing pattern, the shape of the water, it all had to be perfect before she moved on. After a few minutes, she dropped the water over the side and shook out her hands and arms and legs, confident she had warmed herself up. Now came the fun part.
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Zuko watched from up in the tower, mesmerized. He had volunteered for the night shift, expecting an uneventful night alone with his thoughts while he kept the ship on course, and at first had been annoyed by Katara's unexpected appearance on deck. Now he would have to keep an eye on her as well…but then she had started bend, and he had been intrigued.
As a soldier, he had never given much interest in his enemies tactics besides how to defend and counter them. He had never seen water bending outside of battle, so when he realized she was going to practice he locked the wheel in position (really, there was no point standing there holding it, the water was calm enough that the ship wouldn't be turned off course) and moved up to the window for a better view.
He watched with narrowed eyes as he studied the form of his enemies as she drew the sea water around her and up. He saw how easily she kept it into a stable form. A fire bender wouldn't be able to sustain a flame like that—without any fuel, fire would go out. A bender could continue adding more flame, but only from his own body's energy. And it would never take to such a stable shape.
He continued to analyze her movements, blatantly staring. His observation was cut short when Katara stopped, dropping the water to the deck.
Zuko was surprised to find himself disappointed. He had enjoyed watching her, and as she shook out her arms and stretched her back he pondered the idea of asking her to demonstrate—what was she doing?
Lighting fast, Katara had summoned a much larger amount of water. Quick movements from her and it separated into four different ice structures, roughly the sizes and shapes of men. And then she really began to move.
She jumped onto the railing of the boat and ran down the length of the ship, creating a whip of water as she went. When she was just about to pass one of the ice-men, she jumped off, flipping as she went. Zuko realized she was using her entire body to bend the water, and as she landed the water swung and lashed out—cleanly slicing off what could have been the statue's head. Amazed and slightly alarmed, Zuko stared openmouthed as she dashed on towards the next one, suddenly dropping and tumbling to the side (dodging an imaginary attack, perhaps?), slicing her arm out low to the ground, then springing to her feet and slicing her arm the opposite way. The ice-man trembled, then slowly slid apart and crashed to the deck in three pieces. By the time Zuko had registered what she had done and found her again, the third ice-man was down and Katara was using the water that it had consisted off to crash into the fourth, knocking it over the rail and back into the sea.
Katara stood for a few moments in the middle of the deck, breathing hard, seeming uncomfortable with the sudden stop she had made. She looked at the puddles and ice chunks around her feet, pushing her hair back behind her shoulders. After a few seconds of catching her breath, she gathered the mess and pushed it to the side of the ship to run out of the drainage holes.
The clapping noise behind her made her nearly jump out of her skin. She whirled around and saw Zuko standing by the tower ladder. "That was quite a performance you just gave," he said, watching her with unreadable eyes.
"I thought I was alone," Katara said guardedly, unsure of what he was thinking. Was he alarmed that the girl who was going to marry into his family could fight like that? Or did he think she was showing off?
"That was quite impressive," he said in the same tone, which could have been mocking, or complimentary, or neither.
"Thank you," she replied tightly.
He leaned against the rail and eyed the last few remaining chunks of ice that were too large for the drainage holes. "All those bits and pieces…you took it easy on the soldiers back in Yi Chang, didn't you?"
"Well, it's a little easier when they don't fight back," Katara said, easing up a little. He didn't sound angry.
"Can't deny that," he said quietly. "What are you doing out here so late, anyway? I have the night watch, but why are you out of bed?"
Katara shrugged, jerking her head up. "The moon's full. You know, the whole fire benders like the day, water benders like the night thing?"
Zuko glanced up. "I hadn't noticed."
Silence stretched between them. Katara was just thinking of excusing herself when Zuko asked, "Where did you learn to fight like that? I thought…well, before Yi Chang, I had no idea you could fight. All the stories about you only spoke of your healing magic. And I was under the impression women didn't…"
"There's stories about me?" Katara asked, surprised. "What on earth about?"
Zuko opened and closed his mouth. The tales he had heard of from his fellow soldiers, and the jokes from the crew on the journey to gather her, had been mostly about her beauty—and her personality. Jokes had been made about how she couldn't have possibly be a water bender, because her personality was as fiery as the next Fire Nation woman. Women from his country often were proud of their loud opinions and personalities, compared to what they considered the 'quiet and serene' Water Tribe girls. They had earned their spots besides men on the front lines, while their uncultured enemies forced their women to stay home. Finally he hedged, "Like I said, your healing abilities. You're supposed to be one of the greatest alive, or so the legends say."
Katara snorted. "'Legends?' Hardly. The reason you didn't hear about me fighting is because I was always kept behind the lines to tend to the wounded. It was more important to keep my people alive than…" she trailed off, then quickly changed the subject. "You are right, though, about females from the Water Tribe. Northern, anyway. My smaller Southern Tribe wasn't picky about who we had to protect our village…but in the Northern it's forbidden."
Zuko watched her face, could see the mixed emotion behind her eyes, part pride, part anger. "Then how did you learn? Who taught you?"
"Master Pakku."
Zuko recognized the name, and was impressed. He had never met him face to face, but all the stories about him were quiet detailed—a master of his art, with the disposition of an angry Saber-tooth Moose-lion.
Katara smirked at his expression, pride shining through. "You've heard of him. He refused to teach me when we first met, but I changed his mind."
Zuko gave her a look, disbelieving. "You changed Master Pakku's mind? Impossible."
"It's true. I challenged him to a duel. At first he didn't want to accept it…he didn't even want to acknowledge my existence. But I got him to fight me."
"And you won?" Zuko demanded, amazed.
Katara laughed and admitted, "No, not even close. He could have destroyed me, if I was a true enemy. But I rattled his cage, enough for him to accept I was worth his time. Women aren't just for marrying and having children."
She said this last part looking directly at him. Zuko raised his hands. "Don't look at me like that. I know full well what women can do. My sister Azula is one of the fiercest people I know, right alongside my uncle and my father."
His father. It was the first time either of them had mentioned the Fire Lord. Katara looked sharply away. Fierce. That's how he described him, as well as his uncle and his sister. His family. The one she was going to marry into when this journey came to an end.
Zuko coughed into his fist loudly, having realized what he said. A painful silence stretched, neither of them looking at each other. He tried to think of some way to properly change the subject. "So—"
"Excuse me," Katara said, and swiftly left.
"Katara!" Zuko called after her, but she was gone. He stared after her, then turned his gaze angrily over the water. Letting out a frustrated sigh he turned around and climbed back up the observation tower ladder to finish his shift.
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The next day deck hands were scrambling around, preparing to dock at a port they had arrived at. Katara watched from an out-of-the-way spot, arms crossed and leaning against the cool metal behind her. Zuko and Iroh were both moving around on deck, assisting their crew.
Katara felt a flush crawl up her face as she looked at him. She was embarrassed by her behavior the previous night. So childish! To basically run away like that…and what he said wasn't even all that insulting, or upsetting, or anything. Just a passing mention of his father, and Katara hightailed it.
She wondered if she was obligated to apologize. What she had done wasn't polite. Or perhaps she should pretend it never happened? Zuko didn't seem like he would care much about political protocol. Apologizing would just make everything even more awkward, when she might just be blowing what she did out of proportion.
The crew had finished docking, all lines tied taunt and secure, boarding ramp lowered. Iroh spotted Katara and walked over. "Lady Katara , my dear. Are you all set to see the port?"
Katara smiled. "Why, going to keep an eye on me so I start a bar fight?" she joked.
Iroh chuckled. "I merely wanted to spend my time shopping with a beautiful lady by my side."
Her smile grew wider at the compliment. "While I would love going with you, I think I'll stay on board."
The older man frowned. "By yourself? All of the crew will be out and about, besides Jee, and he isn't very good at conversation." He cast his gaze around and it fell on his nephew. "I know. Zuko!" he called. "Come here, please."
Zuko walked over, if a little hesitantly. "What is it?"
"Could you keep Lady Katara company? It would be impolite to leave her all by herself."
Zuko glanced at Katara, and the awkwardness from the previous night springing back full force. He looked at his uncle. "She'll have Jee. And if you're so worried about her, why don't you stay?"
"Zuko! Don't be surly, you should be happy to spend time with such a lady. And I have a friend here in port that I promised I would see."
Arguing would have been rude, especially in front of Katara. Reluctantly he agreed, and Iroh happily vacated the ship, leaving the two alone on deck. The captain must have been somewhere in the bowels of the ship.
An uncomfortable staring match had started, and Katara did her best to dispel the mood. "Your uncle's quite the flirt, isn't he?"
Zuko groaned, covering his face with his hand. "He's as subtle as a splash of ice-water in the face."
Katara smiled. "He's not too bad. It's sweet, actually." He snorted, shaking his head.
And just like that, the weirdness between them dissipated and they were chatting. Skirting around serious topics, of course, but discussing what Katara thought of the crewmembers, the other ports they would be stopping at.
Katara learned that Zuko had spent most of his life on the sea with his uncle, going from port to port, colony to colony to report on and organize warfronts and gather information. He told her about his favorite ports in the world and the people he had met. His life fascinated Katara, who had lived most of her life in the Southern Water Tribe, with the rare trip to the North to visit their sister tribe. He entertained her with tales of all the strange food he had eaten, of festivals he had seen, and of exotic animals Katara had never heard of.
Zuko stopped recounting his story when he saw a frown shadow her face. "What's wrong?"
Katara shrugged, waving her hand. "It's nothing, really. Just…I'm jealous. I feel so ignorant after hearing of all the places you've been, all the things you've seen."
Zuko paused, realizing that he had been a touch bragging. He had been excited to have someone so interested in what he had to say, usually all he had for company were sailors or soldiers older than him who had seen it all and done it all.
"Ignorant is the last word I would use to describe you," Zuko said, making Katara glance up. "And after this trip, you'll see more of the world than most people do in a lifetime." That made her give him a small smile. Bolstered, he tried to make her smile even bigger. "And you have a skill I would give almost anything to do."
"Yeah? What's that?" Katara asked.
Zuko looked at her plainly. "Your healing ability. That's one of the most amazing things I've ever seen in the entire world."
His sincerity truly surprised her. She never imagined that a fire bender—a prince!—could be jealous of something she could do. "Really?"
"Well, think about it. You save lives, Katara. With a single touch of your hand you can bring a man back from death." A bit of an exaggeration, and Katara would have told him so, but then he continued, with a suddenly somber tone. "I mean, all I can do is hurt people." He lifted one of his hands. "Destroy. Kill."
Katara was taken aback by his sudden mood change. Unsure of how to proceed, she said quietly, "Zuko…That's not true."
"You're just saying that," he said darkly, moving to turn away from her.
Katara grabbed his arm. "No! It's not. At Yi Chang you didn't hurt anyone. You helped me. You stopped those soldiers." He looked at her disbelievingly. "And I've seen the way your crew responds to you. They respect you. They wouldn't follow a man that can only cause pain like that."
Zuko blinked, then glanced down at her hand on his arm. He cleared his throat. "I'm sorry, this went to a place I didn't mean to." He pointedly stepped out of her grip.
Katara's face heated up, embarrassed by her sudden outburst supporting him. "Uh…"
Fortunately for both of them, an interruption came with the appearance of Iroh. "Hello!" They both turned to look at him as he walked up the ramp, carrying several boxes. "My friend sends her regards, and showed me many great shops. I'd be happy to bring you if you have changed your mind about staying on board."
Katara smiled, forcing herself to sound upbeat. "Her regards? This wouldn't happen to be a special lady friend of yours, would it, now?"
"A gentleman never tells," Iroh said with a wink.
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I was planning on writing this in, but the proper time hasn't come up yet in the plot and I want to let my readers know the slight differences between cannon Zuko and the one in this story.
I'm sure you notice mine is less angry at the world and more open. This is because Zuko was never banished by his father, with the ultimatum of catching the Avatar or never come back. He acts as a representative of the royal family, overseeing official business, with Iroh as his advisor and mentor. I'll be working on getting more backstory in, but I wanted to let my readers know before you take up pitchforks and cry "OOC!"
As always, reviews=love.