Disclaimer: I own nothing. Shoot.
Fifteen minutes after the tabloid lady had left with her assorted gaggle of scribes and illustrators, Katara and Zuko were sneaking between the hedges of the Upper Tier expanses, clad in simple green-brown robes. Zuko had let his hair down and left his crown at General Iroh's home. They no longer looked like the Fire Lord and his female counterpart, and they accented their lack of glamour by awkwardly climbing through the foliage, attempting to keep out of sight.
"Ack!" Katara exclaimed as a long strand of hair caught on a twig. She struggled to untangle herself, and Zuko arrived quickly to her side to help. "Remind me again why we are doing this, Zuko?"
The Fire Lord stepped into the hedge and carefully released the waterbender's hair from the branch. "Because where we're going, if we dressed like we were before we'd be mugged for sure."
"The Lower Ring? We're going there? Why?" Katara correctly guessed, and then continued her inquiry.
"Because," Zuko explained slowly as he climbed through yet another hedge, "I don't think the Tabloid Lady will be so desperate as to follow us there. Watch out for this branch here."
Katara seemed unimpressed. "Oh," she murmured as she avoided the branch. "Well, what are we going to do there?"
"I'll show you when we get there," Zuko replied teasingly.
The Fire Lord climbed out from the other side of hedge and helped Katara pull herself out as well. Then he glanced at her and lightly chuckled. Katara's eyes narrowed and she placed her hands on her hips. "What's so funny?"
"You have a ton of leaves stuck in your hair," Zuko attempted to hide his smile with his hand. "You look like a leaf monster."
Katara frowned for a second, but the power of the former Prince's amused gaze suddenly overcame her, and she smiled too. Her hands reached up, patted her hair, and felt the itchy, scratchy remnants of leaves and twigs poking out from beneath her locks. She laughed now, imagining how ridiculous she must look.
"Will you help me?" She asked shyly, her eyes fluttering towards Zuko's.
Zuko's smile stayed cemented on his face. "Sure," he replied, and he stepped closer while Katara drooped her head so he could pick out the leaves.
Katara watched from the corner of her eyes as Zuko's hands worked gently to free her long, dark tresses from the tangle of leaves that adorned her head. She briefly wondered where Zuko could possibly be taking her in the Lower Ring of Ba Sing Se. She looked up at the newly crowned Fire Lord's face—his golden yellow eyes were delicately shadowed by his downcast eyelids; yet they still seemed to glow like a small fire was behind each one. An equally delicate smile was upon Zuko's face as he continued to work on her hair. It almost looked strange—the way his lips curved uncertainly upward—as if Zuko hadn't smiled in so long that he'd forgotten how to. As the waterbender regarded him, she recalled once more the Zuko she'd first met a year ago—the angry, angst-ridden teen bent on regaining honor and brooding constantly.
"Katara, you're staring at me," The Fire Lord suddenly said, in a soft, serious tone. The waterbender was flustered.
"Sorry," she excused, nervously laughing.
Zuko picked the last leaf from the waterbender's hair and gestured for her to stand up straight. The two locked eyes, and there was a clash of flashing gold and icy blue. Zuko's smile faded into an expression of wonderment as he gazed at Katara, but then he noticed how uncomfortably close they were standing together. Almost as if she were thinking the same thing, the waterbender smiled to mask her embarrassment, then laughed nervously again and stepped away from him. She turned her head away from Zuko, but the young Fire Lord still saw a light stain of blush fill her tanned cheeks.
The two benders walked on, side by side, continuing to cut through the vast, green yards of the Upper Ring expanses. They were approaching a wall, and Katara felt the urge to remind Zuko that neither one of them were earthbenders and that the wall wouldn't move for them. As they got closer, however, she saw a large, ancient tree growing precariously close to the tall, rocky barrier. The trees branches easily surpassed the height of the wall.
Katara hesitantly followed as Zuko approached the tree and then began to scale the various, twisted branches of the tree. The Fire Lord turned and looked down at the waterbender still on the ground and then extended a hand downward to help her.
"Come on," he encouraged.
After a moment's hesitation, Katara reached up a tentative, delicate hand and Zuko grabbed it and hoisted her up beside him on a branch. Katara gasped as Zuko nonchalantly placed a hand on her back to steady her, but thankfully her reaction was quiet enough for the firebender to not have noticed. The wind whistled as it blew gently through the tree branches, tickling the leaves, and the two benders climbed higher.
Zuko carefully inched out towards the wall, and then in one leap, he jumped from the tree to its rocky crest. He stood there for a moment, and then turned to Katara. The Fire Lord smirked and then disappeared over the edge of the wall.
Katara frowned and hugged the branches of the three for comfort. Her tree-climbing skills were like her ability to cook—they could use some definite work. Cautiously, the waterbender made her way to the end of a branch and stretched out one foot, setting it gently upon the top of the rocky wall. She gently shifted her weight, then crouched, and looked down. Zuko was waiting below her, looking up at her curiously.
"How am I supposed to get down!?" Katara asked, her voice a shout over the sound of the wind.
She saw Zuko make a face, then smile. "Just jump!" he urged, gesturing for her to obey him.
The girl made a nervous face, but then closed her eyes and did just that. She felt the cool air rushing out from under her as she fell, and then suddenly her legs struck the earth, coiling and recoiling, sending Katara into a summersault along the grassy dirt. She groaned as she clumsily sat up, and looked up at Zuko's amused face. The waterbender didn't give the Fire Lord a chance to poke at her pride.
"Why didn't you catch me?" She asked with a hint of anger in her voice.
Zuko blinked. "I was supposed to catch you?"
"Yes! That would have been the gentlemanly thing to do!"
The Fire Lord extended down a hand and helped Katara up. The waterbender shot him on last glare and then turned around, brushing the dirt-and-grass clumps from her body as Zuko smiled sheepishly.
"Sorry," he apologized sincerely. "How about next time I catch you?"
Katara turned around, and found herself surprised by how badly Zuko seemed to feel about not catching her. His face was wrought with guilt, and his eyes flickered up at her shyly. The waterbender instantly felt guilty herself and rushed forward to place a reassuring hand on the firebender's shoulder.
"Hey, it's okay," she told him. "I was only kidding!"
Zuko's expression instantly switched, and he blinked his yellow eyes. "I guess you got me," he told her, slightly embarrassed by the way he'd reacted. "Good one."
"I'm pretty tricky," Katara agreed, throwing Zuko a smile. "Shall we continue to whichever mysterious place you're taking me?"
"Sure," The Fire Lord nodded and returned the gesture. But then he turned back. "But I'm still catching you next time."
"Agreed," confirmed the waterbender.
The two teens continued on their small journey towards the Lower Ring. They crossed the campus of Ba Sing Se's University and were given many strange looks from the various students hurrying about the grounds. Zuko supposed that their Lower Tier clothing was drawing them attention and hurried Katara to the next wall, which was larger but much more easily surpassed. The two benders simply presented themselves to the guards standing next to it. The two large, muscled earthbenders look one look at the simply-dressed couple and announced that they were not allowed in the Middle Ring. After giving Zuko and Katara a stern, short lecture about the importance of the walls, they allowed them to pass into the lower part of the city without any other incident.
Katara followed Zuko obediently as he weaved a complicated path through the Lower Ring's maze of small buildings, darkened alleyways, and dusty streets. It was obvious the firebender had spent a considerable amount of time here—he knew where he was going. As to where that was, Katara was still at a loss. She'd never heard much from Zuko of his time spent among the refugees in Ba Sing Se, but she was sure she'd find out something after today.
After a few minutes of walking, Katara was itching to ask Zuko once more where their final destination might be. But just as the waterbender opened her mouth to question the boy, Zuko stopped suddenly in front of a very small, quaint tea shop. The firebender shot Katara a smirk and then went inside.
Baffled, Katara stood outside the teahouse door for a moment, then stomped her way inside after Zuko. She reached forward and grabbed the firebender by the shoulder, spinning him around.
"Tea?!" Katara asked, clearly not understanding. "You brought me all this way for tea?!"
Zuko looked past Katara for a moment, brushed away her hand and then smiled again. "This isn't just any teahouse," he murmured quietly.
"You are becoming more and more like your uncle everyday!"
As Katara stood there wallowing in her confusion, an eager-looking, petite, and middle-aged man approached them. She paused her tirade as he grew closer, and watched with amazement when the man's face suddenly burst into a huge smile when he laid eyes on Zuko. Suddenly, the man lunged forward, until he was practically in Zuko's arms.
"Lee!" Rejoiced the man. "You've come back!"
Zuko smiled warmly. "Hello, Pao."
"Have you come back to work?" Suddenly asked the man, glancing all around the tea shop with excited eyes. "Where's your uncle?"
"Sorry Pao, but I'm only here on a visit. Uh…my uncle isn't here either." Zuko said apologetically, and the man's face drooped in misery. The Fire Lord now glanced at Katara, who was staring at both the men with a clearly perplexed expression now. "But my friend and I will both have a cup of tea. Do you still have Uncle's recipe?"
"Ah, it's a gift! The only thing that keeps me in business!" exclaimed Pao, as he quickly recovered from his loss and hastily scurried over to the kitchen.
Zuko walked slowly over to the tea shop's counter, with a still-confused Katara trailing behind him. The waterbender nudged the Fire Lord with her elbow, and he looked down at her. Katara opened her mouth to bombard Zuko with questions, but at that moment Pao reemerged with two cups of steaming tea in his hands.
"Two cups of your Uncle's special-recipe tea!" He announced happily. "That will be one copper piece each, please."
Zuko produced the money from his sleeve and handed it to the tea shop owner with a smile and a polite bow. The two benders took their tea and moved to a table located in the corner of the tea shop. As soon as they sat down, Katara cast her most suspicious gaze upon the young Fire Lord. It didn't take long for Zuko to notice, and he placed his cup down and blinked at the waterbender.
"What?"
"Lee?"
"Something wrong with that name?"
"Yes—it's not yours."
"Well, I couldn't have kept my real name while I was working here in the Lower Ring, could I?" Zuko smiled slightly and took another sip of his tea.
Katara frowned, not satisfied with the firebender's sly, half-answers. She gazed with wandering, searching eyes around the small tea shop interior, then turned back to the Fire Lord. "You worked here?" she asked, leaning over the table towards him, eyes wide. "And your uncle too?"
"I thought that much was obvious." Zuko snickered.
"How was I supposed to know that?" Katara scowled as best as she could, but for some reason the sight of Zuko smiling carelessly made it hard. She pressed in with her insistent inquiry. "I know that you and your uncle worked in a tea shop, because I saw you. But that was in the Upper Ring of the city. When did you work here?"
Zuko's eyes narrowed and he glanced towards her. "When did you see me working in the Upper Ring?"
"Right before we both were thrown into prison," answered the waterbender promptly. "I saw you, and then ran to get help. But unfortunately I ran to the Kyoshi warriors—who were really your sister and her friends in disguise."
"So you're the one who ratted me out!" The young Fire Lord's face lit up in realization. "I always wondered how Azula found out that Uncle and I were living there."
"Very interesting," commented Katara impatiently. "But seriously—when did you work in this place?"
"When my uncle and I first came to Ba Sing Se. We came as refugees, knowing that this would be the only place where the Fire Nation couldn't reach us. We changed our names, forged passports—everything," Zuko's brow creased as he recalled the past, and he swallowed the last of his tea in one large gulp. "We probably worked in this place a few months, at least. I didn't know that you were here with Aang and the others until later on."
As soon as the young Fire Lord set his empty cup down, Pao circled over, like a shark that had been circling its weakened pray. The man had an impossibly wide grin on his face as he raised a teapot in front of the two benders.
"Would you like another cup of tea, Lee?" He asked, as eager as ever.
"Is it my uncle's brew?"
"Of course!"
"Sure, and another for my friend, please."
Katara began to protest, but Zuko shot her a look. She rolled her eyes at him and then shoved her cup forward, watching as the hot liquid poured from Pao's teapot into it. Pao filled Zuko's cup next, and the firebender presented the tea maker with two more copper pieces. Then he pulled out a silver piece—worth ten copper pieces—and handed it to a stunned Pao.
"It's a tip," Zuko explained as the shop keep's eyed the piece with admiration.
The tea maker's hand lashed out and grasped the silver piece, quickly shoving it into the deep pockets of his robes. He took his tea pot, politely bowed and smiled towards the two teenagers, and then scurried off. Katara didn't hesitate to start conversation once again. She was very curious about this unknown gap of time in the young Fire Lord's past. She couldn't quite place why.
"You must have liked it here," she mentioned casually, referring to the generous gesture Zuko had just made towards his former employer.
Zuko's mouth pressed tightly, and his eyes grew a bit darker. "Actually, I hated every second I spent here—with a few exceptions."
"Why did you hate it?"
"I was unsatisfied with such a humble life. I was still fixated on what I thought my destiny was, and how I could somehow still achieve it."
"You still wanted to find Aang, didn't you?"
"Yes. Even thought I'd been labeled a traitor and a criminal in the Fire Nation, I still had this hope that my father would welcome me back if I captured the Avatar."
Katara's eyes fluttered from her steaming tea to Zuko and back again. "Well, you kind of got what you wanted."
"Look how that turned out," Zuko shot back, with a hint of dark humor in his voice. His eyes grew slightly sad, but then the firebender turned towards Katara and forced a smile onto his face. "At least now things are much better for everyone."
Katara nodded in agreement, returning the uncertain, shy smile. She racked her mind for a different subject to talk about. She didn't like to remind herself or Zuko of his mistakes. She knew that he felt terrible about them—that he still was haunted with the choices he'd made in the past. Zuko's sincere, pleading promises to her before they began their journey here had clearly shown her that.
"So…how did you come from here to the Upper Ring tea shop I saw you in?" the waterbender asked, taking a sip of her tea, and smiling.
Zuko glanced at her, and saw her kind expression. It seemed to lift his spirits. "Well, my uncle made his own tea to sell here, and it became popular. One day a business man from the Upper Ring came in, and offered Uncle his own tea shop and a new apartment there. His only condition was that he would partially invest in the profits. Naturally, my uncle couldn't resist."
Katara giggled lightly, a sound that Zuko thought sounded like the trickling of clear water from a brook. "That sure sounds like Iroh," she mused.
Zuko smiled gently back at her, and suddenly stood up, stepping away from their table. Katara had failed to realize that the young Fire Lord had swallowed his second cup to tea even faster than the first; he was finished already. Quickly, she gulped down the remainder of her second cup, then got up and followed alongside him.
"What are we doing now?" Katara asked, confused as the firebender walked once more to the front counter of the tea shop. He stood in line behind a girl who was also waiting for Pao to come out of the kitchen.
"I'm just going to say 'goodbye' to Pao," Zuko said quietly.
A moment passed between the two benders, and Katara shrugged to herself and patiently waited beside the firebender. After a minute and Pao hadn't yet emerged, she glanced questioningly up towards the young Fire Lord, and noticed a strange expression on his face.
Zuko was staring very intently at the girl standing ahead of him in line. His eyes were narrowed into slits, and his mouth was turned into a thoughtful—not threatening—frown. The Fire Lord looked like he was concentrating very hard on the bushy, brunette ponytail that sat near the top of the girl's head. Katara's eyes darted from the oblivious girl to Zuko and back again. The waterbender wondered how on earth a person could withstand a gaze as heated as Zuko's without noticing.
Just as Katara was about to discreetly remind Zuko that staring at people was rude, the firebender opened his mouth. Nothing came out at first, and he closed his lips again into a tight, red line. Then, he attempted once more. This time, one word came out.
"Jin?"
PERSONAL THINGY:
There is no excuse for this chapter's lateness…I am deeply sorry. Please forgive, and if you feel I'm deserving enough, leave a review!