A/N: So, during my time away, I've managed to make much longer chapters. Which is really good news for everyone. :) I'm sorry, again, for making everyone wait 2 years, but I can't describe how happy I was that you came back! So, the end of this gets really sappy, I'll admit. But I was listening to really sappy music and that affects what I write. And all those PMs I got about more Zutara in this, here you go.
"The Sound of Drumming"
5 Years Later
The warm breezes of Ba Sing Se did nothing to quell Katara's homesickness. She hadn't felt the chill of the South Pole in over a year. It wasn't so much her family that she missed, they came by often enough to visit her and Roku, but it was the way of living she had become accustomed to, making dinner with Suki as Kya and Roku played nearby, having Sokka and their father nearby to be the father figures in her daughters life... But she had moved here for Roku, she kept telling herself. She had uprooted her life so that her daughter, the illegitimate Princess of the Fire Nation, could learn firebending from non-other than the Avatar himself. Who could be a better teacher than the master of all four elements?
"Shouldn't this be the job for someone else... Someone who would take pride out of it?" Aang had asked her. She knew who he spoke of. And it was true, Zuko would have taken great pride in teaching their eight-year-old to firebend, just as she would have if Roku had been a waterbender. But Zuko had taught Aang, so in a way, Zuko was teaching Roku too, right? Aang hadn't been convinced with her deduction, but he didn't argue.
Katara tucked strands of hair behind her ear as she made her way towards a familiar tea shop. She had managed to stay under the radar for the past year, keeping away from this area of the city, but with Roku exploring the city becoming more of a common occurrence, she could no longer risk it. Iroh would know who Roku was the moment he saw her. Not to mention how awful it felt hiding from a friend.
She entered the Jasmine Dragon slowly. She took a moment to look around the shop, noticing only two customers, sipping their tea while having a close conversation, and a server behind the counter. The server, a boy of seventeen or so, looked up. He smiled, but before he could say anything, Katara asked to see Iroh. With a quick nod, the boy motioned for her to follow him, and he lead her into one of the back rooms.
"He's on a break right now, but he told me if you were ever to come, I shouldn't hesitate to show you to him."
"He's been expecting me?" Katara asked. The boy shrugged, and opened a door, and allowed her to step into the room before shutting it. Katara looked at the table in the middle of the room, where Iroh was sitting drinking his tea.
"Hello, Katara." Iroh smiled. "I was wondering when you were going to come and see me."
"You knew I was here?" Katara sighed.
"Of course! You can never hide from an old friend!" Iroh's grin remained. "Please, come have some tea!"
"Oh, uh, sure." Katara smiled. "But I'm really just here to talk to you..."
"You want to tell me about your daughter, don't you?" Iroh looked over his cup as he sipped from it.
"How do you do that?" Katara asked, partially shocked.
"It's easy to pick you two out in the market when you both wear blue in a sea of green." he said. "And it's evident that motherhood has not been kind to you." Katara looked at the floor. She didn't look as pulled together as she did when she was fourteen, she knew that. But she had hoped that the circles under her eyes and the often messy hair wasn't as obvious to others as it was in the mirror.
"What else do you know?" she said.
"I know she is the daughter of Zuko." Katara could not stop her jaw from dropping a little. "Royal blood runs deep, and it is easy to spot when you know what to look for."
"I don't know what to say..." Katara was astounded, and at the same time terrified.
"You can tell me why you're keeping her a secret from Zuko." Iroh's happy mood finally disappeared as he said those words.
"You wouldn't understand." Katara frowned. But she could tell the old man wasn't buying it. "What if she had turned out to be a waterbender? What if these Ozai Loyalists had the option of targeting her? What if the Fire Nation didn't want me as their Fire Lady or whatever..."
"All of those 'what ifs' should have been something you solved together." Iroh said softly. "My nephew may be many things, but when it comes to family, the ones he loves, he will stop at nothing to protect them."
"I know... but-"
"What did you name her?" Iroh cut her off.
"Uh, Roku. I named her Roku."
"I see. Honoring his bloodline indirectly." Iroh nodded.
"I thought it was pretty smart." Katara grumbled.
"It was."
"So?" Katara's frown deepened.
"So..." Iroh repeated.
"Are you going to tell Zuko?"
"No." he said, taking another sip of tea. "That is your place, not mine."
"Oh, thank you..."
"I'm not agreeing with you hiding this from him. But I will not interfere."
"How refreshing." Katara said under her breath.
"Although, you might want to prepare yourself." Iroh said.
"For what?" Katara's right eyebrow shot up, starting to worry.
"My nephew has decided to visit today." Iroh shot her a small smile as the door opened slowly and a familiar, but older looking figure stepped inside.
"Zuko..." Katara mumbled.
Halfway across the world, a group of bandits were traveling through the densely wooded area outside the Fire Nation town of Kaolin. The leader, a muscled man named Jinto, had made a living of stealing from travelers then selling their items for money. The rest of the group consisted of a rather attractive woman named Sun, and two younger men name Joh and Karu. They had been down on their luck lately, due to the Loyalist attacks, traveling had been cut down. Leaving the group with fewer and fewer victims to scam and steal from. Jinto had been looking for something that would give them a leg up on the situation, something that many thieving con-artists didn't have. He just didn't know what that was yet.
They stopped for a moment, to rest. Jinto had barely taken out his canteen when he heard shouting over in a nearby clearing. He signaled for the others to stay quiet, and pointed towards the sound. The clearing held a surprise none of them were expecting.
A boy, in a school uniform, firebending angrily at an already dead tree. He shouted again, as he kicked a burst of flame towards the tree. For a boy his age, he was good. And judging by his private school uniform, he came from a rich family. Jinto looked at Sun, who gave him a quick nod before entering the clearing.
"Are you alright, young man?" she asked, in a sickening sweet voice. She positioned her body to look timid, to throw the boy off. He turned quickly, his fists raised, ready to strike. His eyes were red, probably from crying, and he looked off balance.
"What do you want?" he asked, raising his voice to cover his obvious fear.
"My husband and I were walking by and heard you shouting. What are you doing this far away from town?" she was a good actress, seeming actually concerned for him.
"I'm running away." he said, lowering his hands.
"Your mother must be awfully worried about you, don't you know you could get hurt out here with all the Loyalist attacks?"
"My mother doesn't care. And aren't you worried about the same thing?" his eyes squinted for a moment.
"Smart kid." Jinto whispered to Joh behind the bushes.
"My husband and I have been travelers for some time, we know how to take care of ourselves. But a boy as little as you couldn't possibly..."
"I'm nine." he growled. "I'm not little. And I'm not going back home."
"Alright." Sun nodded. "We are going to set up camp nearby. If you want, you can join us for a meal. It's not much, but it will be better than nothing." She noticed a small pack near a rock, accompanied by a fancy looking sword inside it's sheath.
"No thank you." he said after a second.
"Suit yourself, boy." Sun smiled.
"My name is Kei." he said.
"I am Sun. Good bye, Kei." Sun did the traditional Fire Nation salute, and disappeared out of the clearing.
As she walked past Jinto and the others, her kind smile disappeared, being replaced with a dark smirk.
"What are you doing?" Jinto asked, catching up to her.
"Please, Jinto, he's a nine year old boy. He won't be able to resist a warm meal much longer."
"Are we going to hold him for ransom?" Karu asked.
"I've been thinking about that." Jinto mumbled.
"The boy will be more useful as an ally." Sun sighed, finding a place to set up camp for the night.
"Huh?" Jinto looked at his 'wife'.
"He's a firebender. Think of how many of our heists would have been more successful if we had him on our side."
"But he's just a kid." Joh mumbled. Sun turned to him, her shoulder length black hair brushing him in the face.
"Exactly. His mind is still fragile, and we have the ability to mold it into something completely different. We just have to gain his trust first. That means best behavior from all of you. If we want this runaway, Kei, to join us, we also have to make sure no one comes looking for him."
"But what if he doesn't come tonight?" Jinto folded his arms across his chest.
"He will. I could see he was hungry." Sun said. "We just need to wait."
"Zuko..." Katara looked up at him. He wasn't wearing the complete, rather intimidating, Fire Lord get up. It was much closer to a more formalized version of the outfit he wore when he had joined their group when he was sixteen. She swallowed as she met his eyes.
"Katara?" he said. He was just as surprised to see her.
"I'm so sorry, I have to go." Katara stood. She maneuvered herself around him, backing away into the hallway when he took a step toward her. She quickened her pace to a light run, only to hear his footsteps quicken behind her. She managed to make it outside before he called out to her.
"Katara, wait!" Zuko shouted. She looked back. Zuko's guards were beginning to follow him. She couldn't go home, Roku was there. Making a split second decision, she stopped and turned. He nearly crashed into her, and stood only a foot away. She looked right up at him, her blue eyes searching his face.
"What?" she asked. By now a crowd was forming around them, probably curious about why a Water Tribe girl was making the Fire Lord chase her.
"Can't we just... talk?" Zuko asked. He looked so vulnerable, just as he had on that cliff years ago.
This was it. This was the day her father had been warning her about. That day when all her secret keeping was going to bite her in the butt. This had to be it. She inhaled sharply. "Fine." was all she said. "Come to my house, here in Ba Sing Se, in an hour." Roku would be training with Aang by then, giving them privacy. "Ask your Uncle for directions."
"Thank you." Zuko nodded. He seemed a little surprised by the fact that she lived in Ba Sing Se, but didn't question it. "I'll be there." Katara nodded once, turning away from him.
She now had the walk home to figure out what she was going to say, and how she was going to break it to him that he was a father.
An hour went by far too quickly. The knock on her door came too soon. She had barely cleaned up. She opened the door, and there he was. She managed to get a better look at him now. He looked older, she knew he was twenty-seven, but he looked tired, worn down. The circles under his eyes were dark, almost a gray color. His top knot had been taken down, leaving his shaggy hair to fall in it's usual way. It was a little longer than usual, but not by much.
"Do you want something to drink?" she asked, as he entered, leaving his guards outside the door. "I've made some tea."
"Uh, sure." Zuko said, sitting down at the table. "You have nice home. What made you move to Ba Sing Se?"
"My priorities changed." she said simply, pouring two cups of steaming tea.
"What's this?" she heard Zuko say. She turned to see him holding the doll that she had wasted too many hours of her life looking for. She almost dropped the pot, and without thinking she said "I'm going to kill her."
"Her?" Zuko's good eye widened. He looked at the doll. "Oh I get it."
"You do?" Katara mumbled, her heart dropping into her stomach.
"I guess congratulations are in order. I didn't know you had found someone..." he stood, straightening his clothes.
"Zuko, stop." Katara sighed. He thought she was married. As if this visit wasn't awkward enough.
"No, it's fine... Your priorities changed, I understand..." He turned away from her.
"Zuko, I'm not married." He stopped, turning back to her.
"But..." he motioned towards the doll.
"I do have a daughter. But I'm raising her without her father." Katara mumbled.
"Where is he? Her father?" he looked heartbroken.
"Here." she said, looking at him. His expression told her he still didn't understand.
"That's why you moved to Ba Sing Se?" he asked.
"No. Zuko, her father is right here." Katara walked up to him, poking him in the chest. She hadn't touched him in so many years. The feeling of him under her fingers sent a familiar shiver through her body. He was looking at her like she had grown another head. Here it comes... she thought.
"What... That's not possible, right?" Zuko said softly.
"She just turned eight this summer, you do the math."
"Are you joking, Katara!" he shouted suddenly. She jumped a little. "Why didn't you tell me!"
"I couldn't! I was going to, but then you asked me to marry you!" she yelled.
"Are you blaming me now? I loved you! That's what people do when they love each other!" Zuko through up his hands. The front door opened, and one of Zuko's guards poked his head in. Both Zuko and Katara whirled on him and shouted, in unison, "NOT NOW!" The guard promptly shut the door.
"I didn't want to be the woman who brought down the Royal Family! If Roku had been a waterbender... Who knows what would have happened!"
"You named our daughter Roku?" his features softened for a moment, then twisted into a glare. "Are you saying you knew you were pregnant when you left me?"
"Yes, I knew." Katara frowned. She was still getting used to the fact that Zuko had just used the term 'our daughter'. It had always just be her daughter.
"Don't you think that whole waterbending this was something we should've figured out together?"
"Believe it or not, you're not the first person to say that."
"So, is she a waterbender?" Zuko asked sourly.
"No. She's a firebender. Just like you." Katara looked away.
"And you still couldn't tell me..." he said, exasperated.
"I have my reasons, Zuko." Katara growled.
"Where is she?" he asked, brow furrowed.
"She's training with Aang." Katara answered, then realized he was probably going to go find her. Just as she thought, he spun on his heel, and walked out the front door. "Zuko, no!"
"What could you possibly say that would stop me from seeing her?" he snapped.
"I don't want you to enter her life just to leave it!" she screamed, tears in her eyes.
"What?" Zuko asked, looking at her like she was crazy.
"If you want to be part of her life, you need to promise me that these Loyalist won't target her to get at you. You have to promise me that you're not going to die! I couldn—She can't loose you too." She wiped her face the the heel of her hand. "Can you promise she'll be safe? Can you promise that you'll always be there? Can you?"
He looked at her for a long moment. His stoic gaze didn't leave her. She was right, in a way. Now would be a terrible time to introduce his sole heir to the Fire Nation throne. With all the attempts on his life he had to deal with, the death threats, and the growing Loyalist attacks that were tearing his nation in two, her life would be in just as much danger. But he couldn't just leave now... He wanted to know her... He wanted them to be a family. But again, it appeared as if his heart would have to wait. He could die tomorrow for all he knew, and it wasn't fair to put an eight year old through that. He looked away from Katara.
"No." he frowned. "I can't."
Katara's shoulders fell. "I know you can't." she walked right up to him, taking his face in her hands. His skin was so warm, it always had been. Just like Roku's. Her cool fingers brushed against his scar, and his head leaned into her hand. Their argument seemed to melt around them. They had missed one another far too much, but neither of them spoke. She had loved him too, and part of her still did. But so many things had be figured out before they could be the family that they both secretly wanted. "Here, I want you to hold onto this for me." she removed something from her dress pocket. She pressed the object into Zuko's palm. "Maybe someday, you can give it back."
Zuko looked at his hand, and saw the necklace he had spent hours carving for her. The pattern was a little lopsided, from inexperience. But overall, he had been proud of it.
"Someday, I hope you'll give it back to me, the right way." Katara removed her hand from his face.
"I can promise that." Zuko mumbled, putting the necklace in his pocket.
"Do you want to meet her?" Katara asked.
"But..."
"Not as her father, but as a friend." Katara said. "I can't send you away without even seeing her."
"I'd like that." Zuko smiled sadly.
"Come on. Aang trains her at Toph's Metal Bending Academy after hours." Katara grabbed his hand and lead the way.
"What...uh... What does she look like?" Zuko asked shyly.
"You'll see." Katara smiled. His hands were sweating in hers. She could feel his fast heartbeat in his grip. She remembered laying against his chest on those summer nights, just listening to his heart. It was like all those feelings she had repressed, called a young infatuation, weren't so little as she had thought. But he would leave her again in a matter of hours. Not forever, but it already felt like a last goodbye. And it was a eery feeling.
As the sun began to set, Kei heard a loud grumble from his stomach. He brought his knees up to his chest and hugged them. His short hair had begun to flop over in front of his eyes, so he brushed them aside. His mother would normally be calling him down for dinner by now. And he'd be sitting at the table, silent, as his two much older sisters, Luli and Suyin, told their mother about their day. Of course, with Luli's wedding coming up, his mother probably would've probably forgotten to make him dinner, again. He glared into the fire he had made. If his father hadn't been killed in a Loyalist attack, his mother wouldn't treat him like this. Admiral Zhan was a great man, who viewed his son as a miracle, given to him and his wife after they thought she could no longer bear children. His mother, however, viewed him as a nuisance, a thorn in her side. That's why he had run away.
His stomach growled again, even louder. He could smell the food from that woman's camp. It smelled too good to ignore. Slowly, and wearily, he stood, grabbing his pack and his father's sword he had stolen from his mother's room. He made his way to the camp he had been invited to. Four people gathered around a fire, Sun among them. The largest of the men, who had an oily looking ponytail, nudged her when he noticed Kei. She turned, a smile on her face.
"Hello Kei! So glad you've chosen to join us! Please, come sit down!" Sun patted the ground beside her. Once he had settled next to her, she pointed to the large man the oily ponytail. "This is my husband, Jinto. And these are our two friends, Joh and Karu."
"Hello." Kei bowed his head.
"Where you from kid? Kaolin?" Jinto asked.
"No, I'm from the Capital." Kei answered.
"The Capital? That's at least three days away from here!" Joh said.
"I know." Kei looked at the ground.
"Leave the boy alone, Joh. He's obviously tired and hungry." Sun said, winking at Joh before Kei could see. "Kei, would you like to join us on our travels? I could never live with myself if I left such a handsome boy in the woods alone during such a dangerous time."
"I guess so... You seem really nice." Kei shrugged.
Sun smirked at Jinto. He had fallen right into the palm of their hands, and he had no idea. "What do you think, Jinto? Do you think Kei could join us?"
"I don't see why not, you seem like a smart kid." Jinto did his best fake smile.
"Thank you." Kei smiled.
"Here's some rice, sweetheart." Sun handed Kei a small bowl and a pair of chopsticks.
Zuko and Katara stood to the side while Roku finished training with Aang. He was watching her with what looked like amazement.
"She looks..." he began.
"Just like her father." Katara finished.
"I-" he mumbled. "I can't believe it..."
"Neither could I. It's like all she got from me was my hair color." Katara sighed. "She's stubborn, hot headed, determined, and ambitious..."
Next to her, Zuko cringed, hoping the list of not-so-attractive traits would end soon.
"But she's also gentle, compassionate, kind, and selfless." Katara smiled. "Just like her father."
"She's pretty good..." Zuko said, watching her train.
"Yeah, well, her teacher had a pretty good master." she said, catching a quick smile on Zuko's face.
"Is that why you moved here? So Aang could teach her?" Zuko asked.
"Partially." Katara said.
"Uh-oh." Zuko frowned at her tone.
"Firebenders aren't exactly accepted by South Pole children. Especially ever since she punched Harook." Katara rolled her eyes.
"She punched someone?" Zuko laughed.
"Well, she is our daughter." There is was again. Our daughter. That was going to take some getting used to. "Punching Harook almost became a daily occurrence."
"She certainly has fire in her blood." Zuko smiled.
"Mommy!" Roku shouted, coming bounding over to them. Aang followed behind her. "Mommy did you see me!"
"I did, baby! You're getting really good!" Katara bent over, wiping a speck of soot off her face. Roku batted her hand away. "Roku, I want you to meet a friend of mine. This is Fir—This is Zuko."
Zuko got on his knees, and put out his hand. Roku shook it.
"Hey Roku." Zuko said, unsure of what else to say.
"Hi." Roku smiled, looking at him. Her head leaned forward, as if to be inspecting him. "You look like me." she said.
"I do?" Zuko asked, pretending not to know what she meant.
"Uh huh." she nodded. She lifted her hand, and placed it on Zuko's scar. Her childhood curiosity had gotten the better of her. "Does it hurt?" she asked.
He looked into her matching golden eyes. Her mouth was open a little, showing one of her front teeth still growing in. How was he supposed to leave this behind? He was happier in this moment than he had been in the past eight years.
"No. It doesn't hurt anymore." Zuko said, placing his hand over hers. She tilted her head a little.
"That's good." she smiled, removing her hand.
"Fire Lord Zuko," a guard behind said. Zuko turned. "A messenger hawk just arrived. The Capital has been attacked by Loyalists. We need to go."
"You're leaving?" Roku asked softly.
"I'm afraid so. But you know what, I would like you to hold onto something for me." Zuko reached into his pocket. "Don't let it leave your sight until the next time you see me, okay?" He handed her the necklace Katara had given back to him. "It's very important."
"Okay." Roku nodded. Zuko spun his finger, and she turned around so he could put the necklace on her. He tied it across her neck. "Mommy look!"
"I see it!" Katara smiled. Aang put a comforting hand on his friend's shoulder.
"Hey, Roku, want to find Luan?" Aang asked, knowing his son would be looking for his playmate.
"Yeah." She looked at Aang. She looked back a Zuko. She unexpectedly wrapped her arms around his neck, snuggling into his shoulder. Zuko's arms went instinctively around her. He held her, noticing she smelled just like Katara. "It was nice to meet you." She let him go.
"You too Roku." Zuko smiled, as she walked away with Aang. He stood and looked at Katara. "Goodbye."
"Zuko..." Katara mumbled, grabbing him into a hug. "You need to stay safe, alright?"
"I will." he said. "I still love you..."
"I never stopped." Katara said into his shirt. He let go of her and kissed her forehead before being lead off by his guards. "Good bye." she said as he disappeared. And with that, her world seemed to get a little darker.
A/N:I've always planned to have Iroh know everything before Katara could tell him. He totally would know everything. The next chapter skips ahead a bit, again, until we get until the right year for the main story. Everything was nearly explained here. I was going to go into Aang and Toph's kids, but I felt it would take away from the Zutaraness. And Kei, we'll see more of him later. He's kind of a big deal. haha Leave a review to tell me how you liked the chapter! :D Sappy as all hell, I know. But hopefully it wasn't too bad.