OK! So I've decided to expand this and make it a story, but I'll only be using the episodes where Zuko and the gang are shown. Some of them I may drastically change so that Katara and Zuko are thrown together^_^
Let me know what you think!
"Your arms are too far apart, see if you bring them closer you protect your center. Got it?" Katara asked as she corrected his stance.
Aang blushed at her touch and nodded. She noticed but ignored it turning to walk back the center of the stream they were practicing in.
He's been acting weird like that a lot lately.
She'd really hoped that the young airbender wouldn't develop any romantic feelings for her, especially after the North Pole. She smiled at the thought of Zuko. He'd seemed so open and vulnerable to her, not like the cruel angry teen she'd thought he was. It'd been three weeks since their kiss.. three weeks since she'd left him in the cave; but she wasn't worried. She knew that if anything Zuko was a fighter, he hadn't gone through all the pain in his life to give it up to a snow storm.
She reached her spot at the center and paused with her back to him for a few moments before she spun around sending a dozen ice daggers straight for his heart. She stopped going easy on him about a week ago, he needed to be ready for anything. Not everyone was happy that the Avatar had returned. He dodged them easily with the octopus form and reached out three tentacles toward her wrapping one around her right leg and the others around her arms, leaving her defenseless. She nodding, smiling with approval.
"You make a fine octopus, pupil Aang."
He then proceeded to cover his body with water making him look like a real octopus. She frowned slightly at this furrowing her eye brows. She knew that he was really just a kid, and kids needed to have fun. But that was the problem, he was just a kid and in this war people needed to see someone who was strong and wasn't afraid of a fight, but also someone who was wise enough to be able to solve problems peacefully. They needed a leader. And she wasn't sure Aang was at a point were he could be that for them.
"Hey you guys are almost done right?" Sokka called from the large leaf he was just floating around on, enjoying the relaxation, "We have a lot of ground to cover before we make it to Omashu."
"Oh, like you're ready to go right now naked guy?" Katara said sarcastically pointing out that wearing only his underwear wasn't good enough to travel in.
"Hey, I could be ready in two minutes. Seriously, whenever." He replied lazily.
They all turned to the sound of music coming from the trees and saw four, very colorfully dressed, people come emerge. The two women were dancing to a strange song that the man at the front of their group was singing while strumming on his guitar.
"Hey!" He called, "look, river people!"
"We aren't river people," Katara said eying them. They didn't look totally in their right minds to her.
"You aren't?" The man said looking confused, "Then what kind of people are ya?"
"Just... people," Aang said not sure what else to call them.
"Aren't we all brother?" He said a little too calmly. Katara and Aang looked at each other with the same thought.
These people seem a little loose up top.
Sokka stomped up to the strangers, still wearing his underwear.
"Who are you?" He demanded.
"I'm Chong, and this is my wife Lilly. We're nomads; happy to go wherever the wind takes us," He said using his free arm to mimic what a breeze might look like.
"Your nomads?" Aang said visibly perking up, "That's great I'm a nomad!"
"Hey me too!" Chong said getting excited.
"...I know, you just said that."
"Oh... Nice underwear." Chong said to Sokka who proceeded in walking over to were his clothes were piled, grumbling, and putting them on. And Katara and Aang followed suit listening to the Nomads talk about their travels.
Maybe they aren't crazy just... peaceful.
This is ridiculous. I wasn't meant to be living in the wild, having to hunt every scrap that gets put in my throat. I was meant to be a prince. Zuko thought grunting as he fell into the small clearing where he knew his uncle waited.
"I didn't find anything to eat." He said grinding his teeth together. He hated living like this. He spotted his uncle a few yards away staring at a small bush. "Uncle? What are you doing?" He asked indignantly.
"You're looking at the White Dragon Bush, it's leaves make a tea so delicious it's heartbreaking!" Iroh said dreamily.
I can't believe I'm hearing this. We are starving and still all he can think of is his precious tea.
""Either that or it's the White Jade bush which is poisonous." He continued, his expression darkening.
"We need food not tea." Zuko said resisting the urge to roll his eyes. "I'm going fishing." As he walked toward the river he heard his uncle contemplating,
"Delectable tea, or deadly poison?"
Once Zuko reached the river he chose a stick and used a fire dagger to sharpen one end. He then found a rock near a deeper part of the river and sat in wait, watching the water swirl. The swirls looked a lot like a waterbender he knew. He sighed, and counted the days since he'd kissed her.
Three weeks. It's been three weeks since I last saw her. He'd woken in the cave not at the opening were the watertribe teen had knocked him out, but right next to the fire.
Thank you, Katara. He thought for the tenth time since then. He knew it had to have been her because neither the Avatar or the other boy would've cared enough to. He knew that she probably saved his life. She'd been so gentle there in his arms, it was a nice change from seeing her hostility time and time again.
He saw a large fish near the bottom and threw his makeshift spear at it. It missed the fish by inches.
Why can't I even catch one measly fish?!
He jumped in the water and chased the fish across the stream and caught it plunging a fire dagger into it's belly. Once the fish stopped moving he carried it onto the shore opposite to the one near the campsite, but he didn't care he'd find a more shallow place to cross knelt down, skinned and gutted the fish, and cleaned the pink flesh in the stream. He then stood realizing for the first time that there were fresh tracks all around him. He looked at each one carefully out of curiosity when he saw it. The tracks of the Avatar's sky bison. His eyes widened in realization. They must have stopped here to practice bending. He ran back across the water to the campsite. He saw his uncle hunched over by a tree wrenching.
"Uncle?!" What's wrong?!" He yelled in concern. Once Iroh finished he spoke.
"Remember that plant I thought might be tea?"
"You didn't." Zuko said not believing his uncle would do something so foolish.
"I did." he said sheepishly. He turned around and Zuko started at the sight. There were red, swollen, blotches all over his face and hands. "When the rash reaches my throat I will stop breathing." He said solemnly. Zuko knew that he couldn't just let his uncle die. But they both knew what could happen if they went to town for help. If they were recognized they'd be killed.
And then there's the Avatar. Zuko thought looking in the direction of the tracks. He stood silent for a moment and released a breath with a huff.
She hadn't wanted her hair done , but Lilly insisted. So they sat on one of Appa's large furry legs while Lilly braided flowers into hair. Aang and Chong sat on his others legs comparing adventures. Sokka walked over from the maps he'd been comparing.
"We need to get going now if we are going to make it to Omashu before dark." He said.
"Sokka you've gotta listen to these stories, these guys have been everywhere!" Aang said smiling wide.
"Well not everywhere little arrow-head, but where we haven't been we've heard about through stories and songs." Chong said smiling back at Aang.
Katara agreed that some of the places they described sounded beautiful. They'd even found a few hidden villages untouched by the war.
"They said they can take us to see a giant Nightcrawler." Aang said hopefully. But Katara frowned, even she knew that they couldn't waste time looking for big worms. It seemed to her like Aang was constantly forgetting that they had a deadline. Sozin's comet was only a few months away.
"On the way there's a water fall they creates a never ending rainbow," the other man, Moku, said dreamily. Sokka huffed.
"Look I hate to be the wet blanket here but since Katara is busy I guess it's up to me," Katara glared at him. "We need to get to Omashu, no sidetracks, no worms, and defiantly no rainbows," He said shooting a side glance at Moku.
"Sounds like someone's got destination fever," Chong pipped up, "Your worried to much about where your going."
"Actually Sokka's right, we need to get Aang to Omashu so he has somewhere safe to practice earthbending." Katara said standing up once Lilly had finished with her hair.
"Sounds like your headed to Omashu," Chong said. Katara heard the resounding 'smack' of Sokka's hand meeting his forehead. "There's a story about a secret pass that goes right through the mountains." Katara turned to Chong now interested. She'd spotted a Fire Nation blockade before they landed and they knew that it would be hard to get past it.
That's perfect... if it really exists.
"Is this real or a legend?" She questioned with doubt in her voice.
"Oh, it's a real legend and it's as old as earthbending itself," he said and he began strumming his guitar and singing.
"Two lovers,
Forbidden from one another,
A war divides their people,
Just like me and Zuko.
And a mountain keeps them apart,
Built a path to be together,
Secret tunnel, Secret tunnel,
through the mountain,
it's a secret, secret secret secret tunnel." When Chong finished they all clapped polity.
"I think we should just try to fly over the blockade. We've delt with the Fire Nation before," Aang said "Besides Appa hates tunnels.
"Actually , Aang, I think we should try it." Sokka and Aang looked at her in surprise. "You guys saw the size of that blockade, we've never tried to make it past that many catapults before. They probably assumed we'd be coming back and took the opportunity to prepare for us." They both thought for a minute and then nodded.
"Ok secret love cave, let's go," Sokka said pulling Chong and Moku to their feet. As they got together their things and began the walk to the tunnel, Katara's thought turned back to the song and how similar it was to her. She turned to Lilly who walked next to her,
"Lilly, if the two lover's countries were at war how come they didn't hate each other?" She asked. But she doubted she'd get a real answer.
"Because ,dear, love is the one thing stronger than anger and hatred. It looks beyond one's past life and sees what no one else can. Love sees the heart." Lilly replied. Katara stopped walking and stared at the women, who simply smiled and kept walking. She didn't know how someone who'd seemed so... so out of it, had been able to give her such wisdom.
"Love sees the heart." She'd seen his heart and she'd seen how lost it was. She began walking again behind the others as she thought of Zuko.
I can't truly love someone I don't know. Can i?
"Ta da!" Chong suddenly exclaimed, "I present the entrance to the Cave of Two Lovers!"
"Of course they went into a cursed hole," Zuko muttered. He was standing outside the entrance of the Cave of Two Lovers. He'd made arrangements with Song, the young women who took care of Iroh's rash, for Iroh to stay with them for the night while he took care of some business.
He'd then tracked the Avatar and his group back to this cave. He knew of the legend and how all one had to do was supposedly "trust in love" to make it safely out the other side, or you'd be cursed to wander the caves until you died; but he also knew that this was pure legend. He assumed that badger moles simply built and destroyed the tunnels everyday, which was why no one could find their way out, the tunnels constantly changed.
He took a deep breath, ignited a fire above his hand, and plunged into darkness. He followed the tracks slowly, listening for any sound that would indicate life.
After a while he heard the Avatar's sky bison billow followed by the earth around him shifting causing him to stumble and his light to go out. He sat in silence waiting. He heard scuffling followed by a female shouting.
Katara his heart lifted as he recognized the voice. He re-lit his flame and began slowly moving around the corner.
"Hello?" she said when she saw the light
Maybe one of the others were trapped over here with me.
The light stopped and she began to move toward it. The first thing she saw was the flame... it wasn't attached to a torch.
Firebender She panicked and turned running blindly in the opposite direction.
She didn't have any water to bend, she was defenseless. She heard a voice shouting behind her but she didn't stop running. She had to find a way out. She turned to see that the tunnel behind her had gone dark as well and she gasped when two arms circled around her waist forcing her to stop.
"No! Let.. me.. GO!" She yelled while she was kicking, scratching, and anything else so make her captor let her go. He did and she turned around getting ready to punch the firebender in the nose when she froze. The flame had been re-ignited, showing her her captors face.
"Zuko?" She asked in disbelief. He gave her a small smile. She jumped into his arms causing him to drop the flame. He chuckled deep in his throat.
"Glad to see me?" He asked quietly. She blushed and gave a small nod against his chest. She was so relieved that it was him, if it had been someone else she wouldn't be able to defend herself. Suddenly a new light source appeared from above. They both looked up to see crystals engraved into the ceiling. Katara was enraptured by the beauty and she left Zuko's arms and took a few steps ahead to get a better view of them. She felt Zuko approach and stand next to her, she turned her head to see him enthralled as well. Realization dawned on her.
"Do you know the legend?" She asked quietly. Zuko looked at her and nodded. "I think this is how the two lover's found each other, they just put out their lights and followed the crystals."
They both stood there for a few more moments before Zuko touched her shoulder gently, she turned to him and he pulled her into a hug. She pulled back and looked into his eyes,stood on her toes, and pressed her lips to his. The kiss was desperate, like each of them was trying to soak up as much of the other as possible before they were separated once again. They pulled apart and Zuko rested his forehead on hers.
"We're like them you know," Zuko whispered to her, "Divided by a war that neither of us want."
"Forbidden to love one another because of other people's hatred." She whispered back as a silent tear slid down her cheek.