Hotel Omashu: Chapter 2

I'm back! And better then ever. Hopefully all of you faithful, wonderful reviewers have still stuck with me, though I don't blame you if you haven't.

There are changes in the plot, because after deliberation……..well, you'll see.

OOOOOO

"Katara….we're not doing this." Zuko scowled at the girl pacing in front of him. The others were all in the living room of their massive hotel dwelling, while they were in the bedroom, alone.

Katara sighed, and plopped down on a chair in the corner of the room, sinking into the fluffy cushions.

"For once, you might be right. I can't think of anything we could do to raise money for you." She started out the window into the nighttime skyline of the city, her eyes glazed in thought.

"That was a stupid idea. I'm sorry." she continued.

Zuko stood up and walked to her.

"This is vacation. Let's forget anything was ever said. I don't car about getting money right now, so let's just enjoy ourselves." he said as he pulled Katara up off the chair. Katara smirked and inclined her head slightly, letting him know that was ok.

"All this brainstorming has made me hungry." she yawned and rubbed her stomach. "I could go with a snack." Katara took one step toward the closed door of the room, only to find that someone was blocking her.

"If you get between a hungry girl and her snack……." Katara warned as she fake-glared at Zuko's smirking, gorgeous, face.

"What snack are you hungry for?" he asked, and Katara noticed his voice had gone lower. She suddenly grinned as she reached up for his shoulders.

Their lips met. Katara felt shivers all over her body as Zuko's warm lips covered hers repeatedly, and she ran her hands up to his hair, and began gently rubbing them over his shag.

They broke apart, both breathing harder then normal.

"You know, I'm not hungry anymore." Katara smiled and pulled her hands out his hair and trailed them down to the back of his neck.

"I'll take the credit for that." Zuko grinned. "Come on. Lets go anyway; they might have stuff downstairs."

Katara took his hand, and opened the door, the two of them exiting together. She wiped her lips, still relishing the taste that was purely Zuko.

After a quick explanation to Sokka as to where they were going, they left the room altogether. They had barely taken two steps, when Katara spotted something outside the room next to theirs.

"Hey look, a cleaning cart." Katara pointed out. Zuko blinked twice, as if remembering something.

"What, have you had a bad experience with these things?" Katara teased.

"No. But it does bring back memories…" he stood still, still staring at the cart.

"Memories of what? Are you ok?" Katara faced him with a worried look on her face.

"My dad pushed me down a hallway in one of these. That was one of the few times he actually did anything with me that was…fun." Zuko's face had relaxed, but Katara saw that he was still thinking about it. She squeezed his hand, but a question popped into her mind before any comforting words did.

"You can do that?" She asked.

"What?" Zuko snapped out of his reverie.

"Ride on these things? I've never noticed they had wheels." She bent down, and to her astonishment, discovered they did.

Zuko nodded.

"Here. Push me." Katara let go of his hand and began clearing cleaning supplies off the top tray of the metal cart. It was big, bigger than Katara had ever seen, and she was sure it could hold her.

"What? You're too big!" Katara snapped around, but Zuko saw the humor in her eyes as he spoke.

"Well, then I'll push you." Katara finished clearing the tray, and bowed, as if showing Zuko into a limo, and not a cleaning cart.

"That would be mature of me, riding a cart at this age." He crossed his arms, but before he noticed what Katara was doing, she gently pushed him onto the cart.

"Hey!" he yelled, losing his indifferent mask. Katara bent close to his face.

"Let's have some fun." she laughed. Zuko rolled his eyes, suppressing a grin. Katara began turning the cart around, grunting as she did so.

"You think I'm heavy?" she asked once she turned the cart around.

"Yeah. Now push!"

"Bossy."

"Real mature."

Katara pushed the cart, and it started to move faster.

"Whoa!" Zuko gripped the metal sides of the cart, wishing he had a helmet, or a brakes.

Katara kept pushing faster and faster, and they picked up speed, she jumped on the bottom tray.

"Woo-hoo!" she yelled, throwing her arms around Zuko. She laughed as Zuko's hair blew in her face, and closed her eyes.

She could feel them whizzing over the nubby hallway carpet, bouncing lightly. She could also feel Zuko underneath her arms. One of her hands was crossed over his heart, and she felt it pounding.

This is a great adrenaline rush, Katara decided, still closing her eyes.

When she opened her eyes, her smile faded.

"ZUKO, TURN!" she yelled into his hair. The cart was coming to a sharp corner in the hallway, and a hotel room door was rushing toward them, growing closer and closer.

Katara's eyes widened in fear, and she shut her eyes as she squeezed Zuko tighter, hoping she wouldn't break any bones if they crashed.

Zuko wasn't happy about being in front, but he had to be the man here. For a millisecond, he knew this wasn't exactly a manly situation, what with him riding on top of a cleaning cart with a girl holding on to him as they hurtled toward a closed door.

He gripped the one side of the card, and pulled, leaning his weight the opposite way. The shift in weight tipped the cart sharply, and Katara gasped as she was thrown from the back.

She landed on the floor, and stood up to see if Zuko needed help.

She stood up quickly, ignoring her bleeding lip, and immediately saw Zuko……riding down the hall, laughing his deep laugh. He glanced back to see Katara picking herself up off the floor, and his first immediate thought was that she was hurt.

He jumped off, landing gracefully as the cart continued to hurtle down the hall. He ran over to Katara.

"Are you ok?" he asked, looking into her face.

Katara was touched when she saw the concern in his eyes. She shut her eyes, and for a minute, Zuko thought she was going to cry.

But she threw her head back and laughed. She simply shook with laughter as Zuko surveyed her form.

"Zuko, that was great!" she said once she regained her breath. She hugged him, still laughing, and pulled him onto the floor in a tackle.

"You're bleeding." Zuko said seriously, not caring that he was on the floor.

"I just bit my lip, I'm ok." she said as he wiped off the blood with his thumb.

"Thanks." she said. "I can see why you and your dad did that." she continued.

She expected Zuko's face to tighten, but he semi-smiled instead.

"I'll admit, it was entertaining." he said, pulling her up. They both stood up and straightened their clothes, quiet for a minute.

"You still want that snack?" Zuko asked. Katara shrugged.

"I've had enough for this night." They turned away from the elevator down the hall, and started to walk back to the room.

"NONO! NO YOU DON"T!" Katara looked up, shocked, to see a rather large, Hispanic maid running down the hall toward them. She was tall, and a bit on the heavy side, but still ran quickly. Her face was one of rage, and there was no mistaking what she might do if she were angered.

Zuko thrust Katara's shoulder the other way, turning her toward the elevator.

"Get in the lift!" He pushed her, and she started running, Zuko behind her.

"YOU THOUGHT YOU COULD JUST TAKE MY CART AND TRASH IT, EH? EL NINOS DE DIABLO!" the maid cried, half in Spanish.

Katara squeaked in fright, and ran faster. She reached the elevator, and pounded the down button next to the door, hoping it was on this floor. Zuko caught up with her, and shoved her closer to the door, as if trying to shield her.

The maid turned the corner where Zuko and Katara had so recently almost crashed, and came closer and closer. Katara let out another squeak, trying to say something, but nothing came out. Her heart pounded as she prayed to every god that an elevator would soon come.

The down button light flashed, and the door opened with a ding.

Katara and Zuko fell in, and Zuko jumped up, hitting the 'Close' button. The door closed just as the deranged woman reached the elevator entrance.

"YOU BETTER NOT COME BACK---" her words were cut off as the elevator lifted.

"Zuko, go down! We can't go up!" Katara stood up as she felt them going upwards.

"I can't control that! Someone up there must have needed the elevator." he jabbed his finger up as he spoke.

Katara took a deep breath.

"That was scary. If we hadn't made it……"

"That devil woman would have beaten us to death." Zuko finished.

Katara nodded.

"There's no lack of excitement around here." she muttered.

Zuko acknowledged this as the elevator stopped and the door opened. A man stood there, about to get on.

"Please sir, don't come on!" Katara pleaded. "People are after us!" She went on.

The man's puzzled face took in their wild faces and eyes, and their mussed clothes. He was just about to speak when Zuko heard a noise coming from a door labeled 'Stairs.' on their level.

"Oh.My.God, she's coming up!" Katara whispered, grimacing.

"Sorry, no room." Zuko slammed the 'Close' button, and the man backed away, staring as if he had just seen a ghost.

"Did you see his face? I wish I had a camera." Katara couldn't resist smiling as she spoke.

"That was close. I forgot there are stairs in every floor of the hotel." Zuko said, unsmiling at her remark.

"Are you sure you're alright?" he asked concernedly. Katara nodded, still smiling.

The elevator continued it's climb downward as they stood in silence.

"Zuko?" Katara asked.

"Yeah?" he asked, turning toward her.

"I don't think we should come back tonight." she sighed.

Zuko raised his eyebrow, although he had been thinking the same thing.

"Well, I don't want that lady to find us….maybe if we come back tomorrow night she will cool down……we could stay at another place." Katara continued, realizing how stupid the idea sounded.

Zuko's golden eyes flashed before he spoke.

"But how will we get money? And what about your father and everyone else?" he asked, a skeptical look on his face.

"I don't know." Katara sighed as the elevator came to a halt at the ground floor, and opened its doors. The duo stepped out into the grand hotel lobby and made for the revolving door that was the exit.

"I'm going to call everyone, and tell them we'll be out for the night." Zuko spoke as he and Katara stepped outside. Katara grinned, and gave him a hug.

"Thanks." she said. Zuko reached for his cell phone, while Katara held the other one, wondering how their night was going to go.

OOOOOOO

How was that? I'm very rusty, so I deserve criticism. Next chapter, Zuko and Katara's night on the town!

Lady Sayomi