A/N: THANK YOU for the great reviews so far! I have SO much more than I did when I first started Betrayed Heart and I so didn't expect that! Ok, so you may have noticed I didn't put an Author's Note in the last chap, but that's cause I like when I first put out a story for it to speak for itself before I start putting my own messy notes. lol. Anyway, there's something I'd like to state that I think is important you know. The age of my characters. Now, even though we never heard it through the seasons, I imaged by the end of season 3 that ALL the characters had aged at least one year. Since this series is based AFTER the finale, I've aged the main characters as they go through my time zone. I'll include the age of certain OC's of mine too. :)
Katara – 17 (tho she's turning 18 soon) Zuko – 19. Aang – 15. Toph – 15. Sokka – 19. Suki – 18. Ty Lee – 17. Sky – he "died" a 17-yr old in my last story. ^^ Sapphire – 16.
Have any questions, just ask, though I can't guarantee I can answer so I don't spoil the story. XD Ok, shutting up now. Sorry for the long a/n!
Song: "DECODE" BY PARAMORE.
Why?: I don't really know why, but it feels fitting. xD Only this time it's really Katara everyone's trying to "decode." I love reverse psychology. :)
Chapter One: Winds of Change
"Fire Lord? Fire Lord Zuko!"
Zuko shook his head to snap out of his trance-like state as an ambassador from the Fire Nation islands called out to him from the long conference table they had been sitting on for hours, discussing the rebellions that had been growing lately.
But Zuko had heard about this kind of problem countless times since his coronation and a more disturbing problem was affecting him more often than late. As Katara's well-being shifted through his mind along with pointless babble of ego-centric politicians, and the amount of able men he had in his defense. So obviously, no one could blame him for constantly zoning out of the longer detailed political discussions.
But the Ambassador continued his scolding,
"This is a matter of extreme importance for your and all the Nations well-being, and you don't seem to be giving it the slightest thought Lord Zuko!"
Zuko suddenly rose so hard his chair fell over and all the ambassadors quieted.
"I have thought it over plenty and given my counsel to the court but they seem to disagree with my methods. So maybe it is them you should be barking after, and I don't really appreciate your tone either Ambassador Wei!"
The Ambassador lowered his head in submission, instantly remembering the years of violent Fire Lord abuse – even though Zuko was different – he was still Ozai's son and Wei thought it wise to not push anymore buttons.
A man who was clothed in a red robe that greatly contrasted with his clear blue eyes, confidently stood with a nod toward Zuko and said,
"May I give my opinion Lord Zuko?"
Zuko slightly smiled and nodded as he sat back down, after his servants had straightened the chair, to listen to Katara's father.
"I suggest we stop this squabbling within ourselves and take this matter to the public, the people! After all, there are countless who only want to restore their lives and have peace and these rebellions are interfering with the progress! Let the people know the depth of the situation and come together to settle it down."
Hakoda sat down proudly and there were murmurs among the men and women gathered, mostly of approval, until Ambassador Wei spoke again.
"And what would that cause? A civil war is what! With all due respect Chief Hakoda, you know nothing about Fire Nation politics, and you cannot assume just because your daughter is with the Fire Lord that..."
"That will be enough Ambassador Wei!"
Zuko stood again, slamming the feeble chair back to the ground. The servants looked at each other.
"That was completely uncalled for and you should well remember that Chief Hakoda is an ambassador as well and is not completely ignorant of our customs. Though I'm sure I can't say the same about you."
Wei bowed his head again and mumbled,
"Forgive me, my Lord. Ambassador Hakoda."
Hakoda simply nodded while setting his lips in a thin line. Zuko saw the people had quieted, but the damage was done. It wasn't a secret that not everyone agreed with his open relationship with a Water-bender. But as long as it wasn't mentioned people ignored or simply forgot, but once it was mentioned...it was on everyone's mind.
Zuko sighed aloud.
"This meeting is closed. You are all dismissed."
Hakoda was one of the first to leave the room and Zuko quickly followed.
"Hakoda." he stopped the man with a hand on his firm shoulder. "I'm sorry about how my country-man acted. He was really upset at me for ignoring him and took it out on you."
Hakoda patted the younger man's back and said in an easy-going way, "Don't worry, it's politics."
But something in his eyes told Zuko otherwise. Hakoda left without another word and Zuko wondered if Katara's father felt the same way as the politicians about their relationship.
But Zuko was learning to read people and knew, deep inside, Hakoda just wanted his children to be happy. He was just having obvious fatherly concerns. After all, who wanted their daughter to be in the middle of Fire Nation politics? Even Zuko didn't, but it came with the price of changing the system. People would resent something different until they learned to put ethnic issues aside.
The Avatar appeared in the middle of Zuko's musings and looked up with a friendly smile though his face obviously showed curious worry.
"Hey Zuko, how did the conference go?"
The Fire-bender sighed again and massaged his forehead while walking down the open corridors.
"Don't ask."
The Avatar's concern increased. "What's wrong?"
Zuko suddenly stopped, turned toward Aang, and glanced around to make sure no one was listening.
"I'm worried about Katara. She hasn't been the same since..."
He let the sentence wander, knowing Aang would get the point. The last Air-bender sadly nodded,
"I know. But...you know how death affects her. It'll take awhile before she..."
"It's been getting worse."
Zuko interrupted. Aang looked him in the eye and whispered dramatically,
"The dreams."
The Avatar knew the significance of dreams and how much they affected your body and mind. He didn't like to hear that the nightmares were getting worse.
"She talks to me about them, but I know she's holding back. She doesn't want me to worry. But Aang, I'm at my wit's end worrying! The other night she was covering her face and screaming when she was already awake. Then I couldn't get the reason out of her."
Aang widened his eyes in shock at this. Katara never had been one to hallucinate before and she always had her feet planted firmly on the ground. She was the responsible, nurturing one. Something was definitely wrong.
"I could go talk to her..."
But Zuko already shook his head, "You know better than me that she won't tell you anything. I was thinking...maybe, you could go try to find that fortune-teller and she could tell us what's going on."
"Madam Velvet?" Aang frowned, for some reason getting bad vibes from the woman, though he had never met her.
Maybe it was because her idea of the "sun," Zuko, was the one who had to save the "moon" which was Katara. Though Aang was now moving on from the Water-bender, he still couldn't quite get used to the fact that she and Zuko...that is, Zuko and Katara were...
Aang finally shook his head and replied, "I don't know. I never really got to talk to her. That was Sokka, Suki, and Toph. Besides how would we be able to find her after all this time?"
Zuko put a hand on Aang's shoulder and whispered, "If it could help her, in any way, would you do it?"
Aang didn't completely understand what his friend was asking...until he pointed to his arrow.
The Avatar sighed heavily.
"I'm not really supposed to use it like that...but...yes. If you really think it's going to help her."
The young Fire Lord took his hand off and solemnly nodded. "I do."
Aang nodded back and walked away. Zuko then took that moment to soften his features and bow his head slightly as he whispered to himself,
"I hope."
- - - - - - - -
"I don't see progress Cadet! I have to see progress!"
Toph bellowed from across the earth ring while picking her toes.
The ruffled brown-haired boy that looked to be about thirteen was struggling to keep his pose just right for his master's approval, but he couldn't handle the pressure of the massive boulder anymore and let it tumble down the ring. He turned toward his master with narrowed frustrated eyes.
"With all due respect Sifu Toph, you can't really see my progress anyway."
Toph stopped in mid-pick and immediately put her feet down as she stomped her way toward her pupil.
"Oh, so you decided to be a smart-ass today huh? Well let's see how smart you are after you give me fifty ground pulls and then dig fifty holes in the backyard."
The boy almost couldn't believe what he was hearing and tried to hide the smile from his face as he mumbled with a short bow, "Yes Sifu."
"Just a minute Cadet." Toph flicked her wrist and pulled the earth around a shovel and brought to her hand before handing it to him. "You'll need this."
Now the student became stunned. "A-a shovel Sifu?"
Toph gave him a blank expression, "Of course. You didn't think I was telling you to earth-bend the holes, did you?"
The boy slugged his shoulders and sighed, "No Sifu."
Toph smirked widely as her student's footsteps resided and a pair of new ones came in.
"Don't you ever get tired of messing with Akemi?"
"He's tougher than he seems, plus the boy needs discipline to someday become a master. Not that he'll ever be as good as me, though."
Sokka arched an eyebrow, "Humility isn't part of being a great master huh?"
Toph punched the Water Tribe-man's arm jokingly, "Nope. Now what brings you to the grand Bei Fong Earth & Metal-bending Academy?"
Sokka rubbed the old spot where Toph had landed many a punch before, and sheepishly backed a couple steps away, "I was wondering...maybe, if...Suki had sent anything..."
Toph took a deep breath and shook her head sympathetically, "Sokka, how many times have I told you this week? The same answer is no. You know she's busy fighting off rebels and stuff. She couldn't have time to do anything else."
"Right, yeah...your probably right." Sokka looked down at the dirt with a sad distance in his eyes.
He missed his girlfriend a lot and though he knew what a capable fighter Suki was, he still worried.
Sensing the dark mood, Toph tried to lighten the atmosphere up. "Hey, ya know what you need? Blubber jerky. And I know this place where we can find tons! Seriously, by the barrel! A blubber-head like you would love that."
Sokka tried to smile, for the Earth-bender's benefit though she couldn't see, but shook his head. "Thanks Toph but, I think I'll just hang back today. Got a big trip to make in a couple days anyway."
Toph frowned and slightly nodded, "Yeah. Ok, see ya then."
She felt his footsteps thud the ground heavier than when he came in and sighed while mumbling to herself, "What a crappy visit."
There was a distant creaking sound and Toph turned toward it, "Akemi?"
Only more creaking responded.
She furrowed her eyebrows and walked toward the sound without an ounce of fear. Whoever, or whatever, it was she knew she would be capable to beat it.
She reached a part where she knew a window was supposed to be and touched the frame to feel the boards had been unlocked, and were the cause of the strange creaking vibrations as they swayed in the breeze.
At that moment the breeze picked up and a strong wind gusted inside and blew Toph's growing black hair backwards. She closed the shutters with a quick shiver and stepped back. She made sure there were no other vibrations in the room.
"Weird."
The master Earth-bender shook her head and walked away.
- - - - - - - -
"Katara! Oh Katara, where are you?"
"I'm here Uncle!"
Katara waved from the bed of flowers she was in the center of and Iroh walked happily toward her. The Water Master smiled at the elder man's eagerness every time they met. He was one of the few who didn't judge she and Zuko's relationship, quite the contrary, he encouraged it every second he could. And immediately insisted that the girl call him 'Uncle' and treat him as one, as he treated her like a favorite niece.
Iroh did a little bow as he approached.
"May I say you look like a fire lily in bloom, young one. My nephew is certainly a lucky man."
Katara tried not to blush, "Thank you Uncle. What do you have there?"
She pointed to a wide basket Iroh was holding in his right hand. The elder hesitated slightly before answering in a lower tone,
"Herbal teas, young one. For...your nerves."
Katara's smile slowly curved downward as she tried to reign in her temper. After all, it wasn't poor Iroh's fault that her boyfriend was so overly protective...though he didn't know how right he was to be.
"That's very...thoughtful. Do you mind if we take it here?"
Uncle smiled happily again, "There is no better place to enjoy a cup of delicious tea then with nature."
She curtly nodded and chose a bare spot among the garden of flowers she had spent hours everyday planting. It was also one of Zuko's many creative ideas to...help "distract" her.
Katara took the cup of calming tea Iroh had handed her and stared at the greenish liquid that briefly reflected her expression. It showed a face...a face she knew was her own yet took her a few seconds to recognize. Who was she kidding? She wasn't fooling anyone. She couldn't even fool herself.
With an angry burst of emotion, Katara threw the contents of the tea to the ground. Iroh looked at the scene with a quiet yet observing expression. He waited for the Water-bender to meet his eyes. And when she did, with a slightly ashamed hesitation, tears pooled in her eyes making the blue in them so ever clearer.
"I'm so sorry Uncle."
He set his cup down and sadly smiled, "No need to apologize young one. You've done nothing wrong."
"But I've done everything wrong!"
Katara stood and flung her arms about, not knowing what to do with them.
"I've lied to everyone...to Zuko."
Iroh stayed seated and tilted his head up, "He has already forgiven for you that, and so I am sure the others have."
Katara couldn't bring herself to look down at such a caring and wise man. She turned her body away and whispered,
"That's not what I meant."
Realization flooded into the old General's eyes and he slowly stood. "Whatever it is, you know we would understand and be there for you. Especially my nephew. He would listen...you can talk to him, young one."
Tears escaped her eyes as she closed them and felt the breeze blow past her body as the images of Sky consumed all thoughts. It felt like he was everywhere. He would not leave her soul in peace, even in the afterlife. And she couldn't involve Zuko in this same aching pain. It would be too much. She couldn't hurt her loved ones...again.
"I...can't."
Iroh looked down and wished he could say something to the girl he had come to care about, as his own, to make her feel better. To make her feel safe. But it wasn't his obligation to do that. He had to let the young ones make their own mistakes and fight their own way into the world. As much as it hurt to watch, it was the right thing.
"Alright. It is your choice. But remember...you always have a choice Katara."
Katara turned and looked the man in the eye and slowly nodded.
He took the basket, did a short bow, and walked down the beaten road. Katara took a deep breath, knelt down and dug her fingers into the moist dirt. She couldn't clear her thoughts or feelings, or get Sky out of her head, but she'd be damned to make the best flower bed in town.
But of course life wouldn't be that easy.
A snap of a twig set her heart racing.
- - - - - - - -
The overwhelming breeze shook the moving carriage as it made its way down a winding road. The sun was shining brightly though, and there were barely any clouds in the late afternoon sky. So the reason for the strength and force of such a wind was a mystery.
The elders would say a strong wind on a clear day brought deep misfortune. The driver sincerely hoped that wasn't the case this time. As it was, he was driving a person he didn't even know the gender of! Terrifying consequences awaited the curious, so he accepted the bag of golden coins -- a heavy price to pay for a short ride -- in silence and did as he was told.
A sliver of light entered the utter darkness of the inside of the carriage and shone on the hand of a cloaked client. The owner of said hand wondered if the small crack on the window should be closed...but the sunlight felt so inviting...temptation showed weakness and the stranger couldn't afford to be weak. Especially at this moment. With a soft sigh the crack of light was closed.
The stranger was fisting something tight in it's left hand and slowly opened it to reveal a small picture of a little boy with a royal topknot on. The picture was faded and in black and gray from the charcoal used to draw it so many years ago, but the cloaked figure gazed into the eyes it knew to be such a powerfully deep golden...
The carriage shook with the blow of another ill breeze.
She looked up and prayed to the Spirits it wasn't too late.