Disclaimer: I don't own Avatar.
Okay, there was a tie in the polls, but I won't tell you with who, you'll have to go and look at them yourself, which you lazies probably won't do. Anyway, I couldn't figure out how to count those who had more than one choice fairly, you guys obviously have no idea how polls work (just kidding!), so if you picked more than one, I counted them both. But you'll have to read it to see who turns out with Sokka! Sorry it took so long, I didn't seem to be able to find time to write, and I'm going through a bumpy writer's block.
And I wanted to answer one of the questions that was very good with one of my own.
Question: I realize that certain races have certain features, but this one was supposed to poke a little fun at the show. If Katara should be noticed as Water Nation because of her dark skin and blue eyes, why wasn't Zuko noticed as Fire Nation with his pale skin and gold eyes? The Dy Li don't really notice that, do they? Or anybody else, for that matter. Anyway, I put in her first dance that she put on makeup to cover her dark skin and take the effect away from her eyes, so they could pass as gray. And, if I'm not mistaken, Ty Lee has gray eyes.
By the way, in case I did not make it clear enough last time with the all caps, I'll repeat it a few times. Some of you still questioned it, even with the all caps.
ZUKO DOES NOT KNOW WHO KATARA IS. ZUKO DOES NOT KNOW WHO KATARA IS!!!!!
Now I'd like to see you critics miss that one.
I twirled the water around my fingers, its cool, slippery surface balm to my aching, calloused fingers. My legs were bent slightly, the muscles tensed and ready to jump, and yet at the same time relaxed and flowing with the water. Feeling dazed, I didn't do anything with the water, just pulled it back and forth in a smooth, perfect water whip.
The dizziness wasn't what I expected, though. Instead of the burning headache that usually accompanies the cloudy head, I felt light and happy. Power flooded to the tips of my fingers, and yet still all I did was spin the water. It was almost slow motion, but I could feel the power, crouched and ready to spring at the signal. I felt less like the heroine, and more like a trap, ready to spring.
I didn't see him coming, but I heard him. I felt him, I smelled his charcoal essence, I tasted his toxic heat. I wasn't surprised, merely waiting. I knew he would come. I continued my water whip, perfecting the already perfect motion. I felt him approach me, not slowly, but not too quickly. He didn't want to set his trap off too soon. He approached...steadily.
I felt him against my back, and I could have leaned back into his warm embrace, but chose not to. Instead, I pushed and pulled my water whip back and forth in a maddeningly perfect rhythm. My feet slid back and forth over the ground, even my eyes blinked in the pattern.
He moved behind me, and I realized he was copying my stance, my motion. He swayed like he was waterbending, but instead, fire spouted in angry flames from his fingertips. I was afraid, afraid of the fire and what it could do to my body, but I didn't interrupt the pattern that was now synchronized.
We moved, ever so slowly, but we could both feel the power that radiated, circled between us both in a battle for balance. Power flowed, but it flowed evenly. I felt that if Aang and Toph were to join us, the meter would still be as perfect and powerful as ever, no more, no less. It was balanced.
Suddenly, fear and a wicked streak traced a teasing line down my spine, and I shivered apprehensively. It seemed as though we were dancing. The motions, the position of his body against mine...it was all a dance. But now I was frightened, and, like an animal, fear began to race through my nerves, my veins. The absolute terror was overwhelming, and I felt caught in my own trap of power, and the fear was as maddening as the perfection of the dance that would not cease. I had to continue the water whip, but the fear had to end or it would destroy me from the inside. With a blast of sickening reality, I knew what was required of me.
The dance was as uninteruppted as ever, and he didn't suspect a thing. I mourned quietly, glad that he couldn't see my face. I loved him so...and yet, he inspired such a colossal measure of terror in me that I knew I couldn't last like this. Something had to break the chain. But he was so unsuspecting...
A sharp turn, an easy flick of the wrist, and he was knocked away. I watched dreamily as he rose, his balance off and steam rising from his hands. The dance and the illusion was gone; here laid the truth. Suddenly, I realized my mistake.
"I'm sorry!" I screamed, but the water whip wouldn't stop. I watched, horrified, as my hands moved, were forced to move, perhaps by me. He couldn't block, wouldn't block. Tears streaked helplessly down my face, dirty with trickery and lies. I sobbed, but I couldn't stop. If he had died and I had felt all the guilt in the world, it wouldn't have been so bad. But...the satisfaction at causing such pain, the satisfaction of a child poking a bug, refused to let me think for a moment that I was wrong.
He staggered drunkenedly, one hand still outstretched to me. Even when he was dying, even when it was clear that it was my fault, he still reached for me, perhaps to comfort my undeserving soul. My body was racked with shuddering heaves as I struck his hand away with a single blow, and I knew that the time had come. One last stroke, and his throat was full of water. I wailed and cried, but I could do nothing. I could only watch as he drowned, one hand still reaching for me.
Katara woke up sweating, with tears running down her cheeks. She reached a trembling hand to touch her face, and was shocked at the absolute dampness of the fingers that came away. Shivering with the remnants of the fear that had plagued her mercilessly, she stayed, huddled, safe in the light of the moon.
Slipping her feet gingerly onto the floor, she shuddered at the cold marble. She detested the lavish room, with fiery red carpeting and thick, warm curtains that she had cradled in her arms upon arrival because she couldn't believe that velvet could be so soft.
It was still rather dark, but she could see the night lightening into day. She bid the moon a fond farewell and left the room.
Katara stumbled down the empty streets, wondering why she wasn't scared of being attacked or mugged. She just didn't seem to care anymore. The Fire Nation had drained her of heart and spirit. The natives seemed happy enough, but she longed for the icy chill of the south pole, the smiles and laughter that accompanied her every day.
Katara sighed as she looked into a window and saw a young family sitting down for an early breakfast. They laughed and held hands and hugged, though she wore a Fire Nation symbol in her hair and his clothes were really armor. Two young children were dressed in red. Katara allowed a small, depressing grin grace her features. Maybe it was just the palace life of lies and deciet that made her like this.
The restaurant was obviously a small, family buisness, but Katara didn't feel in the mood for expensive, lavish courses that sprawled across the palace tables. She longed for the comfort of a warm, friendly home.
Katara was surpsised to see the kitchen bustling with work. Firebenders actually were early risers. Katara yawned and rubbed her eyes. She, unlike them, reveled in all-nighters. Settling down at the table, she lifted a menu wearily, not noticing the attractive pictures of the appetizing dishes. A young boy stood by her table, blushing shyly. Katara smiled at him.
"Welcome to the Sunrise Breakfast Corner, may I take your order?" he asked softly, and Katara looked down at her menu. It was faded and small, but it seemed so nice and basic to her. She lifted a finger to her chin.
"I think I'll just have half an orange-grapefruit and some toast, please," she said, handing him the menu. He didn't answer, but bowed slightly and dashed away, and Katara caught sight of a reddish tint spreading to his ears.
Katara browsed through a small, tattered pamphlet boredly as she waited for her meal to finish.
Katara sighed and leaned back in her chair, her stomach full and her plates empty. Her pockets were reassuringly heavy, and she reveled in the thought of having a slice of cake when she got back to the palace, and relaxing in a hot bath. The weather was getting steadily colder, and though she didn't want to admit it, she was quickly adjusting to the Fire Nation climate. What would Gran-gran think if her own granddaughter came back pale, dark-haired, and shivering? Katara shuddered.
The boy stood in the doorway to the kitchen, shuffling his feet uncomfortably. His sister, Katara guessed, was behind him, whispering something fiercely. The boy was shaking his head and denying whatever she was saying, and was resolutely steadfast. The girl gave him a push, and he stumbled straight over to Katara.
"W-would you allow me to escort you back to your home? I n...I noticed that you didn't have an escort. This city can be quite dangerous," he added, the tint of red now speading across his cheeks. Katara paused and opened her mouth to reject his offer politely, but couldn't. His large brown eyes were so earnest that she couldn't say no. She smiled gently.
"Of course," she said, and he grinned. "After all, this city is rather dangerous. Especially for girls." He laughed loudly, then blushed again.
"I'll...I'll go get your bill...actually, I'll take care of it, meal's on me," he said, stumbling away backwards, one finger held up to her. He was grinning ridiculously, and tripped over a waiter coming out of kitchen, food and utensils flying everywhere. He apologized profusely, but the waiter was ignoring him and picking up his things in a disgruntled manner. Blushing, the boy dashed back into the kitchen.
Katara gathered her things and tucked them into her new gold purse. If there was any benefit to having to slave under an enemy nation, it was that she was never short on money. The time of scrabbling to get enough to eat was over. Katara smiled as she considered how far ahead of Zuko they were. She already had Sokka and Toph, his own sister was on their side, and they were in the process of finding Aang. Only a few more days, and she could get out of the wretched city. Suddenly, she was tapped on the shoulder. Turning, Katara saw the hazel eyes of Rin. Gasping softly, she remembered her status and regained composure.
"Rin, I didn't expect to see you here," she said calmly, wishing she had left earlier. Rin hadn't spoken to her since their last dance class, and Katara wasn't looking forward to another conversation with her. Rin just smiled coldly and tapped the seat across from Katara.
"May I?" she asked sweetly, and Katara nodded. Unhappy as the situation was, she couldn't refuse Rin a seat. It would be astonishingly rude. Rin perched on the light bamboo chair and folded her hands properly. Katara could detect a streak of mean in her eyes, and was ready for anything.
"I know what you are." Okay, maybe not everything. Katara hadn't expected her to be so blunt. She hesitated, trying to see a way out of this, but couldn't. She decided to humor Rin until she could figure a way out.
"Oh? And what am I?" asked Katara icily. Rin lifted an eyebrow.
"You know very well what I'm talking about," she said, and Katara frowned. Rin was trying to make her say it. She thought about her position for a moment. She could either back down and let Rin dangle the juicy information over her head, or she could attack the core of it and take control. One look at Rin's satisfied, gloating face was enough. Katara knew what to do. She saw the waiter boy coming back with his coat, and rose to take his arm. He looked positively ecstatic.
"Meet me tonight in the gardens at eight. We'll talk then," she said smoothly, turning to leave with her escort. Her brief glance at Rin's face, mixed with fading satisfaction and confusion, was enough to make her day.
The door swung shut behind them.
Katara realized that she had been walking with the boy, arm in arm, for over ten minutes and hadn't said a word. He seemed to be struggling to find something to say, and she smiled gently. The poor boy couldn't be over fourteen. Well, it wasn't all that younger to her fifteen, but it was still young compared to the men she was around at the palace...one man in particular. Katara blushed.
"So what's your name?" she asked in the friendliest tone she could muster after having spoken to Rin. He blinked a few times and grinned.
"My name is Shiro," he said happily, "It's nice to meet you."
"My name is Ara, it's nice to meet you too. Sorry about back there, she's just some girl I work with," apologized Katara, and Shiro nodded eagerly. Katara quickly realized that he would jump off of the palace if she had asked him nicely. His gaze was filled with admiration bordering awe, and he paid rapt attention to every word she said. She blinked a couple of times, and he looked away quickly, turning pink again.
"Sorry...you're just re-really pretty," he murmured shyly, and Katara laughed. She decided that she liked this boy. He sort of reminded her of Aang; shy and polite, but sweet and admiring. Katara felt a pang of sadness. She missed Aang so much.
"Thanks, you're not so bad yourself, Shiro," she said, adding a laugh to lighten the mood. He smiled, proud to have made her laugh.
"That other girl...what was so bad about her?" he asked innocently, and Katara sighed, putting a hand to her forehead.
"Nothing specific...it's just that she's a little mean...and rude...and greedy...and shallow...and snobby...and-"
"Okay, I get it, she's not so nice," interrupted Shiro with a chuckle. Katara shrugged. Shiro glanced briefly at her face again.
"Are you from around here?" he asked, squinting, and Katara swallowed hard.
"Aah, no, not really. I grew up on the outskirts of the city, mainly in the country," she said nonchalantly. He smiled.
"Yeah, me too. But not this city, a little father west. My dad ran a big farm-settlement thing, and we mainly just grew food for the armies. It really was a great idea, because since we grew food for the army, we were funded by the govornment, and the area was nice, so we usually made a lot of extra food to sell or eat," he said interestedly, and Katara nodded. She hated so much to lie to this kid, but what was she going to do?
"My family raised Komodo Rhinos for both the war and for breeding, but my dad always liked to be able to grow his own food, so we did a bit of planting." The lie slid out smooth as silk. Katara felt like kicking herself. What had she been reduced to?
Shiro looked around uncomfortaly. They were nearing the palace, but it was getting quickly darker. It couldn't have been past noon, but it was the rainy season, and the skies often blackened for a heavy downpour. Katara didn't like this part of town, and the allies were becoming unfriendlier by the second.
"Do you want to take a shortcut?" he asked warily, eyeing the deep tunnels that winded between buildings. Katara nodded hesitantly. They looked quite frightening, but she really wanted to get back to the safe, bright palace for a hot meal and a bath. He took her hand and led her into the ally.
The light rain that had begun to fall couldn't reach them through the buildings' wide roofs, but Katara could feel the dampness and the occasional drops that struck her hair. The stony ground was splotched with puddles, and her feet slipped a little as they traveled quickly through the area. Katara looked around and saw several women and children huddled to keep dry, and also a few shifty-eyed men who were sharpening deadly-looking knives.
"Shiro? Are you sure this is safe?" she asked quietly, glancing towards his face. He had turned an odd shade of gray, but his voice was strong.
"I've taken this route hundreds of times, we'll be fine," he said softly, his eyes darting in between her and the other men. The cold weather bit at her knuckles as she pulled her cloak closer to her, but she frowned when Shiro removed his jacket and held it out to her. She shook her head quickly.
"No, no, it's alright, I'll be fine," she managed to squeak between chattering teeth. But Shiro shrugged.
"I'm a firebender, I'm warm enough," he said, icy vapor trailing from his mouth with every word. Katara stared at him apprehensively and then took his jacket. As she pulled it around her shoulders, two large men brandishing sharp knives strolled out from behind a building. Katara heard Shiro groan gently.
"Who's your lady friend?" asked one of them slowly, cocking his head to the side and blowing some flames out of his mouth. Shiro swallowed hard, but didn't back up. Instead, he bravely pulled Katara behind him. Sadly, Katara noticed that he was only a little taller than she was, and nearly as slender. He wasn't much of a defense, especially against someone who was armed.
"Ara," he whispered out of the corner of his mouth as the other friend advanced. "I'm not really a firebender!"
Katara gritted her teeth and pulled away, tugging Shiro along with her. If he couldn't firebend, then they were toast. No pun intended. The men looked taut and ready to lunge, and Katara knew what she had to do to keep them alive. But she would be risking her neck to save this fire nation boy. Was he worth it? Katara scolded herself. Any life was worth it.
The man dashed forward, knives drawn and steam rising off of his back, and she yanked Shiro behind her. She drew her hands back in the proper stance, muscles flexing into the familiar positions. But before she could make a move, a great explosion of fire erupted right by her face. Screaming, she crouched and covered her head, and she could hear Shiro panicking. On the other hand, she could also hear the dangerous men yelling.
Trembling, she stayed on the ground, even after the men were gone. But when she heard footsteps on the soggy ground stop in front of her, she opened her eyes. A gloved hand was being held out to her. Taking it gently, she rose. Of course.
"So do you enjoy following me in my free time?" she asked shakily. She was a little ashamed herself for having reacted in such a violently frightened manner, but it was expected. The last thing she had seen coming was a wall of fire exploding next to her. Zuko smiled warmly at her and drew her towards him, gathering her up in a cozy hug. She sniffed against his shoulder. It was so cold out!
But he drew back as he noticed Shiro standing behind her, looking quite terrified. Katara could actually see the change in his eyes as he turned from her to him, and an iciness spread over the last embers of affection.
"Who's this?" he asked shortly, coolly. Katara winced a little, and Shiro looked like he was about to drop to his knees and start crying. He turned to face Katara, but the look on his face was far from admiration; it was fear.
"You...you're Ara the dancer?" he breathed, looking like he was going to slap himself. Instead, he chose to cast a final glance towards his Fire Lord and run for his life. Katara wondered why until Zuko turned around. The deadly look in his eyes screamed it. Mine.
Katara glared at him coldly.
"What was that for? He was just walking me home!" she snarled, and he for a minute he was taken aback. But he regained his composure quickly.
"What, no thank you for rescuing you? And I know how boys his age think, he was not just taking you home because of the goodness of his heart," he growled, and Katara's jaw dropped. What?
"He's only, like, fourteen! Is this the kind of emporer you are, scaring the wits out of your subjects? And I will not thank you, I didn't need your help! I never asked for it!" she snapped, and Zuko looked slightly hurt. But he covered it with anger.
"Well, next time I'll just stand and watch until you're screaming for my help!" he shouted, turning away, his shoulders set. Katara clenched her hands and ground her teeth in frustration, her muffled yell drawing the attention of all those who had not already been watching carefully.
"I'll never scream for you."
He stopped, and his shoulders stiffened as he turned his face to the right too see her, providing a good view of his profile. Katara melted against her will.
"We'll see."
So so so soooo sorry it took so long! I actually had over half of this chapter for forever, but I couldn't find a way to end it. Suddenly godforbid a reviewer threatened to take me off of their alert list and I decided that I had waited too long. I don't remember who the reviewer was, but thanks for the threat, it was nicely timed. That IS NOT an invite to you others to threaten me more, because it was pure coincidence that this particular one was timed conveniently.
AND PLEASE NOTE THIS!!!
I am currently writing a story of my own invention on it is one of the best I've ever started, and it's amazing if I do say so myself. So if you like my work and my style, come read it! I loooove reviews, so much! Especially for that story. So, if you ever get a fancy to stop by, it's titled 'The Divine' by me, GladiatorGoddess, in the supernatural catagory. And yes, I am advertising for myself, no shunning necessary.
Aand Katara is kind of a celebrity because everyone (except her) has noticed Zuko's liking towards her. Which kind of sucks for Shiro :)