Katara sat in a cold, dark room, glaring at the boy guarding the door. Azula had captured her and now she was stuck in cell, being guarded by Zuko, of all people. To top it off, Katara was pretty sure he was drunk. She wasn't sure where he got the alcohol or why he was drinking it, but he did and he was.
"You can stop staring at me anytime, you know," Zuko said, glaring back at her. Apparently, he wasn't too happy with the situation either.
"I wouldn't even be here if it weren't for you and your stupid need to capture Aang!" Katara yelled, turning her back to him and facing the wall.
There was silence and, for a moment, Katara thought Zuko had decided to leave her alone. But, as luck would have it, the prince had a response for her comment.
"You wanna know why I chase your stupid Avatar?" he asked bitterly. Without waiting for a response, he continued, "Three years ago, my uncle let me follow him into my father's war room."
Katara forced herself not to groan. This was going to be some long, boring story, wasn't it? Though, she had to admit, she was curious. People don't just randomly decide to search for a person thought to be dead. Not a sane person, at least.
Zuko, unaware of Katara's thoughts, continued his story. "One of the generals wanted to sacrifice an entire battalion as a distraction. I disagreed, and spoke out about it, showing great disrespect in the process."
Zuko spoke out against the war? That was a surprise. Katara had always assumed he just blindly followed his father, like the rest of the firenation. Intrigued, Katara slowly turned to face him.
"I was told I'd have to fight in an agni-kai, and I accepted the challenge, thinking I'd be fighting the general I spoke out against. But, when I got to the arena, my father was there instead." Zuko paused a moment, unsure if he should continue. "I… I refused to fight him and begged for mercy. Instead, I got a scar and a fools quest."
Zuko's voice had remained steady, but Katara could see tears welling up in his good eye. One rolled down his cheek, and he hurriedly wiped it away, swearing under his breath.
Katara watched sympathetically, slowing moving toward him. She reached over and gently pulled the firebender into a hug, whispering soothingly to him.
"You did the right thing," She assured him, surprised by how easily he accepted her embrace.
Zuko nodded, hesitantly returning the hug. After a few moments, he quietly said, "The only person who ever supported me was Iroh. He was always giving me advice and trying to teach me things. Now he might be dead, and all because I was so desperate to regain my honour."
"Don't worry," Katara said, slowly pulling out of the embrace. "You have me to support you now. As long as you don't try to hurt Aang anymore, that is."
"Okay, I'll help you guys from now on," Zuko promised. Then, furrowing his brow in confusion, he asked, "Why am I telling you all this, anyway?"
"Think you had a little too much to drink," Katara explained, gesturing toward the bottle of alcohol that had rolled to the other side of the room. "I think it's probably a good thing you're drunk, though."
Zuko nodded, staring at the empty bottle. "Hey, we should probably get outta here. "
Katara agreed, and helped the prince stagger to his feet. As she helped him stumble out of the cell, the drunken teen said, "Did I ever tell you're really pretty?"
Katara merely blushed and decided she liked Zuko much better when he was drunk.
Author's Notes: Err, 'kay, so, I have no idea how a drunk person normally acts, so sorry if Zuko seems incredibly out of character. Also, this is actually one of the first drabble I wrote. I'd originally thought it was too horrible to post, but after looking at it a few months later, I realized it wasn't that bad.
I was thrilled to see all the reviews I got yesterday, and would love it if people gave me feedback more often. So, tell me what you think.
Disclaimer: I do not own Avatar or any of its characters.
