Note to anonymous reviewer, Thunder: First off, make yourself a proper account so I don't have to use A/Ns to reply to you, lol. Second, there are many brilliant authors on fanfic who write Zutara, some which I haven't even found myself. You want a good Zutara story, check out my favourite stories list and the Zutara C2 Community I'm a staff member of "Violent Delights – The Ultimate Zutara Haven". It's got brilliant Zutara fics. But I highly recommend you check out the authors Vicki So, doctor Anthony, She-Poe, RedNovember, VioletCrystals and Musicbender… depends what you like. They're awesome writers with great Zutara fics. Of course there are many more than that, so as I said, check out my favourite stories list… btw, thanks for the review :)
Anyway, down to business guys, this chapter is named for the movie "Kiss, Kiss, Bang, Bang"… even though I've never actually seen it. Lol. I just like the title that much… anyway, thanks to those of you who reviewed last chapter. Glad you liked it. I hope you like this one too and please remember to review – remember four reviews or no update.
Now, read, review and most of all, enjoy!
8. Kiss, Kiss, Bang, Bang
They had been sitting under the apple tree for a while. Hours, it felt like. The sun was hidden behind clouds – it hadn't been sunny all day. Maybe the weather knew how everyone else was feeling at the palace and felt the same. But it felt like it must be near sunset.
Toph got up silently and started heading inside, mumbling something about being hungry and getting food. Zuko just nodded as she left and sighed when she was gone. As much as he liked being around Toph, and as much comfort as it was bringing him at the moment, he hadn't noticed until she had left just then that it felt ten times better being on his own. He hoped that she would take her time with what she was doing.
He lay on his back, staring up at the cloudy, grey sky and wondering what was beyond them. Zuko probably would have slipped into a daydream where none of the pain or problems from his life existed. But then he heard footsteps. They came towards him. Zuko didn't want to look away from the sky. He hoped that whoever was walking would walk right past him. He didn't want to be interrupted or denied this one moment of peace. But of course, he didn't get what he wanted.
Mai's head appeared just over his. He raised an eyebrow at her.
"What's up?" she asked smoothly.
He shrugged, still not sitting up. Her face disappeared from his line of sight and he felt her lie down next to him. Zuko had to resist the urge to tell her to go away. But he bit back his words – she wasn't meaning him any harm… right?
"Again, what's up?" she sighed, folding her arms behind her head.
"Not much… I guess I'm just thinking."
"Were you serious, back there with the whole vision thing?" she asked.
"You and Suki don't believe me, do you?" He sighed long and hard. "Never mind, I get it. I guess I wouldn't believe it either, if it hadn't been me it had happened to."
"Yea… but were you serious?"
"Yes, I was."
They were both silent for a long while.
"Is she gone yet?" Zuko whispered.
"Who?" Mai rolled over and propped her head in her hands as she leaned on her elbows.
"Katara…" he sighed. "Do you know if she's left yet?"
Zuko sounded so miserable. Mai wished she could tell him that everything was going to be alright and that Katara would come around eventually. But she wasn't sure of it herself and there was that little voice at the back of her mind telling her not to anyway. But that little voice wasn't telling her not to say anything because it wouldn't be true – it was telling her not to say anything because she didn't want it to end up alright between them. She wanted Zuko, and if he and Katara truly and completely broke up, then she would have a chance with him again, right?
No, I'm not that kind of person! She scolded herself, I don't steal my friend's guys, and Katara is… well, was and I still want her to be my friend. So no, I need to let go of Zuko.
She sighed loudly and Zuko turned his head slightly to look at her.
"So, what's up with you?"
She shrugged.
Suki snuck along the corridor after telling Sokka and Katara that she had left something in their bedroom. They were going to wait for her over at the units with their father and Gran-Gran.
Suki bit her bottom lip as she slunk back inside the palace. She knew that if Sokka and Katara found out what she was really up to and what she was really thinking, they would be angry at her. They wouldn't trust her. She'd have hurt them. So she had to make sure she didn't get spotted by the wrong people.
"Zuko?" she whispered, entering the kitchen. "Oh, hey Toph."
"Hey," Toph waved, sounding glum. "What are you up to?"
"Trying to see if there is anything more I can do to convince Sokka and Katara to stay a little longer… I don't know what happened between Zuko and Mai or if what they're telling us is true, but I can smell a rat."
Toph smiled lightly, "So, you're looking for Zuko?"
"Yes. Do you know where he –?"
"In the garden, by the turtle-duck pond," Toph cut across her, knowing what the question was.
Suki smiled, "Thanks, Toph!"
With that, Suki left the kitchen, and Toph continued crunching on the apple that she held in her hand.
Aang tried his best to stay conscious. He felt sick, lying on the cold, metal floor with his hands and feet tied up behind his back.
It was dank and dark – the only light came from a single glowing lamp, somewhere outside his prison. He was trapped. Metal walls surrounded him on all sides. There was no water, no fire, no earth and he didn't have the strength to bend what little air was being let into his container.
The Avatar knew he was in danger. He just hoped that his friends wouldn't end up landed in this danger with him.
Katara… don't try and find me… I don't want you to be in here with me too…
He shut his eyes as consciousness slipped from him again. It wasn't the first time since he had woken up here; he just hoped that if and when his friends found him, he would be able to fight.
Katara…
"What's keeping Suki?" Sokka complained as he sat with Katara, Gran-Gran and his father.
"I think I'll go and look for her. I need something to do," Katara stood up. "I'll be back soon."
"Ok, try not to run into that jerk," he warned.
"I'll try not to."
She walked back to the palace.
Suki didn't make a sound as she walked towards the turtle-duck pond. She was slightly lost in thought. Anyway, she didn't want to disturb the tranquil environment she had just entered.
Well, it was tranquil … until she heard their voices.
"I guess, I'm just slightly worried about you," Mai shrugged.
"Explain."
She shrugged again and Zuko folded his arms and lay his head on top of them, gently plucking at the grass he was lying on.
"Let me see your finger."
Zuko sighed and buried his face in the grass. Silently, he cursed himself for being so stupid as to run his finger along that blade until it bled. Nevertheless, he held up his finger and Mai examined it, a bored expression on her face.
The cut wasn't really all that deep. It had stopped bleeding ages ago. There was still a bit of dried blood stained around his finger, but it wasn't all that much. With a sigh, she laced her fingers with his and it took him a moment to realize what she was doing.
"What are you doing?!" was what Suki heard first. She stopped in her tracks and looked around. No one was speaking it to her. It sounded like Zuko. Who was with him?
She heard someone murmur an answer to him and immediately became suspicious. Now she could really smell a rat.
"Relax," Mai sighed, tightening her grip on his hand when he tried to pull away before she let go. "I was only being friendly." She was blushing. She hadn't meant for that simple gesture to come across like that! Mai didn't look at him – didn't meet his gaze.
Zuko lay back in the grass and looked back up at the sky, one hand absentmindedly laying itself on his chest. His heart was hurting. He wanted to cry. But he wouldn't do it with Mai right there. He wouldn't show her weakness just then. He had to prove to her that he didn't need to be cuddled, because he knew that was exactly what she'd do if he started to fall apart. Zuko didn't want to have any contact with her.
She sighed loudly, getting the message.
Suki crept a little bit closer, ducking behind bushes. She wanted to know who Zuko was sitting by the turtle-duck pond with and what they were up to.
She pushed some leaves out of the way to peer through to see where the two people were. Zuko was lying in the grass and next to him, her face alarmingly close to Zuko's…
"Mai…"
Katara entered the kitchen.
"Hey Suki, are you… oh." Her expression hardened. "Hey Toph."
"Hi, Sugar Queen," Toph replied, half coldly.
"Do you know where Suki is?" she asked stiffly.
"She went to the garden… I think."
"Why?" That was strange. Suki had told them that she had left something in the bedroom.
Toph felt her heart stop. Oh gosh, Suki, I hope you get outta there before Sugar Queen reaches you, because if she sees you talking to Firefly, she'll know you don't completely hate him and that you still believe there's more to what happened than we know.
Instead of telling Katara what was happening with Suki and her trying to find Zuko, she shrugged.
"No idea, Sugar Queen."
Katara sighed, "Can you help me find her? Just incase she's not there," she asked, grudgingly.
Toph nodded and silently followed Katara away. Something in the pit of her stomach told her something was about to go terribly wrong.
Suki, get out of there.
"Ok, I know you didn't mean it like that," he murmured, turning away from her. Why was her face so close to his? He didn't like it.
"Yea… right…"
Zuko chanced a glance back at her, and he was caught in her gaze. He couldn't look away again once his eyes met hers. He knew this was wrong, he wanted to stop this… but he knew that it was too late. He should have stopped this as soon as she had come outside and lay down next to him. He should have known she was trouble.
But as just said – it was too late.
She didn't know why she was doing this. Well, she did, but she didn't want to believe that was the reason. But then, what other reason would she be doing this for?
Zuko was too shocked by what she was doing to pull away from her.
Mai swooped towards him and shut her eyes. He was still lying on his back in the grass.
One hand on either side of his face, both of their eyes closed, a sweet breeze passing over them gently… and their lips met in something hot and fiery and very, very wrong.
As Mai lowered her head so that her lips touched Zuko's, Suki felt a furious energy erupting inside of her. Anger flared in her stomach and she wanted to scream. She wanted to kill someone… Mai, definitely. Zuko, maybe, depending on what lame excuse he would come up with. Alright, maybe definitely Zuko too. How could he?!
As soon as they stepped into the garden, Toph sensed it. She saw it, in her own way – that same way she sees everything else.
Zuko, lying in the grass where she had left him, beside the turtle-duck pond, and that damned bitch Mai leaning over him, with her lips pressed to his. Zuko's heart was telling her that he didn't want this and it wasn't his choice, Mai's told her that she knew she was doing the wrong thing, but she just couldn't help herself.
Oh gosh…
And Suki was standing in the bushes, just hidden from their view, absolutely fuming over what she was seeing.
"Um… Katara, I don't think we should be out here."
But Katara had already walked into the garden and began searching for Suki.
Toph silently swore at herself for forgetting about Katara, even for those two seconds, because now there was going to be nothing but trouble.
Suki couldn't stand this any more, and just when she considered stepping out of her hiding spot and screaming at both Zuko and Mai for being such… such… !#$#, she heard someone coming up behind her in the garden. Something told her that she should get out of there, and Suki started stepping back, forgetting her plans to have a go at Zuko and Mai.
But as Suki turned around, she was met with a slightly shocked set of blue eyes.
"Katara!" She had to stop herself from screaming.
"Suki, what are you doing out here?" Katara asked, raising her eyebrows.
"I was… you see… I –"
"Katara!" Toph whisper-yelled, appearing behind the water girl. "Hey, Suki."
"Hey Toph!" she smiled, wringing her wrists behind her back.
"What's going on here?" Katara asked. She knew something was up.
"Nothing, we were leaving," Suki quickly said, grabbing her wrists and attempting to lead her back towards the palace. She didn't want Katara to see what was going on beside the turtle-duck pond.
"Hold on a sec!" Katara said, raising her voice. Toph bit her lip, knowing that she was figuring this out. This wasn't good.
"No, c'mon Katara, we should get going!" Suki persisted.
"You're hiding something!" Katara accused.
Toph noticed Mai jump back from Zuko. They both sat up and looked towards where Suki and Katara's voices were coming from.
"I am not!" Suki yelled, raising her voice to match Katara's.
Toph edged towards Mai and Zuko, hoping to get Mai out of there before Katara found her there with Zuko.
"Let me go!" Katara pulled her wrist away from Suki's.
Toph felt Mai tense at the sound of Katara's voice and something like spite stirred in her heart. Malice even.
Toph watched in horror as Mai pushed Zuko back down.
"Get off me!" he yelled at her, but she didn't listen to him. She just kissed him again.
"Katara! Stop!" Suki called to her as she moved around the bushes to the turtle-duck pond.
"Katara!" Toph grabbed her wrist. "You need to leave!"
"What are you two hiding?!" she demanded, pushing past Toph.
Zuko tried to pull Mai off him, but he was beginning to panic. He knew Katara was just there. He knew that if she saw what Mai was doing…
"I don't believe this!"
"Katara!" Zuko pushed Mai off him and she sat up smirking. "Wait! Please, I can explain!"
"To hell with you!" Katara spat.
"Katara, wait!"
"Leave her alone!" Suki stepped in, pushed Zuko back when he tried to stand and come closer to Katara.
"Suki! No, wait! It isn't what it looks like, I swear!"
"Guys," Toph tried to get in.
"Is that your excuse every time?!" Suki and Katara yelled at him in union.
"Please, this wasn't supposed to happen, just –"
"Just give it up, Zuko!" Suki yelled at him. "C'mon Katara, we're leaving!"
"Suki, Katara, wait –"
"Move it, Toph!" Suki huffed, pushing past her.
"But –"
They were out of sight in a flash.
"Katara, wait!" Zuko ran after them.
"Why bother, Zuko?" Mai asked, grabbing his forearm.
"Stay away from me!" He wrenched his arm out of her grip. She tried to hold on but he pushed her violently to the ground and glared at her. "I thought you were trying to help me get her back!" he yelled. "What the hell is wrong with you?!"
"Isn't it obvious that she doesn't want you back?!" Mai yelled.
"Only because you won't give her a chance to see that I love her!"
"Zuko, just give it up!"
"NO! Leave me alone!" He pushed her away from him again. With that, he walked off after Katara, although he knew that he'd never be able to come within half a mile of her ever again.
Mai huffed on the ground for a moment and then…
"OUCH!" she cried out as something pushed her against the apple tree. It was an earth pillar, sent by Toph.
"What the hell is wrong with you?!" she yelled at Mai. "You were supposed to be helping him save their relationship, not pulling it apart!"
"Well, excuse me! But I got Zuko first! It's not my fault she came along and messed up his head and made him fall for her! We were perfectly happy together, but then she came along! She stole him from me!" Mai protested, finally letting all of her anger, misery and hate about her situation out.
"It gives you no excuse to take him back! Or to try anyway! You don't honestly think that you could have won him back by breaking his heart, do you?! Did you just expect him to come crawling back to you after you ruined his relationship with Katara?!"
"Well, maybe he would have!"
"In your dreams!"
"Piss off!"
"Fine! But I hope you're happy for yourself, because you'll never have him back!" Toph spat on the ground in front of Mai before she walked off after Zuko.
"Suki, there you are! Where have you –" Then Sokka caught sight of the two girl's angry expressions. "What the hell happened?!" he asked, knowing immediately it would have something to do with Zuko and Mai.
"We found Zuko and Mai pashing in the garden!" Suki fumed. "C'mon, Sokka, we're leaving!"
"Zuko, stop!" Toph called after him when she knew he would be able to hear him. He slowed down and skidded to a halt a few seconds later and waited for her to catch up.
"I didn't do it! Toph, surely you saw what was happening; you know I didn't kiss Mai!"
"Firefly, calm down!" She put her hands up to shush him. "I know you didn't. I saw what happened, and I already know everyone's side of the story – I know she kissed you and you were trying to get her off you. But Katara and Suki don't know that."
"But they need to understand. I'm not that kind of person!"
"I know! Just hear me out here. We will think of something… some way to get the message to them that it was Mai and not you, and then we need to figure out exactly what happened last night."
Zuko bit his lip and nodded. "But they're leaving now."
"I know, but you got Katara back once before after she'd left. You can do it again!"
Zuko was doubtful and Toph knew it. He slowly leaned up against the wall of the passage they were in and slid to the ground. Toph came and sat next to him and put an arm around him.
"Things will look up again eventually, you'll see."
The Fire Lord tried to smile, but it was too hard to do that just then and every nerve in his body beat him up for even thinking it. But having Toph still on his side brought him some sort of comfort, as if she could click her fingers and make everything better.
Well, there you go – the next chapter of Beneath the Earth up for you all now ^_^ I hope you liked it. Tell me what you thought in your wonderfully wonderful reviews =]
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