A/N:
Once again, thank you for the reviews! Keep them comin', I love reading your thoughts!
Enjoy!
Zuko is frustrated.
Because no matter how much he breathes or flows or pushes, his fire kicks just aren't good enough.
Lu Ten, who's in charge of his lesson today, is smiling down at him with encouragement, stopping occasionally to correct Zuko's stance.
He tries his kick again.
His flame isn't powerful enough, his kick isn't wide enough.
It's not perfect enough.
Lu Ten catches onto his frustration (again), and kneels down in front of him.
"Do you know how old I was when I finally perfected that move?"
Zuko shakes his head and crosses his arms, not really in the mood to be comforted. He'd rather frown and sulk and read his Blue Spirit scrolls.
The Blue Spirit wasn't a firebender, but if he was Zuko would've bet that his kicks would have been flawless.
Lu Ten clears his throat and Zuko pulls his head up and looks at him.
"I was nine. Two years older than you are now."
Zuko shrugs, feeling a little bit (okay, a lot) better, but not willing to show it.
"You're so much further ahead with your bending than I was when I was seven. You should be proud."
Something moves in the shadows of the training area and Zuko looks up to see his father, Prince Ozai, watching him with a look of contempt.
Zuko can no longer remember why he should feel proud.
Katara just didn't understand the greatness of the Blue Spirit, which frustrates Zuko greatly.
Sokka does! Sokka completely understands why the Blue Spirit is so cool. But Katara has the audacity to argue with him.
Girls.
Zuko has dedicated the entire afternoon to hopefully convert her into a Blue Spirit fan. He has shown her all of his Blue Spirit scrolls, his wooden Blue Spirit action figures (they weren't dolls, despite what Azula said), his Blue Spirit blanket (which they were currently sitting own) and his Blue Spirit mask.
But she just didn't get it.
"He's a bad guy!" she says, frowning and sticking out her bottom lip.
"No he isn't!" Zuko counters. "He steals from the rich mean people and gives their stuff to poor farmers and noble citizens!"
She gives him a look of skepticism. "Stealing is bad."
"But it's for good!"
She shakes her head. "It's still bad." She sniffs haughtily. "The Painted Lady doesn't steal."
Zuko cannot believe his ears. The Painted Lady?
This just wasn't acceptable.
"The Painted Lady doesn't do anything."
Katara looks thoroughly scandalized. "Does too! She makes people feel better when they're hurt and she makes the bad people stay away from the good people!"
Zuko crosses his arms and turns away. "That's boring."
"Is not!"
"Is too!"
"Is not!"
"Is too!"
"IS NOT."
"IS TOO."
A shouting match ensues, and soon Mother and Kaya come out to investigate their raised voices.
They're both sent to separate Time Out Corners, which Zuko thinks is unfair. It isn't his fault that Katara can't see sense.
After Time Out is over they're forced to shake hands and apologize. They glower at each other and mumble their apologies, refusing to make eye contact.
Zuko spends the rest of the day with Sokka, and both boys loudly complain about girls and why they just don't get it.
Two weeks later Zuko is sitting in the garden by the pond. Sokka and Azula are playing tag, which Zuko has declined to join in on.
He has stuff to do. He's organizing his collection of Blue Spirit wooden action figures.
He hears a familiar giggle and looks up to see Katara make her way into the garden, dressed as the Painted Lady.
Zuko is flat out offended that she would wear it in his presence.
"Zuko!" the girl shouts, picking up her skirts and running over to him. "Look at what my mommy made me!"
Admittedly, it looks nice.
Zuko would never say this out loud. Instead he shrugs and goes, "My Blue Spirit costume looks better."
She scowls at him, and Zuko can see that she's already smudged some of the face paint her mother must have put on her; it's rubbed off onto the veil. "No it wouldn't."
Zuko returns her scowl before marching into the palace.
He returns ten minutes later, decked out in all black with two wooden swords and his Blue Spirit mask that's twice as big as his actual head.
Zuko knows he looks beyond awesome.
Katara rolls her eyes when she sees him, and Zuko notices that both Sokka and Azula are gone.
"Whoop-de-do," she says. "My costume is still better. The Painted Lady is still better."
"Nuh uh." Zuko springs into action. "The Blue Spirit can do cool moves like this." He begins to perform a demonstration for her, and Katara watched on with mild curiosity.
He's actually not bad with his sword fighting forms and movements, since he started formally training about six months ago. He hopes that by next year he'll be able to graduate to real steel.
Zuko jerks his arms a bit, trying to do a couple of spins, trying to be showy, when Katara moves too close and he accidentally whacks her in the side, knocking her to the ground.
He panics.
He yanks off his mask and drops his wooden swords, already wishing he hadn't bothered with putting on his costume.
She sits up, rubbing at her side where he'd struck her and wincing, tears pooling in her big blue eyes.
He panics some more.
"I'm sorry!" he blurts out, not at all sure what to do. He just knows that he's not supposed to ever ever hit girls. Especially Katara.
But he has.
He feels horrified.
She stands up slowly and he automatically moves forward in case she needs him.
Instead she grabs her headdress, pulls it off of her head and tosses it onto the ground. She's furious.
"You hit me with your stupid sword!" she shouts, tears trailing down her cheeks.
Now this just isn't fair.
She's yelling at him, which means he should yell back. But she's crying too, which means he should beg for forgiveness.
"I didn't mean to!" he says desperately, taking a step back in precaution.
"You did too!"
Something splatters against his face.
Water.
He blinks before wiping it away, confused. The pond is a couple of feet away…
"You did too, you did too, you did too!" she continues, and the water doesn't just splatter against his face again, the whole pond moves.
Katara has yet to notice it.
Without really thinking about it, Zuko steps forward and gives Katara a gentle push, not hard enough to really move her, but just enough to enrage her further in her already furious state.
The water surges against the edge of the pond, causing the turtle ducks to let out little quacks of apprehension.
"Katara," he says softly, "you're making the water move."
"YOU DID—huh?"
"You made the water move," he repeats.
She looks annoyed. "No I didn't!"
"Yes you did. Wave your hand or something and you'll see!"
She jerks her arm in a harsh arc and water splatters once again against Zuko's cheek.
Her eyes widen in disbelief.
She rushes to the water's edge, Zuko right behind her, and holds out her hand.
A tiny little stream twirls up out of the pond and meets the palm of her hand. She screams.
Zuko hauls her up and grabs her hand and they both run into the palace in order to find their mothers.
The Painted Lady and the Blue Spirit were temporarily forgotten.