"So, which one do you think is best?"
Kamik lays out three different stones on top of Katara's desk, each the same standard size but different color variations. She picks up and looks over each one.
"I think they're all pretty." She smiles up at him.
He blinks down at her. "That's not remotely helpful."
Katara narrows her eyes and shrugs, irritated. "Well, I don't know, Kamik. I'm not familiar with your girlfriend's taste." She traces her fingers over all three stones. One is a rich, ocean blue, another is a sky blue with a pinkish tent, and the third is a pretty purple.
"She likes blue."
"Then carve into the first blue one and give it to her."
"But everyone has a blue necklace."
"Kamik, if she likes blue and you happen to have a pretty blue stone, then you carve into the pretty blue stone and give it to her."
Kamik huffs but picks up the blue stone anyway. "So much for trying to be unique."
Katara rolls her eyes at this. "It's what's carved on the stone that matters anyway. Dope."
"Yeah, yeah." He starts to pocket the other two stones.
"Wait," Katara shoots out her hand and grabs the purple stone before Kamik can take it. "I like this one…" She tilts her head up and gives him a pleading look.
"Oh, keep it."
Smiling, Katara places the purple stone on top of a few unfinished letters sitting at the corner of her desk.
The stone catches the candlelight quite nicely, she thinks.
Hama's nose looks funny.
Not that Katara's hasn't tried to fix it, she has. She's melted and re-frozen the ice dozens of times in order to make Hama's nose look perfect, but it's just not working.
Huffing, Katara lets out a sharp squeal of frustration and with a wave of her hand melts away Hama's nose again. In doing so, she accidently melts away some of Hama's flawlessly sculpted cheek as well.
Steam nearly comes out of Katara's ears. Ice sculpting is much harder then she would have thought it would be. She spent nearly a month sketching out just on paper how Hama's sculpture would look. A month. And the actual sculpting process has taken nearly three months.
She had told Zuko and the Avatar that it would take her about five months to finish everything, given the sheer mass of the sculpture and the fact that she was doing it all by herself. Which meant that, in one month's time, they would be here. In the North Pole. Looking at her sculpture.
She sighs. She still has a lot of work to do. Sticking out the tip of her tongue in concentration, she gathers water around the area that's supposed to be Hama's nose and freezes it onto ice. Then she starts to mold and shape the ice, cutting off any excess with waterbending.
She ignores the giggles coming from behind her, indicating that some of her students are watching. They think that watching their waterbending master be bested by a sculpture is just hilarious.
She picks up a slab of dried seal meat for Nukka on her way back to her home. Hama's nose still doesn't look right, but she still has tomorrow. And the day after that.
As soon as she steps through the door she feels it; something isn't right.
There's a whine and Katara glances over to the large pile of furs in the corner. Nukka struggles to her feet, but her legs shake beneath her with the effort. There's another whine of pain.
Katara drops the seal meat onto the floor and rushes over to her wolf. She strokes Nukka's neck and back in an attempt to soothe her. The wolf shudders and leans into her for support.
Katara can feel the knots underneath Nukka's fur that come with old age. She can see the streaks of pure white around Nukka's muzzle. The wolf's intelligent eyes have been growing cloudy for some time now.
And then those cloudy, intelligent eyes are on her, telling her something that Katara doesn't want to accept.
Tears fill Katara's eyes quickly and she gently pulls her companion into her chest and places her head atop of Nukka's. Memories flash.
Nukka following her around the Southern Water Tribe and warding off any of the older kids who might have tried to bully her.
Nukka staying still as she cried into her neck after her mother died.
Nukka never leaving her side when she was at the Fire Nation palace for all of those summers and being the self appointed barrier between her and Zuko whenever they slept in the same bed.
Nukka only letting her touch her pups.
Nukka viciously growling at Jet the one time he had decided to yell at her.
Nukka quietly waiting outside of Zuko's door whenever she'd spend more mature nights with him. And then, after she would sneak back into her bedroom hours before dawn, Nukka would sit next to her and lick her cheek as she sobbed in self resentment.
Nukka happily scaring off all of the Northern Water Tribe men.
Nukka lying in the corner atop of her furs, listening to her rant out loud about everything.
Nukka lying under her desk and on top of her feet in order to keep them warm as she spent hours writing letters.
Just Nukka.
Katara's chokes out a sob and helps Nukka lay back down on top of her furs.
"Whenever you're ready, I'll be here."
Katara knows its time when she starts to hear the scratching against her door.
She's up and out of her bed in an instant. Nukka is at the door looking steady on her feet. Katara opens it and follows her outside.
It's not snowy and the air is still. The city is still lit up with lights, but Nukka turns away from it all and begins to hobble in the direction of the outskirts of the city. Katara walks quietly behind her, ready to dart forward and catch the wolf if she starts to tip over or collapse.
And then, as they crest a small hill that looks out over the mountains of the tundra, Nukka slowly eases herself down into the snow. Katara sits beside her and stokes her head.
"I'm sorry we're not home."
The wolf lifts her head up and surveys Katara. Then, with great effort, she shuffles over to her human and rests her head on Katara's leg. She heaves a great sigh and closes her eyes, content.
Katara's tears fall into Nukka's black fur. "Thank you. Thank you for everything."
The wolf shifts slightly, eyes still closed, and Katara could swear that for a moment she was smiling.
She's gone by morning.
The majority of the citizens of the Northern Water Tribe don't keep animal companions. Having an animal is more of a royal thing. Therefore Katara is basically alone in her misery.
She buries the wolf. It seemed unfair to put her out to sea. Nukka had always preferred having snow under her paws. Katara cuts off a little bit of black fur from the wolf's tail and ties a ribbon around it for a keepsake. She finds a nice spot that has a lovely view of the land and, using her waterbending, uplifts the ice and snow to form a grave.
As she walks back through the streets towards her home, some of the tribal members give her funny looks. People don't bury their animals here. Actually, people here don't really bury anything.
Once she's inside (it's so cold now), she sits down at her make shift desk and writes a little note to Zuko. She'll send it off immediately.
He's the only one who will really understand, she thinks.
The sculpture is finished, and just in the nick of time too. The Avatar has just now entered into the city.
Hama's nose still looks funny, Katara thinks, but there isn't much she can do about it. She's probably just being a perfectionist anyway. In fact if Katara was truly being honest with herself she'd have to admit that the sculpture as a whole looks pretty amazing. The likeness the sculpture has to Hama is uncanny. The sculpture Hama is in waterbending stance with a fierce expression on her face. Katara even made sure to include intricate detail, like the beads Hama always wore in her hair and worn looking quality of her parka.
Katara likes to think that if Hama were alive to see it then she would have been proud.
There's a tug on Katara's pant leg. She looks down to see one of her youngest students peering up at her with excitement.
"Master Katara! The Avatar is in the main square!"
Nervous butterflies flutter in her belly. "Okay."
The first thing Katara notices about Zuko is that his hair has gotten obnoxiously long. As in, it's nearly touching his shoulders. Unacceptable. She'll have to do something about that later.
The second thing is that he's suspiciously hiding something inside his parka.
He walks up to her and she can see the hesitance on his face. "Hey."
She nods in return and bites her lip. The wind makes some of his hair flutter away from his face so that she can see his eyes clearly. They're watching her.
"How are you holding up?" he asks softly.
It's been a couple of weeks since she's lost Nukka, and the pain still throbs in her chest. "I've been better," she answers honestly. She looks away from his face for a moment and eyes the suspicious lump in his parka. It moves.
"Um, Zuko—"
Then he's shoving a white fluffy bundle into her arms.
"I—I know it's too soon. I know that. But I wasn't sure when I'd be able to see you again and Sang is still the best gift I've ever been given. And I just wanted to return the favor. Give you a friend when I can't be here for you and all."
The white bundle turns its head and peers up at Katara with calm yellow eyes. Its fur is remarkably soft underneath her hands.
She looks back up at Zuko and blinks. "It's a cat."
Zuko nods. He crosses his arms for a moment before uncrossing them and putting them on his hips, clearly nervous. "Actually it's a tiger lily cub. They, well, they absorb warmth and fire so I figured he'd do well—it's a he, by the way—in this climate. And he'll be roughly twice the size of your average wolf."
Katara looks back down at her tiger lily. He yawns and snuggles into her chest.
"They're actually sort of rare," Zuko continues, and Katara catches the nervous tremor in his voice. "Um, the Capitol Zoo might be missing one, also."
She jerks her head back up. "You stole a baby tiger lily from the zoo?"
"Yes," he says, voice barely audible. "But he was already weaned from his mother! And when I snuck into his cage he came to me. It was like he wanted to go on an adventure!" He sighs and looks down at the snow. "And I couldn't stop thinking about you giving me Sang, and how I'm going to feel when he goes and I just—"
Katara cuts him off by closing the distance between them and slipping one arm around his neck, pulling him into a hug. Zuko's hands settle at a respectable place on her waist and she can feel the heat from them seeping into her skin. The tiger lily (she'd have to think of a name) squirms and lets out a happy noise, appreciating the new warmth.
"I see that Katara has been given her gift!"
Katara and Zuko break apart, albeit reluctantly.
The Avatar stands near them, beaming. "A remarkable gift for a remarkable young woman."
Katara's smile fades into a thoughtful frown. "You knew Zuko snuck into a zoo and stole an animal? A rare animal at that?"
The Avatar continues to beam. "Of course I did! I distracted the guards!"
Katara almost names her new tiger lily 'Cuddles'. It would have been a very accurate name.
Instead she names him Tomkin.
"What's that mean?" Zuko asks, watching as Katara lowers Tomkin onto a few furs by the fireplace in her home. Tomkin arches his back before turning in a few circles and lying down. He flicks his large, bushy tail out before wrapping it around his body. Katara can hear him purring.
"Awww," she coos, feeling as if she could melt into the floor.
"So you like him, then?" It takes Katara a moment to realize that Zuko has started to watch her and she feels herself blushing under his gaze. She straightens up and nods.
"He's adorable," she answers, grinning. She looks back down at the feline. "And Tomkin…I think its meaning has something to do with the Spirits. I can't quite remember what it means, exactly. I just remember hearing it occasionally when I was little and liking it a lot." She shrugs one shoulder and resists the urge to reach out and start stroking Tomkin. He just looks so cute.
She sees Zuko nodding out of her peripheral vision and turns back to face him. "You really didn't have to steal him from a zoo, though. Especially since he's so rare."
Zuko looks her right in the eye. "It was worth it. Besides, I still owed you for Sang."
Katara furrows her brows. "Where is Sang, anyway?"
Zuko freezes and then his eyes go wide. He quickly looks around Katara's one room house, thinking that Sang might be hidden in a corner. Then he looks back at Katara, panic clearly written on his face. "He must have snuck off while I was giving you Tomkin. I—I guess I got distracted." He turns and is out the door, Katara on his heels.
After ten minutes of searching Zuko spots him up on a hill. Katara's breath catches when she realizes exactly which hill it is.
"Sang!" Zuko calls, dashing up the snow covered hill to kneel where his wolf is lying down. Sang lifts his head and acknowledges his master. After a moment of hesitation Zuko attempts to move him, but the wolf doesn't budge.
When Katara reaches them Zuko gives her a fearful look. "Do you think he's sick?"
Katara shakes her head. "No."
Zuko frowns and runs his fingers through the fur on Sang's neck.
"Nukka is buried here," Katara says quietly.
Zuko stills before slowly raising his head to look at her. She can see that he understands.
"I guess we all need time to mourn. Even wolves."
The next day, the day before the unveiling of Hama's sculpture, Katara finds herself wondering if her relationship with Zuko will always be different from one visit to the next.
Because it feels different this time, not at all like last time, for which she is grateful. She decides to chalk it up to their letters. Perhaps deciding to be friends was good for them after all.
But there are still some things that don't feel quite right. Like how at lunch when their knees brush Zuko makes a point to scoot a couple of inches away from her. Or when they're walking through the streets she notices how he never offers her his arm. When the wind catches her hair, causing it to fly about her face, he doesn't reach up and tuck some of the locks away.
Katara comes to realize that perhaps this is the price of friendship.
"I'm going to bed. I miss Tomkin."
"You just checked on him half an hour ago."
"So? He's still little. I want to be there for him."
"And cuddle him."
"That too. Goodnight, Zuko."
"Goodnight, Katara."
"By the way, tomorrow I'm giving you a haircut."
"What? Why?"
"Because it's ridiculous. You haven't kept it long for years."
"Well, maybe I'm thinking of growing it out again. I don't know…I kind of like it."
"Zuko."
"It's been keeping my neck warm."
"Zuko."
"Fine."
"Trust me, you'll appreciate it. You'll look handsome."
"Oh."
"I mean, y-you're always handsome! It's just—"
"It's okay."
"No, you do always look good to me Zuko. I… You know what? Forget the haircut. Goodnight!"
"Katara, the haircut is fine—"
"'Night!"
Shouts and an orange glow that peeks through her window awaken her. She flings her furs off of her, grabs her boots and her parka and rushes out of her house.
She sees quite a few of her students, all in their night clothes and panicking, running towards the training center. Katara's heart sinks.
She sprints after the crowd, already having a hunch as to what's going on. And then she sees it.
A group of men have taken lit torches and have held it up to Hama's sculpture. Water runs down Hama's melting face and body and drips into the snow.
Katara's lips part, but she can't find the voice to speak. She's too stunned.
The group of men (there are only a few) shout horrible things, nasty things, and Katara starts to rapidly blink away the tears forming in her eyes.
One of the worst things is that some of her students are seeing this.
The flames from their torches flicker up to the night sky and, feeling nauseated, Katara begins to turn around, unable to watch anymore.
Then a blur flies past her and someone brushes against her shoulder. Just like that the flames snuff out.
A moment later the fire in Zuko's palm reveals his face. Katara can see a few of the men start to back away, anxious that the Avatar's apprentice and a Prince has caught them committing a crime.
"I suggest," the men freeze at the low, incensed quality in Zuko's voice, "that you stay where you are." The fury on his face sends a shiver down Katara's spine.
One of the youngest of the men rolls his eyes and drawls, "Or what?"
Zuko doesn't even say anything. He just tilts his head to the side so that his flame illuminates his scar, insinuating the shadows and making it look more gruesome then it actually is. A few of the men visibly gulp.
A moment later more torches come into view and Katara can see the Avatar walking toward them, followed by Chief Arnook and Master Pakku.
The Avatar looks very grave—a stark contrast to the happy old man that she had seen merely hours before. The small crowd parts to let the leaders through and suddenly Katara doesn't even want to be here anymore.
It's not just about the sculpture. It's about the fact that she's been here for years now and even though progress has been made, it still feels as if all her hard work has blown away with the wind.
She stares listlessly at the ground, barely hearing the Avatar reprimanding the men, or seeing her students and their families walking up to her and giving support.
Then a warm hand gently grips her elbow and starts to guide her away from the commotion. It leads her to her house, opens her door, and pulls back her furs so that she can climb back into her bed.
"Thank you, Zuko," she whispers.
"Do you want me to stay?" He sits on the corner of her bed and looks at her, clearly worried.
"I'll be okay," she says to the ceiling. He stares at her for another moment, unconvinced, before nodding and standing up.
Katara, in her shocked state, doesn't notice Zuko hovering by her desk a little longer then is necessary before telling her he'd see her in the morning and walking out the door.
Before she falls asleep she feels something jump on top of her bed. Then Tomkin appears in her line of vision before settling himself in the crook of her arm, his massive paws that he's yet to grow into spreading across her shoulder. She can feel the vibrations of his purring rumbling against her ribs.
She falls asleep quickly.
Day One (Post Hama Melting):
Katara wakes up and slowly dresses, taking her time.
She's going to be a responsible adult this morning, she is. She fixes her hair so that she looks somewhat put together, straightens her shoulders and steps out the front door.
Snow and wind immediately hit her face so she turns on her heel and step back inside.
She had enough food to get her through the evening, so maybe she could stay inside the rest of the day. It sounded like a solid enough plan.
She discovers that if she takes some string and traces it along the floor that Tomkin leaps up from his place by the fire and scurries after it, intend on catching the string between his paws.
She doesn't notice that certain papers are missing from her desk.
Day Two (Post Hama Melting):
Katara takes Tomkin outside and lets him stalk around and play in the snow.
She notices with a frown that none of her students have stopped by to see her. For a moment this strikes her as odd, but in her muddled state she shrugs this off quickly.
She also notices that Zuko hasn't really come by either. This leaves a lasting, throbbing impression.
The Avatar, however, does come to see her when the sun starts to set. This is somewhat annoying, since Katara had been preparing to leave her house to go get dinner and attempt to check up on everyone.
"Don't worry, Katara. I have brought you dinner!" The Avatar lifts a lid off the small tray that had been tucked under his arm. Its sea prunes and ocean kumquats with a side of smoked seaweed.
Her mouth waters and Katara dives in, listening intently to the Avatar talk about how cuisine varies from country to country and how it's all different but delicious in its own way.
When the Avatar finishes his meal he sets a Fire Nation sealed letter down on her desk. At Katara's questioning look he grins. "It is a letter from Princess Ursa. Zuko had forgotten to give it to you, so has asked me to do it in his place."
Katara frowns. "Where is Zuko, anyway?"
The Avatar gives a melodramatic gasp and places his hand to his forehead. "Master Katara! I have been rendered with a sudden headache! I should probably retire for the evening."
It isn't until after the Avatar bids her goodnight and takes his leave that Katara realizes that he had managed to turn food into a lesson.
Day Three (Post Hama Melting):
"What do you mean I have to stay in here for the rest of the day?"
"I just… Katara, it's…you'll just have to trust me, okay?"
"But I had things I wanted to do today, Zuko! I need to look at the sculpture and fully assess the damage, I need to check up on my students since none of them have come by and I'm starting to worry, and I was going to see you since you've been noticeably absent for the past forty eight hours."
"I'm sorry."
"I'm feeling suspicious, Zuko! Really suspicious!"
"Trust me—"
"What are those sticking out of your pocket?"
"Hmm? Oh. Nothing. I'll just—I have to be somewhere—OW!"
"What are my Hama sketches doing in your pocket?"
"Um."
"Wait, are you…?"
"Bye!"
Day Four (Post Hama Melting):
Zuko comes and gets her mid-afternoon and Katara is so curious and anxious that she doesn't even make passive-aggressive jokes on his behalf.
She knows immediately that he's leading her towards the training center and her heart starts to pound. She starts walking a few steps ahead of him, suddenly excited.
There's a large crowd, a really large crowd, all surrounding the newly sculpted ice sculpture of Hama.
Katara gapes up at it in awe. She's vaguely aware of a few of her advanced students standing off to the side, looking utterly exhausted but pleased.
Her chest feels so full that for a moment she thinks that she might implode.
"Hama's nose looks perfect."
"—your father always told me in his letters that you were a strong and talented young lady, and I must say that you have continued to prove that his words are nothing but the truth. I know that our tribes don't exactly see eye to eye on much, but we are both water and I think that it's…"
Katara had become disinterested in Chief Arnook's conversation some five minutes ago. But, because she herself is a Chief's daughter, she knows how important it is to listen to what the Chief has to say. And right now Chief Arnook is saying some very nice things to her.
She nods occasionally and sips her drink politely, every once in a while glancing over to where Zuko is standing off by himself some twenty feet away. So far he has mostly kept to himself—how very Zuko—but she notices him talking to people from time to time. All and all, he's making it somewhat difficult to give her full attention to Chief Arnook.
Arnook starts talking about all the progress she's helped make here in the North Pole and Katara reminds herself to smile. Then out of the corner of her eye she sees Princess Yue shyly make her way up to Zuko.
Katara decides to think nothing of it.
Now Arnook is talking about how wonderful it is that she has managed to bring the Avatar out to the North Pole when a visit from him wasn't technically due.
Katara spots Yue placing a hand on Zuko's arm and slide towards him (a little closer than necessary if you ask Katara).
Katara narrows her eyes and completely stops paying attention to Chief Arnook.
Zuko is subtly looking between Yue's arm and her face, clearly uncomfortable. Then Yue giggles and puts her hand over her mouth, blushing.
Now Zuko just looks confused. He nods his head at whatever she's saying and starts to glance around the room for an escape route. When his eyes meet Katara's they widen. He jerks his head in Yue's direction and then casts Katara a pointed look.
Katara smiles. Challenge accepted.
"Chief Arnook," she turns back and gives the Chief a somewhat disappointed smile. "I'm afraid I promised my friend I'd help him out with something."
Arnook looks surprised before nodding in understanding. "Sure thing, Master Katara."
And then she's off in Zuko's direction. She tries very hard not to glare at Yue as she walks up to them.
"Zuko!" she says with a little too much enthusiasm.
"Katara!" he says back.
Yue purses her lips and gives Katara a pointed look, which she instantly ignores.
"Um…Zuko."
He turns slightly so that he's facing her. "Hmm?"
"I'm supposed to give you a haircut, remember?"
His encouraging smile fades so quickly it's almost comical. His eyes narrow in irritation. "Right," he says tightly.
Katara grabs his hand and starts to pull him away. "Yep! Bye Yue!"
The princess just shakes her head and frowns.
"I'd really appreciate it if you didn't accidently stab me with those scissors, or cut off all of my hair. Like your brother did."
Katara rolls her eyes from where she's bent over at Zuko's head. They're in her house and she's pulled up a chair for him to sit in. "I'm not going to stab you. And Sokka didn't cut off all of your hair. Besides, you had asked him too. And it looked kind of good." Her fingers brush over the warm skin of his neck and she feels him shudder.
"I think this style looks kind of good," he mutters.
She smiles and starts to run her fingers through his hair, trying to figure out the amount of inches she wants to cut off. She leans in toward his ear, assessing. "I'm afraid I'll have to disagree."
She notices his chest rising up quickly, as if she's made his breath catch.
"Fair enough." His voice is low.
As she starts to snip away with the scissors she notices that Zuko has become unusually quiet. When she says his name he jumps, as if he had been deep in thought.
"What're you thinking about?" she prompts, not liking the silence. It's too heavy, for some reason.
He sighs. "I was just…deciding."
"Deciding what?"
The corner of his mouth quirks in an almost smile. "You'll see."
For some reason this causes Katara's heart rate to quicken. She straightens up and bites her lip. "All done."
Zuko slowly stands, turns around, and faces her. Then with an uncharacteristically mischievous smile he whips his head back and forth, shaking his hair out as if he were a dog. It's sort of charming, Katara thinks.
She giggles and he smiles. She can clearly see his eyes, now.
He straightens and crosses his arms over his chest. He's so attractive, she thinks, and she hates the fact that she can't dart forward and kiss him like she really wants too.
Instead she flops down onto her bed and lets out what's supposed to be a tired sigh. Tomkin starts and looks up at her from where he's resting atop her pillow. He's probably shed all over it.
"Today was insane, but in a good way." She can feel his eyes on her but she doesn't look away from the ceiling. She's not really sure what to do. The last time they had been hanging out alone in her bedroom she had been too drunk to properly remember it.
She thinks that he'll probably go, since it's sort of late and she'd be willing to bet that he's tired. But to her utter shock he moves onto the bed and lies down beside her.
She sucks in a breath, feeling like her heart may beat out of her chest.
"Your students worked so hard to bring that sculpture back to life. It was pretty amazing." His voice is casual, but Katara can catch the nervous tremor in it.
She suddenly has the exhilarating and terrifying notion that whatever this is, that it's probably going to go somewhere.
She forces herself not to start shaking.
"I know you had a part in it too. You did take my Hama sketches, after all." She gulps when she feels his fingers gently nudging hers.
"I was only providing artistic direction." He's turned his head to face her; she can feel his warm breath across her cheek and neck.
"But…but…still." She can barely concentrate. What were they talking about again? She can't remember so she changes the subject. "I can't believe Princess Yue hit on you."
He lets out a low chuckle. "Neither can I."
Their fingers intertwine. Her eyes widen a bit and she swallows.
"Katara to the rescue," he continues. "It wouldn't have been the first awkward situation I've had with a girl in the North Pole, but still."
She catches the good-natured barb and her face splits into a grin. Then she bursts out laughing. She finally turns her head towards him and he's close, much closer then she had thought. The sides of their bodies are basically touching.
The laughter doesn't ease at this realization though. She curls towards him a little, resting her cheek against his shoulder and watching his chest go up and down as he laughs along with her.
And then he moves, so quickly he's almost a blur, and is posed over her, gaze intense.
She manages not to gasp, but a million different things cross her mind. Things they could do.
"Zuko?" she says, voice breathless. He hasn't really moved yet. Her heaving chest brushes up against his, and by the way his eyes flick downward and back to her face she knows he can feel it too.
"Would it be okay, Katara…would it be okay if I decided to be selfish?" His lips part and he starts to tilt his head towards her.
Katara panics. Mostly because she's confused. Not because she doesn't want to (she does), but because he'll be gone again in only a few days.
After what she did to him a few years ago, she reasons that she'd deserve the pain. But Zuko doesn't, and he never will.
She scoots out from under him before the situation can go any further.
She rolls out of the bed and takes a few steps back, all the while taking deep breaths to ease her racing heart.
Zuko is staring at her with a blank expression, but she can see his hand fisting into her furs. For a brief moment she hopes he doesn't set her bed on fire.
"Katara…"
"I-I'm sorry," she stutters, her thoughts scrambled. "I just, you leave in a few days and I don't…you don't deserve that."
He legitimately side-eyes her. "I was planning on staying, Katara."
Her shoulders slump. "Zuko, you can't stay here in the North Pole. You'd be miserable."
His eyes meet hers in a challenge. "Who says?"
She lets out a noise of frustration. "I say! I wouldn't even be here if I wasn't performing a duty for my tribe. And you don't deserve to be forced into living here just because—"
He rolls off of her bed and starts pulling on his boots. "Whatever. See you in a year, then."
Katara gapes, thrown off. "What?"
Zuko walks over to the door but stops before opening it. "I said that I'd see you in a year. Because it's obvious that for the time being we're going to keep up this bullshit charade wherein we pretend that we're just friends. Thing is, I've come to realize that you've been the most important person to me for the majority of my life, and that's probably not going to change anytime soon. Probably not ever, actually, if I'm being honest with myself. And I know you feel the same way. I know you do. But until you stop being Katara and stop obsessing over dumb things that don't matter and realize that you still feel the same way then I'm going to have to wait, I guess. I figured that if I'm going to be selfish then I'll have to patient as well. So, yeah. See you in a year, like I said. And I really hope you've come to grips with everything by then."
Then he leaves.
He leaves.
Katara's mouth falls open and she dashes to the door and yanks it open, fully intent on screaming at him for being such a presumptuous asshole—
But he's already managed to disappear.
She doesn't see him off.
Party because she's not sure what she'll do when she seems him (kiss him or kill him, one).
But mostly because she's still pissed that he said that she obsesses over things that don't matter.
Pfft.
"And and, whodoes he think he is to toy with someone's emotions like that?"
Meow.
"It's not like I'm here in the North Pole on bloody vacation! I'm here because I have to be! I mean, he can't even eat half the food we serve. He…he wouldn't be happy. And he should be happy, Tomkin!"
Mew.
"You think he meant what he said, though? About me being the most important thing?"
Purr.
"He is right about him being the most important thing to me. But I'm fully aware of that, thank you very much. That's, well, that's why I haven't done a lot of things, actually."
Purr purr.
"Besides…he…he's the Avatar's apprentice. He's destined to be a leader, and trust me Tomkin, he'll be a great leader for the Fire Nation one day. Once he pulls his head out of the snow, that is."
Meow purr.
"How can I in good conscience ask him to stay when he'd have to give up on all of that?"
Mew.
"You think that maybe I should have explained that part to him?"
Purr mew.
"You're right. He would have just rolled his eyes."
Katara jumps from her position on the floor when someone starts to rapidly bang on her door. She pulls it openly sharply. "What is it?"
Kamik practically falls on top of her. "Chief Arnook…!" he gasps, out of breath. "Has received… information…from the South Pole…regarding your brother…Sokka."
Fear grips Katara's throat. "What is it? Is he alright?"
Kamik nods vigorously, clutching at his chest. "Yes! But he has…stepped down from…his position…as future Chief of the Southern Water Tribe!"
"What?"
"He said that…there was someone…that he had to throw dirt at." Kamik nearly collapses onto the floor.
Katara sighs and shakes her head. "Azula will kill him."
Everything is packed.
Katara is leaving in the morning for the Southern Water Tribe. Now that Sokka has refused his birthright as Chief, the title passes to her.
She's not sure how she feels about this; it hasn't really fully set in yet. She does know that her latest conflict with Zuko has been rendered pointless, however. This only makes her feel bitter.
She does a once over around her tiny home in order to make sure that she hasn't left anything important behind. On top of her desk she spots a letter, tucked away in the corner. She frowns. It's the letter from Ursa.
She opens it, reads it, finishes it, and then starts to cry.
Katara barely sleeps at all that night, but the few times she manages to nod off she dreams of a mother telling her son that a girl is not a wrong thing to love.
The sun has barely peaked over the horizon when Katara bangs on Kamik's door with more force then necessary.
After a few minutes he finally opens it. "What do you want? You're not supposed to leave for another couple of hours."
She thrusts out her hand and reveals the purple stone sitting in her palm. "I want you to show me how to carve into this."
A/N:
Gee, I wonder what cheesy romantic gesture Katara is going to attempt to make with a Northern Water Tribe carved stone… *ponders*
This chapter was a rollercoaster. I think we can all attest to that. Hope everyone enjoyed regardless!
(Also, awesome awkward lurkers should totally come out and review. 'Cause that'd be awesome. Just sayin'.)
:D