I'll Follow You Home – A Zutara Story.
Meeoko
Summary : Sequel to 'Eventualities Are Inevitable'. After being captured by a group of Fire Nation radicals and uncovering a secret plot to destroy the Avatar Cycle, Zuko and Katara must work together to find a way to stop the Sila Vatra before Sozin's Comet arrives.
Spoilers : Puppet Master, Day Of Black Sun part 1 and 2, Western Air Temple, Fire Bending Masters and Boiling Rock part 1 and 2.
Author's Note : Congratulations to everyone who guessed why Zuko was acting so strangely. For those of you who didn't guess, I'll tell you anyway. Zuko was acting strangely because...he was stoned. XD
He was, after all, waiting tables in a small space that was constantly filled with Opium smoke. There were a few clues. Like the itchy eyes, him getting the munchies and then refusing to tell Katara and Toph because he had promised not to tell Master Piando's secret.
And many of you have also been wondering what happened to Nori's Black Ice betrothal necklace. Well, you will soon find out. It plays a more important role in the story than you think.
Finally, all of you wondering who Toph has a crush on – now you get to find out. This chapter is for those people.
Zuko was immediately alert. He quietly slid the Black Ice Blade back into its sheath, in case the gleam on its surface caught any unwanted attention.
He followed Toph's pointed finger down to the person clad in black at the base of the Sila Vatra's building.
About time...
Although he was tired, hungry and stiff, Zuko was simply glad to be back in the right frame of mind again. His head pounded and his eyes constantly itched, but it was definitely an improvement. When they returned to the Three Embers Inn, Zuko would have to talk to Fumio and try to get a position somewhere else. There was no way he was going to be able to function properly if he was incapacitated all the time.
Piando could have put us anywhere! Why did he have to choose the Eastern District?
Although he had promised to keep Master Piando's shameful secret to himself, Zuko most definitely did not want to get addicted to Opium, whilst working in the smokey dining area. The slow and distorted workings of both his body and mind had worried Zuko immensely. If he was going to be able to protect Katara and Toph, he would have to find a different job somewhere else within the Three Embers Inn.
They all looked down from their vantage point on the volcano wall, trying to glimpse any clues as to the intentions of the man below. At first, Zuko had wondered if it was just another pedestrian, but the black clothing had been an instant give-away. It was the trademark of the Sila Vatra, though it was only known to the royal family and victims.
The black-clad man walked up to a door at the side of the building, directly below where Zuko, Katara and Toph sat. They had a good view, but Zuko found it difficult to keep a direct track of the mans movements. His eyes kept itching and were red and puffy. He would rub at them every few minutes, hoping to momentarily clear them. He knew that Katara was also having trouble seeing in the dark, after her display of Eyeball Bending.
Great. Two partially blind people and one who actually is blind! How is this ever going to work?
The man rapped on the great iron door loudly, ringing throughout the city. It was a wonder that nobody seemed to notice. Perhaps they already knew. Perhaps they were just scared.
A small panel in the top of the door slid open, in front of the man standing before it. Zuko suspected there were a pair of beady eyes looking out of it. Zuko was relieved when s small source of light flooded from behind the panel and he found it easier to see the figure in the darkness, his puffy eyes guided by the small glimpse of light.
"Toph." he whispered, as carefully as he could, without taking his eyes away from the man. "Any idea what they're saying?"
He could feel the movement behind him as Toph placed her palm face down against the stone ledge. She waited for a few seconds before replying, though it seemed much longer to Zuko.
"I don't know." she whispered back "Either they aren't talking or I just can't hear them."
Zuko kept a close eye on both men, straining his eyes in the darkness, intent on picking up anything that he could. It seemed as though the man below wasn't saying anything to the other standing beyond the door and behind the panel, but the other way around.
Unexpectedly, the man began to remove one of his hand-wraps. There was something underneath it. The man held the back of his palm up towards the light filtering through the panel in the door.
Squinting his eyes and leaning as far off the ledge of rock as he could, Zuko tried to get a better look at exactly what was happening. It was then that he saw it.
The tattoo. The mark of the Sila Vatra.
And indeed, tattooed on the back of the mans hand, was the same mark he had seen on Chan. The eye with trailing flames above the lids was illuminated only briefly before the man lowered his hand away from the only source of light and it once again disappeared into the darkness. The panel in front of him was closed and the door opened. Zuko tried to see exactly who was on the other end of the door, but it opened at an angle where he could see nothing. The man stepped inside and the door was instantly closed behind him, the light snuffed out along with it.
Each of them remained silent and stock still for almost a full thirty minutes, watching and waiting. But nothing happened. Nothing moved and they couldn't pick up on any more activity. Several dim lights were lit behind the blacked out windows of the large building, but mostly, the Sila Vatra remained silent.
Zuko suspected that it was likely they wouldn't see any more activity that night, no matter how much longer they waited. What he wanted to know was why they had only seen one member of the Sila Vatra enter through the main door. Surely there were other members inside? And if there were, how had they gotten there without once being seen?
"I guess that's it." Katara said into the darkness. Her voice conveyed exactly what they were all feeling – disappointment.
Zuko sighed, lying on his back, flat on the stone ledge.
I guess that's it.
"Why haven't we seen anybody else yet?" Zuko asked, feeling extremely agitated. "There must be more than two people in there! The Sila Vatra are supposed to be just over two hundred in number. Why haven't we seen anybody else?"
His headache throbbed behind his itching eyes, not helping to improve Zuko's mood. He had an overwhelming urge to launch a rock at the building, in the chance that something would happen.
"There's more than two people in there, Sparky." Toph replied dryly. Zuko seemed to have temporarily forgotten that Toph could feel the entire structure and the people inside it. He felt a little guilty for forgetting her.
Ugh! How could I forget that? Stupid, stupid, stupid!
"How many?" Katara asked. "And why haven't we seen them yet?"
Toph grunted and rolled her eyes. She seemed to have realised that both Zuko and Katara had temporarily forgotten about her and exactly why she was with them on this mission. Zuko felt a guilty pang in his stomach. He had been too busy in his own thoughts and consumed by his bad mood.
"It's just like Grumpy Pants said." Toph replied to Katara and pointing at Zuko.
Grumpy Pants? Great. Knowing Toph, that name's going to stick...
"There are at least a hundred and twenty people in there." Toph continued. Her face looked grim. "There's lots of metal and something else. I can't really tell what it is, but it seems pretty interesting to whoever's in there." She looked at Katara "And as for your question, which is a pretty obvious one by the way -"
Katara frowned.
"- there's loads of tunnels underneath the ground, all leading into the building. They spread out all the way through the city! My guess is that most of the members don't want to be seen going in or coming out."
Toph's eyes seemed to sadden a little as she turned to Zuko. His heart momentarily stopped. He knew what Toph was going to say even before she uttered the words.
"Zuko, there's...there's a tunnel leading up to the palace."
No...not that. Anything but that!
He rubbed at the back of his neck and placed a heavy hand over his eyes. His headache was beginning to form into a full-blown migraine and he was utterly exhausted. He calculated that it was at least five hours until dawn, judging by his inner flame.
"Do you think it's...Azula?" Katara asked. Her eyes kept to the floor and her voice was barely above a whisper.
"I don't know." Zuko replied from behind his hand "But I pray to the spirits that it isn't."
Zuko could hear screaming. It was filled with fitful rage and despair all at the same time.
But wherever he looked, he couldn't find the source of the screaming.
All he knew was darkness and the terrifying screaming. It got louder and louder. It sounded as if somebody was being tortured.
He looked all around him, but saw nothing. He was alone. In a dark and empty void.
His head began to ring.
There was a metallic smell hanging in the air and he sank down to his haunches, the piercing shriek causing his to clasp his hands over his ears.
"Hello?" he called desperately into the darkness. "Is somebody hurt? Where are you?"
But the still wailing continued. It rang in his ears and all around him. Everything seemed to be consumed by the chilling screams and the overpowering smell of metal.
Taking his hands away from his ears, Zuko saw that his hands were covered in blood. His blood.
The shrieking continued.
"Somebody help me!"
He screamed the last two words in horror, as if he could feel the rising panic in the call of the screams. He knew somebody was dying, but he couldn't find them. He couldn't help them.
Suddenly, the shrieking stopped, cut off by the sound of scraping.
Zuko got back up to his feet. He looked back down at his bloodied hands in the new, eerie silence.
"Is this my blood?" he asked himself, without any emotion "Or is it theirs?"
Blood rained from above. It splattered gently against Zuko's body, almost like real rain. He expected it to be warm. But it was cold. Ice cold. They stung at his skin as they rained down like bullets. He held his palms out, catching it and letting it slip between his fingers. He ignored the cold and the stinging pain as each pelting drop hit him.
"Just red water. Just red water. Just red water."
But he did not believe in his own words. The same words he had said to Katara all those weeks ago.
The droplets of blood fizzled out as they hit the dark floor beneath him and burst into smaller particles, floating up into the air. The Blood Mist had returned.
With blank and horrified eyes, Zuko watched a figure begin to form through the Blood Mist. It walked towards him.
"Can you help me?" he asked the figure "Please. I don't know what to do."
But when the small silhouette emerged from the mist, Zuko saw Aang begin to take shape. Zuko stared down at the Avatar.
The young boys face showed no emotion. His eyes were a brilliant blue, matching the glowing arrow on his forehead.
They both stared at each other for a moment. Until he felt something warm dripping down his side.
Zuko looked down.
The hilt of the Black Ice Blade was lodged into his ribs. Aang said nothing, his small hand holding tightly onto the hilt.
"Am I dying?" Zuko whispered to the Avatar. His voice echoed in the darkness.
The young boy nodded.
"It's your fault, Zuko." he said "It's all your fault."
But it was not Aang's voice that spoke. It was somebody else's. Someone he recognised.
"Father?" he asked.
Looking down into the puddle of blood slowly pooling at his ankles, Zuko could see his face reflected back at him. Aang again spoke in Ozai's voice.
"It's all your fault, Zuko. It's all your fault."
Suddenly, Zuko's reflection was not his own. What he saw was Ozai staring back at him, an ugly scar covering half of his face.
Zuko sank into nothingness, screaming.
Zuko sat bolt-upright and screamed.
His vision faltered for a moment by his sudden awakening. The scream echoed in the air before the image of Ozai's scarred face vanished from his sight. His heart pounded, seemingly pumping solid ice through his veins.
Zuko breathed in heavily and for a moment and found he couldn't hear. It was as if he hadn't even heard himself scream.
He was in his room. He was still in the Three Embers Inn, on the floor, where he had slept. Suddenly, he began to hear the faint voice beside him. It got louder and louder until he could finally understand that someone was speaking to him.
"Zuko! What's wrong? Are you okay?"
The worried faces of Katara and Toph looked down at him from the bed they were sharing, one at each end. They both looked wide awake and absolutely petrified of him.
Breathing heavily, Zuko looked down at his hands. There was no blood.
He was drenched in cold sweat and he rubbed at his forehead and the back of his neck, feeling as if he were dirty and couldn't get clean again. He tried to hide his shaking limbs from their sight.
"I'm...I'm fine." he replied. His voice wavered and he didn't look at either of them.
"You're lying." Toph whispered in the darkness. Her head seemed to hang low on her shoulders, as if she were carrying the heaviest of burdens.
"It was just...just a dream." Zuko lay back down onto his makeshift bed. The sheets were soaked through with sweat. He could feel his inner fire raging inside him.
He knew that both Katara and Toph were looking at him, but he didn't look back. He kept his eyes on the ceiling. He could still hear the same screaming reverberating in his head, over and over again.
Katara's body was rigid. Toph hugged at herself, feeling the chills from his screams.
"You were talking in your sleep, Zuko." Katara whispered into the darkness. "And you kept shaking. But that scream...it was just..." she trailed off.
"What were you dreaming about that was so awful?" Toph asked. She seemed a little shaken.
Something that I never want to dream about again. He thought to himself, still trying to return his breathing to normal.
"It was just a nightmare." Zuko's voice was flat and emotionless. "I'm sorry I woke you. Just go back to sleep."
He could feel their gazes baring down onto the left side of his face. His scarred side.
Zuko ignored them and continued to stare at the ceiling. He threw the sheets from himself, desperate to cool down. Even as a Fire Bender, Zuko knew that he was far hotter than he should have been.
Secretly, Zuko was absolutely terrified.
He would never openly admit a weakness, even to his friends. But that dream had been like no other he had ever had before. It chilled him to the very bone as he still heard the echoes of the screaming. He wanted to clean himself. The dream had been so real, he could still feel the cooling drops of blood falling between his fingers.
Even when I was sick in Ba Sing Se. Even that dream about the two dragons. Nothing was as awful as this...
"You really scared us, Sparky."
Toph's voice was almost a whimper. Zuko felt his heartstrings tighten.
He had never seen his young friend so utterly unbalanced before. She was always confident. Always had an answer or a witty remark. Now she seemed to have been reduced to what she really was – a twelve year old girl in a strange and hostile environment. Zuko instantly felt guilty, though he still didn't look at either of them.
"I'm sorry. I'll make it up to you in the morning."
Knowing that he wouldn't be able to go back to sleep, Zuko got up from his makeshift bed of sheets and walked towards the door. As he closed the door behind him, he tried to ignore the bright blue eyes and dimmer grey ones staring sadly after him.
Silently closing the door to the Three Embers Inn, Zuko stepped out into the dirty streets, not caring that he was shirtless and barefoot. It was early yet. Dawn would be arriving with the next hour.
Breathing in as much clean air as he could, Zuko tried to cool his sweltering body and slow down his heart rate.
"I'm not my father. I'm not my father." he chanted to himself, wiping at his sweating neck.
Zuko recalled what he had once told Katara when they had been travelling together through the woods to escape the Sila Vatra. It had been the same day they they had learnt of the Sila Vatra's plan to destroy the Avatar Cycle.
She had asked him what he dreamt about. He had told her that he just dreamt about normal things or sometimes, he didn't dream at all.
But it had been a lie.
It wasn't a complete lie. Often, Zuko didn't dream about anything. He would just wake the next morning, with a strange feeling that he had missed something.
But most of the time, Zuko was utterly terrified of going to sleep.
He had suffered from nightmares since the day his father had burnt him.
Sometimes, they didn't make any sense at all and just left him feeling wary and a little edgy. But the majority of Zuko's nightmares affected him on a much deeper level. He recalled one that he had had directly after they escaped the Sila Vatra's prison. He had slipped into a three-day long slumber after he had nearly died. Before he had woken up, Zuko had been suffering from another terrible dream that made him scream himself awake.
He had been burning the people of Ba Sing Se – and he had been enjoying it.
A shiver passed through Zuko's spine, despite how hot it was.
"I'm not my father. I won't let myself fall that far."
"Zuko..."
Katara's small voice called him from the doorway. He didn't turn to look at her, but just kept staring up at the sky, hoping to be renewed with the coming of the dawn.
He heard the door close behind him and felt her presence behind his back. Toph was probably also keeping a close eye (or foot) on him from their room.
"Zuko. Are you okay?"
He took a deep breath, never once taking his gaze away from the rays of sunshine slowly filtering out the darkness.
"I will be." he said back, sadly.
One day.
Zuko could feel Katara's cooling presence slowly approach him. He felt her cool fingers touch his shoulder lightly before she pulled them back sharply.
"Ow!" Katara hissed between her teeth.
Zuko immediately turned around. Katara was clutching at her small fingers as if he had stung her with his skin. He smelled steam in the air, but thought nothing of it. He looked down at her worriedly.
"Katara, what's wrong?"
She sucked on her fingers quickly, nursing them in her other hand. They looked red.
"Zuko, you – you burnt me. Your skin is as hot as boiling water!"
His shoulders slumped. He swore loudly and rubbed at his eyelids.
"I'm so sorry, Katara. I didn't mean to hurt you! Are you alright? It was just-"
But Katara cut him short, by holding up her good hand. Looking around to make certain that nobody was around, Katara flicked her wrist, calling up a small orb of water from the dew collecting on the windows of the Three Embers. She placed it over her scalded fingers and let out a breath. The water glowed for a moment and then dropped back onto the stone floor, uselessly.
She held up her burnt fingers for Zuko to see. Only now the skin was no longer red or scalded. They looked perfectly fine.
"It's okay Zuko. I know it's not your fault." she comforted, as she looked up at him.
He didn't look back at her.
Katara sighed and stood beside him, looking up at the sky.
"You said some awful things, Zuko." she whispered. "It really scared us both."
Although he had wanted to be alone, Zuko couldn't help but let his defences down for Katara – if only a little.
He immediately felt the guilty pang in his stomach return and he swallowed a lump in his throat. No matter how he tried, he just couldn't seem to cool down his inner flame. It raged inside of him like a caged beast and threatened to burst out at any minute.
Am I losing control?
"I'm sorry." he replied simply. His scar throbbed underneath the heat and sweat fell from his eyes.
"Stop saying that, Zuko. We know it isn't your fault." she was looking at him. "It's just...even when Aang was having nightmares before the invasion...they were nothing like that."
"It happens sometimes." he mumbled, his gaze still fixed on the sky. "Just try to get some sleep. We start work again in an hour."
Katara's small frame seemed to shake beside him. She sighed heavily.
"Zuko. Will you look at me?"
Though he didn't want to, Zuko physically forced himself to tear his eyes away from the dawn sky and look at Katara. She looked so worried and dark circles ringed her eyes. They were barely getting much sleep anyway, without him screaming in the middle of the night.
With a pang in his chest, Zuko realised that he couldn't look down at those same brilliant, entrancing blue eyes anymore. Although the dirty yellow colour was beginning to fade from Katara's eyes, he still found himself longing for the familiarity of her beautiful cerulean gaze.
"You aren't your father." she said to him. Her voice was confident and sure, as if she believed she knew what was right and what was wrong. "You will never be your father and you won't bleed the world away."
Closing his eyes and letting out a breath, Zuko tried not to let her see his doubt.
"I said that while I was sleeping, didn't I?" he said, looking back down at the floor.
Katara sniffed and began playing with her hair nervously. She didn't look at him when she replied, as she usually did.
"You said lots of things, Zuko. Things that made us want to cry and to hate you all at the same time. Everything you said...it was terrifying." her voice was a whisper and her eyes seemed to well up. "It was like someone was killing you in your own dreams...and you didn't stop it. You didn't want to stop it."
Please don't cry. I hate it when you cry...
"It's complicated, Katara." Zuko murmured "Until this world see's Ozai gone. Until I see him gone – then I'm not going to be able to stop it."
And then all that's left is to bleed the world away.
Zuko wasn't sure if his new job at the Three Embers Inn was a blessing or curse.
After arguing with Fumio for a full twenty minutes, the grouchy landlord had agreed to let Zuko work somewhere where he wouldn't end up intoxicated within the first thirty minutes.
He had been allowed to work in the boiler room instead. Zuko wasn't really sure why they needed a heating system in the middle of the Fire Nation summer, but he didn't complain. His new duties included only one task – keep the furnace burning.
Not a particularly difficult job for a Fire Bender. All he had to do was shovel coal into the furnace and occasionally help the fire along with his bending.
The only problem with his new 'job' was that he worked alone and there was nobody else around to talk to. Usually, this wouldn't have bothered him, but after Zuko's particularly disturbing nightmare, he found himself unable to distract his attention from wandering to more unwanted matters.
Katara and Toph had not gone back to sleep that morning, as he had suggested. They had instead busied themselves with morning rituals. As there was no means to supply hot water at the Three Embers Inn (despite the gigantic furnace), Zuko had tried to make it up to them by heating up their bath water.
They had both remained wary of him the entire morning, not really speaking to him unless directly spoken to. Even Katara had been distant with him. After their discussion, directly after he had woken them up with his screaming, Katara seemed to have seized up with horror and had immediately retreated back into the inn.
Stupid, stupid, stupid!
As he threw pile after pile of coal onto the furnace, Zuko cursed himself. He cursed his luck, his family, his upbringing and whatever spirit caused him to have such plaguing nightmares.
He had scared his friends into thinking that he was a monster – and he hadn't even done it intentionally! He had driven away the only people that cared about him because he was unable to be happy. Worse still, he had scared Katara.
She probably thinks that I'm just like Azula! She was the only person who ever seemed to care about me for who I am and now she won't even look at me! I didn't even know that I talk in my sleep! How was I supposed to know what I was saying? I didn't mean it!
But inwardly, Zuko knew that this was not entirely true. Sometimes, he did want to bleed the world away. And he was still finding it difficult to control himself and his temper, even after everything that Katara had said to him in the woods when they were on the run from the Sila Vatra. This may not have seemed like much of a problem to someone who didn't know him, but to Zuko, it seemed like much more.
Every day, Zuko could see more of Ozai in himself. Mannerisms, fighting style, facial features, speech and sometimes even personality.
And it scared him to death.
The furnace began to burn fiercely as Zuko's temper began to flare. The embers flew out at him with every shovel of coal he added.
I will never be him. I won't let it get that far...
As he worked, Zuko tried to analyse his dream. He had heard that sometimes they held hidden messages or sometimes passed as an omen. He hoped to Agni that he had not seen what was to come.
He thought hard about everything. The screaming, the blood, Aang and his fathers face. But the more he thought, the more the images seemed to blur together as one. He couldn't make sense of it!
They had received a message from Sokka that morning. Hawky had appeared just before they had to begin their work, with Fumio grumbling that there was bird mess on the window. Not that anybody would have noticed. The place was just as disgusting without it.
The message had been simple.
No sign of the others whereabouts yet. We are still looking.
Master Piando has begun research on the palace.
Wheels (they had guessed that that was Teo) has something in the works, but we're still looking into it. Don't know how much more spicy food I had handle.
Report back on anything you can.
Sokka
They had replied, telling them the little they knew so far about the Sila Vatra. They mentioned the intricate tunnels (and the one heading up to the palace), the number of members inside and that it appeared to only be accessible when members showed proof of their loyalty. Namely – their tattoos.
But really, there wasn't much more they would be able to report. Not unless they gained access into the building themselves.
We might have to. The comet will be here soon and we don't have enough time to just sit and watch.
When the day was finally over and his shift done, Zuko trudged upstairs unhappily. He was not looking forward to entering the bedroom, with both Toph and Katara looking on at him disbelievingly in silence. But when he reached the room, he headed straight into the washroom. He seemed to have gotten there first.
Closing the door behind him, Zuko began to clean his sooty face in the basin of water.
He was ultimately thankful to see that there was no mirror in the washroom. At least now, he wouldn't start to dwell on his reflection and start making more unwanted connections to Ozai.
There was tap on the door.
"Lee?" It was Katara. "Lee, are you in there?"
Zuko sighed and looked down at the floor.
Perhaps she had forgiven him for his behaviour? Maybe she wanted to wash up herself? Or maybe she wanted to talk?
Zuko definitely did not feel like talking.
He opened the door, looking out at her uncertain face. She was trying to smile, for his sake.
"How are you feeling? Was your new job any better?"
Zuko had been unable to look at her for quite some time. Whenever he did, it was almost never in the eyes. So instead, he contented himself with looking at the wall behind her.
"It was better." he answered plainly.
You've kissed her, gone on the run with her and un-officially been accepted into her family by her father. So why do you still have so much trouble talking to girls!
Katara was not to be deterred. She seemed determined to help him out of his slump, no matter how much he fought her. Her calm patience annoyed him somehow.
"So, have you cooled down now? Or am I going to get burnt if I come near you?"
There was no malice or anger in her voice. She was just teasing him. But Zuko didn't appreciate it. He still felt horribly guilty for burning her fingers earlier, even though it hadn't really been his fault.
"I'm fine."
He headed over to the bed, where three platters of food were placed on the cabinet next to it. He picked it up and began chewing at some of the smaller morsels. He heard Katara sigh.
"Will you please stop this?"
Frowning, Zuko looked up from his platter of food.
"Stop what?" he asked her, feeling a little taken aback.
"Trying to be so tough all the time." she replied. She frowned. "You're so eager apologise for everything and to get yourself hurt for other people. You think that you don't need anybody else's help and that if you accept it, then you're weak. But it's not weakness, Zu-Lee."
Zuko had found it just as difficult to keep up their constant fake name act, especially under stressful or serious situations. Katara had crossed her arms and looked down sadly at him.
Don't pity me.
"You don't need to protect everybody and say sorry all of the time. You want to be strong for everybody and that's good. But when something happens. Something like last night, then we can all see that you're just as scared as the rest of us. We all have to deal with this, Lee. You don't need to try and handle it all by yourself. Just let people take care of you for once, will you? I think that you've earned it by now."
Zuko didn't reply. He felt stupid, vulnerable and reckless.
Katara sighed angrily and walked over to where he sat on the bed. She uncrossed her arms and rested them on her hips instead. She looked down at him huffily, clearly annoyed that he had still chosen to remain in silence.
"For the love of La, Zuko! Will you stop worrying about us long enough to see that we're worrying about you! You're just being stubborn and childish! Why won't you just let down your walls for once? Talk to us? We're offering to help you through this and all you do is sit around like an idiot and-"
But she was cut off short when Zuko stood up and quickly pulled her into a kiss.
She was right, though he would never admit it to them. He wanted to kiss her and to tell her that he did value her help and that her kindness meant more to him than she could imagine. He just didn't know what to do. Not many people had shown Zuko such kindness. Nobody had worried about him before, apart from his uncle.
I do care, Katara. I just don't know if I can do it. When this god-forsaken war is over, I promise you that I'll do it.
He no longer cared that they were supposed to be keeping their feelings for each other at bay until the comet was over. All he wanted was to thank Katara in the only way he knew how.
Zuko was certain that Katara would have pushed him away in her anger, but instead, she leant back into his kiss. It seemed as if she too was longing to tell him something that her words could not. His kiss was gentle and he hugged her body to him, wrapping his arms around her waist. She placed her own hand gently on his face as they lost themselves in each other. They savoured every last detail, every touch and every taste, and every single emotional or thought that accompanied it.
I never knew how much I would miss this...
They locked together as if nothing else in the entire world mattered anymore. He tightened his arms around her and deepened his kiss, never wanting to let go. The fresh scent of her hair wafted over him as she leant into his chest, pressing one hand over his heartbeat, as if she wanted to keep it in her hand always.
"Aw man! That's just nasty! Sparky, let go of Sugar Queen!"
Inwardly, Zuko groaned and rolled his eyes. This was the second time that Toph's unfortunate timing had disturbed them.
At least this time, I get away without the broken nose.
Katara's eyes flew open and she immediately shot away from him. She looked over at Toph, who was standing in the doorway, sticking her tongue out and making gagging noises.
"This is the third time I've caught you guys at it!" the Earth Bender raged "Can't you just give it a rest until the war is over to make a bunch of hybrid babies?"
Blushing fiercely and keeping her eyes downcast, Katara began to babble, irritably fiddling with her hair.
"What do you mean, Toph? Doing what exactly? I was just uhm, fixing a button on his shirt, right Zuko? I think those cleaning fumes have got to you Toph. I mean, come on. Me and Zuko? We-"
Toph threw up her hands in mock defeat and groaned.
"Come on, Katara. I'm blind, not stupid! There's only one thing you two could be doing when you're that close to each other! And it sure as heck isn't fixing buttons, Sugar Queen! Seriously – can you at least wait until I'm out of the room, or asleep or something? I really didn't want to see that."
She made more gagging noises. Zuko rolled his eyes. Toph was always prone to melodramatics.
Katara lowered her voice, as if she were trying to tell Toph some incredibly bad news.
"Look, Toph. I know that this is a bit of a shock. I didn't want you to find out this way, especially because I know how you feel."
Maybe they did talk it over after all.
But Toph frowned.
"Huh? How I feel?"
But Katara had a pitying, sad look on her face that she was trying to hide with a smile. Zuko frowned as well. He wasn't quite sure of exactly what was going on himself.
"I know about your feelings for Zuko, Toph."
Zuko slapped his forehead.
What?
After a moments silence, Toph's face contorted into a grim look of disgust. She stuck her tongue out and frowned.
"Ew! No way, Princess! Me liking Zuko? He's like my brother! Come on – it's Zuko! That's just disgusting!"
Zuko couldn't help but feel his good eyebrow twitch.
Didn't know I was that repulsive.
Katara's face fell. She looked totally and utterly confused. But Zuko was incredibly happy to see that she also looked a little relieved.
"But-but! That day – at the air temple!" Katara stammered idiotically "You told me...you said there was a guy you liked and you...but...you and Zuko are so close! You held his hand yesterday! You're always together!"
Oh Agni...
Toph blew the bangs out of her eyes irritably. When she answered, she looked very bored, as if she were explaining something incredibly simple to a small child.
"Man, Princess. You're way off! Yeah I held his hand, so what? He was acting weird and I had to keep up the blind kid story. I hold Sokka's hand sometimes too, but that doesn't mean I want him to be my boyfriend! I stroke Momo, but does that mean that I want to marry him? No."
Zuko could imagine Sokka piping up with some silly, useless comment about how ugly the children would be.
Katara looked as if Toph had slapped her in the face with a wet fish. Zuko sighed, unable to see how Katara had gotten it all so wrong.
"I thought you knew, Katara." he said gently "I just thought that you would have figured it out for yourself."
"Yeah. Sparky's my friend." Toph said dryly. "I hang around him a lot because he's fun and a nice guy, not because I'm in love with him."
Is she talking about me? If somebody had said that to me a year ago, I probably would have burnt their house down!
Katara scratched her head, opening and closing her mouth several times. It seemed to please Toph immensely to see her so baffled.
"But you've been acting so...angry around me," Katara said softly to Toph "I thought that...that you knew about us and that you were just...jealous."
Dear Agni! I can't believe she got it so wrong!
Toph snickered behind her hand. She smiled deviously, giving Zuko the mental image that accompanied his pet name for her – Monkey Face.
"Oh man, this is priceless!" she scoffed "I've known about you guys since you came back! I could feel you smooching up at the Air Temple before anyone even saw you! Sparky reeks of you most of the time and every time I go past you both in the same room, you keep staring at each other. It's seriously creepy. I knew you were a bit slow, Katara, but this is a real prize-winner."
But Toph's laughter was suddenly stopped when Katara raised her eyebrow and asked her;
"Well, if you aren't jealous, and you already knew about us...then why have you been acting so mean lately?"
Toph's confidence seemed to seep away. She toed at the floor quietly, her cheeks flushing red. Zuko still found it difficult to see the rough, witty Earth Bender blush like the most feminine little girl in all of Ba Sing Se.
Zuko sighed and sat back down on the bed.
"Toph, I think it's time you told her. It's the truth or nothing."
Author's Notes : I think you all know exactly who I'm talking about...