Come First Light
Katara woke up as the first rays of the sun gently warmed her eyelids. She gave a stretch and a yawn before she left for the kitchen, remembering her assigned task. Every morning, she was to wake up and carry the prince his food, since lately he simply didn't go to morning meal. The young water bender wondered why he would skip food so often… very contrasting to the meat-loving brother of hers.
As she pondered, her tiny feet padded on the metal floor, albeit not loud enough to wake anyone on the ship. She tried to remember where the kitchen was supposed to be, walking in that general direction. Zuko's room was on the way, the curious prisoner passing by silently… Katara wondered if he was even awake yet.
Inside the metal confinements of Zuko's room, the scarred man sat on his bed, head hanging low as he got over the outlandish dream he had. His heart still beat quickly, and his eyes were red with the beginnings of tears. He stayed in one spot, his head ringing with the voices of his subconscious. You have failed me, son. You are good for nothing. You will NEVER restore your honor, filthy swine.
"Never…." He shakily whispered, clenching his fists in the silk covers of his bed. Were his dreams trying to tell him the truth? He couldn't process the fact that he might be doing all of this for nothing… simply to satiate the greedy thirst of his father for ultimate power. Zuko sighed, stress eating at him.
Katara stood in the doorway, Zuko too caught up in his thoughts to notice her. She felt strangely sympathetic for the Fire Nation Prince… Then she frowned, remembering that the Fire Nation was filled with evil scum. They killed her mother, none of them deserved empathy. She brought herself out of her thoughts and lightly knocked on the door behind her, holding a tray of food in one hand. Zuko's head snapped up, his stoic expression quickly replacing the bewildered one Katara had seen.
He stood up, putting a hand behind his head sheepishly. "Uhh… Thanks." he appreciated that Katara had woken up early for him, also figuring the tray of cuisine was his. He sat back down on the bed and motioned to the small table he used to scribe things, indicating Katara to put down the tray. His eyes scanned the room leisurely, only because he didn't want to explain to the water tribe girl what his previous scene was about. It was too much even for him to process.
Katara put the food on his desk, running a hand along the smooth wood surface in awe before turning back to the prince, who obviously had a great deal on his shoulders. "Shall I leave you be?" she asked calmly, slightly turning to the door. Zuko glanced over her figure before nodding, realizing he was better off alone. Then again… in the silence, all he would hear would be those demeaning phrases from his dreams. "No… Why don't you stay here? Unless you have some urgent work to be doing, which I doubt, I'd like to… share your company." The words felt stuck in his throat; it was difficult to admit he wanted to talk to someone other than Iroh about himself.
Katara simply nodded, thinking to herself that something was off. The prince took her as prisoner, surely not as a guest or friend to spend the morning chatting with. She stood in front of him, not wanting to sit down next to him. Prisoner or not, she knew where she belonged. Not with the likes of Fire Nation.
There was a thick silence in the air; you could cut it with a butter knife. Finally Katara turned to the table and handed Zuko his tray of food, impatiently watching him swallow it down as if it were poison. "Do you really hate eating that much?" she inquired, her voice tinted with irritation. Zuko shook his head with a sigh, putting the tray next to him on the bed. "I've been stressed… That's why I wanted you here. So I would be distracted." He explained carefully, not wanting to make things seem bigger than they truly were. Katara nodded to show she was listening, one eyebrow raised.
"What have you been stressed about?" she questioned after a moment or two. Zuko shrugged, not wanting to answer. He felt like he was with Iroh… without the riddle in every sentence. There was only so much he could admit, and that was because he didn't fully understand everything. If he himself couldn't comprehend it, why bother looking idiotic trying to explain it? So a simple shrug conveyed the message of doubt and uncertainty.
The rest of the meal was silent, Katara simply standing pretty before her captor, waiting for him to find something to say. Her eyes were filled with rejection and hatred as she glared at the scarred man before her. She wanted to yell at him and hit him, blame him for the death of her mother, even though she knew it wasn't his fault directly. But being part of the Fire Nation was good enough reason to blame him…
Zuko saw the hatred that Katara was sending towards him, her whole body radiating with enraged signals. He wondered what he had done to deserve loathing, when he realized that he was doing so much wrong to her in a personal kind of way. He had destroyed the Northern Water Tribe, separated the water-bender from her family, and planned to use her to capture her boyfriend. Zuko face-palmed mentally; of course she would be considerate.
Zuko finished his small meal and smiled awkwardly at Katara, who took the dish and scurried off, not wanting to be in his presence any longer. The prince sighed, flopping back down on his bed in frustration. Why couldn't life be easier? He couldn't even talk to a damned girl, of all people.
The next few days were spent coursing the seas, in search of the flying bison or clues about the whereabouts of the young Avatar. Katara always stayed out of Zuko's path when possible, dropping off his food in the morning but disappearing right after. Zuko, on the other hand, tried to keep himself busy and his mind occupied, some of the sights at night giving him shock. The avatar was smart, evading the Fire Nation ship and planning an escape for Katara.
"Okay, Sokka. I know how we're going to get your sister back," Aang began. Sokka was busy chewing on a piece of dried meat they had cooked earlier, listening intently. "Go on…" he said between bites. Aang drew a small figure in the dirt, of the ship and where they were at the moment. He drew a line connecting the two. "We're right up here, away from the ship's sight, while it goes about aimlessly trying to find us. They want us to come to them, to get Katara back, but I know how we can have her escape without them knowing. Late in the night, maybe tomorrow, I'll glide onto the ship alone. I'll find Katara, we'll get off of the ship together, and then we can continue my training." Aang looked up at Sokka, his determined expression faltering, replaced with an anxious, annoyed one. "Are you even listening? This is Katara we're saving!" he whined, seeing Sokka was fighting with Momo over a small fruit. Sokka dropped Momo and nodded, "You're going to do all the work while I keep Appa and Momo safe. I got you." He said nonchalantly, ripping off another strip of meat with his teeth. Aang sighed loudly, falling backwards on the soft grass in frustration. Sokka could be such a dunce sometimes.
A/N: Aang & Sokka have been added to the list of characters :P I'm glad that everyone is enjoying this. I got 133 visitors and counting already! I'm surprised I have such a grand number of readers. I have to thank you all for reading, as well as supporting me ^.^ Can't wait to hear some feedback.