A/N: Hey guys! Thanks so much for all the encouragement and such : It really helps the words come out. So here's a new chapter to my story! Hope you like :)
I stared into his face for a long time before he started to advance towards me. I stepped back every time he stepped towards me, but eventually, I was pushed up against the far wall. I was completely nervous underneath my glare, and I knew that being locked in with an angry firebender was very bad.
Finally, he stepped so close that our chest barely brushed each other and he placed his palms on the wall behind me for support as he leaned closer to my face. I wanted to shove him away and I even put my hands on his chest to do it, but I immediately pulled them away and let my glare fall. His heart was racing underneath and his expressionless face was making me scared. I had no idea what he was thinking, so I looked away from him.
"Katara," he whispered and I jumped a little. He didn't sound angry or upset, just, tired. When I didn't look at him, he put his hand under my chin and moved my face to his. I looked up into his eyes.
"What?" I said quietly, but curiously.
"Why do you hate me still? I thought we fixed this," he said, his face never showing any emotion. My eyes darted back and forth between his as I wondered about the answer to his question.
"I-I just can't forget, Zuko," I said after a moment. "Not yet." His face finally changed at that, but it was in annoyance. He dropped his hand from my face and I jumped as he jerked away. "Zuko, I-"
"I don't want to hear it!" he shouted as he stormed out of my room and slammed the heavy door. I could only stand there and stare at where he had been just moments before.
I felt sincerely bad that he was mad at me, and it made me angry as well. Everything was just so confusing now and I hated the way it twisted my stomach. I let my eyes fall to the ground and I noticed something on the floor nestled near the door. I walked over and carefully picked it up. It was a small red square of silk with a gold Fire Nation insignia stitched into it. It looked a lot like a handkerchief, except for its regal beauty. I suddenly started to glare at it before crumpling it between my fingers and throwing it angrily at the door. It hit the metal with a soft thud before it fluttered to the ground. I then turned and lay in my bed.
The day was extremely hot and humid. Barely any wind blew through the temple and we kept close to the fountain near our hang out spot. Zuko and Sokka went fishing about three days ago and left a note saying they would be back soon. I was happy that I wouldn't have to see or confront the firebender for a while and I closed my eyes as I waded my feet ankle deep in the cool water.
So far, everything was going okay. Toph and I had been training with Aang to pass the time and keep our skills sharp, and Zuko had even left him instructions for exercises to do. Haru, Teo and The Duke had been around every once and a while and we even all had a big game of hide and seek. I thought that playing would help clear my mind and so I decided to join and have some fun.
Though they weren't there, I still kept thinking about Zuko. The last time I saw him before he went fishing with Sokka, he looked upset. I don't understand why he cares so much. If he wanted me to trust him so bad, he shouldn't have betrayed us in the first place, I kept thinking to myself. But I didn't feel any better. When we were hiding earlier that day from The Duke during our game, I wandered off and found myself in the hall with the giant windows that Zuko and I had passed when he took me to see Roku. The view in the daytime was just as beautiful as it was during the night and I subconsciously reached out for the firebender to take my wrist, but I quickly shook my head and ran off back to the hang out spot.
I sighed as I pushed my feet back and forth through the rippling water and took a deep breath. The sun was already almost set and I could hear cricket-ants beginning to chirp in the twilight. I carefully put my hand on the sash around my waist and prodded the little lump the poked out. Hidden under the cotton cloth was the little silk handkerchief, wadded into a tight ball.
I made sure not to lose it and to keep it close. I knew it was Zuko's and that he must have dropped it when he left my room in a rush, so I decided after I threw it at my door to keep it hostage like he did with my mother's necklace. Though, for the past two nights, I would remove it from my sash and run the cool fabric across my hands and between my fingers. I knew that it wasn't meant for sneezing or such. Since Zuko was a prince, it was most likely an item that he was supposed to carry with him, part of his etiquette. What I didn't understand is why he still had it if he gave up that life to start a new one.
Suddenly, there was a commotion behind me, and I jumped from my thoughts and turned around. My eyes widened as a giant Fire Nation war balloon lowered from the sky and stopped next to the ledge of the temple. I quickly jumped from the fountain and readied myself next to Toph and Aang. I wasn't sure where the others were, but I was glad they were away and safe. After a moment, the doors slid open with a loud screech and two figures appeared. The first was tall and in Fire Nation armor, but his blue eyes gave him away and we all relaxed and gave Sokka a confused look. Next was Zuko, dressed in maroon rags. His hair was a mess and he looked like he hadn't eaten much in a few days.
"Where have you guys been?" I directed at Sokka. Both boys had big grins on their faces and they gave each other knowing looks.
"I thought you guys were fishing," Aang said and Sokka laughed.
"Yeah! Did you get any meat?" Toph asked.
"We got the best meat of all. The meat of friendship and fatherhood," Sokka said.
"What are you talking about?" I asked crossing my arms and the boys parted and out of the ship came three more people. On the right was Suki, dressed in the same outfit as Zuko, in the middle was a tall man I didn't know, and on the left was my dad. I was stunned for a moment and stared unbelievably at him.
"Hey! I'm new," the tallest one said with a wave.
"Dad?" I managed to finally gasp. "But…how?" He chuckled and held out his arms as he stepped onto the stone of the temple. I quickly ran to him and grabbed around his waist.
"We kind of broke out of a Fire Nation prison instead," Sokka said and we all laughed.
We ate a huge dinner as the boys told us the story of their adventure and how they finally escaped. When Sokka mentioned something about how it was Mai who saved them in the end, I noticed Zuko's face fall for a moment. Did they have something? And if so, did coming here ruin it?
"What do you think, Katara?" Sokka said interrupting my thoughts. I looked up at him and blinked a few times.
"What?" I asked confused.
"What do you think about us traveling when the war is over?" he asked again and I looked back and forth between him and my dad.
"That sounds great!" I said with a smile.
The rest of the night went well. Everyone stayed up late talking and laughing and telling stories. The taller man that escaped with my dad and Suki had lots of scary stories up his sleeve and was, from what I was learning, a truly good man at heart.
I looked around casually every once in a while so I could catch a glimpse of Zuko, and every time I looked at him, he looked upset. After a bit, I noticed him stand up and head towards his room. I watched as he disappeared into the shadows before I finally got up myself and acted like I was heading for a bathroom. I quickly raced to his room once I was out of sight from the group, but he wasn't in there.
I glanced around in the different halls before I started towards the hang out spot again. However, as I passed my room, I noticed a dim light coming from between the cracks of the door and a shuffling with a few mumbled words of annoyance. I quietly pushed my door open and found Zuko on his hands and knees peeking under the sheets of my bed and speaking frantically to himself. I knew exactly what he was looking for and I pushed my palm against the small lump on my sash.
He didn't notice me lean against the doorframe and I wondered for a moment if he ever would. He finally stood up and pushed his fingers through his hair as he scanned the floor. He turned a bit and he stopped at my feet. I watched his eyes scan up to my face and I inwardly shivered at the way they trailed over my body. He looked a bit surprised at first, but he quickly turned his face to stone.
"Looking for something?" I asked coolly, but he just kept staring. After a moment, though, he nodded and I stepped into the room and closed the door behind me.
"I think I dropped something in here a few days ago. Did you find it?" he said as I stepped closer. I looked him in the eyes and crossed my arms.
"Why is it so important to you?" I asked with pure curiosity. It was just a piece of silk and it didn't look so special.
"It's sentimental," he sighed. "It's one of the last things I have from home; from my mother." I froze in place and immediately hated myself. I could feel the cloth burning a hole in my side and I tried really hard not to look away from his face. Finally, I sighed and looked down. Reaching into my sash, I gently pulled out the little square and ran my fingers over it.
"Here," I said handing it over. "I wanted to keep it hostage, but if it was your mother's…" He took it eagerly and ran his fingers over it the same way I did before he carefully folded it in a way only a prince would know and tucked it into his vest. I looked down at our feet and grasped the little charm that swung at the hollow of my neck.
"Katara?" I looked up at him. "Thank you." I nodded at him before looking down again and he headed out of my room to join the others, but he paused when he pulled the door open. "Are you coming?"
I turned to face him and he smiled softly at me. I nodded once and we both left my room and walked to the hang out spot in silence.
We all slept next to one another that night. Too tired to carry ourselves to our rooms and not wanted to be separated yet, we made a huge circle around the fire and slept soundly. Aang was the first to wake and his loud yawn made me open my eyes to a slightly foggy, bright morning. I glanced around and the view was beautiful as I looked out over the cliffside. I smiled contently to myself as I started to stretch.
All of a sudden, a large cylinder came flying over the side and headed straight for us. Aang sprang into action and sent it flying in the opposite direction only to hit the top of the temple and explode. We all jumped up as the temple began to shake and I watched as Aang ran off to the edge of the cliff. Two more bombs flew over the side and hit the ceiling as Fire Nation war ships pushed up from within the fog..
Aang quickly jumped back and threw out a swirl of wind to close the shutters that surrounded us, one of the many reasons we chose this spot for our hang out base. The bombs kept coming and the ceiling suddenly started to cave in. I looked up to see part of it falling straight for me, but right before it hit me someone shouted, "watch out!" and I was shoved to the side and thrown to the ground with a roll. Someone was holding me tight and covered my head as the stone crashed to the floor, but by the scent of their body I knew exactly who it was and I flushed angrily.
"What are you doing?" I squealed.
"Keeping rocks from crushing you," Zuko replied and I quickly started to climb out from under him.
"Okay, I'm not crushed. You can get off me now," I said as I shoved him away and quickly ran over to Aang. He mumbled something at me, but I ignored him as I started to throw random blankets onto Appa's saddle. Toph and Haru pushed in an escape route and we all started to run for it. Aang was trying to pull Appa into the cave and when I turned back for him he was shouting for Zuko.
"What are you doing?" he said, but Zuko just stepped away from him.
"Go ahead. I'll hold them off," he shouted back. "I think this is a family visit." With that he ran towards the hole forming in the shutters and jumped through with ease.
"Zuko! No!" Aang shouted and Sokka and I ran over to him and grabbed Appa's reins.
"Come on! We gotta get out of here," Sokka shouted over the rumble as he tugged on Aang's shoulder. I looked up at where Zuko had jumped and saw nothing but black smoke. Instead of worrying, though, I helped pull Appa.
Toph and Haru blocked the crumbled shutters with more stone, but before they sealed us in, I saw a flash of blue and a loud laugh echoed from outside. I could hear Zuko shout and I glanced over at Aang. He must've heard it, too. His eyes were focused on the place Zuko had jumped and his expression was worried. Finally, the walls outside completely fell apart and Toph shot one more blow to make it solid again. Appa started to roar frantically and yanked back with all his might.
"I can't get him to go in there!" Aang growled through clenched teeth. "Appa hates tunnels."
"Aang, there's no way we can fly out of here," I said as I held the ropes tighter.
"We'll have to find a way," he said letting go. Sokka and I released as well and Appa scooted away.
"We need to split up," Sokka said quickly and he turned around to face the others. "Take the tunnel and get to the stolen airship." I blinked a few times and stared at him for a moment.
"No! The Fire Nation can't separate our family again," I said quickly. I couldn't have my dad disappear again. Not yet.
"It'll be okay," my dad said calmly placing his arms on my shoulders. I could feel my eyes sting a bit. "It's not forever," he said as he looked me in the eye.
I glanced away for a moment before I quickly jumped up and wrapped my arms around him in a quick, but tight hug. Trying to keep the tears from coming, I flung away and ran over to Appa to quickly jump onto his saddle. Sokka hugged him, too before he grabbed Suki and ran over as well. Aang got a grip on Appa again and I quickly helped Suki and Sokka up. Aang then jumped up in front and I settled as I watched Toph feel the wall in front of us.
"I can clear that away and we can fly out through there," Toph said as she shot herself onto Appa's back.
"Um, there's an awful lot of fire in that general direction," Suki said nervously.
"We'll get through. Lets go!" Aang shouted over his shoulder and we all tensed ourselves.
Before I knew it, we were blasting through the stone. Toph and Aang held most of it in front of Appa as a shield as we soared over an airship, barely brushing the top. A blue flame was sent our way, but we got by with ease. Toph let go of the stone and it cleared our vision in front, but I quickly turned around and searched for Zuko. I only saw Azula's smiling face and my stomach dropped. Then, from behind her, another ship lifted and I could make out Zuko's tall form standing on top of it as it leveled with the ship Azula was on. She must've seen my face because she turned around and face her brother with slight surprise.
We all gathered to the back of Appa's saddle as we watched the tension between the siblings. Then, like lightning, Zuko took off towards Azula and jumped towards her ship throwing flames as he went. He landing gracefully and kept the fire coming, blocking her with ease. Aang turned Appa and we began to fly in circles around the ships. I blocked the incoming flames with quick swishes from the fog as we got closer to Zuko. All of a sudden, Appa went straight up and twisted in the air to dodge the nearest ship and we all held on tight, but I kept my eye on the fighting firebenders.
It looked like Zuko had her, but I wasn't too sure. We swooped to the side and I readied myself to attack, but before we got anywhere close to Azula, the two punched a fireball at each other at the same time and sent one another flying back with an explosion. Azula slid off one side of the ship and Zuko rolled over the other. I sat down and braced myself as Appa dipped down towards him. Zuko flipped in mid-air and I reached up to lock arms with him, quickly yanking him down on the saddle. He wobbled for a moment and I held onto his forearms to help give him some support. He turned around quickly to watch as his sister tumble through the air and we all held our breath.
"She's not going to make it," he whispered after a moment and I squeezed his arm a bit tighter.
All of a sudden, as if she heard him, Azula shot blue flames from her feet and fists launching herself at the cliffside. She yanked out her hairpiece and chunked it into the rocks, slid down a bit, and then halted to a stop. She grinned for a moment before she turned to us with a scowl, her beautiful hair flowing in the misty air.
"Of course she did," Zuko said bitterly as he turned away with a scowl of his own. I watched her disappear over his shoulder as we flew further and further away.
A/N: Tell me what you think and if you want to see something in the upcoming chapter let me know. Btw, I have no idea how long this will be or how it'll end yet. So this is just as much a surprise to me as it is to you :D Thanks for reading and please leave a review :)