Midsummer Madness Chapter 6: The Ferry, an avatar: last airbender fanfic

Title: Midsummer Madness

Author: BurningIce

Rating: PG-13

Summary: Katara learns that there are both advantages and drawbacks to being a female water bending master, and pays back a favor to an old friend.

Pairing: Zutara

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Disclaimer: I don't own Avatar. If I did it would have been considerably less awesome, but Katara and Zuko would have totally gotten together, so I guess it's a toss up.

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Chapter 6

…

Even though she had not slept well two nights before, and they had traveled hard all night and day, and well into the night again, Katara couldn't sleep. She lay in her tent and stared up at the cloth and fretted. Every few minutes she would unsuccessfully try to bend the water from her skin, and then lay back down. It was the second night that she had no bending, and it was wearing away at her nerves.

She found herself jumping at every shadow, expecting ill intentioned men to materialize out of the woodwork. She kept hearing sticks crack, and animal's moving, and she resolved to get a dagger or sword or something the next chance she got, bending or no bending. The moon was only the tiniest sliver, and offered no light, her tent was pitch black inside, and Katara was feeling a little too shook up and vulnerable to be alone in the dark.

They had not built a fire that night, the steady drizzle had soaked all the wood, and since she could not bend the water out of it, they had no dry tinder. Finally, at what Katara estimated must be three in the morning, she gave up on sleep and opened the flap of her tent. A few feet away she could see Zuko's silhouetted in his tent, he was fire bending with one hand, and what appeared to be reading something with the other.

"Zuko?" She tapped the fabric of the door, "Can I come in?"

"Yeah . . ." she heard, and she pulled the tent open and crawled in.

"Cant sleep either?" She sat down facing him. He was shirtless, sitting cross legged with a map of the earth kingdom in his lap.

"Not a wink, still no bending?" the flame in his hand flickered out, plunging them back into darkness.

"Nope . . ."

"I don't like it . . . we are a good two weeks from the swamp with only one Emu Horse."

Katara nodded, "Maybe we should go back to Ba Sing Se?"

Zuko shook his head, "I don't know, I think we are less than a day from the ferry near the serpent's pass, we can stock up there."

Katara pulled her knees up to her chest and hugged them, "Well, maybe things will be clearer in the morning." She rested her chin on her knees, sleep finally starting to find her.

"Maybe."

They fell silent again, each lost in their own thoughts.

"Zuko," Katara tried to think of the best way to broach the topic, "Do you mind if . . . I mean, you can say no, but I was thinking . . . and don't get the wrong impression, I was wondering if I could . . . You know . . . I could . . . crash with you?"

"Go get your sleeping bag."

Katara could hear the amusement in his voice, and it annoyed her, she was about to tell him off, but the idea of three or four more hours alone in the dark changed her mind quickly.

"I'll be right back."

…

"No, he left two days ago." Iroh said serving Mai tea, he could tell that she was livid, but kept her expression neutral, "Him and Katara rode out for Omashu together. They should be about halfway there by now, they had two very fast emu horses. You could probably meet them there."

"You said he rode out with Katara?" Mai couldn't help but remember what Azula had said about the water bender, "I thought he came to visit you, why did he suddenly run off with the water bender?!"

Iroh patted her hand, "They are looking for his mother, they were going to go get the Avatar and fly back to the Fire Nation. My Nephew decided it wasn't safe to fly in these storms, I am surprised that you managed to make it here without damaging the airship."

Mai looked out the window, she could tell Iroh was reprimanding her for risking her life just to chase her boyfriend, but she didn't pay any attention. She wasn't going to worry about the lower class crew.

"Thank you for the tea." She said, standing, "I believe I will try to meet them at Omashu."

"Very well, Mai." Iroh gave a small bow, "Be safe, I fear the storms will get worse before they get better."

Mai walked for several minutes, trying to clear her head, then the sky opened up and it started pouring again, she ran for cover on one of the porches of the shops. In fact, everyone on the street did, and huddling in close to the upper ring shoppers, Mai started hearing bits of their conversations.

"No, honest to the spirits, he was breathing into her hands, it was so cute!!" one of the girl's giggled.

"Really? I saw when they kissed, they were so sweet, the Fire Lord and . . . Mai is her name?" another one asked.

"No!" a third one hissed, positively beside herself with the juiciness of the gossip, "Kioko was at the welcome banquet, she said it was the Princess of the Southern Water Tribe!! That girl, Catarina,"

"Its Katara," the first corrected, and then scoffed, "He must be slumming it, the Southern Water Tribe is in RUINS, or so I hear, only a few hundred people living there, trying to rebuild it. She isn't a princess of much. I bet it's just for show."

"You think he was here searching for a wife?" the second said, her voice dreamy. "I wonder if he noticed me during the procession . . ."

"Well, the Earth King is planning on taking a Fire Nation Noblewoman for his wife eventually; I think the rulers are trying to intermarry, to help sustain the peace."

"So they really kissed?!" the first one clasped her hands together, "It's so romantic, like out of a ballad, she is born with nothing, and becomes a Master Water Bender, and wins the attentions of the newly crowned Fire Lord!!"

"Kyoko said that she was shy, that she barely spoke to anyone but the Fire Lord and his Uncle, even though most of the girls were being very friendly. She said he looked thoroughly seduced though, the way he was looking at her, the intensity of it all."

"Maybe it's just what happens when a Master Fire Bender and a Master Water Bender get-"

Mai had had enough, she forged out into the rain, ignoring that the rain was making the liner around her eyes drip down her face. It hid the fact that she was blinking back tears.

Was Azula right?! She thought, Is he in love with that water bender?! I don't believe him!! How could he do this to me?! Making out with a water bender in front of all Ba Sing Se!! It's humiliating!! It's DISGUSTING!! She is a peasant from the southern wastelands!! I'm Fire Nation Nobility!! What does she have that I don't?!

Mai shooed her attendant's out of her room and drew the curtains, sitting down in the dark and brooding angrily. Out of all the stupid things he had done like writing her a break up note or breaking into her uncle's prison, this took the cake.

…

When Katara woke up, the next morning, or perhaps afternoon, (Everything was a wet, dull grey that made time telling difficult) to the sound of pouring rain and thunder rumbling, the first thing she noticed was that there was an arm wrapped around her waist, and a fire bender spooning her. The second thing she noticed was that, even through both their sleeping bags, parts of him, were very happy to see her.

She shifted, starting to sit up, but his grip on her tightened, and he pulled her back into his chest, murmuring something about badger moles into her neck.

"Zuko," she whispered, shaking his shoulder gently, "What time is it?"

"Shhh . . ." he mumbled, half conscious, "No, no, no . . . . g' back t' sle'ep . . ." he buried his nose into her hair and took a deep breath.

Is he smelling me? Katara thought, Weird . . . . and then, When was the last time I washed? I hope I don't smell gross!

Katara wondered just how tired he was, she had never seen him sleep so late, but he had looked exhausted when she had first seen him in Iroh's tea shop, and he had looked worse and worse every day. She had noticed the dark circle under his good eye, and the weariness in his voice. He must not have been sleeping, stressing over his family, his country, and his girlfriend. The thought of Mai made her wonder if Zuko realized if he was not in fact, in bed with his girlfriend, and the thought made her stomach sink. She wondered briefly if Zuko thought that she was as pretty as the raven haired noblewoman.

Katara dismissed it, pushing the thoughts to the back of her mind, and reminded herself that she had a perfectly lovely boyfriend, who was the most powerful bender in the world, and a great boy. Unfortunately, she couldn't shake the feeling that, although he was a boy and a friend, he would never quite qualify in her mind as a 'boyfriend'.

Relaxing, she let herself drift, not having the heart to drag him out of bed when he was finally sleeping peacefully. She was never opposed to spending more time in bed, and, cuddled back against him. It was . . . arousing, she realized, to be in bed with Zuko, and as soon as she acknowledged it in her head, her body responded.

She felt hot and cold, she wanted to flee, she wanted to stay and kiss him. She lay there debating with herself for at least a sixth of a candle mark, and then decided that if there was attraction, there was attraction, she would do her best to ignore it, and go on pretending like they were friends and everything was okay.

She realized that she must have drifted back to sleep, because what seemed like a moment later, a washed and dressed Zuko was shaking her gently.

"Come on Katara, wake up, its past nine."

Katara yawned, "But we were up till four in the morning . . ."

Zuko pulled the covers off her, but Katara grabbed them and yanked back, starting an impromptu tug of war between the two. It suddenly became very clear how much strength he had lost in the two and a half months of house rest.

"Come on, I rise with the moon!"

"Well, I rise with the sun!"

The statement made Katara blush, and she let go of the blankets, "I noticed!!"

The implications flew over Zuko's head, "Well, I'm not really sure why I slept so late today," he gave her a glare, "Your water bending habits must be rubbing off on me." That sounded like an excuse, even to him.

"I don't think bending can rub off on people." Mentioning her water bending made her think about it again, and she scrambled past him out of the tent, into the rain. A sweep of her hands, and all the droplets followed, her bending had returned.

Zuko stepped out of his tent, two of his bags packed, and started for the drenched emu horse than was grazing nearby.

"Zuko ZUKO!!" She was practically jumping for joy, "I've got my bending back! It's back!!" she threw her arms around him, "See?" She bent the rain up and away, so they were no longer being soaked by it.

"That's great!" Zuko looked relieved that she wasn't practically defenseless anymore.

"Come on, I bet we can make it to the ferry in no time!"

…

The ferry was a huge old structure, of creaking wood, and a huge paddle in the back. Since there was no longer a rush of refugees trying to reach the capitol, they had stopped being so meticulous about the passengers they ferried. It sat silently at the dock, bobbing up and down, waiting for it's passengers to begin loading.

Zuko and Katara had split up.

Zuko went to the hawkery and was sending what must have been hundreds of messenger hawks, Katara figured, since it was taking him so long. She stood watching the Emu Horse and their bags, amusing herself by plaiting it's grey featherlike fur into long braids down it's neck.

"Well, I sent two hawks to Ba Sing Se, one to my uncle, warning of the attack, and telling him to watch his back, and one to the Earth King saying the same, telling him that he might wish to discuss safety issues with the council of five for his new wife."

"The Earth King is getting married?"

Zuko nodded, "To the youngest daughter of my mother's eldest sister."

"So . . . your cousin."

"I sent a hawk ahead to Omashu, saying we were heading there, that we were planning to cut straight through the Si Wong Desert, but that's just in case the message gets intercepted, were actually going to skirt the Si Wong Desert, and then follow the river, the one that Haru's village is on, south west, and then go through the mountain pass and get there, then we can head South to the swamp for a few days."

"So it's an arranged marriage between your cousin and the Earth King?"

"Yes, she seems excited about it though, she'll be queen of the entire Earth Kingdom . . . and I sent a hawk to the Fire Nation to Mai, tell me, do you think it sounds weird, I said 'I should not have left you, I needed some time to cool off, and I thought I would visit my uncle for a day or two, something has come up though, and it might take a li-'"

"How can you set up an arranged marriage?! She was your cousin!! What if she is miserable!!"

Zuko blinked, "what are you talking about!? This has nothing to do with you! My cousin could have turned the offer down, but she is the closest eligible relative I have, and considered it her duty!"

"Maybe I just don't like the idea of arranged marriages!!"

"Well, people like us, Lords, Princesses, Kings, sometimes we don't have the luxury of being with the person we love!!"

Something about the way he said that made her stop, like, he didn't think he would get to marry the person he loved either.

Katara thought back to the conversation he had been having with his uncle, Is he being pressured to marry too?

"Sometimes," He forged on, "We have to do what's best for our country, what will be best for our children, and their children! And I know, it sucks. Believe me, I know, Hakoda and Arnook are talking about your future a lot, especially behind your back, but, Katara, if there is one thing I know about you, is you know what you want, and you go for it, whether its rescuing a boatload of earth benders, or destroying an eniter fire nation factory."

Katara blinked back tears, Stupid mood swings! She thought.

Zuko paled, "I didn't mean to yell at you, its just, I don't know, I guess I kind of feel like were in the same boat."

Katara rubbed her eyes, embarrassed to be crying in front of him.

The Emu Horse looked from her to him and then grunted and bit him in the side.

Zuko hollered and jumped, clutching the delicate skin of his side, "Oh no, I am not traveling with TWO moon maddened females!! I don't care what cycle you're on," he pointed at the beast's nose, "suck it up!"

The Master Water Bender's tears turned to a glare.

"I'm going to go get another Emu Horse from the stable, just . . . just channel all that-" he made a motion to signify her aura of anger, "- into guarding our things." He pointed to the bags, ". . . . but don't kill anyone." He added as an afterthought.

Katara made no comment to even show she heard him, but turned back to pet her mare, giving him the silent treatment.

"What is it with girls and Emu Horses?!" Zuko asked himself as he walked over to the head groom.

"Now what will ya be needin' today Sir?" The handler looked up from his list.

"I need an Emu Horse . . . a male one!"

The handler blinked, but nodded, "You heading south or west?"

"Does it matter?"

"Well," the man motioned for him to follow back into the stable. "We gots ones that'er good at climbin, if yer headin for the mountains, and we got a different breed that'er much more resilient, they can go fer longer without water, don't matter too much, seein as how they both got great stamina, but it's cruel to take a stallion outa his natural environment, ya know?"

Zuko wondered if 'life' qualified as a natural environment.

"I'll take one for the desert. My friend and I are heading straight through it to Omashu." Zuko had told the clerk at the hawkery that too, and he hoped the men would gossip about two unsupervised teenagers riding through the desert together, and make a false trail for any Ozai supporters.

"The little olive skinned filly over there? Yur a lucky man, prolly be double lucky tonight, that lassie has been fumin, I could hear her from here!! She'll be wanting to take it out on someone later tonight." The man winked, "I gots some good quality riding crops if ye wanna take a gander."

Zuko found himself considering it, "You think if she got out some sexual frustrations she would be less cranky to be around the other ninety percent of the time? It might be worth it."

"Well, I canna make yeh no promises on the nature of yer gal, only your emu horse, but, I know that both a emu filly and a human filly are too exhausted to bite after a long hard ride."

Zuko glanced back over at Katara who was sitting, picking at her shoes in a very Toph like manner.

"If yeh don mind me askin, what happened? Yer eloping together? Gunna get married? Or. . . ye running away and not getting married? Tha's even More scandalous!! Not that I would tell anyone, scouts honor!" The man said.

"I'd rather not say, just a desert Emu Horse and tack, and a riding crop, for the stallion."

"Eheheehe! Man after my own heart, never whip the fillies, I says, Omasu? That sound's good, though seems quicker to charter some sand bender's ta give ya a ride in one of em . . . sand boat things . . . . the sand sailors, but whatever floats your boat, eh?" The man laughed at his bad pun, "can I have your name sir? It's for our inventory. Of course, for an extra five coins, it's no questions asked."

"The names are Lee and . . ." Zuko tried to remember the false name Katara had chosen, "Salacia." Women were weird.

When he got back, leading his palomino Emu Horse, Katara was helping the men load their luggage.

He touched her elbow gently to get her attention, "When do we leave?"

"The boat is leaving in half a candle mark." She told him, looking annoyed, but no longer raging, "Why'd you get such a flashy emu horse? It's going to make my mare feel self conscious."

"I don't think your mare has feelings, Sala, You're really running out of things to pick fights about, aren't you?"

She raised her eyebrows, surprised he was giving her lip. Not exactly the kind of lip you had in mind, huh girl? Katara thought to herself, then realized she had forgotten what she was going to come back with.

And the question he had just asked.

"Just give me his reigns, I'll put him below deck."

They were one of the last people to board, so Katara had no sooner loosened the girth of Zuko's stallion, when she felt the boat start to move. The up and down motion was so familiar to her, that it instantly made her think about canoeing with Sokka in the South Pole.

The Emu Horses looked terrified and Katara had to scramble to get out of the way of two spooking avian equines.

Stumbling over his own half undone girth, the palomino crashed into the door of the stall and Katara heard a crunch. She didn't like the sound of that crunch.

When the two mounts had calmed down, Katara checked the door.

"Oh, Fuck! Of all the things!"

The door was jammed.

She hauled on it. No Luck.

She jiggled it. No Luck.

She hauled on it again, only harder than the first time. No Luck.

She kicked it. No Luck.

"This is ALL your fault." She informed the palomino stallion, it looked back at her, confused, understanding she was angry at it, but not comprehending why. It hung it's head.

"HeeeEEEeeeeEEeeey!" She called down the hallway, all the grooms were gone.

"I don't care how handsome or new and exciting you are," she went on, feeling better now that she had something to lecture that at least had the decency to look ashamed, "This better not be a trend, getting me into trouble. Just like . . . Lee, I'm around him for five minutes and suddenly the poles switch places on me! I bet he picked you because you matched his eyes, just what he needs, right? Another accessory to make him look alluring . . . Not that I think he is alluring. I mean, I like him as a friend, a friend I am occasionally compelled to kiss now and again, but that's not the point!!"

What is the point? She thought

"The POINT is," Katara continued, "That me and him are not SINGLE, and even though I am with a . . . petite young man, and he is with a . . . ." Katara strained to think of a nice thing to call Mai, "standoffish aristocrat, and he is honorable, and I would never do anything to hurt Aang . . . and I don't even know how he feels about me, I bet he hates me, I was so mean to him! It's just a silly crush right?! I'm only physically attracted to him, right?!"

Katara looked at the Emu Horses expectantly, they looked back, and then her mare made a snorting noise and then began scratching her ears on the stallion.

"Yea, well I wish all life's problems were solvable by some vigorous ear scratching." Katara said wryly.

"I don't know," Said a voice behind her, and Katara whirled around, "sounds like your problem could be easily solved by a 'vigorous ear scratching'."

"'Vigorous' being the operative word."

Two stable boys were leaned against the bars of the stall, watching her and eating their lunches. They looked thoroughly amused.

"Where were you guys?! The door is stuck."

"Getting lunch." Said one

"Yea, we know." Said the other.

"Well," Katara spluttered, "Why didn't you let me out . . . or say something, or . . . SOMETHING!?"

"It looked like you were having an epiphany." Said one.

"We didn't want to interrupt." Said the other.

"Well, you need to let me out now!" she said, "My friend, Lee, who is my friend, is probably looking for me."

"You know," Said the first,

"Since we have your undivided attention," interjected the second.

"Problems of attraction, they don't just go away." Said the first, "You're not going to wake up one morning and not be attracted to this Lee guy. In fact, every day you're going to wake up and be MORE attracted to him, without, you know, extenuating circumstances like their losing their figure or betraying your trust, or extensive facial burns."

"He's ALREADY betrayed my trust, and he IS starting to lose his figure, and he HAS extensive facial burns!!" Katara fumed, yanking on the jammed door.

"Wow, you got it bad," laughed the second, "Might take more than a vigorous ear scratching. Might take a belly rub too."

"Oh, I looove those belly rubs . . ." the first said, waggling his eyebrows.

"You want any tips on how to rub a man right, Emu Horse whisperer girl?"

"That wasn't no whispering that I was hearing."

"You know I really like it when a woman uses her tongue to-"

Katara uncorked her water skin, "That's it, You two better let me out of here right now, or I swear by the spirits I'll knock the door down and kick both your asses!!"

"Okay, okay! Steady on!" Said the first, "Gen, go get the screwdriver. This one has a temper!"

Gen pouted, "I got the screwdriver last time."

"There's never BEEN a last time!!"

"Maybe not with YOU." Gen trotted out of the room.

"Now, as I was saying," Continued the first, "You're just going to want him more and more until you either have to bar yourself from seeing him for fear you'll jump him, or, you'll give in to the temptation some night, years from now, when you both have had a little too much to drink, and- oh, thanks Gen," he started to unscrew the bolts, "and you just throw caution to the wind, and end up hurting the people you both love."

"hahaha, look who's talking," Gen laughed, "This man whore has a girlfriend on both sides of the lake."

"I can't help it that lots of ladies want a piece of me." He puffed out his chest, "I'm a very naughty stable boy."

The bolt clanged to the floor, and Katara shoved the door open.

"Um, thanks." She said before fleeing.

…

"Where is that girl?!" Zuko had started looking for her half a candle mark earlier. She was always in the last place he looked it seemed, so he started with the least obvious places.

"If I was a water bender, where would I go? He checked the deck, the cafeteria, the lounge, and even the Capitan's deck, even though he wasn't supposed to be there. Not being allowed to do something never stopped Katara before.

Finally, Zuko found her as she was bolting up the stairs from the hold.

"Where have you been?!" I've been looking EVERYWHERE!!"

"I was with the Emu Horses where ELSE would I be?!" Katara glared, then looked at the bowls he was holding, "What's that?"

"Lunch." Zuko shrugged.

Katara took the bowl from him and grabbed his sleeve with her free hand, dragging him towards the deck, "While you were eating lunch, I was getting a sex talk from two handlers!!"

"Well, you should listen, they're probably good with their hands."

"and ALL this time- Wait, . . . Lee, did you just make a Joke?"

Zuko gave her the smallest of smiles, "Maybe."

"Alright, since that took guts you're spared the scolding," Katara returned the grin, a dirty joke and a smile? From Zuko? Without any prompting? She quickly squelched the hope that flared in her chest that he was trying to flirt.

"Thanks for snagging me some lunch,"

…

I've always imagined Katara's Emu Horse as a dapple, because I have never met a dapple horse that was not a spaz.

Okay Chapter 6, It turned out to be longer than I thought it would be, I thought I would have some space for Sokka, Azula, and Aang, but ah well, next chapter.

Thanks for all the reviews, I hope this update is soon enough! Hahahaha, any sooner and it would still have spelling mistakes!

-Burning ice