Midsummer Madness Chapter 9: The Fountain, 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, Kataang, Maiko, Ty LeeOC

…

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.

Chapter 9

Katara woke up the following morning with a jolt, mainly because when she reached out to touch Zuko, there was nothing to her left but pillows and an empty half of the mattress. It had worried her enough in her half sleep to drag her to full wakefulness, where she was lucid enough to comprehend that they were not on the trail, and he was not sleeping in his bedroll right beside her.

She sighed, sitting up and looking at the noontime sun, debating inwardly whether it was worth it to lay back and catch another hour of slumber. Usually it was no contest, and she would have gone back to sleep in seconds, but her body complained loudly, and she found sleep eluded her.

Giving up on sleep, she slid out of bed and trudged over to the mirror to access the damages. The slice across her cheek was scabbing, but probably wouldn't scar as long as she didn't reopen it, her neck was bruised, but nothing seemed stiff or crushed, one of her hair loops was half lopped off, and Katara tugged sadly at the strand, it no longer reached her bun. Her eyes had dark circles under them, and she looked pale and exhausted.

"No wonder Aang looked scared of you." She informed her reflection, "You look like something that just crawled out of it's grave."

Her reflection stared back at her, unashamed.

She yawned, rotating her head in a circle, and dropped to the floor. Maybe some Yoga will make me feel better, she hoped, Maybe it will distract me.

Her sun salutations however, did little for the pulling of the quarter moon, and exasperated, she grabbed her whole pack and started off for the baths. Maybe a bath would help. A cold one.

…

Mai barged into Zuko's room, stomping over to the bed in a well contained fury. The Fire Lord sat bolt upright, surprised beyond measure to see his girlfriend in Omashu. His stomach sank as he saw the anger in her eyes, and her tense fingers, some of the few indications of emotion that she gave.

"Mai!" He jumped up and held out his arms in an invitation for an embrace, "I didn't know you would be here! I'm so happy to see you!"

Mai crossed her arms, staying where she was, "The Avatar is mad at you," and so am I.

Zuko looked down, "I sent him a letter notifying him of my arrival. I sent you one too, only I sent it to the fire nation, I thought that's where you were."

"That's not why he is upset."

Zuko began to dig through his saddlebags that he had been too tired to unpack the night before, "Alright, I'll just get on my cloths and go talk to him . . ."

Mai looked at his travel cloths, still covered with mud, algae, and blood stains. She wrinkled her nose, "I don't think that's a good Idea, he wants to spend some time with Katara."

"Mai, I got you something in Ba Sing Se." Zuko pulled out the bracelet and proffered it to her, "I couldn't stop thinking about what a jerk I was to run off."

"So you bought me something." Mai looked displeased, but he could hear the interest in her voice, interest from Mai was always a good sign.

He slipped the bracelet onto her wrist, "I hope you like it."

Mai studied it for a minute, turning it over on her wrist, "It's nice." She finally conceded, some of her anger draining away.

Zuko hugged her, relieved, and kissed her on the temple, his hand stroking her hair. She stiffened a bit in his arms, but returned the hug, her hands resting on his exposed shoulder blades.

Tightening his grip, Zuko leaned in to kiss her, but she put a hand up to his lips, stopping him.

"Mai, what's wrong?" Zuko grabbed her shoulders, embracing her, "I missed you, I just got here, Why don't you and I forget everything for a little while and have some lighten up time?"

Mai pushed away from his chest, her voice rising, "I think you have had plenty of 'lighten up' time already!! Maybe you should stop and have some 'actions have consequences' time!"

Zuko let her go, "What are you talking about Mai! I apologized already, what more do you want?!"

Before he could blink, there was a dagger lodged in the center of his bedpost, vibrating back and forth from the impact.

"You know what I am talking about!! Don't play dumb!!" Mai stepped forward, her hands balled into fists, but her voice remaining calm, "Do you think that just because you're the Fire Lord that you can do whatever you want?"

"What the hell are you talking about Mai?! Will you just SAY it, so we don't have to dance around it for two days?! I really DON'T know what you're talking about!!"

By then, Mai's knuckles were white, "You're really just going to lie to my face?" She abruptly turned on her heels, "You won't dare lie to the Avatar though, Toph will be there, and she'll say whether or not you're lying."

"What am I lying about?!" Zuko yelled, "WHAT MAI?!" He felt the sparks fly from his mouth as he started losing control of his temper.

"You kissed her!!" Mai spat back, "You kissed Katara, do you dare deny it?!"

Zuko paled, "Oh hell no . . ." He whirled, and stomped out the door, not looking back at his girlfriend.

Mai watched him go open jawed for a split second, then tore out after him. The argument was over when she said so!

…

Katara was bending water out of her hair when she heard a knock at her door and Toph's voice floating through the wood, "Hey Sugar, can I come in?"

"Yes Toph, but hurry, I'm not dressed."

"Whoa Katara, nice new hair style." Toph grinned, shutting the door behind her.

"Very funny." The water bender gave her a hug, "Those work a lot better on Sokka."

Toph shrugged, "He isn't around, and you work with what you got. Aang asked me to bring you some new cloths, said your old travel cloths were pretty much shot."

"Thanks Toph," Katara took them and began pulling on the pants, the whole outfit comprised of the reds and browns popular in the Fire Nation. They must have come from there.

"Aang wanted you to meet him by the fountain." Toph said, then found and added, "He is pretty shook up and upset about what happened."

Katara slapped her forehead, remembering how scared he had been the night before, "I know, It was stupid of me, I shouldn't have grabbed him and kissed him like that, it was just . . . a compulsion . . . and, with the moon and all the strange stuff happening, I didn't plan it. But I'm nearly a woman now, I have needs, and I never really understood what that phrase meant until now . . ."

"Woah! Wait, so you really did kiss Sparky?" Toph sounded angry all of a sudden, her arms crossing in front of her chest, her voice accusing.

"What?!" Katara's head poped out of the top of the choli she was trying to shimmy into, "No!! I mean, Yes! I mean . . . Not like that!" she put an arm throught the arm hole.

"You better get your story strait Sugar Queen!" Toph grabbed the by the top and yanked Katara in close, her chest nearly falling out the bottom from the pressure, "I can tell that you're lying, and I won't cover for you."

"I . . ." Katara grabbed her, "Toph! You need to tell me exactly what happened with Aang!!"

…

Aang sat, running his fingers through the water of the fountain, the fish chasing his fingers looking for food. He sighed, pulling his knees up to his aching chest.

"AANG!"

He jumped up hearing Katara yell for him, and a instant later caught sight of her barreling across the garden, Toph in hot pursuit. She skidded to a stop and threw her arms around him, cradling his head to her chest, her fingers caressing his neck.

"Toph told me what Mai said, and it's not true!" Katara squeezed him, "He just kissed my cheek in Ba Sing Se, we were just playing to the crowd, "I don't know why she blew it so far out of proportion!"

"It's true." Toph scowled, suspecting Katara was lying by omission.

She felt Aang relax and press himself against her, and he felt very small and vulnerable in her arms. She hugged him tighter, and felt him squirm.

"Katara, you've got a coin or something caught in your bindings, it hurts!"

"Oops, Sorry," she released him and cupped his face, kissing him chastely.

"Zuko is coming this way." Toph interrupted them, scuffing the dirt with her toes, "Mai too."

"Oh!" Aang grinned, "That's good, we can explain to her that it was just a misunderstanding!"

"I wouldn't count on it." Toph muttered under her breath.

"KATARA!!"

Katara's heart jumped into her throat, she hadn't heard that tone from him since before he had lopped off his ponytail. She immediately shoved Aang behind her and turned to face him arms raised defensively.

"KATARA!! YOU SWORE!!" Zuko was yelling, fire spewing from his mouth, and she quickly bent the water out of the fountain and shielded them.

"Zuko!! Stop it!!" Aang jumped out from behind his girlfriend, trying to talk some sense into his fire bending teacher.

"You SWORE it would never leave the cave!!" another holler, another firey blast, though this time he aimed his head away.

"Cave?" Mai asked, her features darkening.

"Zuko!" Aang dispersed the fire and grabbed one of Zuko's arms, Toph followed his lead and grabbed the other.

"Katara! I thought I could trust you!! Why did you tell what happened in the cave!!" Zuko yanked his arm from Aang's grasp and pointed accusingly at her, but the fire in his mouth had died.

"I thought nothing happened in the cave?" Aang frowned, "She offered to heal your scar?"

Zuko ignored him, "I TOLD you Mai would crucify me!! I trusted you!!"

Katara looked back and forth between Aang and Zuko, her mouth agape. She grasped for words, but came up with nothing.

"What were you trying to prove?!" he fumed, "It was your fault anyways! You said the damn blue crystals would glow!!"

"What's this about a cave?" Mai asked, her voice icy.

Katara found her voice, "I didn't say ANYTHING about the stupid cave!!" She yelled back, "Mai was mad because you kissed my CHEEK in BA SING SE!! BUT NOW I BET SHE HAS A LOT MORE QUESTIONS!!"

How could anyone be so dense?!

Zuko stopped tugging against the earth bender on his arm and looked at the ground. Katara could almost see the wheels in his head turning as he processed everything that had just happened.

"So," Mai repeated, sitting on the fountain cooly, "What's this about a cave?"

Aang fiddled with the hem of his robe, worried, finally in a small, wavering voice, he asked, "Katara?"

Katara felt her heart breaking at the hurt in his voice, and she blinked back tears, "Yes Aang?"

"What happened in the cave?"

"You mean the cave under Ba Sing Se?" She tried to evade the question.

"No, I mean, whatever cave Zuko was talking about . . . blue crystals, was it the Cave of Two Lovers."

Katara turned her back on them all, not wanting to see Aang's face, "Alright, We kissed, on the mouth."

"Why did you lie to me?"

"I promised Zuko I wouldn't ever mention it again."

"You . . ." Aang seemed to be trying to figure out the jealousy washing through him, and he turned to Zuko, his voice accusing, "You kissed my gir-"

Katara screamed in pain, it ripped out her mouth, through her clenched teeth, both boys whirled around just in time to see Mai pulling another dagger from her sleeve, her arm arcing back to throw it. Toph was bending up another pillar of earth, the first not being high enough to block the projectile. She wasn't good at judging things moving through the air.

The Fire Lord caught Mai's arm too late to stop the second dagger, but his momentum took them over the side of the fountain, landing them both in the water. Aang swung his staff and a cyclone of air knocked the dagger from it's course.

Katara reached over her shoulder and yanked at the dagger lodged in her arm, gritting her teeth together. She had never been stabbed before, and it hurt like nothing she had ever experienced. Her nerves were already sensitive from the lunar cycle, and now they were getting signals of the most extreme pain that she had ever felt.

Aang froze the water of the fountain, trapping Mai where she was pinned, and Zuko on top of her, elbow deep in ice. Zuko, who had been struggling to restrain her eased up and let her go, he looked out of place with the fish of the fountain frozen where they swam.

"You attacked Katara!" Aang was furious, "I thought we were friends!!"

"Aang, you can attack someone and still be their friend," Katara reasoned, applying pressure to her wound.

"I don't believe you Zuko! You cheated on me!!" Mai ignored the avatar all together, "and with a Water Tribe peasant no less?!"

"Does it make a difference?" Zuko yelled back, then added, "And I didn't cheat on you!! We were stuck in the cave in the dark lost, what were we supposed to do?!"

"Aang, you remember how it was." Katara pleaded.

Aang shifted back and forth uncomfortably, obviously agreeing with Mai, but not wanting to admit it.

"All we did was kiss." Katara put in, "That's it."

"It's true." Toph echoed.

"It was only to make the crystals glow." added Zuko.

"True." Toph hesitated though, as if it was more difficult to tell.

"I'm really sorry Aang," she reached out tentatively and touched his fingers with her good arm.

"I don't believe this!" Mai glared up at Zuko, "I have had it with you! Of all the stupid things you do! You never think about me, or how your actions will effect me!! It's all about the stupid Avatar and his little friends! Unfreeze the water this instant!" she ordered Aang.

Aang complied, and she stood up, her long robes weighing four times as much now that they were soaked through, and her black eyeliner dripping down her face.

"I'm sick of being treated like this, I deserve a man who puts me as his first priority!! Not his fifth or sixth!!" She yanked off the bracelet and threw it back at him, hitting him square on his chest scar, "You can just forget it!! I never want to see you again!!"

She tramped back across the garden, heading back to the castle.

"Zuko, go after her!"

Everyone turned and looked at Katara.

"Are you crazy? She just broke up with him and told him she never wants to see him again!!" Toph said, "And it was the truth."

"Zuko, trust me, going after her proves you're willing to put her before your sense of pride."

Zuko looked doubtful, "My sense of pride yes, but not before my country, not before peace, and not before the Avatar. I think maybe I'll wait until she cools off, you're not the only one she has thrown things at today."

Toph started to laugh, "Sparky?! Are you afraid of your own girlfriend?!"

"No!" he began wringing his robes out, "But I'd rather not set myself up for failure and a puncture wound." He paused, the reality seeming to sink in, "She broke up with me . . ."

"Come on Sparky," Toph grabbed his arm, "We're going to the kitchen and getting you some Tigerberry juice, maybe some earth kingdom grog as well." She dragged. "Come on you two."

"I'm just going to work on my arm really quick." Katara made a face, looking at the fountain water which now had six fish floating belly up in it. She bent the water out of the air, when they weren't in the fire nation, that water was usually the cleanest. Then she hiked up her top, the second that had been ruined in two days.

Healing over her shoulder was difficult, but she managed to tack all the muscles back together with a bit of improvised blood bending as well, and for once, she was grateful to Hama for teaching her the technique, and for the quarter moon for enhancing her bending as it did. Luckily, since she was working on herself, she didn't also pick up any thoughts or feelings that she didn't already know about.

"You need help, Katara?" Aang was looking at her shyly.

"No, I'm okay, I'll catch up with you and Toph."

"Katara?" Aang asked again, stepping closer, "You've been acting strange for over almost a month now."

Bending her water, Katara said nothing, letting him dance around the subject.

"What's been going on with you? What else haven't you been telling me?"

Katara looked uncomfortable, "Nothing Aang, just . . . girl stuff."

"Why won't you tell me?"

Katara blushed, and tried again, "Well, it's grown up girl stuff."

"You're only fifteen."

"I'm almost old enough to marry!" Katara defended, "Just a few more months!!"

"Well, I think that maybe, you should take some time to, you know, figure out what you want." Aang chewed on his thumb nail, "Figure out what you want, and work out this thing, whatever it is, that you're going through."

"What?" Katara dropped her water, "You're breaking up with me too? Over a kiss?" Katara tried to make it sound like he was being silly, she used her most mature voice.

"Those crystals they led the way from one end of the mountain to the other and lit up in the dark Katara." Aang, sounded accusing.

"I told you what happened," Katara was starting to get angry, "Moku, Chong, and Lily said the place was cursed, they only lit up once we kissed! Both times! I don't know, Aang! I really really don't know, I just rolled with it! Maybe we should ask Bumi what kind of crystals they are, I'm sure he could tell us what happened!! I still can't believe you're breaking up with me over a kiss!"

"No, not over the kiss, and I'm not breaking up with you." Aang cut in quickly, "I just . . . you really hurt my feelings . . . I think . . . just . . ." Aang shook his head and grabbed his staff, soaring up into the air.

Katara watched him go, then sank down on the rim of the fountain, and stared morosely at the dead fish. Something glittering at the bottom caught her eye, and she reached in, retrieving the bracelet that Mai had thrown at Zuko.

…

"Damn it Sparky, Katara TOLD you you should have gone after her." Toph stood next to him as he watched the Fire Nation air balloon take off and head south.

"I didn't think she would make mad dash for her ship! I thought she would sulk here for a day or two." Zuko took a sip of liquid and grimaced.

"Yea, well, Katara has this talent of always being right, even when she is wrong." Toph punched him in the arm, "You stay here, I'm going to go get Aang."

Just then Katara opened the door and stomped in, "The cook told me you took the liquor here."

"Why doesn't anyone ever knock?!" Zuko rolled his eyes, "It's MY room."

She made a b line for the jug sitting on the table and poured herself a glass, and knocked it back.

"Katara you're supposed to sip that," Toph informed her, plopping herself down on the bed.

"Sipping, right, I was getting to that," Katara poured another glass full and sat down next to Toph, sipping it moodily.

"What happened to you, Sugar Queen?" Toph asked.

"Aang is so upset with me!! He just ran off, as usual." Katara coughed, the liquid burning her throat.

"At least he didn't break up with you and run off!!" Zuko turned back to stare out the window again, watching the shrinking airship.

"Katara, you sure you should be drinking so much so fast?"

"I'm fine Toph," Katara rubbed her head, "He wants to know what's the matter with me!! What am I supposed to tell him?! He is thirteen!! That the moon is making me crazy?! Should I use finger puppets?! Has he even HAD a sex talk?"

"Aang is mature for his age." Toph defended, "I bet he would understand."

"No Toph, YOU'RE mature for your age, Aang is a thirteen year old monk!" Katara shot back, "His idea of sex is a closed mouth kiss and holding hands. He is not mature for his age, he is actually immature for his age!! I swear! Sometimes he acts like he is eight! It's all penguin sledding and glider flying, and, and running away!"

"That's not fair," Zuko turned, finally, "He is very mature about people, he is very selfless and forgiving."

Katara glowered and took another sip of her drink, but didn't argue back.

"Yea," Toph agreed, "He didn't attack Zuko at least, that's gotta count for something."

That seemed to remind the fire lord, "How's your shoulder?"

"Hurts like a mother fucker." Katara admitted, "She knew just where to sink it to make it mind numbingly painful. Lucky I am on a power trip or I wouldn't have been able to heal it properly."

"I'm sorry, she shouldn't have done that."

"I was just telling Sparky here he should be taking off after her like you said. Catching up with her in another airship would be pretty dramatic." Toph teased.

"She attacked one of my friends, I'm not going to chase after her," Zuko's voice had gone cold, "SHE owes ME . . . owes US an apology, and I'm not going to forgive her anytime soon."

"So Sparky,what was worse? Jumping in front of the lightening or getting broken up with?" Toph asked, a little more bluntly than she meant to.

Zuko poured himself another glass and ignored the question.

"I bet it was the lightening." Katara answered for him, her eyes clouding as she remembered, "He was in seizures on the ground from it, I saw it hit him, and I thought I was going to die where I stood, everything seemed to stop. I wanted to run over and help him, but the only way I could was through Azula. There was no time! Azula should have known better than to put herself between me and someone who I lo-. . . a friend who needs my help."

Toph and Zuko turned and watched her as she stared into her cup, she rarely talked about that night, and never talked about her fight with Azula. Zuko frowned, everything that happened after he had been hit was a blur.

"She was taking up the few precious seconds I had left with him. Through the whole fight I could see him there, spasming, gasping, his chest muscles were fried, and he couldn't use them to inhale and exhale properly. He was suffocating, his systems were shutting down."

Katara ran her fingers around the rim.

"I think the only reason he survived was because he tried to redirect it. But still, I remember, he was gasping, trying to talk, do you remember that Zuko? You said things. Oh spirits, you said things to me. Just . . . I just wanted to save you so badly, I don't know what these surges are, but . . . I think that was the first one, and I poured every drop of myself into trying to save you. Your nerves, they were gone, you weren't feeling any pain at that point. Your chest, it was . . . it was cooked . . . like a chicken pig, I could have peeled it off of you."

Katara's hands were shaking, her drink splashing.

"You apologized, I think, you said you were sorry for leaving me alone with Azula. You apologized for leaving me, period. You told me you were cold. I . . . My adrenaline, that's what I thought it was. Now I am not so sure. Maybe it was a surge, maybe Yue blessed me with one when I needed it. It hurt, bringing the tissues back to life, bringing you back to life. I can't explain it . . . like, our souls were candles, and yours was going out, and I had to use mine to relight it."

Zuko walked over and knelt down. He took the glass from her hand, then covered her's with his own. From the lower angle, he could see the tears dripping down her cheeks.

"The palace was empty, entirely empty, I didn't know if it would be Ozai or Aang coming back to it. Your teeth started chattering. I tried to cover you, I lay down with you. Your heart . . . your fingers and toes weren't getting enough blood . . . I tried to blood bend, I couldn't, I gave you CPR, you screamed, you screamed bloody murder. I must have fixed your nerves good as new the way you screamed, but I didn't dare stop. I didn't want to have to amputate your hands later because of tissue damage. You had such beautiful hands . . ."

Toph put her hand on Katara's knee, squeezing it.

"I thought I was going to lose you, I thought you were going to die. I thought of what an awful friend I had been, I was so mean to you. You were going to die saving me, and I had been horrible. I threatened to kill you. But there was nothing else I could do. I tried to make you comfortable, I held your hand, I lay with you. And we waited. We waited and waited, and I prayed. I prayed to every spirit I could think of. Any that might listen . . . I prayed it would be Aang getting off the airship . . . either that or that I would have the strength to defeat Ozai if he came for us . . . And that's why it was worse to be hit by lightening."

Katara grabbed her glass again and drank, making it clear the story was over.

"Weren't you going to go find Aang?" Zuko asked Toph.

"I was before Sugar Queen here showed up, now I think I better stay and chaperone." Toph looked torn.

Zuko looked at her crossly, "I don't need a chaperone."

Just then there was a knock at the door.

"It's Twinkle Toes." Toph informed them.

"Come in." Zuko yelled.

Aang walked in, looking uncomfortable.

"Katara? I thought about it, and . . . we need to talk."

…

Ty Lee sat in the shade of one of the trees with the eldest warriors, watching Suki work with some of the new recruits to the Kyoshi Warriors. Their martial arts were nice, and they were learning a lot from her with her pressure point technique, but, the strange make up and cute fighting style was not the reason that she had joined the Kyoshi.

"Sifu Ty Lee! I thought you might like some water?"

Ah, there was the reason.

One of the warriors, a year younger than Ty Lee sat down next to her, offering her a full water skin.

Ty Lee smiled, and accepted, "Thank you Kisa, I'd love a drink. I watched you doing drills with the other girls, you're getting very very good!

Kisa blushed brightly enough to show through her make up, then leaned in, "Is it true what the other girls whisper about you?"

Ty Lee's smile turned to a grin, "What ever do you mean?"

"That, those pressure point attacks that you do, they can be put to other uses?"

Ty Lee nodded, then leaned in to whisper to the younger girl, "Your aura is usually sea green, but it's starting to turn orange around your throat, is there something you want to tell me?"

She crossed her fingers. She had been pining away for Kisa since she met her in the prison. Unfortunately, Kyoshi warriors had a code that the older, senior fighters could not initiate anything with the younger girls, a warrior's honor and some such nonsense. If the younger girls asked to play however, that was a different story, and Ty Lee had been willing the younger girl to get up the courage to flirt with her for weeks.

"Maybe." Kisa looked away shyly, eyeing the other Kyoshi that lounged on the grass, "Will you take a walk in the woods with me?"

"Kisa, I would LOVE to take a walk in the woods with you." The hidden meaning hung in the air between them.

The fourteen year old brightened, at once getting a lot bolder, "Great! I'll go take off my armor!" she jumped up, then looked a little unsure, "You'll wait here for me?"

Ty Lee nodded.

Kisa grinned again and scurried away.

"'Bout Damn time!" one of the other older girls laughed, "Poor Ty Lee she was practically creaming herself every time that girl walked by! It was actually starting to depress me!"

"I think she was about to go back to men!!" Another next to her laughed.

"Hey! I'm open to all opportunities." Ty Lee shot back, then eyed the young girl shimmying out of her armor inside the dojo, "But I have my preferences."

"Preferences?" one of them punched her in the arm, "You flirt like nobody's business, but as you would say, 'Your aura has never been pinker' I think our Ty has a bit of a crush."

"More than that I think, our Ty is in looove." One said, while braiding her neighbor's hair, "I wonder if Suki is going to be pleased that her younger sister has a crush on Ty." Another joked.

"Suki used to be a great roll in the grass herself, not so much after meeting that boy though. She got all disinterested, and then they started going out." The recipient of the braiding sighed wistfully.

"Sokka is all right." Ty Lee defended, "He is really REALLY handsome, I wish I had gotten a sample before they started dating."

"Most Water Tribe Men are dreamy; did you SEE the crew of that ship they came on? There was not one young man there I would refuse to take into my bed. I think its because they're so exotic . . . that dark skin, those deep blue, almond eyes . . ."

". . . large cocks."

"I don't like Sokka, he is so sexist. Thinks he is better than girls because he has a few inches on us.

"I hear that's another common trait of Water Tribe men." Another smiled, "I think Suki broke him of it real fast though, I've got a couple theories as to how."

"You know what Suki told me? Water tribe girls wear bone jewelry on their chests, she said that Katara said that ones that aren't warriors wear bone jewelry on their faces and ears too!"

Kisa was jogging back across the field, this time free of her armor, her long red hair, the same shade as Suki's, standing out against her green uniform. Ty Lee stood up.

"Alright Kisa," Ty Lee put her arm around the shorter girl's waist, "I've got some fun techniques to show you."

The other three girls giggled and held two of their fingers up and licked between them suggestively. Kisa blushed and grabbed her senior's arm and pulled, embarrassed, but not denying the implications.

…

Azula looked out of her barred window, studying the landscape below. She had heard whispers of the Ozai Supporters that had smeared blue lightening bolts across their doors in the capitol. The ones who supported her brother had painted an orange eye on their thresholds, supposedly suggesting his scar.

"I brought you your dinner lady Azula." One of her nurse's put the tray on the table, the food all prepared to eat without utensils. The last time she had been given a knife she had stabbed one of her attendants.

Useless woman, Should have seen the attack coming a mile away.

"Is there something else I can get for you?"

"Where is the Fire Lord?" Azula swayed back and forth, watching the moon rise.

"Word is he is in Omashu, with the Avatar. Do you wish to send him a message?" the woman shifted uneasily, "He wont be pleased if you send him more letters of expletives and idle threats."

"No no, and is the Avatar's girlfriend with him?"

"I know not."

"Get out of my room."

Azula turned and picked at her food, she wasn't hungry, but she was feeling oddly lucid. Things were rolling. Movements were happening. The first block had been knocked, and it had hit the next and the next. It wouldn't be long now, she could feel it.

"Only a matter of time brother . . . I'll enjoy ripping your world apart around you."

"You should be nicer to your brother." Ursa told her, "He is your elder, and the Fire Lord."

"Shut UP!" Azula bent fire at her, "It's all your fault that I am like this! I'll kill everyone, and it will be your fault! Not mine! Your fault because you made me this way!!"

…

Both Toph and Zuko stood outside of Aang's room, their ears pressed to the door, straining to hear what Aang was saying.

"sss 'tara crying?" he whispered, voice slightly slurred from alcohol.

"Shh, no, her voice isn't cracking enough, she doesn't sound mad either though." Toph murmured back, her attention fixed on the room, "Stupid, thick, Omashu doors."

"'en are they gunna finish f'ightin? Its be'en hours!"

"mmMmhm nothing more I mrmMMmehm. If THAT'S the way you fmmhmmMMmm FINE!"

"Hit the deck!" Toph hissed, and they both scrambled out of the way as Katara threw the door open and walked out in a huff. They glanced at each other, and Zuko started to take off after the water bender, but Toph grabbed him and darted into Aang's room.

"What happened Twinkle Toes?"

"I told Katara we either have to take a break until she figures things out, or she has to tell me what's going on with her." Aang was sitting cross legged on his table, taking refuge in the highest point of the room.

"'hat did sh' say?" Zuko looked like he just wanted to leave and find Katara.

Aang looked at him skeptically, "Well, she stormed out and is saddling an Emu Horse to ride to the swamp as we speak. What do you think she said?!"

"I'm sorry Aang."

Aang shrugged, looking depressed.

"'ang, I need a faavor." Zuko sat down on the table's edge, "I need you t' go to the Fire Naaation and steward there for a while, 'tara and I are goin to go to find my mother."

"I doubt she will go anywhere but the swamp, she is being stubborn." Aang was drawing circles on the table with one of his fingers.

"Then me 'n her will 'eead to the fire nation aafter she plays in the mud." Zuko dismissed, "But I 'on't know how much loonger I am going to be dashing around the 'our nations . . . . I need yrrr help, 's the Avatar."

Aang was silent.

"'lease Aang?"

"I'll do it, if you do something for me."

"What?"

"Go with Katara to the swamp, make sure she isn't eaten by a catgator or a mammoth swamp python, and . . . . help her, with whatever is bothering her in any way you can. I just want the old Katara back."

"I promise 'ng, I'll brin' 'er back in one piece."

"I'll need a fire bending instructor while I am in your court, I haven't mastered Fire and Earth yet."

"I'll 'range ne frr you." Zuko promised.

…

Katara huffed, packing her bags, she had not had time to go shopping in the marketplace and get new traveling cloths, so she shoved her dirty, blood stained ones into her pack. She grabbed a bottle of Dragon Tongue Rum and took a shot right from it, wiping her mouth on her sleeve.

How dare he give me an ultimatum like that!! She fumed, blinking back tears.

She shoved her dagger into her belt, and pulled her water skin over her back. She wobbled as she walked across the room, then banged into the table, still drunk.

Who does he think he is?! He is supposed to be supporting me!!

There was a knock at the door.

"GO AWAY!!" she screamed at the top of her lungs.

"'s me, 'tara, you're one angry drunk." Zuko knocked again.

"UUUGH!!" Katara growled, but flung the door open.

"'tara, you c'an't just go tearing out o' here." Zuko shut the door behind him, "You're still d'runk,

"mm NOT drunk! This ss ALL your fault!!" Katara whirled and lost her balance, falling into him, and he caught her wrists.

Zuko held her wrists , taking a deep breath and counting to three, thinking sober thoughts.

"'tara, you're not thinkin'g straight right now." Taking a few steps forward he walked her backwards and sat her down on her bed, "Right now, 'ou should be sleepin'it off."

"Noo! 'm fine!" Katara almost whined, making Zuko painfully aware of their two year age difference. She was definitly acting her fifteen and a half years.

"No, you're d'runk, and angry." Zuko sat down next to her and gave her a hug, "I know. Just, stay one more night, and you and I will go to the swamp together tomorrow."

Katara brooded, staring at her hands, and then buried her face in them, pulling her knees up to her chest. Rolling to her side, she put her head in Zuko's lap. The fire lord sighed and stroked her hair, trying to bury his own loss by dealing with her tantrum.

"Y' 'ink he'ill take me back ff I get this s'orted out?"

Zuko shrugged, depressed, "Yes, much more likely he will than Mai will forgive me . . . that girl can hold a grudge . . . ."

"I'm soo sorry I 'essed up 'ings for you." Katara's eyes began to tear, and she gripped one of his knees, "It w'as my idea t' take the cave . . ."

"Stop apologizing, I should be apologizing, I'm sorry she attacked you." Zuko rested his hand on her shoulder.

"I 'eserved it . . ." Katara's eyes were closing, she was calming down and starting to pass out.

"It's just, she missed me so much, I think she was the only one besides Iroh who would have been sad to see me go."

""uko, you don't need to 'xplain yourself, 'ove is 'ove . . ." she squeezed his knee, her eyes closed.

"I guess," Zuko began stroking her hair again, "I thought I had something . . . maybe not."

He looked down at her, her head pillowed on his thigh, and broke into a small, sad smile, "Or maybe I do after all . . ."

…

Ok, I don't want to go into a deep character analysis, but the question of Zuko's submissiveness, I basically pulled it from The Beach, where he let Mai boss him around for almost all the episode until he finally blew up at the end of it. I assumed he would react the same way if another bossy girl that he liked was telling him what to do.

Since Zuko has not really interacted with any of the other characters until this chapter, that was the only facet of his personality exposed. I can see how he seems OOC though, and please tell me if it doesn't seem to be improving. OOCness is my biggest hurdle in writing fan fiction.

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Happy Birthday Blueberry Girl!! I come bearing the gift of Zutara . . . or did you want myrrh? Cause I can run over to the New Age shop . . .

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Wow, 20 reviews in one day? Thanks loyal readers, you guys are the best!! For that I got this chapter out as quickly as I could. I never thought my story would be so popular!! Am I living up to everyone's expectations?

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Hope you liked, R&R, questions, comments, reviews, complaints, requests, links to fan art you drew for me and want me to show off.

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Remember kids, don't drink and fire bend.