Don't cry for me tonight

Chapter 8

Katara left Zuko's room shutting the door quietly with her back to the hallway. She let go of the golden knob when she felt a hard hand on her shoulder. She gasped.

"Miss Katara? What were you doing in Zuko's bedroom?" Iroh asked.

'Don't be nervous.' she thought to herself. "Nothing. I just went to see if he was up." Katara said. "Hey I didn't see you last night. Where were you?" she added changing the subject.

"A meeting. I was just clearing up paper work as a pre-Firelord thing. Did you have fun at the festival?" Iroh asked.

"Oh yes. I hung out with Zuko most of the time." Katara answered as Iroh slightly smiled and raised an eyebrow. She caught herself. "You know cause my brother ran off with some girl and Aang went off buying anything he could afford and my father wouldn't let me go off alone."

Iroh shook his head smiling. His eyes seemed to be in disbelief.

"So what are you doing here?" Katara asked backing from the door.

"I was just going to talk to Zuko. Have you had breakfast yet?" Iroh asked trying to get rid of her.

"Oh no. I'll go get some after I see Gran-Gran. Bye." Katara rushed away.

Iroh frowned as he watched her leave. He felt disappointed in Zuko. Iroh opened the door and closed it behind him.

"Katara, really everything will be ok. Now get the hell out of my room before—" Zuko said looking up from under his pillow then noticed it wasn't Katara.

Iroh sat on the bed. "Before what Zuko?" He asked relaxed.

Zuko's eyes were wide but then he looked away. "Nothing. Its none of your business." He finally said plainly.

"I'm afraid it is. Zuko I want to be honest with you. You're my dearest nephew and I don't want you to do anything rash." Iroh spoke with such concern that made Zuko a bit nervous.

"What are you talking about uncle?"

"Last night I saw you and Katara at the festival. I tried to catch up to you two and join you and I accidentally overheard your plan of ending your parents wedding."

Zuko sat up. "Why are you snooping around?"

"Zuko is it true? Please tell me no." Iroh pleaded.

"Is what true? Do tell me." Zuko kept calm.

"That you want to fake a relationship with Hakota's daughter. Your future step sister."

Zuko looked away but angrily. "Again, none for your business."

Iroh shook him. "Zuko you have no idea what you're getting yourself into!"

"What am I doing wrong uncle? If you really even heard any of it last night you would have also heard that I was joking. It wasn't true." Zuko responded.

"So it's not true?" Iroh was taking back by this. He even felt guilty for thinking such nonsense.

"I-I'm sorry Zuko. Just be careful with your words from now on. After all, your in the eyes of this nation." He turned away. Once he reached the door Zuko sat up then called his uncle. "Uncle?"

Iroh turned around with a sad smile. "Yes? Prince Zuko?"

"Thank you. Now get out." Zuko laughed.

Iroh bowed. "As you wish, young prince."

Meanwhile

Katara rushed downstairs after rubbing her grandmothers feet. 'I wonder what he said to Zuko.' she thought.

When she reached the dinning room the food was just being served. She took a seat beside's Aang.

"Morning Aang." Katara said. "How are you today?"

"Good. Thanks. You seem to be in a good mood."

Katara smiled as her plate reached her. "I am. A little. It's a new day after all."

As they ate the wedding details were the main topic at the table.

"And we found a nice dress maker and she will be making the dresses for you too Katara. We just have to find someone who can make Hakota's clothes." Ursa began. "The color is going to be all white."

"Why don't you wear red, Ursa? And dad wears blue?" Sokka suggested.

"Because we don't want it to look like a circus dear!" Ursa responded. "Katara, is Zuko awake?" she asked. "We wanted to ask him something." She added.

Kana's sharp eyes hurled to Katara's emotionless face. "I'm not sure. But when he is, he will come down." Katara took a big bite from her food. "Well all done. I'm going to go get changed." She wiped her face then power walked up to the room.

"Is she still upset about yesterday, Hakota?" Ursa asked concerned thinking about the kiss. She felt the guilt since he did not.

"I don't know. She'll get over it. Don't worry about it." He replied.

"I'm going to go check. She barely ate." Ursa went after the waterbender in a hurry.

Ursa first checked in her room. "Katara are you in there?" she knocked.

Katara opened the door now changed into a knee length sleeves blue robe. "What?"

Ursa stepped inside. "I just wanted to know if you were ok. I'm sorry that you saw me and your dad um—well you know." She apologized feeling every embarrassed.

"It's ok. Someone told me not to let it bug me. You guys are getting married anyways. Why should it matter to me?" Katara said brushing her hair.

"That's good. Do you need help with your hair?" Ursa asked. Since she was never close to Azula she never did her hair as much or do any mother-daughter things. It was those little things Ursa yearned for and the little things Katara missed.

"Um sure." Katara sat crisscross on her bed and Ursa sat at the edge.

"Do you want it a braid? Or something different?" Ursa asked brushing through.

"I don't care. Something new."

"Ok. How about a French braid?"

"Never heard of it, so ok." Katara sat up straighter.

"A couple made it up at the refuge camp I told you I went to. Listen, Katara I wanted to ask you something. About the wedding I wanted to know if you'd be one of my maids. I think your father is going to ask Zuko, Iroh, Sokka and the avatar to be his best men."

"Oh well that sounds interesting." Katara said. She didn't really want to consider it.

"It is! You will be coupled up with one of the boys and at the wedding party you'll have to dance with your partner. It will be fun."

Before Katara could respond to Ursa there was a knock at the door.

"Its open." Katara called out.

Zuko came in—just what she needed. "Mom I was looking for you. Hakota said you'd be in here. And you're—brushing her hair." He sounded confused at the end. Probably he assumed a servant would do something like that and not a Queen.

"I'm asking Katara if she would like to be one of my maids for the wedding. I told her that Hakota wanted you to be one of his best men. Did he already ask?" Ursa asked.

"Oh yes. He did. I said yes to the offer." Zuko said sitting on the bed besides his mom.

"See Katara? You should consider it." Ursa said.

"Yeah Kat. It might be fun." Zuko said, "Besides, Aang is doing it also. Maybe the two of you can be partners for the dance during the party. The two of you haven't done a lot together lately."

"That's true. Sure. I'd love to." Katara agreed.

"Oh thank you! This is perfect. So you want to be partnered with the avatar?" Ursa asked smiling.

Before she could answer Zuko interrupted. "We already went over this, mom." He chuckled.

Ursa laughed with him "Oh its just because I'm so happy! Everything is going so well. I'm happy that you two are getting along well and are ok with the wedding. I happy that we are all going to be a big family! Nothing can bring me down now."

"Of course not mom." Zuko smiled.

Katara looked at him at the corner of her eye. 'How is he so good at that? How can he be like this when just last night he plotted to end her happiness? Why can he lie better than me?' she thought.

Ursa finished her braid and they went to show it to Hakota.

"It looks nice Katara. Oh Ursa, I asked the boys and Iroh. They all agreed." Hakota told her.

"That's great, honey. Katara agreed too! She wants Aang as her partner. That's ok, right?"

"Sure. That's fine. I wouldn't imagine her without him." Hakota said.

"I'm going to go see my sisters to see if they want to be part of this." Ursa said.

"I'll go with you." Hakota said taking her hand. "We should decide a date for this thing anyways."

They left with Kana and Iroh that afternoon. Bato stayed with the kids as a request from Kana.

"Ok kids now it's just the five of us. What do you want to do?" Bato asked.

"Hey Sokka, mom and your dad wanted us to get to get along better. Maybe we should do that this time." Zuko said ignoring Bato.

"How do they know that we don't know we aren't getting along? We act like we do." Sokka said.

"You guys just act like you are?" Bato asked.

"Yeah." Katara told him.

"But weren't you all friends?"

Katara whispered, "We had a little argument a few days ago and they aren't exactly over it."

Zuko and Sokka began talking about their childhood, likes and dislikes, girlfriend stories. Soon after they were both making fun of Katara and acted as they had been several months ago when they all teamed up.

"Wont you guys shut up?" Katara asked now irritated of the jokes that focused on her. She couldn't hear what Bato was saying to her and Aang.

After they stopped, the boys listened to the stories of Bato's childhood. They heard about all the things they did to Kana and the tribe. Katara half listen while she read a documentary of the avatar the festival the night before was for.

It hit the late afternoon at last. They ate a nice lunch/ dinner then Bato passed out on the couch a little after when they went back to the den.

Zuko, Aang and Sokka began talking again about girlfriends and then just girls in general. Katara felt boredom and uncomfortable hearing the things that came out of Sokka. She listened quietly pretending to reread the document of the Avatar. She was more interested in what Zuko had to say about Mai and with each word he spoke she began to realize more and more how lucky Mai was. Katara realized how much growing up Aang needed before he could reach that level of maturity Zuko was in, but it wasn't something she thought about for too long. Katara was beginning to feel jealous though. Of how Zuko and even Sokka treated Mai and Suki. More and more was she seeing the child in Aang.

"Hey Katara, you look bored." Aang leaned over looking at her.

Katara looked in the young air bender's eyes. The gentle eyes that loved her. "Sorry Aang. I just love talking about the girls I like." She said sarcastically.

"Ok then. So what kind of guys do you like, little sister?" Zuko asked.

'Great. I'm his sister again.' Katara thought. "Oh you know. The type that can master all four elements. Who accepts everything about me and still loves me."

Katara noticed Zuko roll his eyes when she stopped. "Hm. Good luck with finding someone like that." Zuko said. Katara stuck her tongue at him.

"Hey Katara? I wanted to ask you something. If maybe you would want to go out with me somewhere. We haven't done much alone, so I thought that maybe…" Aang tried to say. He's face was red. He wished he asked somewhere more private. Katara didn't bother looking at her brother who was sure to be keeping his vein from popping. After all she is his little sister.

"That would be nice Aang. It would be our first date, wouldn't it?" Katara smiled.

Aang's heart skipped a beat. "Yeah it would. It'll be fun."

"Okay. Let's just wait until Bato wakes up." Katara promised. She didn't care if Sokka was upset.

"I don't want to involve myself in your first date or anything…" Zuko began.

Sokka interrupted, "I do."

"but," Zuko continued, "if you want you two can join Mai and me later tonight. The two of us had planned to meet anyways. We can do a double date. It would be good so we can show you the city a little more. I would be more fun than getting lost." He kindly suggested.

Aang and Katara smiled at each other. "Sounds fun. How about it?" Aang asked.

"Wait what about me?" Sokka complained.

"Yeah. Let's do that!" She agreed.

"So you're all leaving me?" Sokka's voice wasn't getting through anyone.

Zuko began leaving for the door, "Let me just go let Mai know."

Sokka began waving his arms around. "Don't forget about me! What about me?"

"What about you?" Katara asked now paying attention to her lonely brother.

He looked away. "Oh nothing! Just go on and have fun! Don't worry about me. I'll be fine." He said sarcastically.

"Ok, thanks!" Aang said standing from where he sat.

"I'm going to go get ready Aang. How about you?" Katara asked leaving also.

"Yeah let's go."

Sokka mumbled under his breath. "Stupid double date. Leaving me alone and not offering to buy me anything. What am I supposed to do now?"

"Huh? What?" Bato woke. He looked around at the empty room with only himself and Sokka. "What? They ditched you?"

"And what if they did?" Sokka grumbled his way out of the room.

Sorry Sokka!

This chapter was also totally redone. The next chapter will be totally new. The double date with Aang Katara Zuko and Mai. Sound good? Well you know what sounds good to me? Food. I'm off for some lunch. I'll try to post chapter nine later today for ya after I get some energy in me.

Love ya!

Review!