18- Katara's Research

Xia laid on Aang's chest gazing through the window. The sun was streaming through, making her a little warm, but she didn't want to move from her spot. She felt satisfied, and well rested; surprisingly after the intense sex they had the previous night. She still couldn't get the image of Aang's tattoos out of her head. She wanted to see it happen again. But Aang had explained that it only occurred sometimes, and that was the first time it had occurred during a sexual experience. She glanced up at him; he was sleeping soundly, noiselessly.

He was quiet a lot, but she didn't mind. She was quiet herself. Even more so, since her father passed. But Aang had managed to loosen her up, remind her about having fun. She admired his carefree nature. And she loved how thoughtful and sweet her was; to her anyway.

She knew about Katara, even though Aang himself never mentioned her. She knew his story; his adventures as a child, his defeat of the Firelord. But she still found that she wanted to know more about him, more about his culture.

Aang stirred, and opened his eyes, still glazed from sleep. He glanced down and smiled at the tiny woman in his arms. Even when waking from sleep, how was this woman still so pretty? He ran a hand through her sleek black hair.

"Did you sleep well?" he asked.

"Always, when I'm with you."

Aang kissed her forehead and watched her. She seemed to be thinking about something. "What is it?" he questioned. "What are you thinking about?"

"You," Xia said simply.

Aang looked at her, amusement crossing the confusion. "What about me?"

"I want to know more about you."

Aang cocked his head to one side. "Like what?"

"Your culture…take me to the southern Air Temple," Xia said excitedly, sitting up.

Aang sat up as well, and gazed at her. "Really?"

"Of course! I would love to see where you grew up," she responded, her eyes brightening with excitement. "Please?"

Aang thought for a moment. It had been a while since he had been back home. But he was sure there would be no harm in visiting, of letting Xia visit. He knew she would love it. It would be like a little vacation for the two of them. "Sure."

Xia hugged him tightly, already planning in her head what she wanted to do. "Just let me run to town first and get some supplies," she said before giving him a swift kiss.

Katara rose early the next morning, the man still lingering in her mind. She didn't tell Zuko what she heard…for now it meant nothing. But all her instincts were telling her to investigate. She dressed quickly, then after leaving the still sleeping Zuko a note and a kiss on the cheek, departed.

The streets of the Fire Nation were busy, even in the early morning. Nearby shops and roads were bustling with life. For a while, Katara thought that the illness was airborne. But then, many more people would be sick. And nearly everyone, including herself and Zuko, were perfectly healthy.

Fortunately, the man was well enough to tell her where he worked. So now, it was only a matter of visiting the nearby food places and hoped that she could gain some useful information. She could still hear his words echoing in her mind…. "A rice bowl and a cup of tea..."

When she arrived at the road where he claimed to work, it was small, but somehow, there appeared to be numerous food places. She stopped in each one, requested the manager, and asked if he noticed anyone falling ill from their products.

Most of what she heard was, "Nope, everyone seems fine."

But some, as she expected took offense to her questions.

"How dare you accuse me of serving bad food?"

"I don't know what you're talking about."

By the time she reached a small tea shop, her patience was wearing thin. But still, she smiled pleasantly at the man who approached her. He smiled back warmly, but appeared exhausted. He moved slowly as he approached her.

"Hello young lady, what can I do for you?" Despite his appearance, his voice was very pleasant.

"I'm sure you heard about the illness going around."

"Oh yes…" the man agreed, averting his gaze from her. "The Firelord mentioned that the other day."

"Have you been affected, or seen any of your customers getting ill from…" she trailed off. She had already upset too many people with her questions. But he understood, and if he was offended, he didn't show it.

"Oh no, no. In fact, everyone has been very pleased with the tea that I serve. I got a new product in a couple months ago, been selling like crazy."

"New product?"

"Yes, a plant that brews this delicious tea. I got it from a friend of mine, owns a tea shop on the other side of the fire nation. Everyone seems to love it."

Katara briefly wondered if the man had this tea. Was there something in it that was poisoning people? But then, wouldn't they be able to taste it if there was? She kept her thoughts to herself.

"Would you like a cup?" he asked, snapping her back to reality.

"Oh, no thank you, but do you know where I could find one of those plants that you use for the tea?"

"I heard that they buy them from someone. But they usually get such a large supply, that they share with me. Here, let me give you one." He went to the back of the small shop. He returned a few moments later, with a small bright red plant in his hands. He handed it to Katara. She examined the small plant in her hands for a moment, then looked up at him.

"Thank you so much."

"No problem, are you sure you don't want a small cup?"

"Actually, I should be getting to work. Thank you for your time!" She smiled at the manager once more, and then left the shop in a hurry. It was time to share her information with Zuko.

"You never fail to impress me Katara," Zuko said holding the plant carefully by the light of a candle. It really was stunning, and looked so fragile. But still, it could be potentially dangerous. He wrapped up the plant carefully and faced Katara.

"I have to take this to Uncle," he said. "If anyone could identify this plant, it would be him."

Katara nodded in agreement. She was about to offer to go with him, but then she remembered her patients. Zuko seemed to have seen this thought process through her eyes.

"I won't be gone long…3 or 4 days at the most."

Katara matched his gaze, her face now unreadable to Zuko.

"The guards here can take care of your every need."

"I know…but…" she moved closer to him.

"What?" Zuko said his voice barely above a whisper. Though he already knew. His heart rate increased. How was it, that she had this effect on him? This hold. This was going to be hard on him too. If only she knew how often he thought of her, how often she invaded both his conscious and unconscious mind…

He grabbed her waist, and kissed her roughly but passionately. They slipped into the passion that overcame them, for a short while, abandoning the worries and concerns of the world.