Okay guys, once again this; though taking elements from the show, is where the situations have to change, Zuko for one won't be as dickish as he was in the show, purely because of character development, and the story as will press on how I would have liked to see it… I hope you will like it too
Katara was staring at him with wide eyes, and for a moment, all the anger and guilt she had been feeling towards him had been washed away, the only thought that was consuming her mind right then was revenge, revenge for her mother, Zuko had said closure, but that was not what it was about, for years she had dreamed about finding her mothers' murderer, tracking him down and hurting him, she wanted him to feel the pain she had felt! And Zuko, he was giving her the chance to do just that.
She nodded to him, though her brow was furrowed as she did so, she had never meant for Zuko to get involved in anything like this, she knew he did not like her like she thought she liked him, and she had a feeling her going all gun ho would not exactly be the most alluring thing, but the thought of getting revenge, of finally seeing the man that killed her mother was too strong to resist, and so she just went back into her tent and gathered her things. Zuko was still waiting outside when she re-emerged and she ended up looking down as she said the next part.
"We will need to take Appa, I don't want to involve the others" She looked up as she said it, only to find Zuko nodding "yeah Katara, it's better that way, with the two of us we can get in without causing a fuss, and if it goes wrong… well… I will make sure you get away" Her eyes widened a touch as he said that, but before she could say anything he began walking to the main camp. He fell behind as they got closer to Aang, and though she knew she should be calm, when Aang asked if it was her turn to go on a field trip with Zuko, she just agreed. Something seemed to flicker through Aang's eyes then, though she could not place it.
Yet when Aang questioned her reasons for going, she could only shake her head and say that he would not understand, but when Sokka took his side, she snapped "then you didn't love her the way I did!" she didn't mean it, and she looked away as soon as she said it, but it was then that Zuko spoke up "She needs this Aang, this is about getting closure and justice" She closed her eyes then knowing that that was not the truth, but Aang spoke up on it too, revenge… yes, that was the truth, and Aang knew it, more than Zuko did, yet even though he had not known the real reason, he still defended her choice… Yet as they walked away together he drew up beside her and spoke softly
"Katara, maybe we can wait till the war is over? I will give you all the information I have, when Aang wins you can"-"NO!" She whirled on him, only to see that soft look in his eyes, he was worried about her, it was written all over his face, but she had waited too long for this! And now that she was so close to getting revenge, she was not going to throw it all away! Zuko just nodded… "Okay then, tonight. Wear dark clothes, if we hurry, it should be a one night job… Aang will forgive you Katara… but.. don't you think you should… I dunno… try talk to him?"
She just shook her head and went to get ready, and Zuko went his own way, she turned to watch him walk away and then sighed a bit, it was unfair of her, she knew it was, Zuko was doing this to try and get her to forgive him for something that was not even his fault, well… not really, he after all did not know she liked him, and he had already had Mai as a girlfriend before he joined to group… she had no right to be angry at him, and no right to hold him to this quest, especially as it might make the others hate him again… He was doing all this for her… he didn't have too, but he was, she went to her tent so she could be alone, but being alone was not helping her either, it just gave her time to think over the morning.
Zuko had gone to Sokka… did he really care about how she thought of him that much? And… just what did Sokka say to him to make him want to do this? He could have just told her, let her go off on a vigilante mission alone But then the words he said sank in… 'and if it goes wrong… well… I will make sure you get away' once again her eyes widened a touch, she knew what he meant by those words, but… then again, it was not the first time he had done something like that, even back at the air temple, he went out to face his sister, no, not just his sister, a fleet, all so they could get away. The odds were against him then, and had they not turned back and gone outside, he would have died, there was no question about it, and even after saving him… his only concern was in Azula's defeat. She had never said it to him then, but… she got the feeling he didn't care if he died… and she was getting that same feeling now.
It was almost dark when she went to his tent, she stood out side of it for a moment, thinking to talk to him about her revelation, but as she raised her hand to knock, the flap was pushed aside, and for the second time she was facing a partially unrobed Zuko at his door, only this time he did not turn around to invite her in, nor was she there to heal his wounds, this time he went out, and it was her wounds he was trying to heal… "Zuko I…" "We should leave now, before they spot us" He moved ahead to Appa, and while there he handed her a black robe and mask "Put these on"
It was as she was closing the mask around her neck that Aang came, she could only shake her head at his attempt to make her reconsider, but the fact that he was letting her go made her internally sigh, and she looked to Zuko who said nothing and just climbed into the saddle, Zuko had told her to talk to him, perhaps he had been right? But knowing Aang, he would have then tried to come along, and that would have just caused problems for them all. In the Air she looked back to Zuko, he was looking at her and when she made eye contact he gave a little smile "At least we didn't have to fight with him…" She turned around and nodded a bit "yeah… but I don't think I can do as he suggested… it's… it's not that easy"
There was silence for a while, but then Zuko's voice drifted up to her again "no… it's not… Aang was not wrong you know… Doing nothing is easy… I don't forgive my Father… I don't think I ever could… but… when I channelled the lightning; for a moment, just a second, I thought about letting it kill him. Striking him down… Maybe I should have… Azula would have ascended to the throne then, and nothing would have changed… but, when I pointed to him… I knew I was not a murderer… I never was… even when I chased you… even when I fought in the caves… When Azula shot at Aang… all I could think about was that spirit water… I found myself…"
"Zuko." She turned to look at him again, this making his words fail, he was looking away from her, and she frowned, it was clear he was eating himself up over that day "About… about what I said before…" He looked up to her, and she saw the hint of fear in his eyes, though before she could go on, he spoke again "I can't take it back Katara… no matter how much I might want to, but at the same time, it is only because I returned to the fire nation that I realised how much I really had…" he lowered his eyes and she furrowed her brow a bit as he continued "I think… it is a good thing, that I left with Azula… it made me realise who I really am… yet, I lost something precious in return…"
"Your Uncle…" He looked up to her then and his eyes were a bit wide. "Uh, well, Yeah I suppose… I was going to say your trust, but when you put it like that… I guess I still screw up when it comes to figuring out what's important" She was glad then it was dark, as the blush that spread over her features would not be hidden for love or money, she turned away from him then and he continued talking "well… I hope this will help you to trust me a bit again… here is the plan…"
He reviewed what they would need to do, and it became clear to her, that though she already knew it, he was really a commander of an army, he had thought of everything, and even as they began the infiltration, his movements, the ease of how he directed her, it was as though he was not the angry offish guy that come after them not so long ago, but the thing that was striking out to her the most was how well they were working together, Toph had said it before, that they were right for a buddy system, and though the training never happened; thanks to the return of Suki and her father, it was clear that Toph had been right.
In the communications room, as he pulled the scroll out and showed the route, the feeling of adrenaline flooded through her again, and they set off once more, though whale tail island was a good distance away, longer than they had planned, Zuko had passed out, and it left her to think once more, think of why she was doing it, to reaffirm her justifications, so even as Zuko woke and told her to sleep, she just felt the need to tell him, tell him why she had dragged him on this mission to begin with. When he said that her mother was brave, that was when the tears started, and it was when Zuko's arms wrapped around from behind her, and though for a moment he just held her with a nervous tension, she found herself smiling to how sweet it was.
She had told him before that he was romantic, and this showed her that he was caring… yet even as she began to lean back to him, he scooped her up with far too much ease, and she was once more reminded of how strong he was, she was about to protest, but he shook his head "Katara, you are a brave woman too, but… you can't run on that alone, get some sleep, I will call you when I spot them"
She had thought getting sleep would be impossible, but it was almost the moment he let her down to rest that she felt her eyes closing despite herself, and the last thing she focused on was his back as she drifted off. Though she didn't really dream, the few images she had were a mix of her hugging her mother, which would then melt to Zuko, other ones would be of her mother saying how happy she was that Katara had found someone that cared about her as much as she had… But then it shifted to her looking at a scene with Zuko telling her to go find her father, saying that he would handle it, and she watched herself leave, and no matter how much she screamed at herself to stay, it still resulted in Zuko dying.
That was when she heard him call "There!" She woke up with a start, and even as He explained who they were, she felt the anger from her dreams, and from the reality wash over into one, her eyes narrowed and she simply said "Let's do this" and it was easy, much easier than she would have thought it to be, if only she had been this strong when she was young. If only she had the strength back then that she did now. Things would have been different! Her mother! Her tribe! But even as she thought it, she knew it was useless. Nothing would have changed, it would have only meant that more would have died, and so would she, even though she was a child, they would have killed her, just like they killed her mother!
Tears stung her eyes as they boarded the ship, and for a moment she could not see the man left on deck, but Zuko sent a blast of fire out to send him overboard, and again, he shoved another soldier back into a room, locking him in with a sword, she was getting sloppy, but she could not help it, she was so close now, so close to ending it all! All that rage, all that anger boiled up in her, and without hesitation she bended, but not water, blood, despite the promise she had made to herself that night that Hama was taken away, she took his body under her control, and forced him to the ground, and for a moment, she felt like she might just squeeze his heart shut, she felt it, struggling against her, but Then Zuko spoke, told him to look her in the eye, and she raised him so he could, and in that moment, she realised what she had almost done… he was not the man that killed her mother… and she… she nearly…
The tears were back again, but for a different reason now, she had nearly taken the life of an innocent… well… perhaps not completely innocent man… but not the right one, how was that any better than what had been done to her? But as Zuko pushed him into telling them who they were really looking for, she found herself questioning the mission; what if she made a mistake again? No… no! she was not going to back down! But this time! This time they would follow him, just to be sure! They would question him, she was not going to make the same mistake again.
After following him for a while, they set a trap, it was almost sad to see how easily he fell for it, she watched him grovel in the mud as she approached, taking them for petty thieves, but his begging only drove her anger, but she had to be sure, she had to know he was the one, and as she saw the recognition in his eyes, and he spoke the rest of the story, the part that she had never known, her mother, she had died to protect her, and as all that anger formed, and all her rage filled the point of her ice spears, she knew, even in her throwing them, that this was not who she was. This man, the pathetic creature before her, was not worth her turning into a killer.
So as he cringed back away from her attack, she just let the ice dissolve around him, and as she walked away, a feeling of peace flooded over her, and on the ride back on Appa with Zuko piloting, she thought about what that really meant to her… did it mean she forgave him? She shook her head a bit as she thought on that, no… she couldn't, wouldn't forgive him, but… what did it mean? Was she too weak? Or was it strength? "Zuko…? Was I wrong? To let him live?" Zuko looked at her and shook his head a bit "Katara… you told me before… that you don't like the person you are when you're angry… maybe… maybe this was you proving it, showing you are stronger than that person you despise… it took me a long time to get there myself, but then again… you always were a quicker learner than me."
She smiled then, and he smiled back before returning his gaze out to the skies, She moved to the front of the saddle then, so she could talk to him with more ease "Zuko…?" He made a 'hmm?' noise as he continued guiding Appa, but she took it as a motion to continue "Zuko, I need to apologise to you…" at this he turned his head a small bit, but he still didn't fully turn around, and it might have been for the best, because she felt her courage already starting to fail "Back… back when you came to me… and said I wasn't being fair to you… I shouted at you, I said horrible things… And you…" He was smiling at her, and he was about to cut her off, but she interceded quickly before she lost her nerve "No, you need to hear this. I was angry at you, but, but not for the reasons you think. You have been sweet and kind to me, and I have been horrible to you, and… and it is not because I hated you… or because I hate the firenation… it… it was…"
That was it, it was as much as she could say, her nerve was faltering, and she looked down, after everything they had been through together… she could not say it. And suddenly she felt that maybe she was weak, just a weak little girl that was out of her depth, but then she felt hands on her shoulders, and when she looked up, he was right in front of her with that worried look in his eyes… "Katara?" Her face burned red again, and she thought she might cry for how frustrated she felt… but despite how much she wanted to just lean forward and kiss him right there, she just forced herself to look back down… but then his tone became even more concerned "Katara… please… tell me what I have done wrong…" and she knew she had to tell him… he had done so much for her already, he deserved that much, even if it meant him shunning her…
"My Dad… he told me about the prison break… how… how your girlfriend saved you… I guess… I thought that… I thought that you had broken up with her… and… I don't know why… but… I just got mad…." Her cheeks were red hot when she finished, and before Zuko could say anything, she just moved away from him saying sorry again, leaving him to look at her for a moment and then move to the reigns once more.
For his part, Zuko did not know what to make of what she had said, but then he was always a bit slow on the uptake when it came to feelings, so when she walked away to the back of the saddle, he just resigned to steering again, but he kept throwing a look back to her once in a while, where had that come from? And… his girlfriend?... Mai? But… he had broken up with her… he should have broken up with her after the vacation to the islands, it was that thought that gave him the idea to go back there, after all, it would be the last place that his Father would look for them, so he set Katara down on a pier and told her he would be back soon with the rest of the guys.
Katara had just agreed to it without saying much, and he didn't say much to her either, but… something felt different, and even as he was flying away, he wanted to turn around and go right back to her… she had been mad at him… because she thought he was still with Mai… but why would… his eyes widened then, and things seemed to click into place, how hurt she had been that he betrayed her, how she was blushing when he stripped off his top in front of her, how upset she got after he told her he liked her like a sister, and then being angry over being with Mai… but… if that was the case… his lips parted a bit and he shook his head slightly, this was crazy!
His head was spinning by the time he picked up the group, and they began drilling him on what had happened, and he went over it all, yet he left out the part where she had… well, no she didn't really confess to him, not really, and even if she did… saying it to her brother would not be the best thing to do, but even worse… Saying it to Aang… oh he was stupid when it came to his own feelings yes, but he could not help but notice how much Aang liked Katara… if… if Aang knew Katara liked him? What would happen then? Would Aang just forgive him? Pretend like it was okay?
He looked at the little monk as he thought about this, and he realised that, yes, Aang would forgive him, no matter what he did, no matter how much he hurt him, Aang would forgive him… this was echoed then as Katara hugged him while saying out to the group "I won't forgive him for killing my mom… but.. I am ready to forgive Zuko" Her arms gripped about his neck, and he held her, just like he had that night in his room after she had read his journal, but now a faint flush appeared on his features and he lowered his head a bit into her hair to hide it, and as she walked away, he turned to look at her, but when he spoke, it was directed to Aang "you were right about what Katara needed, violence wasn't the answer…"
Aang answered in the way Zuko expected him to answer, and for a moment, he felt afraid to ask the next question… but he asked it anyway… "What are you going to do when you face my father?" perhaps it was unfair to just throw it on him like that, but Zuko was truly beginning to feel worried. Of the group, Katara seemed to be the only one with enough drive to do what needed to be done, but when to came down to it, she had not killed Yan Ra, but… Ozai… he was not Yan Ra… he would not grovel in the dirt and beg for forgiveness… and Aang… if he faltered… it would mean the death of them all…
Dhun Dhun Dhun! Oh the dramas! And Now that Zuko knows, what will he do?! And how does he feel about her himself? you will just have to wait and see!
but for now...
Review answering times!
Good morning flower: Hey darling, thank you as always for the reviews, and I am sooo sorry I have not been doing as much with your amazeball stories, just had no time, moving to a new house is taking up all my free time, But yup, I knew something was off in my writing his name, but no matter how many times I reread, my brain was like, nope, That is definitely right, so thanks for spotting it for me ^_^
Only 5, maybe 6 more chapters to go! I can do it!
K-naille: Thanks! I was worried about this, seeing as I am meant to be following the Cannon, but inserting Zutara, and it seemed to be going okayish until Zuko became a big Jerk face again lol so I was all *flips tables* Feck this shite! Hence the bif hiatus from before, but I think I have it figured out now ^_^
Lunachan90: Hey, thanks! I do know what happens, as I watch each episode just as I am writing the new chapters to make sure I get the details right, though I would suggest you watch them all too before continuing to read, as I would hate to spoil it for you.
Iris Irine: Hey, Thank you very much! I hope that I can get something published in the future, but I doubt I will ever give up fanfiction though XDD I can imagine also reading fanfictions of my own work and being all like… hurm… might mention this one in the next novel lol And I know, I totally messed up the name, quick explanation, I am dyslexic, and while words spell check is a great friend to me, with Names it can not help, so when I was reading 'Hadoka' I kept seeing it as 'Hakoda' so I did not see the mistake, I am really grateful to you and Goodmorningflower for pointing it out to me, as it really helps me to stay on the ball as best as I can
Thanks to everyone that is reading, and please Review if you have the time! I love reading them and they give me writing energy! They are like my power rings of writing!... hurm… if I get 100 reviews… will I get an extra life?