Sorry again for the shortness of the chapter, but I want to thank you all immensely for your beautiful comments.
QweenSeeker, Aipom4, sokkantylee, and Books 'n' Arrows. I am so immensely appreciative of the time taken to post a review. Please enjoy this chapter.
Chapter 15: Zutara week, Date
Plop. Katara threw a pebble into the water of the pond. She hadn't managed to sleep last night, instead she sat here, alone and cold by the pond, the sun just now starting to shine over the horizon. Why Zuko… why?
Zuko sat on his bed. Most the furniture singed, tapestries burnt to crisp. Why? Why now? Couldn't she have come just a minute later? Couldn't she have waited? Why had he waited?
Plop. Another pebble hit the glassy surface, triggering a ring of ripples to disturb the serenity. Why Zuko? Why was she in your room so late? What was she doing there? As much as it hurt her inside, she knew the logical answer. Besides, they had been together for so long, it's only natural to be drawn back together.
Leave now. Please go,Zuko remembered back, only a few hours did she have to come? What was in her mind to visit him so late? What business could she possibly have with him? Zuko paced the charred floors in his room, the fibers crunching beneath his feet with satisfying, yet dismal snaps. Above everything else, Zuko wondered why he humored her, why he had let her stay so long.
Plop, yet another stone hit the water, the sound somehow soothing to Katara's tired ears. She had no right to be angry, but she spent plenty of time being so. Was she angry at Mai for being so delightfully perfect? No. Was she angry at Zuko for stealing her heart? No. She was angry at herself for leaving her heart so vulnerable and open to hurt.
He'd been avoiding looking at the only unscathed section of the room. The small box on the desk seemed to haunt him, its slender body laughing at him from across the room, its wooden frame taunting, even the tiny metal clasp cursed his name.
Plop, she didn't know how many stones had been tossed, only that they had been. Why should she care? It wasn't like they were really involved? So what, they kissed once, or twice, it's not like it mattered. So what if the world seemed to dissolve around them at the smallest touch, or glance? So what if the fire in his eyes managed to set even her icy heart aflame? So what if she was happy with him? It obviously didn't matter.
Zuko's breath hitched in his throat as he finally locked eyes on the little package. The little box had just arrived from the Earth Kingdom where he had sent it originally, the contents to be finished only by the best. It had only arrived a few hours ago, by air even, the fastest delivery possible. But after this would she believe him? Could she?
Plop, like every other pebble, it sank straight to the bottom of the crystal clear pond, the sun gradually rising to warm the frozen air. No matter how many ways she tried to convince herself, Katara's heart still ached. Once again, he'd chosen her. She'd just come too late, why couldn't Katara see that? She'd just waited too long.
With the box in hand Zuko walked back to his bed, the sheets virtually unharmed, other than a few singed corners. In his fingers the box, no wider around then a tea cup and no longer then the length of his forearm, felt infinitely heavy. It's metal hinges creaked open loudly, filling the room with its taunting laughter. Why? Why did it have to play out like this? As far as Zuko knew it was over, everything. It was going to be perfect, tomorrow was the day he set, the date he'd been looking forward to. The slender body of the boxes contents looked up at him defiantly, the metal shining beautifully under the dim light. He knew it had taken her some significant work, but somehow Toph managed. Where on earth she had found a black metal like this was beyond him. Vaguely a memory stuck of a sword Sokka once had, but that had been long lost.
Plop. What could Katara do now? She'd run away from her home once already but she wasn't about to do it a second—third time. She belonged here and she knew it. No matter what the Fire Lord did, or who he loved. She couldn't leave his side, she just wanted him happy, so long as he was happy, she would find a way.
Zuko knew, unlike stone, or fabric, this metal treasure would never fade with time, so long as the stars in the heavens turned, the memento of his love would survive.
With a sigh Katara pulled herself to her feet, dropping the remaining pebbles to the ground. Resigned, she walked away from the small pond. There was nothing she could do, he clearly didn't love her. It didn't matter what she felt, he didn't love her. But there was no use destroying herself for it. Besides, it had only been a month. A month doesn't mean anything in the way of time. Instead of returning to her chambers she headed towards Azula's home, she owed Zuko that. For everything he made her feel, every time her heart fluttered uncomfortably, she owed him his sister's mind back. If she couldn't be a lover, family, she could at least give him his back.
Today was supposed to be the day, Zuko's fingers slid against the smooth surface of the metal trinket, today was the day. At sunset, when day meets night, when the sun meets the moon, where both, yet neither existed was where he was going to do it. But now? Katara would never believe him. Not now.
