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Rainbows and Wishes.

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Zuko and I were doing the dishes together after dinner, as we always do. I was saying that I was looking forward to a day with no chores. Zuko said I'd probably still 'supervise' and offer 'suggestions' to whoever ended up doing the chores. He said this in a very amused tone with a little smile. There was a small splashing battle. I won. I rubbed the soapy suds in his hair and it was sticking up all at odd angles.

He asked me what I really wanted for my birthday and I said I wanted all my wishes to come true and rainbows everyday and a lionpony named miss fantastic sparklepants. He made a face at me. Really, I don't know if there's anything I want or need, aside from all of us having a fun, relaxing day together. I told him about trying to get Aang to relax before the Day of Black Sun and how hard that had been. Zuko told me that the whole island was volcanic and there were many hot springs and steam pools dotted about the place, so if I wanted to, I could take Aang for another yoga session.

I worry about our stress levels.

I wanted my birthday to be a day of fun and just relaxation. Zuko said that should be easy for me and Toph and Suki because we were going to the day spa. I wanted to help the boys relax too. I asked if they would want to come to the day spa as well. Zuko made the most horrified face when I suggested it. I'll take that as a no then. Zuko is not a day spa kind of boy.

Then I suggested that we all do steamy yoga together as a group bonding exercise. Zuko said he didn't think it would be his thing. I said he was too tense and needed to friggin relax because even his hair was standing to attention (I know this was caused by the soap suds and not tension, but my point still stands). Zuko said he was always tense and I replied that I would make it a birthday command that he would have to relax.

Zuko was a bit confused about birthday commands and I told him that at home everyone does what I say on my birthday. No complaints or arguments! It is my favourite part of my birthday. Zuko said he wasn't surprised that being a birthday commandant was my favourite part of my birthday.

Another splashing battle ensued, but I made sure that I rinsed his hair with water bending this time-so it would stop sticking up ridiculously.

When we were wet faced and grinning at each other and the last of the dishes were clean, he asked me again about what I wanted. I really don't know. Unlike Zuko, I don't have a list in my head for everything. I just wanted small things that would be easy to pack and to carry around with me. I told him to get me nothing bigger than a breadbox. He said I'd have to tell the others because he knew Sokka had already got me something much bigger than a bread box.

Bollocks.

-?-

We let off some steam again after this. It was great. I won again. I cheated…errr used the great tickling offensive again. I think Zuko is trying to figure out where I am ticklish by process of elimination.

He hasn't figured it out yet.

-?-

I have made an announcement at breakfast that I only wish for items smaller than a bread box on my birthday. Sokka face-palmed and said 'now you tell me' but all the others seemed alright with this.

-?-

Aang and Zuko were training in firebending in the courtyard. I decided to watch in a non stalkerish fashion today. Aang's really come along way in a short amount of time. Zuko was trying to teach him how to do what I think is the firebending equivalent of the octopus form. Aang was able to pick it up pretty quickly and has earned a 'well done' an 'I'm really impressed' and eight smiles for his trouble.

Aang wanted to talk to Zuko 'in private' and gave me a look. It was a look that said please go away while we talk about you! Humph. At first I thought I could just refuse to leave but I realized that would be childish and counter productive. I told them I would be making tea in the kitchen and waited until they'd wandered off. Then I followed them using my sneakiness and some of the stealthy tricks Zuko taught me. They were just sitting on the front deck, so it was quite easy to eavesdrop on them.

Aang wanted to know what was the rarest and the most expensive and the most special things on the island. Zuko said the rarest would be the burning passion firelilies because they only grew on Ember Island and as a result they were quite rare in the firenation and very expensive off the island. Zuko said that a guy would normally get them for a girl when he just wanted to…(there was a long pause)….. Zuko sputtered and then trailed off. He took one look at Aang's hopeful, innocent face and couldn't finish his sentence. What this anonymous flower-giving chap wanted will have to remain a mystery for Aang. I can hazard a guess at what he wanted. I think it's the one thing my dad is always warning me about when he says boys are only after one thing. But that is just a guess.

The most expensive (and tastiest) would be dragon berries. They were really difficult to harvest and had only just come into season. They were a firenation delicacy and a favourite of posh people everywhere. They were so expensive because they were so scarce and had to be picked by hand from the very top of the dragon berry trees.

The most special thing was probably the white crystals but they wouldn't be a suitable present for me because altogether they would be bigger than a breadbox and everybody already had a plan for them. Aang could not get them as a present for because of the plan. Aang agreed and asked if they were still working on the plan this afternoon. Zuko said that Toph and Suki would help them and Sokka had agreed to distract me for the duration of the plan.

This is what happened when I stop stalking! Sneaky people come up with sneaky plans behind my back just to surprise me. I have no idea what this plan is and I am wracked with curiosity.

-?-

What is the plan!

-?-

Everyone has been acting shiftily. They've all disappeared, leaving me with Sokka who is trying to get the proper recipes for five flavour soup and my other favourite foods out of me. I know he was trying to distract me and I wanted to go follow the others and find out what the plan was. I thought there would be nothing Sokka could say/do to successfully distract me from this course of action. Then Sokka mentioned that he might like to add fireflakes to five flavour soup and make it six flavour soup. And I was successfully distracted.

Sokka just knows how to push my buttons.

You can't do that to five flavour soup.

You just can't.

No…just no.

Sokka and Zuko can add their bloody fireflakes afterwards. I can tolerate those bloody flakes in curries, but they will absolutely ruin the delicate flavour of five flavour soup. Sokka was treated to a long lecture about the many evils of fireflakes. I said various things about my birthday culinary wishes and stated that even though I now have a grudging tolerance of his and Zuko's fondness for them, if he dared to add that baked good to five flavour soup he would be making an abomination of water-tribe cuisine, a mockery of my birthday and a cranky person out of me.

-?-

Everyone came back and their general shiftyness continued. All inquires about what they had been doing and where they had been were met with non committal answers. I bet I could get one of them to break and tell me. I have honed in on Suki. As my honorary older sister figure she should tell me these things after the requisite amount of nagging.

-?-

Suki is like a vault! She is locked down.

-?-

I was going to pester Toph about the plan. She is the most upfront of our group and I think would tell me with the right persuasion. But there has been a horrifying turn of events. She is trying to learn the tsungi horn. I say trying to learn when what I really should write is making the most tremendous, dreadful racket I have ever heard. It's not music. It's just noise! How can an instrument that sounds so lovely when Zuko plays it- sound like this with Toph playing it.

She makes it sound like a fog horn or the distress alarm of a fire navy ship.

Toph has realized that the only instrument that can make a noise louder than the drums in the tsungi horn. Toph likes noise. She likes loud noises even better. She's never come across a tsungi horn in all her posh life. Or at least her parents never let her play one.

I can see why.

Zuko has gotten down the smallest horn for her and it is taller than her. She's earthbended herself a little platform to stand on. Now she can be tall enough to play it. Zuko has got down his own horn and he was showing her how to hold it and how to play a melody. It would sound quite lovely when Zuko played it. Then Toph will just blow her horn loudly and make up a tune of her own. This tune, invariably, did not sound quite as lovely.

Aang has vanished (presumably to escape the dreadful noise) and Suki and Sokka have absconded together (also presumably to escape the noise and canoodle discreetly). I am alone with the tsungi horn twins. I can't seem to stop watching despite the noise. I've never simultaneously seen Zuko be so patient and Toph so be bad at anything. Toph is normally pretty good at everything she tries her hand at. It is unusual to see.

-?-

After a while, Toph got a bit frustrated with her Tsungi horn and said that maybe she was too short for it anyway. It seemed like she wanted to give up on the horn completely. This seemed to alarm Zuko, because he never gives up. He said that he was shorter than Toph when he started to learn and he was pretty terrible at it at the start, but the tsungi horn is an exceptionally difficult instrument and he just needed practice. He thinks Toph is doing great –because she can already (just barely) play the scales on the horn. Toph asked him how he even reached the horn if he was shorter than her and couldn't earthbend a little platform. Zuko said he practiced while standing on the complete compendium of firenation history. This has cheered Toph and now she is back to playing the scales with gusto.

More gusto and noise than I think is strictly necessary, but she seems happy enough.

-?-

Zuko and I left her practicing and went to let off some steam again. Sometimes I think this is my favourite part of the day. It was great, even with the scales playing loudly and badly in the background. I feel like I'm actually improving. With bending, there is always room for improvement I say. I feel I'm getting especially good in fighting fire now. Me and Toph would occasionally spar when we were travelling with Aang and she gave me a good idea of typical earthbender moves. Zuko does the same for firebending. And it's just so much fun! We taunt each other in a friendly manner and chase each other up and down the beach and normally I win by resorting to ...err…sneaky tactics.

I think I'd eventually be able to beat Zuko if we kept bending at each other. My bendings a little stronger than his at night, after all. I prefer to win by tickling. I'd never tell him this, but I just love the sound of his laugh. It's more fun to beat him by tickling than it would be to beat him with bending. And if I beat him by cheating…err tickling, it's not like either of us really lose.

But tonight the most extraordinary thing happened.

We had a stalemate!

A draw!

Or a tie!

However you say it. It was even steven.

I tackled Zuko and was tickling him relentlessly and he was struggling a fair bit. Then he reached around me and grabbed my left foot and started tickling me in retaliation! He's discovered my ticklish spot. My one weakness! The bottoms of my feet!

Oh noes!

And the great tickling battle was on! It was a tickle war of attrition! It was a very inelegant and sandy struggle for dominance! He tickled my feet and I tickled him everywhere I could reach. I thought I had more of an advantage because Zuko is much more ticklish than me, but he is also incredibly stubborn and just would not yield. Not even when he got to the point where he did the snorty laugh. In between laughs, I told him that he should just let me win because it was my birthday tomorrow. He said he'd let me win tomorrow but tonight he was tickling for honour! And in retaliation for being tickled into defeat two nights in a row!

We just messed about tickling each other for ages. It got a bit ridiculous really. It became obvious that neither of us was going to give in easily. I said that we should call a truce or a tie and Zuko agreed and declared that we were equals and we had reached a tickling impasse and further tickling would just be superfluous. I asked him how he knew where I was ticklish. He said he had his ways. I said you asked Sokka-didn't you? And he nodded in confirmation with a cheeky smile.

-?-

When we got back to the house the others were asleep. Toph had left the tsungi horn lying in the living room. I put it back in the music room for her while Zuko made us some tea. We sat on the side balcony and drank our tea together.

I asked him something that was had been on my mind since he'd been teaching Toph.

Why the Tsungi horn?

Why, when he had the choice of a room full of instruments did he choose the biggest and the hardest to learn? He said that his Uncle and his cousin could both play it expertly. That was part of the reason, but not the full reason.

I know when he's holding something back.

He told me previously that his Uncle could play most of the instruments in that room expertly, so he could have used that reason for any other instrument. Zuko said he wanted to learn it precisely because it was the most difficult. He wanted to prove to himself that he could do it. He said this with a shrug as if he was already dismissing what he was saying. It was such a Zuko answer. Doing something just because it's difficult and he's stubborn. I didn't quite understand the need to prove something to yourself at the age of nine (that's how old he was when he got the certificate).

He said that his mother wanted him and Azula to have a more rounded education and learn other things, creative things, intellectual things, anything aside from firebending and warrior arts. His dad said Azula was special and she didn't have to worry about learning music and other things. The unspoken message was that Zuko wasn't special. I understood a little better, after he said that.

It made me a little sad to think that it had always been so easy for Ozai to make Zuko feel like he wasn't good enough. That he did it with things that should just be happy, like learning music. I leaned my head on Zuko's shoulder and said that I thought the way he played four seasons yesterday was special. He said thanks -really softly and we sat in silence for a while.

I asked him if he would play it again for me on my birthday. He said with a cheeky smile that he'd have no choice because I would be a birthday dictator and he'd have to what I said. I asked him if he'd play something for me when it wasn't my birthday and he said he would- if I asked nicely.

Then he noticed that technically, it already was my birthday, because it was after midnight. I looked up and the moon and saw that it was part the halfway point in the sky. Zuko was the first to wish me happy birthday. He got up to get my present (a bit excitedly for Zuko, I thought) and I took our mugs into the kitchen. He came back and lit the wall sconces in the kitchen, so we could see each other better. He held out his hands and told me to pick a hand.

I tapped leftie first. He opened it up and there was the intricately woven leather necklace in there. It had three large knots that had been tied into flowers with blue beads in the centre. It was quite pretty, but the first flower was a little wonky. Zuko said it was really hard to get the flowers to sit right and it had taken him ages to make. He explained that they were wishing beads. It's a big superstition in the firenation. The colour of the beads mean something. Blue means hope and Zuko thought it would be perfect for me. I get three wishes (one for each flower) and when it comes true the flower will come undone and the bead will fall off. It's long enough so I can tie it as a bracelet or an anklet or a necklace. I tied it around my ankle and made my wishes.

1 tomorrow will be a fabulous day and I'll not feel sad for a second (My birthday normally makes me a little sad because it is so soon after I lost mum.)

2 We all survive the war (this is more of a wish for everybody and is a bit more weighty than my first wish)

3 we win the war (see above)

I started saying thanks-but Zuko interrupted me and said my present had a second part and waggled his right hand. I tapped that and he flipped it to reveal a clear crystal. It had six long flat sides and a pointed end and a loop of leather holding it at the top. Zuko said it was a prism and would make a rainbow and he knew how much I wanted to see more rainbows (I had a small rant about my mother and rainbows on the way back from the southern raiders). I wasn't sure how a crystal could make a rainbow, so Zuko showed me. He held it near one of the wall sconces and concentrated for a second so the flame burned a bright white. When it was bright, the light went through the crystal and painted a rainbow on the near wall.

Amazing.

Zuko said it looked much better in daylight with the sun and I could hang it on the window in my room and get a rainbow everyday and if the hope beads worked my wishes would come true – the only thing he hadn't been able to get me was a lionpony named miss fantastic sparklepants. He said it with a really shy and bashful smile and I was stunned into silence for a second.

It was a really thoughtful gift. When I said everything I wanted last night, I was being a little sarcastic because I thought he was just asking to be polite. nobody ever gets me anything I really want anyway. The honest truth is that rainbows and wishes was what I really wanted. Zuko really listens to me when I speak. Who doesn't want all there wishes to come true and a rainbow everyday?

Zuko mistook my silence for a dislike for the gifts and blushed and started going on about how silly it was and…..He was about to start doing that babbly thing he does when he's nervous. I held a finger up to his lips to silence him. I looked him in the eye and told him that I loved the prism and the wishing beads, I was just surprised that he remembered what I said the other night and got them for me. He looked at me and said that he remembers everything I say. Then it was my turn to blush. I said I hoped he doesn't remember everything, because there were a few insults I tossed around earlier that I wouldn't mind taking back. He said some of my insults were pretty memorable. But he said it with a smile.

Then we were just staring at each other and smiling. It was nice. After a long pause Zuko wished me happy birthday again. I realized I hadn't said thank you properly so I gave him a huge hug. He wrapped his arms around me and I may have snuggled against him a little bit. His heart was beating quickly but steadily. I breathed in his Zuko smell and gave him a little squeeze around the middle. He gave me a little squeeze back around my shoulders. I said thanks for my present and he said he was so glad I liked it. It is actually one of the most thoughtful gifts I've ever gotten. Gran Gran and Sokka normally always get me socks and mittens and scarves.

We stood just cuddling for ages. Maybe it's a little weird to have long cuddles with your friends like this. But it was so nice just to hold him and smell him and listen to his heart beat. He wasn't complaining or fidgeting or anything. If Sokka saw us, he'd definitely think we'd been exchanging moon peaches and if Toph saw us she'd laugh and blow the tsungi horn loudly and announce it to everyone and if Suki saw us she'd probably want to get me drunk on saki and have another girls night and ask me all about it. If Aang saw us he'd….. oh bollocks it all. Zuko's a good cuddler and I don't have to make excuses for our cuddling or worry about what the others will think.

It's my birthday, I can cuddle who I want.

-?-

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Long rambly Author's notes:

Lovely wonderful readers! You have reached the end of Rainbows and Wishes. This chapter is exceptionally fluffy (pure unadulterated fluff!) and I hope you've enjoyed it! An enormously big thank you to all my fabulous, wonderful reviewers! If I could , I would give you all prisms and wishing beads so that you too can have all your wishes come true and start everyday with a rainbow! Thanks so much for all your comments and reviews! They make me smile!

In this chapter we get to see that Gang getting ready for the auspicious occasion of Katara's birthday. You'll have to wait til the next chapter to see what the plan is all about.

A few things come up in this chapter.

Katara worries about the Ganng and especially Aang and Zuko's stress levels – She's seen what Aang is like when he's stressed and Zuko is just a ball of tension sometimes. Never fear dear readers, she will find a way to help him relax!

I imagine most of the islands in the firenation archipelago would be volcanic and have hot springs/mineral waters etc. I used to live on a volcanic island in Italy and it was fabulous and very fertile and lush. When I imagine Ember island I always seem to think of some sort of hybrid paradise between Ischia and hawaii.

Anyway much fun can be had by all at a hot spring. The Gaang will explore one at some point.

Aang wants to show Katara how he feels and he thinks the best way to do this is through rare/expensive flowers or a rare expensive item. See the fortuneteller episode in season one. Bless Aang's cotton socks, flowers are often a good way of showing that you care but they are also a little bit of a generic gift. Everybody loves flowers after all. Anyway he consults Zuko for all things rare and expensive on Ember island and there is a rare and expensive flower that grows there for no other reason that because there is in my imagination. The burning passion fire lily is a little like red roses. Romatic etc but mostly given when the guy wants some nookie or is apologizing for something.

The lovely and fabulous Kimberley T *waves at Kim*suggest bottoms of the feet for Katara's one ticklish place! This is a fabulous idea! Thanks Kim! Now that Zuko knows Katara's ticklish place, they will be on a more even playing field.

Toph and Zuko- I flove em! I think Toph would have a great fondness for noisy instruments if only because they vibrate much more and I imagine that would be great for a blind person to be able to 'feel' if they are doing it right. The Tsungi horn is enormous and looks like it could make a lot of noise. I just love the mental image of tiny Toph playing a massive horn. And then I loved the mental image of tiny Zuko playing a massive horn. And I put those two mental images together and it was flove! I think Zuko would love to show Toph how to play it properly and would be very patient with her –but I think she'd get a little frustrated with it. She will need lots of practice and may go back to other less deafening instruments during this fic.

I hinted at a few more serious themes regarding Zuko and the tsungi horns. I think this house will stir up a lot of memories for him and not all of them will be pleasant. I think Ozai would have been quite callous in his attitude to Zuko and wouldn't have a problem emphasizing how special and wonderful he thought Azula was in comparison. Zuko would want to prove to himself that even though he wasn't as good a bender as his younger sister he could still be good at other really hard and complicated things.

So he picked the biggest and hardest instrument he knows and tried to master it.

It doesn't hurt that it is Iroh and Luten's instrument either (though I think Iroh can play at least a few instruments- he did a pretty good job on that mandolin in tales of Ba Sing Se). I think his mother would have been really keen for both her children to have a more rounded education- but she was more successful with Zuko. In a chat with the lovely Em Dixon *waves at Em* she said she got the feeling that Azula was 'Ozai's kid' and Zuko was 'Ursa's kid' and I couldn't agree more. I think he would have wanted to make his mother happy however he could and if she wanted him to learn an instrument – he would have been all over that!

So, for Zuko, I think things like the tsungi horn will simultaneous remind him of his father's rejection and his mother's love and his feelings will be a little mixed on the matter. Throughout the final season of Avatar, I felt that one of the bigger changes was Zuko progression past the point where he needed his father's love and approval and could stand as a person in his own right without needing to look to either Azula or Iroh for guidance.

The gifts:

The wishing beads he gives Katara are similar to Brazilian wish knots and karma beads put together. My friend went to Brazil and said that they have these bracelet/anklets that are tied into quite elaborate knots. The superstition is that you make a wish on each knot as you tie it around your wrist/ankle and when your wish comes true the knot will come undone. My friend swears by them because all her wishes came true. I used to work in a hippy shop (in the days when I smelt of patchouli and lavender and did a lot of yoga) and we sold karma Beads. Similar concept to the wish knots except they came in different colours. I remember that blue was the colour of hope. Pink was love. Green was courage etc.

Anyway I thought blue beads for hope would be perfect for Katara. So I put the two superstitions together and had Zuko make her a gift (it would have taken him ages) because I put a lot more stock in gifts that someone has really thought about and taken time to make/choose. Katara is a little superstitious so she's quite into the wishing beads.

The prism – ah year 8 science – you have been useful to me! Prisms are great! I have one on my window. Zuko knows Katara (at least in this fic) is into rainbows, so he gives her one so she can have a rainbow everyday. She would have had a rant about rainbows and her mother on the way back from the southern raiders and Zuko really is paying attention to everything she says. When she jokes that all she wants is wishes and rainbows, a little part of her is telling the truth and I wanted to show that Zuko takes what she says to heart.

And they cuddle for a good long time.

Don't judge me too harshly lovely readers. I just really like cuddling!

In the next chapter Katara will use her birthday powers and a girl's day out will be had. Someone may have witnessed the tickling and the cuddling and jumped to conclusions.

Til then lovely readers…..