a/n Well, today's our 1st birthday together! Thank you so much to all of my wonderful readers, whether you just started or you've been reading for a year, you are awesome! A year ago, I had an idea for a short one-shot type story, but it has grown far beyond that, because of YOU! So thank you again!
I decided not to split this chapter, so it's extra-long. I hope you will like our Birthday Gift.
Chapter 32 ~In the Woods~
-Zuko-
A wonderful smell stirred him from his slumber. Tentatively, he peeked out one eye. It was bright, past morning. He squinted as he sat up stiffly and looked around for Katara. His eyes landed on her. She sat beside the fire, giving the contents of an unfamiliar pot a stir with her bending. Sensing his gaze, she looked over at him.
"Good morning," she said cheerily.
"Is it still morning?" he asked with a smile and threw off the furs.
"Hmm…" she replied, tapping her chin in false contemplation, "Just barely."
"Oh, well that's good. I'd hate for us to miss a day's traveling because of me." He was only half joking. It wasn't like him to sleep so late…but it wasn't like her to rise so early. "How long have you been up?" he asked, pulling on a light red shirt. She shrugged.
"A while," she answered vaguely, "I went into town to borrow this pot," Ah. "and to get some mushrooms." Seriously? Why would they even want to chance those things? She laughed, correctly reading his expression, "They're safe. Trust me." He grinned ever so slightly and walked towards her. She rose up gracefully and wrapped her arms around his neck.
"I guess I don't have a choice." He remarked as he laced his arms around her waist.
"Well, unless you want to starve," she tried to keep her face serious, but the smile broke out and spread across it.
"I wouldn't want that." He said softly, leaned down slightly, and rested his forehead against hers. Her left hand slid down from his neck to squeeze his arm and suddenly his shoulder erupted with pain. He winced and clamped his jaw to avoid crying out. Of course, she noticed. She instantly let go of his arm and pulled back.
"Zuko!" she gasped, confused. Her hands went immediately to his sleeve, rolling it up to expose his shoulder. "What did you do?"
"Uh…" He wished he had a better story to tell her, because in all honesty the truth was embarrassing. "I fell."
"'You fell.'" She repeated doubtfully.
"I swear I fell!"
"Off a cliff?" she asked sarcastically as she started to bend water out of her pouch. "Honestly, Zuko." She muttered as she applied her healing hand to his black and blue shoulder.
"I lost my footing and rolled down a hill." He admitted with a sigh.
"And…?"
"And I rolled into a tree." He twisted his neck to see her hand against his arm, already the pain was receding and the bruises fading.
She didn't speak again until she removed her hand and stashed her water.
"Is that all you did last night? Roll down hills and crash into trees?" she asked, seemingly over her annoyance or whatever that emotion was.
"Not exactly…" he started slowly. "I was looking for information on Jinzuk."
"You said the same name yesterday. Who is he?" she asked as she sat down again.
"He is my mother's father." Zuko replied as he took a seat facing her.
"Oh." She seemed surprised by the news and it occurred to him that she probably didn't know his family tree. Although, even he didn't know much about his mother's family, except for what Uncle told him. If they were to be married, she'd needed to know all about his family's past.
"I don't know if you knew but… My mother's grandmother was married to Avatar Roku."
"Really?" she gasped and he nodded. "So that means you are..."
"Yeah, I'm Avatar Roku's great-grandson." Her eyes widened farther and her mouth actually opened slightly.
"So you're related to Aang!" she blurted. He hadn't really thought about it like that before.
-Katara-
"Yeah… I guess I am." He replied, shrugging. Wow. She had no idea. I wonder if Aang knows?
"Wow." She could hardly speak, "I did not know that." Wow.
"It's uhm… it's one reasons my fa- I mean… it's one of the reasons Ozai married my mother." He paused slightly. They both had recognized the correction he made, but she chose not to say anything, so he continued. "He knew their children would be decedents of both Fire Lord Sozin and Avatar Roku. A powerful combination would hopefully result in powerful benders." The voice of the fortuneteller Aunt Wu came into her mind. 'I feel a great romance for you. The man you are going to marry…he's a very powerful bender.' Katara couldn't help but smile at the recollection. "What?" Zuko asked, pulling her out of her memories.
"Nothing, I just remembered something a fortuneteller told me once…"
"Oh?"
"She said I'd have a great romance and marry a powerful bender."
"Me?" he seemed almost surprised.
"Well, yeah." Couldn't he see how impossibly in love she was with him? He fidgeted slightly.
"It's just…I never thought of myself as a powerful bender. Azula was the child prodigy." There was that insecurity he had, rearing its ugly head again. She was determined to squash it out for good.
"Zuko," she said, wanting to make sure she had his complete attention. "You taught the Avatar firebending. You are the Fire Lord, for Agni's sake. Why don't you get how amazing you are? Because you are," she went on, not wanting him to interrupt and argue, "You are amazing. I can hardly wait to marry you because I love you. No matter what anyone else says you are a powerful bender, you're my powerful bender." Finally, he smiled the shy smile she loved.
-Zuko-
He had always thought of his destiny as only pertaining to the throne, but could her words be true? Was Katara and he destined to be together? He had always been weak. She was supposed to marry a powerful bender, someone like…Aang. Yet she had declared her love for him over and over and then he felt foolish. He grinned in his embarrassment.
"Thank you Katara," he replied, his voice low and full of gratitude. He cleared his throat. "So you went into town... How's Lee?" he asked, directing the conversation away from himself. The way she tilted her head slightly meant she could see his ploy, but she graciously didn't press the matter.
"He's good," she shrugged, trying and failing to sound nonchalant. She stirred the contents of the pot again.
"And his mom…?" Zuko prompted, though he already knew the answer. This time she couldn't help but give a sheepish smile.
"She's good too."
"Is that so?" he said, pretending to be surprised. She whacked him playfully on his good arm. "Well, I guess she has the Painted Lady to thank." Then he realized that if she had just healed Lee's mom she would have been back sooner. She must have healed the entire town. "You're pretty amazing yourself." He said softly. "Well, at least the Painted Lady is. She must be exhausted from healing everyone." Her face split into a grin.
"And what about you, Blue Spirit?" she asked teasingly. "Must be tiring to roll down a hill."
"Ha. Ha. Ha." He said sarcastically, causing her to laugh and soon he was laughing with her.
It was so nice to laugh with her. Everything seemed easier and less daunting with her.
"Did you find out anything about your grandfather?" she asked, her laughter subsided. The fuzzy laugh in him died.
"No." he said discouraged. He had accomplished absolutely nothing. She placed a consoling hand on his shoulder.
"It's okay. We'll find out what happened to her." He nodded, not meeting her gaze. "So," she said, her voice too cheerful, "Hungry?" He smiled weakly, looking at the wonder that was his Katara.
She bended the soup out of the pot and into two wooden bowls. It was really tasty.
"Mhh…" he hummed appreciatively, "It's really good Katara." She beamed at the compliment.
"Definitely one of my better creations. I remember when I first set out with Sokka and Aang… there were some times when the food was barely fit for Momo." They both chuckled. Then there was silence as they ate. "What else did you last night?" she asked between bites.
"Well… I looked for Jinzuk'a name in the list of deaths for the past few seasons and didn't find anything."
"That's good,"
"Unless he died farther back than the records show."
"Then what?" she asked, ignoring his comment.
"There was some official working late and I had to leap out a window so I wouldn't get caught. Then I…" Should I tell her about my run in with the soldiers...?
"Yeah?"
"I uhm…met a few soldiers in the town and they sort of attacked me."
"Why?" she gasped. He didn't reply, but waited for her to figure it out. "Oh! That's right! Maybe I should turn you in… collect the reward myself." Her tone was serious, but her eyes sparkled. He had to laugh, causing her face to break and she joined in.
"I really need to take that reward off…" he said through his laugh.
"Yeah, you really should. So… you had a run-in with some soldiers, huh? They didn't hurt you? You'd tell me, right?"
"Don't I always?" he asked, smiling, yet avoiding the question. She saw right through him and smacked his previously injured shoulder. "Ah! Okay. Yes, of course I'd tell you." His shoulder no longer hurt from the fall, but she had quite the arm. That reminded him of something. "Katara?"
"Zuko?" she asked, raising her eyebrows.
"Do you know how to fight without your bending?"
"Uh…no?"
"That's what I thought," he said, nodding to himself. I should teach her.
"Why do you ask?"
"I think it'd be a good thing for you to know."
"Would you train me?"
"Yeah, if that's okay."
"That'd be great! Would I get to use your dao swords?" she asked hopefully. He laughed.
"No," he shook his head grinning, "not at first. They're trickier than you'd think."
"Oh well, I'll just have to practice hard. Then I can beat you, again."
"Whoa! Wait a moment. Who said you ever beat me a first time?"
"At the Summer Palace, on the beach, remember?"
"Oh, I remember. I remember you distracting me!"
"I'm distracting?" she asked batting her lashes.
"Yes, I think I've told you so before. You are very distracting." He set his bowl down as he spoke and crept closer to her.
"I think… I think you're the distracting one." She stuttered.
"Is that so? Well maybe, just this once, I have to agree with you." He was so close to her now if he leaned forward at all they'd be touching. He could get lost in the blue depths of her eyes. She was so beautiful.
A moment later, he made his move.
-Katara-
He was so close without actually touching her it sent tingles down her spine. She stared into his beautiful amber eyes; she could almost make out her reflection in them. Then he moved.
The next thing she knew, he had her pinned to the ground. He held her arms down above her head.
"I win." He said, grinning down at her. She waited a moment before thrashing around, trying to throw him off. It didn't work.
"Cheater." She grumbled and he laughed.
"I simply saw an opportunity and I took it." The smile was still plastered to his face.
"I wasn't ready," she almost whined. Just wait until I get up…
"Are we ever ready?" he asked, something in his voice made her think he was talking about more than preparedness for an attack. He had grown serious, pensive. This gave her the perfect opening.
Hurling herself sideways, she managed to roll them both over so she was on top. His expression was at first of surprise, but quickly morphed into delight.
"Now," she said, pausing to compose herself, "If my memory serves… when we dueled at the Summer Palace…it ended something like this." He chuckled underneath her. "Plus, I have Toph as a witness."
"But can her feet be trusted?" They both laughed.
"Face it Zuko." She said with a smile and a slight sigh, "I win. You lose."
"Maybe I just like you on top of me."
"So you let me win?" she asked, indignantly. "At the Summer Palace?" She thought she'd really bested him, but if she hadn't…
"Just because I like you on top of me does not mean I'd give up on a duel. No, fine. You won that one." His rueful expression made her smile (and the fact that he admitted she had won).
"Good," she smiled. They remained silent for a moment, just thinking.
"I think I'm lying on a rock." He said, breaking the silence. She laughed and got off him. He sat up and turned to look at where he had been. When he turned back to her, he held a fist-sized rock in his hand.
"Oh Zuko, I'm sorry," she said. She felt bad, but she couldn't suppress her smile.
"It's okay," he said, tossing the rock aside, "it was worth it."
-Zuko-
He looked over at her, walking beside him, and he couldn't help but smile. They had finished breakfast, packed their belongings, returned the pot, and were headed up the road. Glancing over at her, he couldn't help but think that she made almost everything better. He had enjoyed his solo run last night, but it was nice to walk the path in the daylight with her beside him. It didn't matter if most of the time they were silent, it was just nice to be with her.
They paused when they reached the top of the peak.
"It's so beautiful up here." She commented. It truly was. They were high enough to catch a light breeze and the air smelled crisper and new.
"Yeah," he agreed, "It does."
"Is that the town that you ran to last night?" she asked, pointing into the valley."
"Yeah, we don't have to stop there long. There should be another Fire Nation town not too along after this one."
"Okay," she nodded.
"Ready?" he asked
"Yes," she smiled. He surveyed the winding path. It was narrow so she had to walk behind him. After a few steps, he heard her laugh so he turned around. "Is that where you slipped?" she asked, gesturing to the disturbed ground.
"Yeah," he didn't know exactly why, but he was grinning. "Be careful." He added and reached for her hand to help her along. They both knew she was capable of navigating the trail by herself, but they couldn't resist an opportunity to touch. It was as if they both needed a reminder that the other was there.
It wasn't very long before he saw a familiar tree.
"That's the tree I crashed into." He said pointing. Then he glanced uphill to where he had slipped and tried to gauge the distance. It was farther than he had originally thought and he winced at the memory.
"You probably won't make that mistake again, huh?" she asked, following his gaze.
"Yeah," he agreed and absently touched his shoulder.
"Does it still hurt?" she asked, worry seeping into her voice.
"What?" he immediately moved his hand, "No, it's good."
"Are you s-"
"Yes." he interrupted, "I'm fine, Katara. You healed me up just fine." She didn't respond, but attempted a smile. It surprised him how she doubted herself sometimes. She was such a strong and independent person. He knew she could be mistrustful of people (Agni how he knew), but surely she could trust herself. Then again, I don't trust myself… he thought.
-Katara-
She could tell he was distracted as they continued walking. She wondered if he was thinking about his mother. Katara herself had been thinking a lot about the woman who brought someone like Zuko and then someone like Azula into the world. Obviously, something happened that pushed Azula off the edge and in the footsteps of their father. Katara didn't really believe that Azula was just naturally a more gifted bender; however, she hadn't spent any time around Azula when she wasn't trying to kill them… From Katara's limited interaction with both siblings, she could tell that they shared a strong sense of determination. They weren't ones to back away from a challenge.
Katara wondered if Azula's condition would improve. It'd make Zuko happy, even though he might not admit it. It wasn't good to suppress emotions and thoughts. She hoped that he'd continue to be open and honest with her though. She knew he also had a great deal of respect for his Uncle and could confide in him too. No matter what the circumstances, she wanted him to know that he always had people he could turn to. He had a hard time believing himself good or worthy, but she could already see a change in that since they'd been together. She hoped, with time, they could heal each other.
When they reached the town, it was much larger than she had anticipated. The red buildings with their brown roofs lined the streets. She tried to imagine Zuko running across their tops as the Blue Spirit, but couldn't. There was a small crowd gathered around an official who was hanging up some kind of poster. She squinted and recognized a sketch of the Blue Spirit.
"Attention! Everyone!" cried the official, "The Blue Spirit was spotted here last night." The crowd gave a collective gasp. "There's no need to panic. Our soldiers managed to chase him away."
"What about the reward?" a man asked.
"The reward is only for capturing the Blue Spirit alive." Answered the official. Then he went on with his announcement, "The Blue Spirit is dangerous and is an enemy of the Fire Nation. Be alert."
"Didn't the Blue Spirit free the Avatar from General Zhao?" asked a young boy.
"Exactly!"
"But don't we like the Avatar?" The official's face faltered.
"That is all." He said and weaved his way out of the crowd.
"Do you want to stop?" he asked. "We could be at the next town comfortably before nightfall."
"Isn't it dangerous here for you?" she asked, surprised he'd even suggest it. He shrugged. "Well, I think we could keep going. Only if you're sure there's nothing you can learn by staying." She replied and her gaze switched from the town to the path they'd continue.
"No, there's nothing here. Let's move on." They laced their hands together and started away from the town.
-Zuko-
They had continued in silence. Yet, it was a comfortable silence. Since the road was wide, they walked side by side. Sometimes they held hands and snuck glances at each other, but for the most part, they just walked. Soon the sparse trees turned into an all-out forest. The green trees were tall with thick trunks and sturdy limbs that didn't start until far off the ground.
Something felt different and he turned to glance over at Katara only to discover that she wasn't there.
"Katara!" he called as he quickly turned completely around. She was standing stalk-still a few paces back. He ran to her. "What's wrong?" He looked her up and down, but he there was no visible problem. Her eyes were wide and her skin pale as if she had seen a bad spirit. Her lips moved, but no sound came out. "Katara." he said as he gently shook her.
"I recognize this place." She whispered. Is that all? He thought immediately and his body relaxed slightly. Wait. Something bad must have happened here. His body tensed again. Something really bad. He wasn't sure what to say, so he just pulled her into his arms.
"It's okay," he said soothingly while he rocked on his heals ever so slightly. She clung to him so he gripped her tighter. "It's okay." He repeated. He could feel her heartbeat start to normalize as she relaxed a little. When she let go, he carefully scanned her face, to make sure she was better.
"Thank you," she said softly.
"You don't need to thank me, Katara. I'll always be here for you." she smiled slightly, but didn't reply. "The uhm… the town is not too far away so uh… we can make camp whenever." She took a deep breath and he could see her trying to chase away her memories. Her mouth twisted into a good imitation of a smile, but he could see through it and read the sorrow in her eyes.
"Okay, let's find a good place." She replied and started to walk off the path. In two strides, he caught up with her and reached for her hand. He wanted her to know that he was right there if she needed him. He squeezed her hand reassuringly and she squeezed back.
They made camp tucked against a little hill. The normalcy of the task seemed to set Katara at ease. In fact, he too could get used to this. It felt good.
He took the liberty of stringing up the oilcloth and laying out their furs. When he was finished, he turned around to face her.
"Can I help you?" he asked, watching her unpack their food supplies.
"You want to help me cook?" she asked, smirking.
"Yes please."
"Have you ever cooked before?"
"Uh… I've boiled Uncle's tea before." He said sheepishly and absently scratched the back of his head.
"That doesn't count." She snorted.
"Really?" Uncle could be very particular about how long to steep his tea though…
"Nope," she said shaking her head yet smiling. "Though I'm not a very good cook myself…"
"Better than me."
"That's not saying much." They both laughed. Then she beckoned him closer and decided to let him try. How hard can it be? He thought
Apparently very hard. He couldn't go very long without making some mistake that they both ended up laughing over. The only successful thing he'd done was start the cooking fire.
"Why don't you go into town?" she suggested after quickly putting out one of his fires. "You could look around and get some supplies?"
"Will you be okay?" he asked, earnestly. There were some haunted memories in these woods for her and he didn't want her to face them alone.
"I'll be fine," she answered, waving a hand dismissively.
"Okay, then." And he got up from beside her and the fire, "I'll be back in time for dinner."
"You better be," she teased. He threw on an over cloak before he walked out of camp.
It was a walled city, yet there were no guards posted. Strange. It seemed abandoned. There was evidence of a flood... Is that why they left? He walked through the empty city. It was flushed out, void of belongings. Shops and homes alike had been cleared out.
"Everyone is gone." A voice sad behind him. Zuko spun around quickly, taking up an offensive stance, to face a middle-aged man who had his hands up. "Do not fear, young Fire Lord, I mean you no harm." Zuko's eyes widened and his stance hardened.
"How do yo-"
"You should be careful, Fire Lord. The Blue Spirit was spotted in Hira'a."
"Who are you?" Zuko asked, "How did you know who I am?"
"News travels fast, besides I would have recognized you anywhere." The stranger muttered something else, but Zuko couldn't hear. "You're looking for someone, aren't you?"
"Why do you care?" Zuko asked, not lowering his stance.
"I may be able to help you." The man seemed honest enough… "I am unarmed and a non-bender." The stranger opened his arms wider. Zuko didn't see any reason to lie; maybe the stranger did know something.
"I'm looking for Jinzuk." Zuko said carefully, starting to lower his arms.
"The old magistrate." The stranger nodded to himself, as if he expected Zuko's answer.
"Uhm…" There can be multiple people named Jinzuk. Maybe the stranger didn't know anything after all. "I'm not sure." Zuko admitted. The stranger sighed ever so slightly.
"He had a daughter named Ursa." Zuko's heart skipped at the sound of his mother's name.
"Yes, that's the man." He nodded, maybe now he'd finally get some answers.
-Katara-
Something was wrong. He was being very quiet as they ate their modest meal. What had happened in the village? She didn't really want to ask him, so she remained silent too.
"I can't do this anymore." He said abruptly, setting down his bowl. "I'm sorry."
"What's wrong?" she asked, laying her food aside as well.
"I'm done."
"'Done?'" she repeated, "What do you mean? What are you saying?" Her world was starting to crumble apart.
"I can't marry you." She gasped as if she had been hit. If she had been standing, she would have collapsed.
"Zuko, please." She begged through watery eyes. "Why are you doing this?" It didn't make any sense.
"I…" he stammered, his shield seemed to crack for a moment. She could read the pain in his eyes, so maybe he didn't mean what he said…?
"It's your mother. Isn't it?" she asked. His silence told her she was correct. "What happened? Is she…?"
"Yes." He closed his eyes briefly as he whispered the word. Her heart went out to him.
"Oh, Zuko," she crawled over to him "I'm so sorry." She went to wrap her arms around him, but he got to his feet.
"Don't." he all but spat. What? Why? She slowly stood on shaky legs
"Zuko is there anything I can do?" she asked, trying to ignore the bad feelings in the pit of her stomach. His eyes flared and his voice rose.
"No!" He yelled, his hands as fists by his side, "She's dead, Katara! She's been dead for a few years now."
"You're sure? Maybe we can-"
"Just stop, okay?" he asked his voice unnaturally quiet now, "You can't fix this. So just stop." She reached for him again.
"I-" He pushed her hands away.
"No." He interrupted then ran his hands through his hair, tugging on it, "I just need to be alone right now." And he walked out, leaving her standing there alone.
a/n *hides behind birthday cake* So... thoughts? I hope despite the cliffhanger you enjoyed the present...Although, you could easily argue that it's not a very good gift... Please leave a review and let me know!