Chapter 5
When Zuko woke up he saw that Katara was missing. He jumped up and ran outside the shed to see her and Sora fighting. He let out a breath of relief to know she was just training more with Sora. She had her hair half up and down and pieces of it fell out and stuck to the sweat forming on her forehead, she also had on only shorts and then breast bindings. Her wrist were wrapped up in tape and she danced around the grassy field barefooted.
When Sora lifted a foot to kick her, Katara ducked down and swooped her foot around to trip Sora, but Sora back flipped away from her sneak attack. Katara hadn't noticed because she looked up and saw Zuko. Her blue eyes shone brightly along with the smile that creeped on her face when she looked at him. This resulted in a foot to the face.
"What the he—"
"—Always keep your guard up, rule number one!" Sora cut Katara off as she placed her foot on top of Katara's face. Katara laid on the grass clutching the right side of her face that now had Sora's footprint on it.
Zuko laughed at them and walked on over to Katara sitting on the ground pouting.
"I'm pretty sure I can still kick your ass Zuko." She pitched in when she saw Zuko laughing at her injury. He helped her up to her feet ignoring her comment. Sora handed her cup of water and a towel to wipe off her sweat.
"Nice work today! You're a natural at fighting, well except toward the end of this, but other than that you did great!"
Katara glared at Sora feeling as if her little sneak attack at the end was a bit unnecessary. Sora patted her on the back and looked towards Zuko, "You're girl here is excellent at self defense."
"You're girl?" Zuko and Katara said in unison
"Aren't you two like a thing?"
"No no no she—he isn't—we aren't a thing." They both stuttered out.
Sora raised an eyebrow. "Really? I could've swore in the Ember Island Players you guys had this secret love thing going on."
Both Zuko and Katara grimaced at the thought of that horrid play.
"That play was terrible." Katara grumbled. Zuko nodded in agreement.
"Oh come on! It was good! Except for the ending… But good! You guys even act like a couple."
"No we don't." They both spoke in unison again. Sora held out her hand as if to say see. Zuko and Katara exchanged looks and half-smiled at each other before shaking their heads again.
"Sorry but stuck up firebenders aren't my type." She glanced at Zuko with a sly smirk on her face.
"Yeah peasant water benders aren't mine either." Zuko nudged Katara.
"Watch it." She countered.
Sora looked between the two with a quizzical face. "Whatever you're both weird. Anywho, you might wanna consider adding that to your fake identity." Sora said as she walked back over to the shed and picked up a plate on the ground and gives it to Zuko. "Oh by the way Zuko you have breakfast."
Zuko stared down at the plate that ants were crawling all over, his face went a shade of green grossed out by it. "Thanks." He muttered.
"Sorry Zuko, I didn't want to wake you up too early for breakfast!" Katara told him as she passed by him and jogged back into the shed.
Zuko stuck out his tongue as he tossed the food on the grass and moped back to the shed.
"Alright so do you guys got a plan for tomorrow? I should be going with you guys tomorrow." Sora asked as she sat down on the shed's floor.
"Not really…" Katara looked at Zuko for some sort of idea.
"Ummm probably restock on supplies and try to find out where the rest of us might be. Maybe go to Ba Sing Se…?" He looked at Katara if that was the right thing to say, and Katara just shrugged in response.
"We'll you both better figure it out soon, because things have been pretty tight around here lately. And by that I mean innocent people being sent to jail and even killed for opposing the Fire Lord, if they were to even suggest that you two might be who you actually are all your efforts might as well be wasted time because you'll be dead right on the spot."
Sora looked at both of them as the their faces turned white in fear. "I don't mean to say that to scare you, but to get you thinking ahead. I want you guys to make it so you can deliver this." Sora handed them a letter that was rolled up with a string around it.
"What's this?" Katara asked as she grabbed it from her.
"It's a letter to my father."
Both Zuko and Katara looked up at her in shock. "I thought you said he was dead." Katara questioned.
"I thought so too, until recently I found all these letters from him… My grandparents told me my father was dead because he stopped writing, but I think it's because he's fighting back, and for some reason I feel like he's still there and I just want him to know that I'm here and I'm waiting for him…"
Katara tucked the letter away safely into her bag. "I promise me and Zuko will deliver this letter to your father." She softly spoke to her as she grabbed her hand.
"Thank you. Now you," she looked toward Zuko, "do you still have my head scarf?"
Zuko nodded and pulled it out from his pants pocket.
"Great! Now you both need fake names and identities. Who are you and what are you doing here and so forth, you need an explanation for everything, and you don't want to seem fishy."
"I have my name its June, Zuko do you have one?" Katara asked him.
"Yeah… Lee." Zuko answered, with an blank expression on his face, he looked like he was remembering something from the past.
"Okay what's you guy's story?"
"Umm.. I don't know here to visit a friend." Katara suggested.
Sora looked at her with a glowering face.
"What? Was that not a good answer?"
"No," Sora said plainly, "you have a wounded fire bender and water bender wandering around the city. What's your story?"
Katara threw her hand up giving up. "I don't know you tell me?"
"Well I honestly think being engaged best suits you two."
Katara and Zuko both shook their heads
"What? It suits you! Look, you're engaged and you're to be husband was sent home from a war due to his injuries, and now you have time to plan for the wedding, and are visiting places to see where you'd like to get married."
"OR, we could be visiting families and friends." Katara added.
Sora glared at Katara and muttered something along the lines of stupid witch…? Katara wasn't for sure what she said.
"Excuse me?" Katara asked
"Okay we can be visiting families and engaged it's no big deal." Zuko spoke in before a cat fight broke out.
Sora just rolled her eyes, and Katara crossed her arms and smacked her lips.
"Well whatever, back to where you can go, I suggest finding more information at the Annual Fire Festival, there's a ballroom dance that only the current soldiers and veterans can get into, there you should be able to find as much info as you can about the war, those people know as many secrets as anyone could in the fire nation."
"That sounds fine, but if only veterans and soldiers have an invitation how are we supposed to get in?" Zuko questioned her.
"Well every year my grandfather and grandmother sign me up in case I want to go on the day that they release us from school to enjoy the festival. I hardly ever go, it's not fun because only old people are there, but it's on this ship and I'm sure you can find more information there. Just say you're the guest of Moe and Nora Sung, and they should let you in."
"Alright. Is the festival near the village or…?"
"It's near the coast of Dragon's Edge, which is about a days travel away but that's ok since the ballroom dance isn't until the new moon which is in about four days, so you have time to get there. The festival is this whole week though and I'm sure in the mean time you can find people there "
Understanding what she means, Zuko and Katara nodded. With that Sora stood up and told them that she needed to had back before evening. When she left Katara leaned back and looked over at Zuko.
"Lee huh?"
Zuko half-smiled and nodded while staring at the ground and played with the sticks of hay on the floor.
"Where'd you get the name?" She asked him.
"Back in Ba Sing Se, when me and my uncle were refugees, that's the name I took on… It's become a part of me now," Zuko broke the twig between his fingers, "I thought I had finally gotten rid of it." He watched the pieces of hay fall brittle between his fingers.
"Well mine was just some stupid name I made up with Toph at another ballroom celebration," she awkwardly laughs, "back then our biggest worry was being captured by you and look at us now…"
Zuko smiled in return. "Yeah…" He then stood up and held out his hand for kKatara to grab and help her stand up. "Let's see if you can't actually defend yourself unlike how you did back then."
Katara raised and eyebrow as she took his hand. "If I correctly remember it was me who had your butt frozen back in the North Pole. Trust me I can and will beat you again Zuko."
Zuko's eyebrow raised in shock. "We'll see about that waterbender." He scorned.
They sparred both using bending and using physical techniques. In the end they really didn't keep mark of who was winning or who wasn't, they just had fun with it.
Once they both tuckered out they laid down on the grass and looked up at the clouds. Soaking with sweat and heavily breathing they laid there with the sun slowly coming to a close for the moon to take over the sky. There above them a flock of turtle ducks flew southern towards the Fire Nation Capitol.
"I didn't know turtle ducks could fly." Katara murmured breathily.
"Neither did I… You know when I was younger my mother use to always take me out to the garden to feed the turtle ducks and one time I almost drowned one." He laughed before realize how terrible it sounded and grew silent.
Katara looked at him strangely before chuckling in response. "You were one strange child, Zuko."
"Okay maybe that wasn't one of my best moment but what would else you expect from my childhood. I mean I felt bad afterwards."
"Well I admit, I didn't think you had a soft side at all." She confessed.
"Kids don't grow up evil… Well my sister is an exception, I feel like she was born just to make my life a living hell."
Katara laughed and rolled over on her stomach to face Zuko. "Well, you don't have to worry about her now." Zuko turned his head towards her and looked up at her and smiled, "Yeah, thanks to you… Now if only you can single handedly take down my father and then maybe you'd rid my life of all my problems."
Katara shook her head and hushed Zuko. "First of all I didn't defeat Azula, 'single handedly', I'm pretty sure if you weren't there I'd be dead." Zuko raised up on on his shoulder and looked at her with a questionable expression on his face. "Secondly," Katara added, "we're gonna defeat you're dad too, but together. I promise you." She leaned up on her shoulder too and held out her hand for him to grab.
Zuko looked down at her hand and looked back up at her like she was ridiculous. "C'mon Zuko, let's shake on it. I promise to help you as long as you'll be there to help me, and I'm pretty damn sure we can make anything possible."
Zuko shook her hand and looked her in the eyes. "I promise, I'll be there."
Katara squeezed his hand. "Mean it!"
Zuko flinched and pulled back his hand, but she held her grip. "Okokokok, I mean it!" He yelled through clench teeth before snatching away his hand and caressing it.
Katara flashed a smile at him and nodded. "Good!"
Just then Moe walked through with two plates of chicken and boiled vegetables. Katara hopped up and ran over to the food. Zuko followed with his hand still throbbing with pain.
"Where's Sora?" Katara asked Moe.
"She's not feeling to well, so she won't be joining you for dinner." Moe retorted.
Katara exchanged worry glances with Zuko, "Will we be able to see her tomorrow?"
Moe shook his head. "Sorry dear, but I don't think she'll be attending school this week, you know she's sick right."
Katara's face turned wistful and she apologized to Moe.
"No need to worry, she tends to jump back fast. You two enjoy your dinner, and get good sleep we head out early tomorrow morning.
Zuko and Katara nodded and thanked Moe for the food before returning to bed. After eating and before going to bed Katara said a silent prayer for Sora, and went to sleep next to Zuko.