In response to reviews from Chapter 12:
ArrayePL: Lovely chapter. The Zuko/Hakoda interaction was hilarious. As for Katara I hope she is mature enough not to fall for Ozais manipulation. Please update soon.
= = = Thank you very much, I'm so glad you liked it! As for Katara, I hope you're right. I guess we'll have to wait and see ;-)
Jane Keyboard: Yeah, that is weird. I wasn't having this problem until I read "chapter 13"-I think you jinxed it.
Haha, anyway, I still have the latest chapter up on my phone, so I thought I'd go ahead and review Chapter 12 on 13 (since 12 is being funky at the moment)
Ok, I think its hilarious that Zuko, now Fire Lord, is still TOTALLY intimidated by girlfriend's dad. I mean, he should be, but maybe not to the extent that he is. On the other hand, maybe he should be, to that great extent, since he LOST said girlfriend... :P Good for Hakoda to 'threaten' Zuko, though, even though he makes light of it. Can you imagine what Hakoda would say if he read half the M-rated Zutara stories on this forum? Zuko would be a dead man!
I really love Ozai's arrogant and self-superior dialogue. It really fits him, and you write it very well! Oh Katara, you're in for some shiz, thats for sure. D:
Keep 'em coming! I was excited that you published two chapters in one day, then disappointed when I found the author's note, however necessary it was.
= = = Haha, oh no I probably did jinx it, knowing my luck! I guess Fanfiction was just having some issues. And yeah, sorry to disappoint you with the author's note. I knew that would let a lot of people down, thinking it was a new chapter, but I had to do it. I promise I won't do that again unless it is direly necessary.
Yeah the Zuko/Hakoda scene was a really fun scene to write, and I thought given the situation that he would be totally intimidated (if not slightly terrified by) Hakoda. You also have to remember that Hakoda is the ruler of a nation too, so when the other nations are given more equality after the war, Hakoda could practically be Zuko's equal power-wise. And your comment about Hakoda and the M-rated stories made me laugh! I'd love to be a fly on the wall during that conversation. :)
And thank you for the Ozai-compliment – I really love writing him and try do my best to keep him (and everyone else) true to character, so it means a lot. Thank you so much for the review!
AnnaAza: I liked the conversation between Hakoda and Zuko because it seemed to lighten the mood up, and it discussed the possibility of Hakoda actually approving of Zuko and Katara's relationship if Katara came back. (Or will she be too broken/corrupted to be with Zuko?) Love how Zuko is practically wanting to dive off and swim away once Hakoda starts joking about he and Katara...yeah.
I don't think Ozai would rape her, despite a couple of fanfics that say so. I totally buy his ego-thing about not "shooting" himself with her, but he seems like a guy who would, if he wanted to, grab a random serving girl and take her, if he wanted to. But even though Katara and Ozai have been alone on occasions, Ozai wouldn't really care to, really. I think (as is his EVIL plan) that Ozai would prefer to break someone through manipulation like his daughter. Even though Ozai is believed to have abused Zuko (of course, the infamous Agni Ksi), Zuko seems to have suffered from mental abuse, too, which sometimes has a long-lasting effect more than physical abuse. I really think he'd get a kick out of breaking Katara through his manipulations and such. But it seems that...he feels a tinge of guilt? Guard yourself, Katara!
= = = Yeah I thought it was a nice change of pace and that the story needed a little "upper." I really wanted to portray how Zuko is intimidated by Hakoda even though he is Fire Lord of his nation; I think it really fits with who Zuko is – humble, conscientious, genuine (very opposite of his father who loved to stand on ceremony, was power-hungry, and saw others as below him).
And no, I agree with you – I don't think Ozai would rape her either, despite others who think he would. I was just trying to get inside Katara's mind in that moment to show what was going through her mind (because I mean, that's what I would have thought at first instinct). But Ozai is the kind of person who would rather, as you said, break someone through manipulation and psychological control because it would be much more satisfying to him than quickly breaking someone physically. There is no challenge in that, and he prides himself on a challenge because he is constantly trying to prove his worth to others if not just himself. Thank you so much for the review as always!
trumpetgurl92: Hahahahaha Zuko and Hakoda were hilarious! I love when people write them. good stuff.
= = = Haha, I'm glad you liked it. I had a great time writing that scene. It was so fun exploring how they might interact given the situation. Thanks for the review!
Just the tip of a sunrise was visible as Hakoda's ship came into port at the seedy merchants' pier. It had taken three days to arrive at their destination; three days too long as far as Zuko was concerned. They would have to pick up the pace on land if they ever wanted a chance to close the distance between themselves and Ozai. At least Aang and Toph had the advantage of Appa and could cover more ground. He hoped and prayed that any day they might receive a letter stating that Katara was with them, safe and sound, and that Aang had put his father in his place once and for all.
By the time they had docked their ship securely to the pier and made sure it would not be easy for anyone to commandeer it while they were away, the port city was bathed in the pale golden light of the morning sun and already bustling with people. Merchants were busy setting up their stalls while some of the local color had seemingly emerged from the woodwork, rummaging through the previous night's trash for their morning meal or slouching atop an empty crate in the shadow of a building, enjoying their morning smoke and flashing toothless grins at passersby.
Zuko, Hakoda, Sokka, and Suki stood side by side, taking in the scene before them, trying to discern the best place to start. In the end, the four decided to split up to question the locals and any travelers they happened across and then meet back where they started in an hour. After that, they would gather their supplies on the ship, buy a few ostrich horses, and pray that their ship would still be intact when they returned, whenever that might be.
Zuko was the second of them to return to the meeting spot on the pier. His inquisition had proven fruitless. Suki was already back, her expression veiled in concern. It appeared her investigation had not fared much better.
"I'm guessing you didn't get much out of these people either," Suki muttered, reading the look on his face as Zuko came to stand next to her.
"No," was all he could muster, staring down at his feet, watching the glistening waters ripple beneath the gaps in the boards. The lively, carefree murmur of merchants and shoppers felt like a deliberate affront in the face of their catastrophe. How could they be so cavalier in light of present events? Of course, he could not blame people like that for being oblivious or apathetic, or whatever they were; people who lived such lives funneled their focus inwardly first, turning attention to the affairs of the rest of the world as an afterthought, if at all.
"Don't worry, Zuko," Suki said, placing a comforting hand on his shoulder. "We'll find her."
The purposeful thud of footsteps along the pier forced Zuko to break his downward gaze. Looking up, he saw Hakoda approaching them wearing a markedly vexed expression, followed closely behind by Sokka who exuded a strikingly similar aura.
Zuko straightened up and took an anticipatory step toward the Chief. "Any luck?" he asked, raising a hesitantly hopeful brow.
"I'm afraid not," replied Hakoda, trying ineffectively to mask the worry in his voice.
Zuko's shoulders sagged as he released a sigh. "Same here. These people weren't any help at all. It doesn't seem like my dad and Katara came through here."
"And if they did, it's unlikely any of these miscreants would have paid them much notice," Hakoda added, nodding his head toward the crowds of unsavory men and women. "Come on, let's get our things and hit the road. Sokka, you go barter us some ostrich horses. Time to kick up some dust."
.:. .:. .:. .:. .:. .:. .:.
Ozai rubbed the satiny blue strip of material between his fingers, feeling the cool metal pendant turning about against the palm of his hand. He was uncertain what significance the trinket held to the girl but it was clear that she cherished it, always reaching up to caress it with the same bittersweet expression on her face. That is until she lost it in the ruckus of her pitiable escape attempt. It was that very trinket in fact that had betrayed her hiding place, lying just before the entrance to that alleyway as though it had wanted him to find her.
Careful to keep his back to the girl, he half glanced over his shoulder to see that she had just finished rolling up her sleeping mat and was busy combing her fingers through her sleep-disheveled hair. His eyes lingered there a moment longer than he had intended. Perhaps it was the element of raw beauty in her tousled brown locks or the way the dappled light danced across her mocha skin, but he found it momentarily difficult to break his gaze.
Ozai had scoffed when he'd found out about his son's affair with the Water Tribe girl. A peasant by Fire Nation criteria. He'd known his son was a failure, but stooping to such low standards was a disgrace even for him. But as Ozai gazed at her now, a part of him, however small and detestable, was beginning to understand what his son saw in the girl. She was an exotic beauty, there was no disputing that. And there was a fire in those watery-blue eyes of hers that defied her heritage; at times she seemed more firebender than waterbender.
A gust of chill air wafted through the trees, shaking him from his trance. He shivered slightly, gazing up at the treetops that were now almost fully taken over by the blushing shades of autumn. The season was encroaching much earlier than he had anticipated. That would likely mean an early winter too. Damn the spirits; this would most certainly be a hindrance to the success of his plan. He would need to pick up the pace if he hoped to get anywhere near the Ruins of Taku and find that buried manuscript before winter set in.
His thoughts drifted back to the necklace in his hand. Why he had held on to it he could not say – an irritating little conundrum for someone as keenly self-aware as himself. But as he continued to roll the trinket in his hand, the reason for keeping it no longer mattered. What was important, he realized, was how beautifully it was about to contribute to his plan.
.:. .:. .:. .:. .:. .:. .:.
Katara knelt on the ground beside her perfectly rolled-up sleeping mat, proud to have finally prevailed over the obstinate item. She inhaled deeply as a cool breeze rustled through the trees and kissed her face. How she missed the ice and snow of her homeland. Warm weather was nice of course, up to a point, but she had always felt more at home in the cold.
"Girl." Like an unwelcome guest, Ozai's voice broke through her thoughts unsolicited.
Katara sighed heavily at the familiar slur. How many times did she need to remind him that her name was –
"Here," he said, tossing a small object over his shoulder. It gleamed briefly in the speckles of sunlight before coming to land within arm's length in front of her. "I believe this is yours."
Katara's eyes widened at the sight of her mother's necklace lying on the ground before her. She blinked hard to make sure her eyes were not deceiving her and after stumbling over a few disjointed words, finally found the ability to speak clearly.
"My necklace… You've had it all this time?" She could feel the shock giving way to smoldering anger inside her. "You knew I would be missing it, and you're just now giving it back to me?!"
"Be grateful I held onto it at all instead of simply discarding it as I should have, water peasant."
She wanted to scream. The man was infuriating! In a huff, she reached forward and snatched the necklace from the ground, glowering up at him before turning around to tend to any dirt or scuffs it might have acquired. When she was satisfied with its condition, she delicately replaced it on her neck, taking care to see that it was clasped extra securely. As she pulled herself up and turned around, she jumped and nearly stumbled backward at the sight of Ozai's towering form now standing inches away from her.
"Is that any way to thank me for returning your precious little necklace to you?" The fire in his eyes betrayed his satirical tone. Instinctively, Katara took a step back to increase the distance between them but her efforts were thwarted by a countering stride from Ozai. "I could just as easily have left it where it lied or kicked it into a gutter."
"Then why didn't you?" she shot back, her tone challenging and dangerous. He had crossed the line; she refused to let him meddle in that part of her life. "You don't actually expect me to believe that you gave it back to me out of the goodness of your own heart, do you? How stupid do you think I am? You have some ulterior motive for doing this, I just haven't figured it out yet. But I will. And if you think I can be so easily deceived then you've clearly underestimated who you're dealing with."
Katara drew in a breath, the fire within her beginning to wane. As her head cleared, she became dreadfully aware of the avalanche of words that had just tumbled forth unrestrained. Without warning, Ozai took another hasty step forward at her defiance and placed a strong grasp around her arm, drawing her into him forcefully.
"I think you've underestimated who you're dealing with, water serpent." He let out a ragged breath as though to calm himself and relaxed his grip on her arm slightly. Bringing his other hand up to her neck, he brushed his fingers against her skin before half-wrapping them around the base of her neck, his palm resting upon the carved ivory pendant.
"Must I once again put forward that perhaps you don't know me as well as think you do?" His amber gaze burned into her as his voice softened, making the breath momentarily hitch in her throat. Those eyes had such a familiar quality to them. They were Zuko's eyes, she realized. They had gazed into hers longingly many times before.
"It is rather upsetting that you would mistake my actions for anything outside of gracious," he drawled on. "What could I possibly stand to gain from returning it?"
His index finger shifted slightly, brushing over her skin. It was so subtle, yet seemed vaguely deliberate, that she could not decide if it was intentional or not. His hands were surprisingly soft and smooth against the delicate skin of her neck, so different from the way she would have expected them to feel. It seemed incredibly mismatched to his callous demeanor.
If Katara had thought it impossible for him to get any closer, this moment was determined to prove her wrong. Leaning down, his lips just above her ear, he murmured in a smooth, subdued voiced, "Honestly, I'd rather hoped we were past all that."
Ozai was so close now that she could smell his breath as it grazed her face. His scent was rustic yet bright, like firewood burning in the crisp air of autumn. A sudden fluttering in her stomach sent a familiar, very unwelcome feeling coursing through her veins. She cursed herself when she could not stop the blood from rushing to her face. What was wrong with her?
As he leaned back, much to her relief, his eyes seared into hers once more. Quickly, she turned her face toward the ground, praying to the spirits he would not detect her reaction. It was in that moment that she recognized for the first time how attractive the man really was. The unexpected internal confession made her stomach flutter all the more, followed by an ever-growing nausea. What was she saying?
No, Katara. She stopped herself short. This isn't real. You're just… scared and confused and… this isn't real. Snap out of it.
Taking a deep breath to compose herself, she turned to look back up at him. All of that was just the shell of who he was, she desperately reminded herself; beautiful on the outside but decayed deep within. The true man underneath the magnetic façade was cruel, dark, unfeeling, and despicable. He was a murderer, a family wrecker, a destroyer of peace. Wasn't he?
A lump began forming in her throat. For the first time, Katara hesitated; something inside her resisted applying those labels to him. She swallowed hard, the bewilderment threatening to bring tears to her eyes.
Finally, Ozai released his hold on her and stepped away. All at once, she felt as though she could breathe again. "Come," he said, his voice retaining that unusually soft tone. "Gather your things. We need to move on."
.:. .:. .:. .:. .:. .:. .:.
Toph clutched onto the side of Appa's saddle as Aang brought the bison to a landing in the middle of the vast forest below. She was hoping to have spotted some sort of clue or sign as to the former Fire Lord's whereabouts by now, having Appa as an advantage. There had been a couple of times they had caught sight of what looked like a newly worn trail down below but, upon closer inspection, had only turned out to be bald spot in the forest or an animal's burrow.
They had tried to extend the time between breaks as long as they could for fear of missing something important if they were to stop, but this time she was afraid they had pushed it a little too far. Appa's energy was quickly waning and they were all in dire need of food, water, and rest. And perhaps a little attitude adjustment, she thought. She had done her best to try and redirect Aang's focus and priorities, but to no avail. He seemed bent on making this experience as painstaking for them both as possible, as though it were not already difficult enough. In fact, Toph was certain that the search would have been more productive, not to mention enjoyable, if she had come alone, and that was saying something considering she could not see a thing a from Appa's saddle.
Toph braced herself for the jolt of landing, releasing a pent-up sigh of relief as they made contact with solid ground and peeling her white-knuckled fingers from the brim of the saddle. Aang said nothing as he sprung nimbly to the ground and slumped himself down onto a nearby tree stump. Toph stayed aboard to begin unloading some of the food and water, relishing in the notion of a much-needed break. After carefully throwing some of their packaged foodstuffs to the ground, she hoisted up the giant sack of bison feed they'd brought along, nearly toppling over under the weight of it, and heaved it over the side.
It did not take her long to notice that Aang appeared to have no intention of pitching in. As she dragged Appa's food to over to the famished bison, she could feel Aang slumped over in the same spot, with seemingly no inclination of helping her. They were a team, and she was not about to let him off the hook.
"Hey, Baldy!" she called out to him, struggling to hold off Appa's overzealous attempt to dive into the sack of feed. "How bout getting off your self-righteous little tush and lending a hand? We don't have all day."
Making no attempt to restrain his disgruntlement, Aang pulled himself laboriously from the tree stump and sullenly trudged over to the parcel of foodstuffs. After a slapdash effort to unroll and lay out the weaselbear skin they used for eating on, he whipped out the dried fruits and meats, and a few nuts in the parcel and splayed them across the animal skin in a haphazard mound.
That was all Toph could bear. He was acting downright ridiculous! She had put up with all she could from the airbender, but she had hit her breaking point. She would put an end to this now.
"All right, that's it!" she yelled, slamming down the sack of feed, much to Appa's delight. "I've had all I can take of your whining and grumbling about how pissed you are at Katara. Yes, she screwed you over big time and I feel for you. I've tried to back off and give you some room to vent and work things through. But it's time you stop being a little crybaby and rise above it."
Aang froze and slowly stood up, turning a vicious glare toward the blind girl. "What did you just call me?!"
"You heard me, cream puff. Ever since we started out, you've done nothing but mope and gripe about how much everything sucks and how terrible Katara is and blah, blah, blah. If I'd wanted to be surrounded by a gloomy, self-pitying little girl I would've joined Mai in prison. Come to think of it, maybe I should have. It would have been a lot less whiny."
"You better cut it out before I blast you into your past life!" he growled, pointing a threatening finger toward her.
"Oh, yeah? Go ahead and do it." Toph shifted into her earthbending stance, challenging him with a beckoning wave of her fingers.
"I'm warning you, Toph! Stop taunting me or you'll regret it."
"Oh, I'm sorry. I didn't realize baby was so sensitive."
She smirked as the boy's muscles grew more and more tense with anger. He was about to boil over, she could feel it. His vibrations were on the brink of eruption. Meltdown in three, two, one…
"Aaghh!" Aang roared as he jumped into a spinning kick and sent a powerful burst of air hurtling at the girl. Sensing his movement, Toph easily dodged the attack and waited for him to touch back down. Knowing the general direction in which he had jumped, she was ready for him. As he came to a light-footed landing, Toph stomped into the ground and launched a sudden counter attack, sending Aang flying backward several feet and landing with a loud thud on his back.
Aang lay on the ground, gasping for the air that had been knocked out of him and trying to gather his wits about him again. After a few moments, he recovered and picked himself off the ground, shuffling to a nearby tree and sliding down to sit at its base, resting his arms on his knees. He was careful to keep his disgruntled gaze cast downward, hanging his head in bitter defeat. Neither of them spoke for several moments until Toph finally broke the silence.
"Alright," she began. "Now that that's out of your system, maybe we can actually talk – productively – about what's going on."
"What more is there to say?" Aang protested in a dispirited tone. "I'm through talking about it."
"Look, I don't think you get it, Twinkles. This is way beyond your little love triangle dilemma."
"Believe me, Toph, I get it." His body remained motionless; only his eyes moved to shoot her a brief indignant glance.
"No, you obviously don't. Let me recap for you in case you've failed – once again – to hang on to the big picture. Ozai… remember Fire Lord Ozai? The guy who nearly destroyed the earth – and you – a couple years ago?"
She could see Aang beginning to quiver with agitation once again. Good, she thought. She was through going easy on him.
"Yeah, that guy," she continued in heightened sarcasm. "He's on the loose. And not only is Katara in the clutches of his merciless hand, but the entire world is about to fall prey to him again unless you – the Avatar – find him and stop him."
"Well, maybe I shouldn't be the Avatar anymore!" Aang shouted, jumping to his feet. "Maybe I'm not good enough to be. It sounds like you've sorted out the plan just fine on your own. Don't let me stop you." Turning around, he began to storm off in the opposite direction.
Toph found herself taken aback slightly by his caustic attitude. This was not the productive one-on-one she was hoping to have.
"Aang," she called after him.
The airbender halted abruptly at hearing the girl use his real name. Not one of her stupid nicknames, but his actual name. Reluctantly, he turned around to face her.
"What is this?" she asked, softening her voice to a level that was almost foreign to her. "You're not acting like yourself. I know you, and this isn't you. If there's something else –"
"There's nothing else!" he interrupted, slicing the air in an exasperated wave of his arms.
"– Do us both a favor and spit it out. Otherwise, Katara is in serious trouble and all you can think about is yourself and your own feelings. Honestly, you're acting childish and selfish. What ever happened to the forgiveness you always preached about? Don't you think Katara deserves the same treatment?"
"I don't know. I don't know about any of that anymore. All I know is that every day I feel more and more – just – angry. Like there's a fire inside me growing and I'm powerless to stop it. And maybe you're right; maybe it's not like me. But I can't let it go. I don't want to let it go." He paused and looked away, lowering his voice. "Maybe it serves her right. Maybe this is justice."
There were very few circumstances that could render Toph Bei Fong completely dumfounded, but this was one such moment.
"Wh–?" She tried to form a coherent sentence, but the words temporarily eluded her. "I can't believe you'd say something like that! Do you hear yourself?!"
"Hey, this has nothing to do with you, okay! Just… leave me alone! I'll figure this out on my own."
Aang spun back around and took off into the forest, disappearing from view. Toph sighed and made her way back over to Appa. After giving the bison a comforting pat on the muzzle, she sat down on the weaselbear skin and began nibbling on a piece of dried fish. She would give Aang a little space and then search him out if he did not return in a couple of hours. She hoped he did not get too far; if they got separated it would jeopardize their entire mission. As she cooled down, she began to wonder if she should have tried to stop him to prevent any further delays.
.:. .:. .:. .:. .:. .:. .:.
Toph led Appa by the reigns through the forest, carefully maneuvering the giant bison between the trees. The leaves that had begun to fall from the trees crunched and whispered beneath her feet. It had been over three hours since she had last seen Aang and it was getting late into the afternoon. She could not shake the nagging concern about what might happen if she did not find him before nightfall. Occasionally she called out his name, pausing to listen for an answer but was only met with the hushed murmuring of the forest.
Toph tried to keep the bison under control, but he had started tugging on the reigns to the right, pulling Toph in that direction. She scolded him gently, urging him to walk in a straight line, but continually found herself yanked to the side again.
"Appa!" she protested. "Cut it out. We need to focus on finding Aang."
The bison groaned and wrenched the reigns again, this time throwing her completely off-balance. Toph stumbled to the right and was about to scold Appa again when she noticed a faint, familiar outline sitting just beyond the trees on the bank of a bubbling stream. Instinct told her what she already knew – it had to be Aang.
She released her hold on the bison's reigns and snaked her way through the trees. Upon reaching the boy, she could feel a strangely tranquil aura emanating through the earth around him. He must have been meditating and gone into the spirit world, she realized. He was sitting with his legs crossed under him and his forearms resting on his knees, completely unresponsive to her presence.
As Toph began setting up camp to wait for Aang to return, her mind began to wander. As strange and confusing as his behavior had been, there was one thing that she was certain of: something was not right. She had known Aang for going on three and half years and in all that time he had been so reliably… good. Sometimes obnoxiously so. Never had she known him to hold a grudge or let his anger steep and intensify in the way it had. Even in the face of pain and loss, he could always see through to the objective reality.
She hoped for everyone's sake that Aang's spirit world journey would afford him some clarity and give him the help he needed so they could focus on what was important. She knew they might lose time, but if it meant that the subsequent search would be more productive, she supposed they could spare a day or so for him to get his act together. In the meantime, perhaps she would designate a certain radius around their location to search on foot. It might not result in much success, but at least she would not be wasting any time and it would certainly be better than doing nothing. She only hoped that Aang would be as mindful of their time and hurry back.
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