Chapter 6: Key word

Zuko followed behind her as they walked through the streets. She knew he was still behind her as his steps sank noisily into the snowy path. Not that she truly felt like he would run anyways. Even if he made it to the boats, he still had the wall of the outer city to try and get through, at least eight feet of ice thick wall. Or if he decided to run and climb up the cliff face, he would face a large and vast frozen tundra, with no way to get off.

At the door of her room she paused, worried suddenly that this was a mistake, bringing him was a mistake, and she should just follow Sokka's advise and leave him here in the north while she and Sokka traveled with Aang. But shaking her head to clear the thoughts she pushed open the door and ushered Zuko inside.

"Stay here, I will be right back." she said to him, closing the door behind her.

She knocked quietly on the door across the hall, waited a couple seconds and then pushed the door open slightly peaking her head around. She was greeted with the loud snores wafting to her from her brother's bed. Closing the door as quietly as she could she then walked down the hall to the last door and knocked.

"Come in." Came the muffled response.

And she opened the door to reveal Aang sitting on his bed, several scrolls laid out around him.

"Hey Katara." he said, glancing up from his work.

"Hi Aang." She greeted him back. "I am going to turn in for the night. I am going to the market tomorrow to get some things that we need for our trip. I was wondering if there is anything that you need specifically?"

"Umm…" He trailed off, glancing at his pack in the corner of the room. "Maybe some socks. I think I have everything else. Though, maybe some dried fruit if you can find it."

Katara smiled, the frozen tundra was not known for its abundance of fruit. "I will see what I can do." she stated. "I am going to turn in for the night. Goodnight Aang."

"Goodnight Katara." Aang called out to her as he closed his door.

Returning to her own room, she found Zuko in the exact place she had left him. He was surveying the room taking in the meager furnishings. It was not much, nothing for show, just comfort. A bed pushed up against one wall, a table with two chairs by a window, furs laid out across the floor to help against the cold. The sound of the door closing behind her brought his attention to her.

"Hold out your hands." Katara told him, he hesitated, a slight flinch flickered across his face though it was gone so fast she thought maybe she imagined it. But in the next moment he complied, holding his hands out to her. The chain connecting the shackles around his wrists hanging between them. Katara produced the key from her pocket and unlocked the restraints and removed them from his wrists, dropping them on the floor by the door. "Well then," she stated, clapping her hands together as she turned to face him. "Let's get started then."

Zuko was absently rubbing his wrists when Katara turned towards him and made that statement. His eyes narrowed in suspicion at her, but then she just walked past him to a pile of travel packs that were arranged in a corner of the room and started removing items from one on the end. Zuko found himself hesitating again, before moving to her side.

He took in the items as she laid them out on the floor: soap, a light sleeping bag, a comb, a water skin, dried nuts and meats, socks, a couple shirts, a couple pairs of pants, and what looked like undergarments. He felt his face flush a bit knowing she had been the one to buy them and decided that she was apparently very thorough when it came to packing for a trip. And she was still pulling things from the pack. She had things he would not have thought to need such as a needle and thread kit, a compass, a first aid pack, a bowl with utensils, a small mirror, flint and steel though he did not actually need that since he was a fire bender and could produce flames on command, some rope, and a map.

"I was not quite sure about the size, but the other change of clothes I got you seem to fit you well enough, so I got a couple more sets in the same size. I got you the same soap Sokka and Aang like, there is not much choice on scents up here." Katara was explaining, rambling was the better word for it, to fill the silence he guessed as he was looking over the items. "Sokka helped with picking the undergarment's, I was not really sure about those." She continued, a little pink tinging her cheeks in embarrassment. "But do you see anything missing that you need? We can hopefully find it at the market tomorrow or if not then maybe in the Earth Kingdom as we travel. I need to pick up more socks for Aang and pants for Sokka. I do not know what he is doing in training, but I decided I just cannot mend his pants anymore."

"These should do well." Zuko stated, mostly to get her to stop talking.

"Is there something else you need?" She asked again as she started putting the items back in the pack.

He was tempted to say a couple daggers, and maybe a dual sword it they could find it. But he did not think that would go over so well with the group.

"Speak now or forever hold your peace." Katara warned him.

"Is it too much to think I could have a couple daggers?" He asked, deciding to go with the smaller blade choice.

"Daggers?" Katara repeated, sounding confused.

"Yes, daggers." Zuko explained. "They are useful for cooking, protection, shaving-"

"But you are a firebender." She interrupted. "Why do you need daggers?"

"Yes," he said slowly, fixing his gaze on her. "But in some situations, you want quiet for the element of surprise, or as a back up if things are not going according to plan. My uncle always told me that there could be a time I might not be able to use bending and I needed to be prepared. So, I trained in hand-to-hand combat, dual swords, and knife fighting. But regardless of those lessons, I may be well trained in fire bending for the most part. But I do not want to risk my skin trying to use fire bending to shave." Great now he was rambling.

"You shave?"

The question caught him off guard. "Yes, I have for years."

Katara started laughing.

At him.

It unnerved him and he was immediately scowling at her.

"I fail to see how that is funny." Zuko seemed to growl at her.

"I am sorry." Katara replied between giggles. "It's just that Aang had said the same thing because he shaves his head, and I mean, I guess you do to." Her giggles subsided. "Again sorry, I do not know why that was so funny to me. Maybe because Sokka is always stating how he needs to shave, but he has nothing to shave. So technically I was not laughing at you, but at Sokka." She finished.

He could only stare at her.

"Any ways, that was a lot of information to take in." Katara continued. "But that does make sense I guess." She paused a moment seeming lost in a thought for a moment before adding, "Though how about we start with just one knife at first, no reason to give Sokka a heart attack."

"Really?" He was shocked she was agreeing with him, and his scowl stayed locked on her as he looked for a double meaning.

"Trust Zuko." Katara simply replied.

And he remembered what she had said. If she could not trust him with this, then she could not trust him with anything and this would not work.

"Anything else you can think of?" Katara prodded gently.

"Not at the moment." He replied with a sigh.

"Alright then," Katara rose to her feet. "It is late. We should get to bed."

Zuko made no move to stand up. His ever-present scowl deepened as he glanced from her to the bed and back to her again. Then around the room as if another bed would miraculously appear if he looked hard enough. He understood her want to build trust between them, but did not think that trust extended to sleeping in the same bed. She could not stop the blush of embarrassment that flooded her cheeks as the implication of what she had said hit her.

"I-I did not mean to-together." She stuttered. "I-I thought you could make a bed on the floor. It is already padded with furs and I grabbed a couple extra furs for more padding and one for covers." She finished, indicating the furs piled on the end of her bed.

Zuko stood and grabbed the furs from the bed and glancing around the room for a stop, laid them out on the ground furthest from her bed. Out of the corner of his good eye he saw Katara quickly climb into her bed and pull the covers up over head. He worked to make himself comfortable. Once he was as comfortable as he could get, he laid there, staring at the ceiling in silence as the minutes ticked by.

"Do you want me to extinguish the lantern?" he finally asked her. He was beginning to wonder if she did not trust him enough to be in the dark alone with him.

"Oh umm, sure." Katara stated, poking her head out from under the covers. "Sorry, I forgot it was lit."

Zuko did not reply, but with a snap of his wrist the flame extinguished casting them into darkness. The sudden absence of light hung heavy in the air, enveloping them in a shroud of uncertainty. In the enclosed room he felt a charge in the air, prickling his nerves.