Katara
On foot, the journey to Ba Sing Se is going to take about three weeks according to Chi Ty. That's three weeks of time with just me and Zuko. I know I can make him see the war from a new perspective. If he changes sides, Aang will have a fire bending teacher and we'll have someone to take the Fire Nation throne after The Fire Lord is killed. It would be perfect. But. first, I have to convince the grumpy and stubborn Fire Prince.
I do what Chi Ty says, and take an Ice cold bath, followed by plenty of stew, water, and mango juice. When I wake up the next morning, I'm not feeling great, but I feel strong enough to at least get up and start the trip.
Zuko's waiting for me when I get outside, a knapsack and a pair of broadswords already slung over his shoulder.
"Ready?" He asks.
"I-I think I need to get some supplies of my own."
"I have plenty for both of us. Let's go." He says and starts walking.
I try to talk to him as we walk, but He makes it clear by his silence that he is not up for making conversation. By the time we make camp at nightfall, He's said maybe 5 words. He makes it seven when he pitches the tent.
"Damn it." He curses, throwing the pack down.
"What is it?"
"Chi Ty only packed us one tent." He says, and my face flushes.
"Is-Is it big enough for two people?" I ask. The desert gets very cold at night, as I learned from my last miserable experience in it. But the thought of sharing a tent with Zuko makes my stomach squirm and my face flame.
Unlike the other nations, The Water Tribe expects chastity until marriage. Tui and La, the moon and ocean spirits, are virgin spirits and they expect the same of their followers, with the exception of those who are married. Sleeping in a cramped tent with the Fire Prince would not be looked on kindly by my family.
On the other hand, it isn't like we would do anything. Zuko's made it clear through actions rather than words that the kiss we shared on his ship never should have happened. We almost killed each other in the North Pole, and he's hardly looked at me since then. He probably just stayed with me when he found me coming out of the desert because he felt he owed me for healing Iroh.
"No. You sleep in the tent. I'll sleep by the fire." He says, snapping me out of my thoughts as he finishes with the tent and throws a sleeping bag inside for me, then places his by the campfire he started.
"Zuko, it gets really cold-"
"I"m a firebenders, Katara. I'll be fine." He cuts me off, leaving no room for argument. I nod and crawl inside the tent. Immediately I notice the tent is easily big enough for two sleeping bags. Sticking my head out of the tent flap, I see him saying down by the fire.
"Thank you." I whisper, closing the tent flap and going to bed.
When I wake up the next morning, I peak my head out of the tent and see Zuko's gone. I would have thought he ditched me if all his stuff wasn't still here, but it is so he couldn't have gone too far.
I feel better than yesterday, but not great. It'll just take time, and Chi Ty said I need to make sure I'm drinking plenty of water every day and that I don't let myself get too hot again. He sent me with 4 extra water skins so I can be sure to have enough. A couple more days, and I should be fully recovered from the desert sickness.
I find some soap in the knapsack and run over to the well we camped by and bathe with a stream of water I jet all over my body and clothes, then bend myself dry. Just because I'm traveling with a boy doesn't mean I have to smell like one.
Once I clean my teeth and braid my hair, I start packing the tent up and try to get ready for when Zuko gets back so we can leave right away. It takes an annoying amount of time, but when he gets back he has two birds slung over his shoulder.
"You were hunting?" I ask. He doesn't respond, just keeps walking until he sits next to the campfire.
"Thanks for packing up. Let's make some stew for breakfast and go." He says and hands me one of the birds. I nod and do as he does, plucking and draining the bird before Zuko gets a pot out of the knapsack and we throw them in to boil.
"I'm used to be no good at cooking birds, since I grew up in the South Pole. We hunted more seal, whale, Caribou, and fish. Not many birds can survive the harsh climate there." I tell him as we wait for it to finish boiling. "Then we started traveling. Hunting in unfamiliar environments is hard. You can't track an animal if you don't know it's habits or environments. But Sokka figured it out. When he started bringing birds back that he got with his boomerang, I had absolutely no idea how to cook it. Thankfully, we were on Kyoshie Island so Suki, she's the leader of the Kyoshie warriors, was able to teach me. We had bird a lot on the road after that, even though Aang didn't like it. He's a vegetarian, so while Sokka and I would eat whatever game he caught, Aang would just eat berries and nuts and such. I wish he would eat meat so he could put on some weight and muscle, he looks like he'll blow over most days, but I guess that's good for an airbender." I chatter. Zuko doesn't even look up at me, just looks at his bowl as he eats his stew. "What about you?" I ask.
"Clearly, I'm not a vegetarian." He mutters.
"No, I mean how did you learn to hunt? And prepare food?"
"About three years ago."
"Really? I-"
"I don't want to talk about it, Katara! Just drop it. We need to be leaving." He huffs, finishing the last of his stew and then standing up and slinging the knapsack. "Let's go."
I glare at him in annoyance, but get up and stow my bowl in the knapsack. We set off without another word.
This goes on for days. By the time I'm completely recovered, I notice Whatever he felt for me on the ship, clearly he doesn't anymore. He won't look at me unless he has to, and he hardly says two words a day. He won't even slow down to make the trek easier for me, even though I just almost died of desert sickness. But I told him I wouldn't slow him down, so I can't complain too much. I'm the one who insisted on coming, although now I almost regret that.
I know the group is in Ba Sing Se. That's where Chi Ty said black market animal traders are most likely to have taken Appa, and Sokka has to inform the Earth King of the eclipse. Now, I'm glad I didn't tell Zuko they'd for sure be there.
When I started this trek with Zuko, I was hoping to get him to change sides. Now, I don't think that'll happen. He's homesick, and for whatever reason, his banishment will only end if he brings Aang before his father. He'd do anything to make that happen.
So, I'll finish the journey. I'll hope he has a change of heart. But when we get to Ba Sing Se, I'm going to have to leave during the night so he can't follow me and ambush Aang. Although, it would be an incredible feat capturing him and getting him out of the city with all the Earth Bender soldiers around. But if he'll try to carry him through a blizzard and fight a waterbender on a glacier during the full moon, I don't put him past trying to do anything.
"Let's spar." I say, getting up after we eat dinner one night. Zuko looks up at me.
"What?"
"We should both practice our bending or it'll get rusty." I say.
"No." He says and goes back to his nuts, berries, and jerky.
"You can't stop me from attacking you." I smirk, trying to goad him. An irritated look flashes across his face.
"Fine. But you'll stop once I win."
"If you win. Remember the North Pole."
"This isn't a full moon and we're not on a glacier." He replies, standing up.
We circle each other a couple times, before I finally lash at him with a water whip. He dodges it and rolls to the side, preparing his counter strike.
We go at it for a while, and finally, I take a second longer than I should have on one of my movements. He takes the opportunity to dodge my strike, and rush forward, tackling me to the ground and pinning my wrists above my head. I pant as I look up at him, both of us drenched in sweat and breathing heavy. Without meaning to, I look at his mouth. The last time he was on top of me like this, he kissed me for the first time. The memory makes my face flush. Unlike last time, he also has my feet pinned so I can't kick him off with water. I guess he learned. He could do anything he wants to me right now, and I couldn't stop him. I know he won't, though. What makes my stomach twist is I wish he would, or at least I wish he would kiss me again.
"Told you I'd win." He says, taking a second longer than he should to get off.
"You won tonight. I'll get you tomorrow."
"Tomorrow?" He asks, putting his face in his knees. "This is a one time deal, Water Princess." I smile at the old nickname.
"I disagree. I can't have Aang being better than me at waterbending when I find him, so I need to keep practicing. You should want to keep in shape too."
"The last thing you should want is me to be better at Firebending, Katara."
"Maybe so, but I need to keep sharp. It's a risk I'll have to take."
"Like you said earlier, I can't stop you from attacking me. But I still think this is a bad idea." He pulls the knapsack to him and digs out a the bar of soap. Without another word, he goes off to bathe in the stream we're camped by, coming back with his clothes soaking wet. I bend him dry as soon as he sits down.
"Thanks." He mutters, laying back on his sleeping bag.
"Thank you for not making me deal with boy smell." I snort. He crinkles his eyebrows.
"Boy smell?"
"Sokka has no love for baths. I have to douse him when he's not paying attention to keep him smelling clean."
"That's gross."
"I thought it was like that for all guys."
"I grew up a prince, remember? Hygiene was required." He turns over and lowers the flame of the fire. "Get some sleep, Katara. We leave at first light."