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skylarri1991 · 3 months ago

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A little one off scene from S3 at the Southern Air Temple. Zutara coded.

“So what exactly happened when you went to go see him?”

Toph puffs a stray lock of hair from her forehead. She’s leaning back on her hands while Katara gently runs the healing water around her scorched soles. They’re in the waterbender’s quarters, Toph sitting back on her cot.

“I already told you, Sugar Queen,” she huffs, “I went to go see if Sparky had any hidden agenda to betray our location. The guy got spooked and hit me with a fire blast. He almost chased me back to the temple trying to apologize but I knocked him back with a rock to the ribs.”

Katara mulls this over, still skeptical. The boy in question had returned today, again trying to prove his worthiness to Aang by helping the group take down Mr. Combustion Man. The man he had sent to collect the Avatar, conveniently.

But Aang had thought it enough, and tentatively let him join their group. Katara could only bite her tongue. It was a miracle she managed not to throw the firebender’s share of rations in his face that night for dinner. He would have deserved it.

“What’s your deal with him, though? You’ve been holding back rage ever since he joined our group. The ground practically shakes under my toes when you guys are in the same vicinity.”

Katara freezes, and she flashes back to-

….a lost, confused, hurt boy weighed down by something too much to bear for one so young….

….being vulnerable enough to shed tears in his presence….

….rough, coarse dead skin underneath her fingertips and irises like liquid gold staring steadily back at her…

….accepting her help, maybe he would even-

She shakes off the memory and focuses back on healing Toph’s feet. Her mouth is a tightly pressed line. “I know you think he’s being sincere about wanting to help Aang learn firebending. Maybe that’s true, but we have to stay vigilant with him. In the end, he’s Fire Nation through and through. And it’s what’s best for the Fire Nation that he’ll choose every time.”

Toph is silent, knowing that there’s something she isn’t confessing to. “Well, maybe he finally knows that what’s best for the Fire Nation is for him to train Aang to become a fully fledged Avatar.”

“Yeah well, I’ll be here to make sure he keeps his word on that,” Katara says, stepping back and pulling the water back into her pouch. “You should be okay to walk on your feet, though it may still be sore. Would you like me to carry you to your room?”

The younger girl waves a flippant hand. “Don’t worry about it. That’s a debt his Fire Highness has to pay. In fact, where is Hotpants?”

Katara holds back an eye roll at her younger friend’s nicknames for the Fire Prince. Instead, she trades places with Toph, sitting down on her cot.

“Last I heard, Sokka said he was in the other wing training Aang.”

Toph nods, and gingerly walks out of the room as best she can, which is to say, not at all for the earthbender who hobbles out of the room with renewed purpose.

“Hey, Sparky!” she hears her voice echoing down the hall and shaking her head, she sighs, laying down on her side on the cot.

Exhaustion hits her suddenly, and she feels her eyes drooping. As she succumbs to the numbness of sleep, it’s amber eyes lit by fluorescent crystal that haunt her dreams.

* * * * * * *

The following evening, the gang is gathered around the firepit Sokka had put together on the main pavilion as they listen to Zuko and Aang excitedly share the details of the Sun Warrior Ancient City, the twin flame dragons who had enlightened them.

As they demonstrate the new firebending forms, Katara ignores them, pulling out the bowls and cups in preparation for supper.

“That’s some nice dance moves, guys, but I don’t think that’ll work against the Fire Lord,” her brother snarks.

She feels, more than sees, as their new companion begins to heat up with indignant fury. “It’s not a dance move! It’s a sacred firebending form over a thousand years old!” He spits, and out of the corner of her eye, she watches him stalk towards her brother. The latter grins in amusement.

Her eyes are flinty as she speaks up. “Oh yeah? What’s the name of the form again?”

She doesn’t make eye contact with him, so she misses the flash of his gaze striking her in brief shock at her addressing him, however indirectly. From across the circle around the firepit, Toph raises an eyebrow at the spike in heart rate coming from the firebender.

Zuko deflates, grimacing as he bows his head and shoulders in mild embarrassment. “It’s called the Dancing Dragon.”

Katara allows herself a small half smile as the rest of the group bursts into fits of mocking laughter. She does peek out of the corner of her eye as Aang comes forward to give a consoling pat on Zuko’s back. The Fire Prince goes to sit next to Toph, who gives him a welcome back punch in the arm.

She’s diligently chopping up the vegetables for the fish stir fry when a shadow covers her.

“Hey, Katara, I want to show you something,” the younger boy kneels down next to her, his monk beads swaying from the movement around his neck.

The lines around her mouth soften as she gives him the attention he desires. He holds his hands out in front of him in a cupping gesture and she watches closely as he calls fire to his palms in swirling tendrils.

“Wow, that’s really good, Aang-”

“Just wait, there’s more,” he cuts her off, tongue peaking out of the corner of his mouth in acute concentration.

She sits back on her haunches and folds her hands over her lap, staring in growing wonder as the Avatar manipulates the tendrils of flame to swirl around each other in a parody of the firebending form he and Zuko had just shown the group.

Katara’s audible gasp as Aang then manipulates one of the tendrils of flame to turn blue, has the groups’ attention snapping to them. She feels the pinprick of a golden gaze searing into her skin.

The Avatar continues to showcase the Dancing Dragon technique between his palms, and it’s enthralling seeing the bright orange-y red flame twist and spin around the blazing blue flame in a timeless sequence. Like a moth to a literal flame, Katara leans forward, the enticing warmth kissing the skin of her cheeks.

“That’s amazing, Aang! I thought only Azula could bend blue fire-”

She cuts off as long, tapered fingers grip her left shoulder, pushing her firmly a foot back. Her gaze snaps incredulously up to the culprit.

Zuko’s narrowed eyes glare down at the Avatar’s palms, his firm grip not leaving her shoulder. “You shouldn’t play with fire like that,” he scolds, his words icy, “Especially blue flame. I’m sure from past experience with my sister you realize that blue fire burns twice as hot as normal flame. It’s too dangerous to be messed with so haphazardly.”

His reasoning is sound enough, and the Avatar looks properly chastened as he snuffs out the tendrils of flame in his hands.

But Katara hears what’s not being said and sneers up at the Fire Prince. “Just because Aang can produce blue fire and you can’t-”

“That’s not it!” he explodes, and she swears she sees smoke from his mouth. Yeah, right. “He’s not a master firebender! He could easily hurt you by accident!”

Hush falls on the group. Katara looks quickly to Aang, who has even further slumped in shame.

“Aang, it’s okay,” she extends a placating hand out to the Avatar, “You’ve gained so much control since then-”

Behind her, Zuko’s eyes widen, realization coming to him that the boy actually had hurt someone with fire. That someone being the dusty skinned girl kneeling in front of him. Zuko is floored, naively thinking that the Avatar had yet attempted to master his own element until now. Offhandedly, he wonders who their group found to teach him in this time of war..

“No, Katara,” Aang stands, “he’s right. I shouldn’t mess around with an element I haven’t fully realized yet.” With that, he slumps off to sit next to Sokka and Suki, the former wrapping an elbow around the boy’s neck with brotherly affection.

The waterbender jumps to her feet, her cerulean eyes glinting with a threat of violence as she points an imperious finger into his chest. She gears herself up to tell him off, and his shoulders tense in preparation for it.

Instead, she huffs angrily, and stalks off to one of the empty rooms where she’s storing the supplies to put away the food.

Around the fire pit, it’s tense silence. Zuko stares wordlessly at the empty space the waterbender had just occupied, his brow lowering in frustration at himself for continuing to make things weird around camp. All he has to do is just open his mouth, and it upsets someone.

“We-ell,” Toph begins in a sing-songy voice, “now that everything’s nice and awkward around here, I think I’m gonna go throw some rocks around. Hey, Twinkle Toes, you in?”

“Yeah, okay,” Aang agrees, and follows the little Earthbender around the side of the temple, happy for the quick getaway. Everyone else, except for Sokka and Suki, scatters as well, with half-mumbled bids of goodnight.

Zuko plops down in an ungraceful heap against a pillar, huffing out smoke. “What’s everyone’s deal? I was just trying to warn the Avatar against being careless with bending fire when he’s still just a novice.”

The couple across the other side of the firepit share a look. It’s a silent debate over whether to divulge this bit of history. Sokka looks over to the Fire Prince with a graveness Zuko's never seen in the guy.

“When we were on our way to the Northern Water Tribe to find Aang an advanced waterbending master, we found a Fire Nation deserter who briefly taught Aang some Firebending forms. Aang picked up a couple moves pretty quick, and when he went to show Katara, he lost control of it and accidentally burned her arms pretty bad.” Zuko’s eyes widened. So he had hurt the water girl.

Sokka grabs a stick to stoke the fire in front of him. Suki tucks herself more into his side. “If Katara hadn’t just learned that she could also heal, it would’ve scarred both of her arms. Aang vowed to never learn firebending after that. He was devastated. No amount of convincing him that he had to master all four elements would get through to him.”

Zuko contemplates the new information. “Well, I’m sorry he had to learn that lesson the hard way. After learning from the masters, he knows now that fire is not always about destruction. It can also be about life.”

Sokka scoffs indignantly.

Zuko frowns. “I understand your hesitation to think so, but today was eye opening for not just the Avatar, but myself as well. I know now why my bending stopped when I left the Palace. All my life, my drive for firebending had been taught to me through rage, power, and total destruction. I knew of no other way to channel my inner fire through different means, different drives. My desire isn’t to capture the Avatar anymore. It’s to help him restore balance.”

A slow, sardonic clap rings from near the barracks entrance. Katara steps out of the shadows, her expression grim. Zuko springs to his feet.

“Well, look here everyone, the Fire Prince has finally seen the light! It only took a couple of betrayals and a year of stalking to see that.” She deadpans.

“Katara..” Sokka warns.

“No, Sokka! He’s a traitor!” She snaps, her flashing eyes never once leaving the Fire Prince. Ready at a moment's notice to retaliate, should things escalate. “I know he’s the only chance we have to get Aang to master the final element but don’t think for one second I’m letting my guard down around this guy.”

Zuko clenches his fists at his sides. “How many times do I have to assure you that I am not still on the Fire Lord’s side? What is your deal with me?”

“What is my deal with you?” She retorts incredulously. Water from inside the training barrels slosh ominously, in tempo with the rising emotion coming from the master waterbender. “In case you forgot, Your Highness, I was the first one to trust you!” She explodes, marching ever closer. “I almost wasted the healing water from the Spirit Oasis on you! Could you imagine if I had? Aang would be really dead, and I would’ve had to live with the fact that I had shown compassion to a person who only puts his own honor above the whole world!”

Zuko has gone paler, if that was even possible. His heart drops to his stomach as he realizes his critical error. But his eyes remain transfixed on the girl, who doesn’t know that she’s so close he can feel her furious puffs of breath on his collarbone as she glares murderously up at him.

Agni help him, but she’s beautiful.

He gulps, keeping his expression as neutral as he can.

“I trusted you down there,” she pants, beginning to lose steam. Furious frustration begins to take place. “And you chose your precious honor instead.” She spits the word like it’s a curse.

“I’m sorry, Katara,” he says, sincerely.

Katara takes a half step back, shaking her head. She clenches her eyes shut as she tries to calm down.

“Sorry doesn’t change anything,” she glares at him, “Take this as a warning. You’re being watched.”

All Zuko can do is nod and watch her stomp back to the barracks.

Fin.

#zuko #zutara #zutara fanfiction #katara

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