Avatar The Last Airbender Fan Fiction ❯ Smile Because It Happened ❯ Chapter 8

Chapter 8

 

The next 12 hours were a blur to the fevered Fire Lord, with him unable to tell the difference between delirium and true wakefulness. Sometimes he saw Mai, with her cool, expressionless mask as she stared at him silently, Azula at her side, pulling her into darkness. Other times he saw Aang, eyes and arrow tattoos glowing in fury as he fought him with all four elements, cursing Zuko and his love for his Katara.

 

Those were the most difficult of all. His love for the Waterbender betrayed his friendship with the Avatar.

 

I'm sorry… I couldn't help it… Aang… Forgive me… I didn't mean to love her…

 

“Zuko?” Katara's soft voice drifted through the haze, a beacon in the middle of the chaos that was his mind. “It's okay… Wake up, Zuko… Come back to us…”

 

His consciousness reached for that voice and pulled him out of his turbulent visions. When he managed to open his eyes, the first thing he noticed was that Katara was staring at him, concern evident in her sapphire eyes.

 

She smiled slightly as he slowly blinked, aware that he no longer felt like he had set himself on fire. “Wha...?”

 

“You've had a fever and were rather delirious,” the Waterbender replied, placing a cool hand on his forehead. She frowned. “You still feel warm.”

 

He managed a smirk. “Firebender,” he reminded her dryly.

 

Ignoring his comment, she leaned down and pressed her forehead to his with the intent of checking his fever. “No, you still have a slight fever,” she murmured, her eyes looking up at where their foreheads touched. “It's gone down from before, that's for sure, but it's still there.”

 

Zuko's grip on the blankets tightened. Didn't she know how close she was to him? If Aang happened to walk in, he would probably squash him between two slabs of rock before scattering him to the four winds.

 

“I'm fine,” he managed to say. “Firebenders have a slightly higher body temperature than normal. I don't think I'm sick anymore.”

 

She leaned back a little and frowned at him again. “You've been delirious for almost an entire day,” she informed him, oblivious to how close she was to his face. “You've said stranger things than Sokka did when he drank that cactus juice. You're not fooling anyone.”

 

He blinked. “Strange… things?” he stammered. “L-Like what?”

 

Finally she leaned back in her chair and crossed her arms, obviously disgruntled with him. “All sorts of bizarre things. You were cussing at Azula, arguing with your uncle…” She gave him a direct look. “Mostly you just kept apologizing over and over again.”

 

He winced. “Sorry.”

 

Katara huffed. “That's what I don't get! What are you sorry for? You wouldn't say anything other than you didn't mean it. What did you do?”

 

Zuko flushed and looked away. “I have no idea. Like you said, I was hallucinating.”

 

After a moment, her face softened. “Does it… have anything to do with yo- Ozai?”

 

Without even asking for clarification, he knew she was talking about his scar. Good. Better that than the real reason. “It doesn't matter, does it? I feel fine, other than I'm hungry enough to eat an ostrich-horse.”

 

The door opened and Toph entered, bearing a tray with a bowl of what he hoped was soup (and not just hot water) and a small piece of freshly baked bread. “Back among the living, Sparky?” she asked, chortling as Zuko wriggled into a sitting position, despite Katara's protests.

 

“If the ache in my back is any indication, then yes.”

 

Katara's eyes went into healer mode. “It still hurts? I've been trying to heal you for two days…”

 

His topaz gaze was teasing, which surprised her. “I told you- I'm fine. Just feed me and tell me what I've missed.”

 

Toph placed the tray on Zuko's lap and then sat at the foot of the bed. “Ty Lee isn't here,” she announced without preamble. Her tendency to get straight to the point was one of the things Zuko adored about the blind Earthbender.

 

He paused in the middle of dunking the bread into the flavorful meat broth. “So Azula did get to her?”

 

“No, she's in Omashu, visiting with the circus she used to travel with.” Toph blew her bangs out of her face only to have them fall right back in place. “The Warriors said she left the day before we arrived, so we just missed her.”

 

Zuko frowned. “And now because of me, we're three days behind her.”

 

“Pretty much.”

 

He took a healthy swig of broth straight from the bowl. “That would put her almost at Omashu, then. It's at least a five day trip, usually six. If she didn't get lost at the Cave.”

 

Katara perked infinitesimally. “Cave?”

 

“Cave of Two Lovers,” Toph clarified. “Where two love-sick fools from feuding kingdoms would meet up secretly and ended up learning Earthbending from the badger-moles.”

 

Katara swallowed. “I… know the story.”

 

“Good.” Toph rubbed her hands together. “I've always wanted to go, but never got the chance.” She made a face. “Always running around with Twinkletoes on that crazy flying furball.”

 

“Why didn't you go when you were traveling the world?” Katara asked.

 

A moment of silence passed. “Didn't really think about it,” Toph replied, shrugging. “But now that we've got to go there to catch up to Ty Lee, I'm all for it.”

 

Zuko put down his empty bowl. “Let's go then.”

 

“Nuh-uh.” Toph pushed the Fire Lord in the shoulder. “You are letting Sugar Queen heal you once more before we head out. If your pansy butt keels over from that burn on your back, I'm not gonna carry you.” She turned and walked toward the door, giving Zuko one final smirk before closing the door behind her.

 

Silence.

 

Zuko turned his head toward Katara but didn't actually look at her. “So… I guess it was pretty bad, huh?”

 

Her head came up and she blinked, momentarily lost. “Huh?”

 

“The burn. On my back?”

 

“Oh. Oh! Y-yeah. Well, it's not so bad now- I was lucky that there was water nearby when it happened, otherwise the damage would've been worse.”

 

He lifted his gaze and gave her a direct look. “You mean as bad as this?” he murmured, indicating his left eye.

 

Pain and sympathy crossed her features- but none of the disgust he was used to seeing when people looked at his face. “It's a part of who you are,” she said gently. “You wouldn't be Zuko without it. You shouldn't worry about what other people think when they look at it. They're just shallow, insensitive, ill-mannered barbarians who probably have more hair than intelligence.”

 

He stared at her for a moment before chuckling, shaking his head. “Well, that was me at one time, remember?”

 

She grinned. “You barely had any hair at all.”

 

“Exactly.”

 

“That didn't make you smart.”

 

“No kidding.”

 

Katara giggled. Zuko's gaze was drawn by the orange-yellow choker around her throat. His heart clenched.

 

“So… you're marrying Aang.”

 

She abruptly sobered, her eyes widening at his sudden change of subject. Her hand came up to touch the wooden pendant. “I… Yes. I guess I am.”

 

She couldn't read the emotion in his amber eyes. “You're okay with your father just handing you off like that, without even asking you if that's what you want?”

 

The Waterbender blinked several times as if in shock. “Wh… I…!”

 

Zuko leaned closer to her, his eyes blazing. “That's not the Katara I know. The Katara I know would never let someone else dictate her life for her. Who refused to let a bigoted old man tell her she couldn't learn Waterbending because she was a female? Who went after her mother's killer despite certain people telling her that `violence isn't the answer'?”

 

Katara gaped at him. “Wha… What about you?” she retorted. “I thought the Fire Lord was in charge of everything!”

 

“What does that have to do with anything?”

 

“Your advisors are all over your ass to get married and start popping out some kids,” she said irritably. “You're the last person to tell me not to let other people control my life!”

 

“We're not talking about me- we're talking about you!” He scowled at her. “And how did you find out about that anyway?”

 

“Toph told me,” she said, waving her hand as if dismissing the issue. “But that's not the point. The point is you're being hypocritical about my life when your own is even more out of your control.”

 

“I've already told my advisors I'll get married when I'm damn good and ready,” he growled through clenched teeth, leaning toward her menacingly. “I am in control of my life.”

 

“I bet they've got a list of potential brides just waiting for you as soon as you get back.”

 

He snorted steam. “They'd better not!”

 

“You've been with Mai for over four years now. Why haven't you married her? She's been right there for you through thick and thin- oh, wait…” She put her finger on her lips as if thinking deeply. “She's only been with you when you were royalty. My bad.”

 

Zuko pulled back the dark green blanket and swung his legs over the side of the bed, ignoring the fact that he was dressed only in his royal shorts. This time he was right in her face- and practically snarling. “That's not true!”

 

Katara refused to back down and matched him, glare for glare. “Oh, yeah? What happened when you were banished? You were wandering the world for three years and she wanted nothing to do with you. Then you come home after you betrayed us and are the happy little Prince again- and look! There's Mai! All warm hugs and kisses, just oozing ennui over your joyous return.”

 

“Katara,” he warned, standing up.

 

But she wasn't finished, she was on a roll. She stood up too and kept right on in his face- despite their nearly 8 inch height difference. “But what did she do when you decided to do the honorable thing and join the Avatar in order to save the world? She whined and complained about how you had betrayed your country again.”

 

“She saved our lives at the Boiling Rock,” he ground out.

 

“And how did you repay her? You left her there!”

 

“I knew she'd be okay!” he hollered, knowing even as he said it that it was a lie.

 

“Is that why you were so surprised when she showed up on the day of your coronation?” Katara asked. At his incredulous look she nodded. “Yeah, I saw. I was coming to see if you needed my help- because of the injury you got while saving my life- and she was already there.” She turned away, leaving him standing there, stunned. “I heard what she said… and I saw you two kiss,” she finished, her voice growing quiet.

 

Zuko blinked in surprise at the familiar voice that called out to him as he tried to pull on his new Fire Lord robe. “ Mai! You're okay! They let you out of prison?”

 

She shrugged. “My uncle pulled some strings.” A rare smile flitted around her lips. “And it doesn't hurt when the new Fire Lord is your boyfriend.”

 

Zuko looked at the black-haired knife thrower. “So does it mean you don't hate me anymore?”

 

Mai gave him a slight smile, looking somewhat suggestive. “I think it means, I actually kind of like you.”

 

She slid her hand around his neck and he obliged, leaning down to kiss her. As they parted, Zuko heard Mai say “But don't ever break up with me again.”

 

The young Fire Lord blinked, utterly confused. “I… I don't understand. What does that-?”

 

“You belong with Mai,” Katara acknowledged. “She's the daughter of Fire Nation nobles, she's well-mannered, beautiful, and always behaves politely- except when she's trying to kill us, of course…”

 

Zuko took a hesitant step forward. “Katara?”

 

She turned back to gaze at him- and he was speechless to see unshed tears in her oceanic eyes. “It's better this way, isn't it?” she asked softly. “Mai gets to be Fire Lady, like she's always wanted, and Aang gets to be with me, just like he's always wanted.”

 

Their eyes locked, the two benders didn't move for a span of heartbeats. The door crashed open and they jumped, turning to look at the doorway.

 

“Hey, Sifu Hotman!” Aang called, grinning. “You're up and about! That's awesome!” He walked over, unaware of the tension that hung in the air like a cloud of steam and put an arm around Katara's shoulders in a squeeze. “It's all because of Katara. She can do almost anything,” he declared. “Isn't she amazing?”

 

Zuko's molten gaze returned once more to Katara's aquatic one, aware of something undefined within those depths.

 

“Yeah,” he said quietly. “She's incredible.”