Eventualities Are Inevitable - A Zutara Story

Meeoko

Summary : Whilst settling into every day Avatar routines at The Western Air Temple, Zuko and Katara must learn to get along in close quarters. But do they learn more than they bargained for?

Possible Spoilers : The Western Air Temple, The Fire Bending Master and Burning Rock part one and two.

Author note: Be gentle, this is my first fan fic. I'll try my best. Any reviews will be greatly appreciated. Thanks and enjoy!

Eventualities are Inevitable

The Western Air Temple was a flurry of activity. Katara could feel the faint pounding of Aang and Toph's Earth Bending session reverberate through the old stone pillars of the upsidedown structure. Haru and The Duke were nosily banging away on some new contraption in preparation for the invasion and Sokka was clashing his sword against a wooden training dummy in the main courtyard, with Suki watching from a small alcove. Katara could hear faint grunts coming from her brother every now and then, along with the name 'Azula'.
She sighed as she stitched hurriedly away at some tattered bead sheets.
Is it me or is everybody doing something more interesting than this?
Her attention was caught for a moment by a loud crashing sound, as the wooden dummy toppled over onto Sokka, making her jump and prick herself with the needle.

"Ow! Sokka! Will you at least keep it down when you're being attacked by viscous man-eating dummies?" she yelled out irritably before sticking her bleeding finger into her mouth. Sokka gave her a fierce look as Suki helped him up from under the dummy, giggling quietly. He blushed a fierce red colour and grunted at her.
Don't act like my mom in front of my girlfriend! Was exactly the message that Katara interpreted. She shot an irritated look back, a frown plastered onto her brow and removed her bleeding finger from her mouth long enough to stick her tongue out at her brother.

Another crash shook the halls and sent some chips of stone rattling onto the floor. Katara was beginning to get a headache.
Can't they cause an earthquake a little quieter? She though bitterly, I do all the real work around here anyway...
She watched the small trickle of blood dribble down her finger and shivered a little as she though of the crooked, laughing face of Hama.
Congratulations Katara, you're a Blood Bender.
Katara shook her head to try and clear her mind of the memory. She had no intention of ever using her abilities for such an awful act of invasion. Plus, she had work to do.
Once again threading her needle, she tried to sew up the remaining holes in each blanket whilst all around her, things crashed and banged, turning her headache into a full blown migraine.

She leant into the cool embrace of the stone pillars in the furthest and most isolated part of the Air Temple she could find, wallowing in the silence and shade. Wiping the sweat from her upper lip, Katara sank to the floor and moved her hair aside so that the cold stone could cool her neck and shoulders.
She never had the time to braid her hair anymore. It was far less manageable now, especially in under the all-consuming heat of the Fire Nation summer, making it frizz out and tangle in the humidity. She found it constantly getting into her eyes and snagging it on the back of her pendant. Unfortunately, unmanageable hair was more practical as she didn't have to spend who knows how long taming it back into it's braid.
If only I was a Hair Bender. she thought to herself, huffily tucking a rouge strand behind her ear.
On a whim, she twisted the sweat from her body with a delicate movement of her palm and formed it into a small ball, passing it through the air as if it were flying. She wondered for a moment if she could make the ball look like a miniature Momo.

"That's pretty gross" came a voice from the shadows, startling her and making her drop her watery orb to the floor. She quickly shot up into a Water Bending pose and went to uncork her water skins.
"Woah, slow down! It's just me!" Zuko emerged from out of the shadows, palms facing forward. Katara huffeded at him and settled down, corking her water skins again but wishing she could hit him anyway.
"Zuko! Must you keep jumping out of the shadows at people like that? I almost iced you!"
His lips thinned, but she could see that he tried to keep his voice as controlled as possible.
"I wasn't sneaking. I just saw you here and -"
"What, Jerkbender?" she interrupted, crossing her arms defensively "Decided to check up on me? To spy on me? Because I'm such a weak little Water Bender peasant that I might get lost in the big bad ruins?"

His remaining eyebrow twitched in anger and she could begin to feel heat radiating from him. A small vein began to pump in his neck, which made the dark scar upon his face seem all the more intimmidating.
"Look Katara-"
"No, you look, Zuko! I'm working my butt off here for these kids and the one time I want a little peace and quiet for myself, what happens? You jump out at me like a creep!"
"What's your problem?" he demanded, his patience completely lost. Katara could feel the air around him grow warmer.
"You are my problem, Zuko!" she shot back venomously "Sneaking around like a snoop in the shadows, scaring me to death! Don't you Fire Benders make any noise when you walk or were you just made that way to make killing people easier?"

She immediately regretted it.

Zuko's nostrils flared and steam vented from them slowly. He grit his teeth and clenched his fists together. He walked towards her.
"Zuko, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to say-"
"Oh I know what you mean perfectly well!" he hissed, stopping a mere inch from her face "I know exactly what you mean! You still don't trust me! Even after everything that's happened, you're still too hard-headed-"
"Hard-headed?" she snapped, staring him right back in the face, eyes ablaze.
"Yes!" he retorted, the heat emitting from him was sweltering "You've treated me like dirt the entire time I've been here and I'm pretty sick of it! I'm here to train the Avatar, not to please her Royal Majesty of housework!"

She froze, an icy chill of rage filling her veins which almost relieved some of Zuko's immense body temperature. She spoke quietly through clenched teeth. They were so close to each other that their eyelashes almost batted together.
"What did you say?"
He smiled that grim smile she had seen him smile all those months ago in the Spirit Oasis. That smile that almost always meant trouble and completely infuriated her.

"You heard me." he replied almost calmly. She took a deep breath inward that did little to calm her raging temper, but when she replied, so tried to keep her voice low and steadied.
"Zuko, get away from me right now. Or I won't be able to settle this with words for much longer." They both knew it was an empty threat, for Aang's sake. But was it?
He puffed a stream of heat from his nose that made her stagger backwards slightly and with a face like thunder, he stalked out of the chamber with fists still clamped tightly together.

What is her problem!
Thud!
She is such a know-it-all!
Thud!
Stupid, stupid, stupid!
Thud!

The creaking of the practice dummy told Zuko that if he were to hit it any harder, the wood would probably end up splintering. He didn't care.
Thud!

As he swung for the dummy with fists and swift kicks, he began to repeat every curse word that he had learnt from the sailors aboard his ship. He thought of how unfair this all was. Just how much did he have to do to prove to her that he was good now? And why should he have to anyway? The Avatar was the one person he had needed to convince and Aang had accepted him after all that he had done.
Why does she bother me so much? He thought, as he swung another kick at the faceless dummy.
Crack!

The splintered wood ran up through the dummy from base to tip, a large crack in its otherwise empty body. He kicked it again regardless, a tip of flame coming through the sole of his boots.
Thump!
The dummy fell to the floor in two separate halves, a little singed in the middle where Zuko's blow had wrung true. He stood panting for a moment, sweat running from his face and neck. He pushed back his hair, sighing.
"There's got to be an easier way" he said breathlessly to himself.
"An easier way to what, Sparky?"
Zuko jumped, darting around toward the noise. He was about to retort rudely when he realised it was Toph sitting atop a fallen pillar a few feet away from him, scratching at the dirt with her fingers.

"Nothing." She swirled a few small rocks in the air, flicking one in his direction every so often. He didn't even need to dodge, as she wasn't trying to hit him, just annoy him. He knew that well enough by now.
"I really wish you wouldn't do that..." he sighed, walking towards her.
"Hey, just because you're too busy beating up poor defencelss pieces of wood to fulfil your promise to me, doesn't mean I can't make my own fun!" she beamed up at him when he sat down beside her, rubbing the sweat from the back of his neck.
"Toph, your feet healed fine. You can walk on them easily." he tried to reason, knowing it wouldn't get him anywhere.
She smirked and began picking the dirt from under her toenails. Zuko made a gagging face he was glad she couldn't see.
"I'm blind, Sparky, not stupid. I know they're healed. But until your guilty conscience is clear for burning a poor blind girls feet, you and I are going to be seeing alot more of eachother." A slight smile perked at the corner of his mouth. She always came out with such die-hard comments.
"Okay," he agreed jokingly "but you can't use that 'poor blind girl' excuse for a whole month now!"
She waved a hand that he assumed was supposed to be in his direction but was a little too far to the left.
"Pfft! No way! I know I've got a good deal going on here!" She punched his shoulder lightly, that playful smirk on her face. "Anyway, I'm hungry. Sugar Queen should have made dinner by now. So Sparky, yip yip!"
Though Zuko's shoulders slumped heavily, but he perked up regardless.
"Come on then, Monkey Face." He got up from his seat and bent down in front of Toph, sitting astride her pillar like a gleeful ruler upon her throne. She climbed onto his back, wrapping her hands around his neck and pointed forward.
Zuko wondered if he should tell her the kitchen was the other way, but decided against it, just happy to be with somebody who actually enjoyed his company.
"Ew! Sparky, you stink! What did you do to that dummy? Sweat it to death?"

Authors Notes: Well, that's Chapter One sorted. Chapter Two will be up and running asap (as soon as I figure out how to make chapters). /
Feel free to review as all comments or input is appreciated. Will update soon.