Title: Destiny
Summary: "You loony water bending freak-" "Condescending hot headed-" "of nature, stubborn, pain-in-the-ass" "Fire Nation jerk off-" "love of my life!" "with a pole up your... what did you just say?" Zutara
Author: Bibliophile Nincompoop
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"For it was not into my ear you whispered, but into my heart. It was not my lips you kissed, but my soul." ~Judy Garland
The war was finally over, the bloodshed had seized, and the animosity between the cultures had nearly diminished. The skies are no longer ominous and dreary, but brilliant blue. The tyranny of the Fire Nation had been demolished and a new era of peace had been resurrected by the Avatar. This small boy, with knowledge and wisdom of men and women from his past lives, had defeated the intolerance and benevolence of a hundred year old war, and replaced it with the pureness of a child's heart. Aang's destiny is only partly finished, and will not be till the day he dies. What is my destiny?
I picked up the small metal brush from my vanity and ran it through my long brown hair. Putting down the brush, I looked at my reflection, chocolate tanned skin, crystal blue eyes, and as of late a fake smile. In the past couple of weeks I have gone through an extensive soul searching process, and my results are less than pleasing. I worry too much, I am trampled and stepped on by people because I have faith in them, and I am just a lackey of the Avatar. So I am a worry wart throw rug for Aang. And even possibly his wife, if he gets his way. Don't get me wrong, I love Aang, I care for him very deeply. He makes me happy, and that's the problem. I want to be angry, sad, and miserable. Along with being truly happy, and absolutely loved. I want him to be furious with me, and I want to throw things. But when I do get angry, Aang blames himself and then goes to the ends of the Earth apologizing to me.
I sighed, and got dressed into my gown. It was simple of course, just like me, well not mentally at least. It was spaghetti strapped white dress, that came down just to my ankles, and a long slit up my right leg. It made my maturing body, look fuller and more pronounced, which I liked very much. Two short swift knocks sounded at the door and a deep body guard like voice reminded me "Dinner will be starting in ten minutes my lady."
"Thank you." I called out, I left my hair down, put on Gran Gran's necklace and exited the doors.
It only took about three minutes walk to the grand dinning room, but everyone was there waiting for me.
"Sugar Queen, decided to finally show up." Toph smirked. The tiny but loud earth bender, boy was she a handful even more so than Sokka. She acted more like a boy than any boy I've met. Though tonight, wearing a pea green dress encrusted with sparkling gems, and her hair perfectly done up, she looked beautiful.
"Hey, Katara, what took ya so long?" Sokka announced out loud while wrapping his arm around is beloved Suki.
"I lost track of time." I smiled shyly, as I took my seat to the left of Fire Lord Zuko and across from the Aang. It was strange, Zuko being the Fire Lord, but it suited him. He screamed royalty, but on the inside he had the ideals of the common man. It gave his regal standing good hopes and great prospects, even though he is a bit of pain.
A few servants, placed silver platters upon platters of food on the table, it looked too much for just us, but then again looking at my brother practically drooling, I doubt there will be any left for us. We all dug in and enjoyed the bountiful feast, telling old stories and tales of our avatar days. Or in Zuko's case his avatar hunting days. But Aang stayed eerily quiet, smiling every now an then. He looked like a forming thunderhead, his forehead creased and eyes empty, something dark was brewing with my friend. It made me sad, but after dinner I would try to make it a point to prod the situation.
Aang cleared his throat and we all looked at him, "I have something very important to say," he scratched the back of his bald head. "This whole week, I have been talking with the past Avatars, and they say that I have to go rebuild the Air Temples and the.." he gulped, his face strained thinking of the ending comment.
"I could send some people to help you." Zuko looked at Aang, I knew he noticed Aang's behavior.
Aang smiled lightly, he wasn't the naive boy me and Sokka rescued all those years ago. "The past avatars have told me that I will have to restore my nation and it's people."
"I don't know where you're getting at." My stupid brother asked, not catching onto the whole restore it's people part.
Suki punched her boyfriend in the arm, "He has umm 'produce' baby air benders."
Sokka opened his mouth in the shape of a big 'O'.
I knew it would come to this, sooner or later. Aang would have to settle down with the woman of his choosing, and have lots of bald mini-Aangs running around and creating havoc. But I knew that wasn't for me, Aang wasn't for me.
"I'll have to take a non-bending wife." His gray eyes were locked with mine, I felt his pain and it hurt.
"So that means..." Zuko also turned to look at me. Soon all the eyes at the table were staring at me, well excluding Toph.
The room went dead quiet, nobody really knew what to say after that. So we finished eating and slowly one by one excused ourselves from the table. I left right after my brother and Suki, to make it seem less obvious that I was trying to escape the awkwardness. Everyone would pity me now. I'm going to be the girl the avatar dumped, I wonder if that's any better than the avatar's girl. I noticed after a while, I was completely lost.
After a few twists and turns, I found a small pond out in the court yard, and I slumped against the tree next to it. I slipped off my shoes and dipped my feet into the pond. It was absolutely freezing, but nothing compared to the South Pole. My feet became numb within a couple of minutes and then it was replaced by a tingling sensation.
"Now what?" I said to my reflection. "You're no longer the throw rug for Aang, you're no longer his babysitter nor his girlfriend. You're just Katara, the only water bender left in the South Pole."
"Is there something wrong with being that?" came a sensual and firm voice from behind me. "At least you weren't known as the banished prince."
Shivers ran down my back as I turned in shock. "What do you want? I don't want any pity."
"And I'm giving any. Just wanted to see if you're ok." He sat down next to me, he quirked an eyebrow at the lavender tint to my glaciated feet.
I sighed, "What's special about me now Zuko?"
"Not to answer your question with another one, but" he smiled, looking everywhere but my face. "What isn't special about you?"
I was taken back by his answer, "What do you mean?"
"You've destroyed Fire Nation troops, took down our air crafts, defeated my sister," Slowly his face transitioned to sadness, "and you've cared about people who didn't deserve your kindness."
"But what now?" I pulled my nearly frozen feet from the pond, hugging them close to my chest. "What's going to happen to me? What's going to happen to all of us? Will the world we fought to protect, forget about us?" I felt my anger rise up from a dark part of me, "Is this the end of me? Am I suppose to go back home pop out a few babies, and live contently? I've never wanted to live like that. My place is traveling the world with my obnoxious brother and my friends."
"Then why are your questioning the future?" He chuckled lightly, shaking his head side to side. He was no longer than snotty fire nation punk with inferiority issues. The one who betrayed me in Ba Sing Se was long gone, and replaced with a person I couldn't help but to trust. "Your place is with us. With Suki, Toph, Sokka, Aang, and me."
I rested my head on my knees, and I felt his warm strong arm encircle my shoulders. It felt nice, though I'd never tell him that.
He looked up, and he went to run his hand through his hair but forgot he wasn't adorning the shaggy mop head anymore. "You could be an ambassador for the South Pole. You'd be perfect. Your arrogant, stubborn, and you actually care about the people your representing."
"Oh thanks Zuko." I said sarcastically, turning my head to glare at him.
He groaned, "You don't know that half of it."
I gasped, and shot up to my feet, "Why you! Whats that suppose to mean?"
He stood, he was a great deal taller than me, and I hated looking up to him. "I mean with all your crappy hope lectures, and your sappy crappy..."
I bended water out of the pond, forcing it to collide with his chest and knocking him harshly to the grass. "Oh poor Fire Lord Zuko, not so hot now." I mocked him as if I were speaking to a baby, and I smirked in victory.
"You loony water bending freak-"
"Condescending hot headed-"
"of nature, stubborn, pain-in-the-ass"
"Fire Nation jerk off-"
"love of my life!"
"with a pole up your... What did you just say?" Did he just say, what I think he said?
Zuko's face was bright red, whether from their argument or if it was a blush. But his mouth hung open like a fish out of water. The pregnant silence was unbearable, we both twitched and shuffled around around uneasily.
"What did you say?" I repeated again.
"I didn't say anything."
"Who's being the stubborn one?" I said as I crossed my arms, scowling at him.
He glared at me back with five times the rage I managed to muster. He was furious, and it made something deep deep very deep inside of me flicker. I'm in love with him. Well I've known that I have liked Zuko since he helped me find my mother's murderer. But how in the world do I get the notion that I love him, out of this guy saying horrible things about me? He makes me miserable, sad, angry, happy, and proud. He was like a Rubik's cube, so many different sides, maybe he was just bipolar or something. He is reckless, powerful, but kind hearted and gentle. When you get to know him at least.
He sighed, his liquid gold eyes penetrated into my soul. Making the blood rush to my face and my heart pound wildly like a thousand battle drums sounding the final battle. "Katara I... Uh I mean that... Why does this have to be so difficult!"
My heart hammered away in my chest, just say it Zuko...
His eyes sharpened and declared with finality. "Katara I-"
"Hey guys! You've gotta see this! Sokka has four olives up his nose!" Aang yelled from the hallway to the dinning room, and dashed back into the room, leaving a dust cloud behind him.
Zuko turned away and stalked towards the main building, mumbling incoherent profanities to himself. He paused at the door frame grabbing it tightly, "Your destiny, Katara, is what you make it." He glanced back at her, "And I plan on making it mine."
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I have never written an Avatar fanfic before so please be rough with your critique, no sugar coating at all.
Thank you for reading, I hope you enjoyed.
B.N.