literature

Take Me Somewhere Nice

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Take Me Somewhere Nice
~~~~~~

Katara lowered her arms, releasing the ice daggers where they hovered. She glared at the man on the ground before her. He was pathetic. Sniveling, begging her to take his own mother as revenge. His heart was cold and full of malice. There wasn't a single once of care for anyone but himself. How could a person live like this? She turned and walked away in the direction where Appa had been left.

She heard steps behind her, but didn't slow or acknowledge the presence of the one behind her. She'd always wondered about the type of person who could do what that man had done. She climbed on Appa and waited for Zuko to follow. He stared up at her from the ground for a moment, an indecipherable look in his golden eyes. She cocked an eyebrow at him and he looked down as he climbed onto the saddle on Appa's back.

"Yip yip" she nearly whispered, holding onto the reigns as Appa took off into the air. Once he had gained as much height as he was going to she relaxed, her shoulders slumping over.

Zuko stared at her back. He'd known that she wouldn't do anything to hurt the man, but all the same, a part of him was relieved to be correct. When he'd seen her under the full moon, he had been worried for the first time. The look in her eye had terrified him more than he would ever admit to anyone. The kind healer he had come to know was gone and had been replaced by what he could only think of as a blue-eyed Azula. In that moment, for the first time, he was scared that she would take revenge. Even with all he had done in his past he had never intentionally hurt someone in that way. His father, even Zhao; the thought of physically harming, much less killing them had never entered his thoughts. Those times he had fought against Katara, she had simply stood on defense, trying to restrain him or to stop him, but never did she try more than that. It wasn't who she was and he deeply respected that in her.

What would have happened had she gone through with it? Would it have gotten her the peace she felt she needed? Or would it have destroyed her as Aang had warned? Zuko could only keep thinking of Azula. Imagining Katara was just like her. It made his heart ache in ways he couldn't have expected. He realized for the first time that he not only had a sense of deep respect for the waterbender in front of him but there was this sense of admiration… of… adoration.

He gazed at her shoulders and her back. She seemed so weighed down. He had this sudden urge to wrap his arms around her as his mother used to do for him. He wanted to hold her close, smooth her hair and tell her how proud he was of her.

But he never could.

She hated him. The only reason he was here was because he had the information of how to find her subject. He would likely never redeem himself to her and for the first time he began realizing why he cared about redemption in her eyes so much.

Mai's face suddenly came to mind. When would he stop hurting the women who had done nothing but show him kindness? Song, Jin, even Toph. He was terrible, just like Katara had said all those months ago in the catacombs.

He turned and lied down, staring at the stars above him, a deep frown on his face. He was wallowing and knew it. He didn't care. He deserved to suffer for the things he'd done. Someday he would find a way to make it up to those he'd hurt. He would regain his honor. He had already realized that it was not something he could get from his father. It was something he had to earn from those he had wronged. Despite what Ozai might say, Zuko had never wronged him. He owed that man nothing.

But to Katara, Song, Jin, Mai and Toph he owed the world.

Movement beside him pulled him from his thoughts. He saw Katara sitting beside him, her knees brought up to her chest and her arms crossed with her chin resting on them. He gazed up at her for a second, trying to unravel her expression. Neither spoke for several minutes.

"Thank you," she said in an almost whisper.
"For what?" he asked, a crease forming in his brow.
"Everything. Changing sides. Helping me confront him. Not stopping me. And for not saying anything about what I was doing."

He didn't respond, but he sat up. He could see the tears in her eyes, but she refused to let them spill. Agni, she was so strong. He had the urge again to wrap her in a hug, but resisted with ever fiber of his being, even as those fibers screamed for him to obey. They sat in silence for another long moment. Finally she let out a loud breath.

"Zuko… will you… tell me a story?"
"A… what?" he asked shocked. He wasn't the storyteller, his uncle was.
"Never mind, it's stupid."
"Tell me what's on your mind."
"I just… need a distraction. Please… take me somewhere. Take my mind away from this. Take me somewhere nice." She looked at him with those sad eyes. Ever since he'd joined the group, she had looked at him with fury, annoyance… never anything but a derivative of those emotions. And now it was like he was gazing into her soul. Seeing every hurt she had been forced to endure over her life. He mentally winced when he was reminded of how much was his own fault.

He pondered.

"Once upon a time, in an Earth Kingdom city, a young man was working in a tea shop. His heart was closed to the world. In every person he saw hate and suspicion.

"In this same city was a young woman of great beauty and kindness. In every person she saw love and hope.

"The girl first saw the boy in the tea shop where he worked and became a regular customer. He began to worry that she was suspicious of him and feared that she was planning on hurting him in some way. Instead, she approached him, spoke kind words and asked him to accompany her out on the town. The boy reluctantly agreed, unsure of what to expect."

He glanced at Katara as he spoke and saw that her eyes were closed, tears silently flowing down her cheeks. His breath caught in his throat, but he continued as if he hadn't seen a thing.

"The girl met the boy after work. She was dressed nicer than the boy had ever seen her and she was beautiful. The boy was also dressed in his best clothing, but he was nervous all the same. But no matter how short his answers, no matter how sullen he looked, the girl still gazed at him with wide, adoring eyes. The girl asked the boy question after question about him, and each time he hesitantly answered in as few words as he could.

"She asked him about his past. He mentioned his time spent traveling, and he deceivingly told her he'd been in the circus. The boy ended up backing himself into a slight corner when he told her he'd been a juggler."

Out of the corner of his eye he could see Katara smile a little. It made him feel better that maybe he was helping her in more ways than just anger.

"But the girl wasn't angry or disappointed when he demonstrated a severe lack of skill. She never stopped smiling. Except for when they arrived at her fountain. She had grabbed his hand and pulled him with her as she had run all the way there. As she described the spot to the boy her eyes had lit up with excitement and sparkled in anticipation. It wasn't until they arrived and discovered the lights out that her smile faltered for the first time all night."

Zuko stopped for a moment, remembering the rest of the story with a bit of sadness.

"What happened?" Katara asked quietly.

"The boy told the girl to not peek. He made sure no one was watching and quickly lit every lamp in the vicinity."

"What'd she say? Was she scared?"

"No. She was briefly curious, but she asked no questions. She gazed about in wonder and just smiled at the boy some more, melting his heart by a little bit every time she looked at him."

"Then what?"

"The boy was nervous as the girl approached him. He knew what was on her mind, but didn't want to hurt her and ruin the night. He remembered the coupon his uncle had told him to give the girl and practically shoved it in her face."

"That was a bit rude. Was she upset?"

"She smiled."

"She sounds like such a happy girl."

"I hope she still is."

"What happened then?"

"They kissed under the firelight."

"Did they live happily ever after?" there was a slight tone of mocking in her voice. And something else… jealousy? 'No, that couldn't be,' Zuko thought.

"The boy pulled back, apologized and ran away."

"If she was so pretty and if the boy liked her, why would he do that?" she looked at him with a look of sadness and disappointment on her face.

"He was conflicted. He was chasing a dream that wasn't meant for him. He was self-centered, and bitter."

"He doesn't sound very nice."

"No, he doesn't."

"What happened to the boy?"

"He made some bad choices. He hurt some people."

"Where is he now?"

Zuko paused for a moment.

"Trying to set things right."

They were silent for a long time, staring at the stars together as Appa flew. Eventually it became obvious that the bison was getting tired, so Katara guided him to the ground. She looked back at Zuko. He was curled up in the saddle, fast asleep. She crawled over to him and stared at his features. He was so peaceful. Unlike their time in the catacombs of Ba Sing Se. He'd been so human to her then, for the first time. After that night she'd convinced herself that he was a monster, incapable of feelings for anyone but himself. That he was shrewd and cruel.

But she'd been the cruel one. She had been completely close-minded, refusing to hear any explanation that he'd changed. She'd been scared of getting hurt again. Under the Earth Kingdom city she had started to feel more than solidarity with this Fire Nation boy. She had started to see him as the 'powerful bender' she had been waiting for. But his betrayal had hurt her worse than when her father left… almost as bad as losing her mother.

She reached a hand out, gently stroking his scar. She had offered to help him get rid of it, but… she was realizing that in some ways it was who he was. Tough, resilient, blunt, and pained.

He was right; he had made some bad choices. He had hurt people. But he was truly trying to set things right and it wasn't fair of her to keep punishing him for it. She shivered in the breeze. It was a chilly night. Yawning, she laid herself down beside him, huddling close and feeling the heat radiate off his back.

Zuko woke with the sunrise and felt something beside him. He looked down and saw Katara curled up against where his back had been, still deeply asleep. His heart fluttered briefly as he gazed at her, at the way the sunrise reflected off her hair, and at how peacefully she slept. Sensing his movement, her eyes fluttered open and looked up at him somewhat incoherently.

"Ready to go?" he asked her.

She didn't say anything, she just nodded. They were silent the entire way back. When they landed, she climbed off Appa, went into her tent, and emerged a few minutes later, heading straight for the nearby jetty. Zuko went to find the rest of the group to let them know of their arrival. Aang immediately went to find Katara and Zuko followed. He watched their interaction, specifically Aang's body language. He'd had suspicions before, but now it was painfully obvious how the young boy felt about the girl. Zuko felt his heart drop. With all he'd done, all she'd said to him, it was obvious whom she would choose. He didn't stand a chance.

He was surprised to see her before him, a timid smile on her face.

"…But I think I am ready to forgive you." She said and launched herself at him, wrapping him in a hug. His heart leapt in his chest and his very being screamed in celebration of attaining what he'd been wanting for the past 24 hours. He gave her an additional squeeze before they released. They looked each other in the eye and something in those blue orbs gave him hope.

Maybe he had a chance after all.
A/N 4.11.11 Oh my goodness, you guys, I never expected this to get such a positive response! Over 80 views on dA and well over 100 on fanfiction.net in just one day! There have been favourites galore on both sites, and some very kind words about it. I just wanted to thank everyone from the bottom of my heart. I just wrote it messing around, for fun - I never expected this type of response. I'm practically speechless.

A piece of fanfiction about 'Avatar: The Last Airbender'. Somewhat Zutara.

I’ve been having some writer’s block lately. In the past I’ve been able to undo blocks by giving myself prompts. Doing memes, working on the 100 Theme Challenge, that type of stuff. So I looked at the title of the song playing on iTunes and went from there.

Yeah, yeah, this isn't canon, but frankly, why should I care? Everyone is allowed an opinion. I have a fault where I always end up adoring the main character; I always adore the canon pairings. This is the one time I don't, so excuse me if you don't like it.

The interactions that these two had on the show were remarkable. They went through so much together and grew to an amazing extent. They were enemies before bonding briefly, had amazing fight scenes and not only reconciled, but also became something like best friends. They fought together, and saved each other’s lives. The way they looked at each other in at the end of the Agni Kai scene said it all. Then out of the blue it was like it never happened. It made me sad the first time I saw it and every time I’ve seen it since.

‘Take Me Somewhere Nice’ is by Mogwai
A:TLA belongs to Bryan, Mike and Nickelodeon.
© 2011 - 2024 pondsrose
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dontcare-getrandom's avatar
This has to be one of the best zutara one-shots I've ever read. :DKeep it up; you have a true talent of understanding characters and creating beautiful stories. :love: