Zutara Week-Pinch

Zutara Week-Pinch

Grattitude In A Name by zstar

Passing through the halls of the Western Air Temple, Katara glanced at the little space between Zuko’s door and the closing. Watching him, ready to catch him in the act. In the act of what, she did not know, but she would find out for certain. He would not get away with any evil deed he was planning, not while she lived under these roofs.

However, to the water bender’s surprise, she didn’t anything dastardly or evil going on in Zuko’s quarters. Oh no, this was a real eye opener for Katara, Of The Water Tribe.

“Son a!” She watched the Prince of the Fire Nation, ‘master’ fire bender, former stalker of the ever elusive Avatar, in a terrible struggle…

“Agni damn it! What is wrong with this thing?!” To put on a hakama.

She rolled her eyes. Figures, a spoiled Fire Nation brat wouldn’t know how to put on his own clothes without the help of an army of servants waiting on him hand and foot. It was pathetic. He could spend days hunting them down, work in a tea shop like he was an Earth Kingdom citizen and convince the Avatar to let him join their side, but he couldn’t even put on a simple hakama.

It was frustrating to watch.

“Why can’t I do this?!” Zuko screamed, pulling at the knot that held his entire outfit together, only squeezing it around himself, tighter than he should. The material pinching at his skin, and closing the distance between his ribs and his organs. “ARGH!”  

Katara rolled her eyes.

“That’s because you’re an idiot.” She answered his question, walking towards him. Ignoring the flabbergasted frenzy he was put into as he saw her approach him, in the manner she had the last time Katara entered Zuko’s room.

He awaited death as soon as her foot set place in his chambers. Closing his eyes shut, wishing his life could have ended another way.

Until he felt two arms wrap around his middle, from behind. ‘This is just one of the ways she’s going to kill you. By squeezing you to death.’ The hakama had already done half the work for her, so why not?

Funny how he was waiting for the release of death, when he got life breathed back into him.

“There.” Katara sighed, relieved that the work was done. “Now you can go to the carnival looking half decent.”

  
She turned around to make her quick exit, until…  

“Thank you.” Those words came from his lips. “Katara.”

She stopped. Not daring to turn around or say anything.

Did he really say her name? In that voice of his?

“Katara?” That not so heavenly, … ugly voice of his which she had wanted to detest so fiercely? “Are you OK?”

“FINE!” She spat, continuing her march forward. “Not that my well fair would be important to you!” She huffed, about to burst like a volcano, her face matching the colour of the lava that would spew from one.

Quickly, she slammed the door after making her escape, speed walking as fast she could.

With Zuko following close behind her, opening his door again, smirking at her vanishing silhouette.

He finally had his revenge.

“See you at the carnival tonight, Katara.”

The outcome of that sentence was not a pleasant one for Katara, or at least that was what she thought.