Avatar The Last Airbender Fan Fiction ❯ Fun and Games ❯ Second Chance? ( Chapter 11 )

Zuko knew today was the day. It had been two weeks since he started visiting Katara daily. There had been some improvement. She had stopped spitting on him the previous day. And her glare seemed a tiny bit softer.

 

Whatever happened he would give it his all, even if she felt like beating the shit out of him again. He would take it. Then he stopped. Why was he doing this? He, who never admitted he was wrong, not since that time, was crawling back to her on his knees. But maybe that's what it would take. He had never felt so guilty. Even when his father… Even when that happened he hadn't felt like this. What emotions did this girl arouse in him?

 

There was one person who he needed to talk to more than anyone. And that one person was still playing his stupid Pai Sho game with the crew.

 

“Uncle, how long have you been playing that?” Zuko asked when he arrived in one of the many rooms on the ship. He had looked in most of them until finally finding his uncle in a far off, little used chamber.

 

“Ah, you see, Zuko, I knew you would want some time to spend with your new friend. So I amused myself playing Pai Sho with less than willing crew men.” He leaned closer to Zuko. “Who, I must add, are not very good at this game.”

 

“Uncle I must speak with you, privately.” He added, shooting a glance at the soldier in the room. The soldier got the hint and took his leave. When he was sure they were alone Zuko shut the door. “I'm a mess.” Zuko admitted.

 

“Have things not gone well with the young water bender?” Uncle Iroh asked gently.

 

“She hates me Uncle. I… I… well, I don't know how to say this.” Zuko felt himself blushing.

 

Iroh looked at his nephew darkly. “Does this, by any chance, have anything to do with you gaining carnal knowledge of her, without her consent?”

 

Zuko was silent. He found his shoes to be remarkably interesting and as such proceeded to stare at them. His uncle was so perceptive. It was sometimes even annoying.

 

His uncle shook his head sadly. This was not what he had hoped for at all. He might even go as far to say this was the worst thing that could have happened short of the death of the girl. “Zuko,” he said weakly, “I never would have helped you had I known you were going to do this. In fact, had I known this would have happened, I would have helped her escape.” Iroh crossed his arms. “Now I suppose you want to remedy this and you want me to give you advice. Well since it has been a few weeks since we've had a decent conversation I would like you to catch me up on everything.”

 

Zuko knew it was high time to share everything with his uncle. He poured out stories of how he felt when the crewmen were bashing him and his mother, how he needed to prove himself, (to whom his uncle had asked, and Zuko could not answer), how he regretted doing it with every fiber of his being, all he wanted was to take it back, (but you can't his uncle had told him), and since he couldn't he needed Katara's forgiveness.

 

“My nephew, I have always tried to give you the best advice I could. I never wanted to see you hurt, but now I'm afraid I have no advice for you.”

 

“No. I need something! Please,” he added desperately.

 

“Well you did say please. So I would try asking her what she needs and let her do whatever she needs to make herself feel better.” Iroh stood up and walked towards the door. “I think this is enough talking for now.” And Zuko knew that that was all he was going to get from his uncle.

 

Zuko realized his uncle was right. About everything. He hadn't had to prove himself to anyone. He already had the respect of the crew, or most of it. And he knew he was fine. He was confident enough in himself that he didn't need anyone's approval. The thing he hated most though was that he couldn't take back what he had done.

 

“Why can't we be time benders?” he mumbled lowly.

 

“Because then we would never learn from our mistakes,” a female voice said from around the side of the door.

 

“Katara?” Zuko asked knowing it couldn't be true. She was locked up. And all the crew was under direct orders not to release her ever. Stepping into the doorway Zuko was that it was in fact Katara. She had been standing right against the wall next to the door. “Were you listening to…”

 

“Yeah, I heard everything from `you being a mess' on. I'm still mad at you. And unfortunately for you, I can't just forgive you. What I need to do that I guess would be time. And maybe getting to castrate you would be a plus.”

 

“You're joking with me? But…” Then he realized it. She had heard. Everything. “I didn't want you to hear any of that!”

 

“”Maybe it's better that I did. And by the way I wasn't joking. But yeah, at least hearing everything made some things make more sense. Why didn't you tell me I was like your mother?”

 

“Do you honestly think I would ever tell anyone that?” Zuko asked.

 

“Well, no, but still. I guess like on a scale of 1-10 my anger was a 10 and now it's maybe a 7. 10 being ready to kill you. 7 being castration level.” She smiled.

“Okay, okay and… wait, how are you out of your room?” Zuko felt himself growing angry, someone had disobeyed his orders.

 

“Well, to tell you the truth I've been meeting Iroh almost every night while you've been asleep. It was the only way I could get through. I really felt like dying. I couldn't stand it. But Iroh told me a lot of things about you. And it helped. I can't believe you wet the bed until you were nine, no wonder the fire lord was so mad with you.” Katara smiled playfully.

 

True she would probably never forgive Zuko. But after hearing all those things Iroh had told her, in addition to what she heard come right out of Zuko's mouth, she felt different towards him somehow. Like instead of being the scum of the earth he was actually a human being who was just socially maladapted.

 

“You still haven't told me how you got out of your cell.” Zuko pressured her more.

 

“Well, if you must know, I never told Iroh what you had done to me. He could just assume. And he gave orders that if you came looking for him, I was to be let out. He also told me where he'd be.”

 

“I see,” was all Zuko replied with.

 

“Um… I guess I should get back to my room now.” Katara turned on her heals and started to walk away.

 

“Wait! I mean, aren't you going to try and escape?”

 

“Not right now,” said Katara with a smile.

 

 

 

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Bunnie: Okay. 2 and some pages. That is awesome. I mean I know I used to do really long chapters with my other fan fics. But it's harder. At least for me.

 

Zuko: And yay Katara doesn't hate me!

 

Katara: I do too. I just don't hate you as much.

 

Bunnie: Yeah and thanks to Black Lotus for pointing out the absence of Iroh. I actually had forgotten about him *blush* Anyway hope you guys like the long chappie. (It was because I got so many reviews)