Steps to Love

Step 2

By Kaze no Ato

Zuko had felt it was only right that he should express his feelings for Katara to her father. Hakoda had known, of course, however the fact that Zuko had taken the time to formally voice his love for Katara had earned him the respect of the Southern Water Tribe's chief. Hakoda was still unsure as to how his daughter felt, though. She smiled more; it was plain for every one to see. Her father wished that one visit soon; she would be coming home for good. A selfish feeling for a man who missed a great deal of her childhood, a man who was caught somewhere between seeing a little chubby-cheeked child and this grown woman who looked so much like his beloved Kya. The chief sat among a pile of furs within his room in the longhouse, ever pondering what life was going to throw at him next. The oil lantern burned into the night as Hakoda collected his scattered thoughts.

o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o

Katara herself found sleep elusive as butterflies. Knowing that someone felt feelings deeper than you was one thing, but having them vocalize those feelings was something entirely different. She kept repeating the moment when Zuko had actually told her of his love for her. The Waterbender had wept, without fully knowing why. Perhaps it was the emotion in a normally solemn man's voice or the ragged breath he drew before he spoke to gather his courage. Maybe it was simply hearing words of love she thought she would only ever hear from Aang, now being said to her in the emotion-roughened voice of the Firelord. It could simply be that she didn't know how to feel about being loved like that any longer. Whatever the case may be, she felt tears once again cascade gently down her russet-brown cheeks. Zuko was a wonderful man; there was no doubt within her mind about that.

He had taken the first step in a dance that had brought her back to happiness, a dance that seemed to continue further now. However a small storm cloud loomed on the sunny horizon of her emotions, confusion brought about by the same confession of love. Even though it was over a year and a half, she still felt hurt over the break up with Aang. It hadn't been easy by any means, that discussion the night of the dance. Hurtful things had been said that scarred her heart still, scars that would be slow to heal. But who better to help heal her scars than one who had known them himself? Katara sighed deeply, her hand brushing at drying tear lines. Her heart had fluttered then. She loved Zuko, certainly, however there is a sincere difference in loving and being in love.

Zuko had not pressured her. After his confession, with tears brimming in his own eyes, he swore to her then that she didn't have to love him back. Zuko, with his infinite courage, had looked her in the eye and said that it was merely enough that she know how he felt. She had felt content upon hearing those words. There had been no awkwardness between them in the time she spent at the palace, that contentedness had held strong. She sighed once again. Perhaps the knowledge that her father was being officially informed of Zuko's feelings that night brought on this sense of unease within her. What if her father would pressure her to return Zuko's love? Katara head shook violently from side to side, ridding itself of that thought even as it formed. Her father would never do something such as that. Katara's eyes began to droop, her mind having worn itself into exhaustion with all the thoughts and emotions. The blue-eyed young woman's last thought before sleep claimed her was that it may not be so terrible to let herself open to the thought of loving Zuko in return.

o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o

Morning came far too early, even for one normally used to rising with the sun. He had been nervous at first about speaking to Hakoda, though the chief quickly put him at ease with the warm greeting he received him with. Still… telling a man you loved his daughter was nothing simple. He had expected more questions than he had been asked; he had even expected Hakoda to perhaps be gruffer. Zuko hadn't expected the calm, nor the comfortable attitude with which Katara's father had met his confession. It unnerved him in the beginning, but soon he honestly felt comfortable with discussing his feelings for Katara. Zuko dressed in haste, pulling on extra layers and a large parka to fight against the bitter cold. He still wondered how the Tribe members managed to make moving fluidly in all of that clothing look easy.

The longhouse was quiet at sunrise; the majority of its occupants still tucked soundly in slumber amid blankets and furs. Zuko found that even wrapped in so much clothing he still managed to move silently about without waking any one. He paused as he spied Katara's door slightly ajar. He crept closer, thinking that she might have just forgotten to shut it all the way after awakening in the night. His hand reached for the door just as it opened wider. The Firelord was greeted with a sight that made him fight to keep the smile from his face, for the sight before him was one rarely seen. Still in her nightclothes, with her hair a tumble of curls sticking out at odd ends, Katara's expression could only be worded as grumpy. Her attempt at giving him a glare was ineffective, as sleep still glazed her eyes. As the Waterbender pushed passed Zuko in a huff, he lost his fight and a soft chuckle escaped his lips. Katara looked over her shoulder with that grumpy look again, but it soon softened into a smile of her own.

"Come on, Zuko. We might as well make breakfast." She called to him, as she turned down the hall once more.

He took several long strides to catch up with her, the settled into a neat routine as they reached hearth. He lit the fire as she began to gather ingredients to make a hearty porridge. Zuko tended the fire, making sure to not singe the milk for the porridge. Katara added oats to the pot and stirred. They had brought with them spices for the village on this visit, and it was soon evident to Zuko that Katara was taking full advantage of those spices. Vanilla and cinnamon hinted in the air, and the hearth brought warmth to the room. Soon members of the chief's family found themselves making their way toward the delicious smell, starting with Sokka of course. Bowls were filled and passed out to family by Zuko and Katara. A comfortable silence filled the room as each member savored the warm meal. Katara had seated herself between Zuko and Suki, taking it upon herself to help feed Kyrie her porridge, as Suki looked still half-asleep while eating.

Before long small talk floated about the room, about how the hunting was, or how Master Pakku's students were helping to make improvements in the village. Laughter exploded as Sokka cracked a joke about Katara's cooking, only for his porridge to accidentally spill in his lap. Katara felt her father's eyes upon her; a quick glance told her he was watching her interactions with Zuko very intently. She knew, without a doubt, that her father was searching for some clue as to how she felt about Zuko. Katara asked her father to accompany on her on a walk around the village. He agreed easily, the two leaving their family and Zuko still within the longhouse.

o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o

The father and daughter found themselves away from the longhouse soon enough, with a silence between them that was bordering on awkward. Katara tried to ignore it by asking about the new structures being built, especially about the sparring arena for Pakku's students. Hakoda brought his daughter to the arena, quiet this early in the morn, with hopes that they could talk. He could sense Katara was avoiding the discussion as she examined the sculptures within the area with much greater intensity than one might normally pay. He waited as patiently as he would if he were hunting arctic buffalo yak. Katara turned on him suddenly and he started, her face was calm as she approached cautiously.

"I know that you want to talk about Zuko's feelings, or maybe my reaction to his feelings." She paused, her eyes traveling downward to the snow-covered ground, "I do love Zuko, dad."

"But?"

"But I don't think I'm in love with him, not yet." She smiled bravely, tears pooling in her eyes, "I'm not ready for another relationship, dad. Zuko knows, and he's okay with that."

Hakoda wrapped his arms securely about his daughter's frame, tucking her head under his chin as he let her tears fall. His wonderful little girl was smiling again, but her heart still needed to heal. "I'm glad Zuko understands that, my girl. I have to tell you, he's earning my respect more and more. I have to wonder if he's just buttering me up."

Katara's responding giggle was muffled by the koalaotter fur that ringed the collar of Hakoda's collar, "Zuko's a good guy, dad… but yeah, he still might be buttering you up."

Her father's deep laugh, one straight from the belly, shook the both of them. Katara laughed with him, feeling safe in her father's arms. Their laughter died slowly, and Hakoda's soft whisper sounded as a gentle wave in Katara's ear. "You'll let me know when your feelings start to change, right?"

"Of course. I wouldn't dream of leaving you guessing, but it might be a while. I want things to come on their own, without feeling like I have to be rushed into something before I'm ready." Katara answered, stepping back at arm's length to give her father a beautiful smile.

"The Firelord is a lucky man to have you in his life."

"I think we're both lucky, dad. Zuko's done a lot for me, more than I think he'll ever know."

o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o

The Firelord and the Waterbender left the following day on their return journey to the Fire Nation. Zuko had come to love the ocean, no longer seeing the ever-changing waters as a curse of his banishment. The roll of the waves under his feet as he adjusted his gait to compensate felt natural as he crossed the deck of the ship. Salt air and sea spray whipped his unbound hair, causing a slight sting to his eyes. At the railing on the starboard side of the ship, Katara leaned out with a smile on her face. A larger wave caused more water to come up than normal, sending the spray over her. Her laughter carried over the deck as she proceeded to bend the water from her hair and skin. Zuko's sure strides carried him over to her. She looked over her should at him, the ring of the metal deck announcing his presence before he had reached her. He stood next to her, enjoying the waves as much as she. They stood at the rail for an indeterminate amount of time, for to the pair the pleasure of the sea and the company of each other was surely enough for them.

Zuko felt Katara's hand slip into his, and even as he tried to hide it he started at her unexpected move. Katara's nervous blue eyes stared into his golden ones, unsure if she had crossed a line she shouldn't have. When Zuko responded with a gentle squeeze of her hand and a smile so full of love, Katara knew that she had made the right move. She turned her eyes back to the sea, and spent the next few hours at the rail holding hands with the Firelord. Zuko had taken the first step; it had been up to her to take the next. It wasn't much in the way of steps, no more than a stumbling step a toddler might take toward someone they loved. However, it was a step to let Zuko know that there was hope for love in the future. Love may not come soon, but there were still more steps to come in the dance their lives took. It was enough for Zuko.