AtS 10: The Art of Surprise

After the Storm

Chapter 10: The Art of Surprise

“Come on, Kimji.” The young Dai Li agent complained. “We’ve been following this guy for hours. He’s just an old man headed to the middle of nowhere.”

“Shush, Ling.” The other replied, green eyes never leaving Iroh’s swaying form.

“No. Why’re we following him? Even if it is the general, he’ll probably starve before he gets anywhere. There’s nothing but desert for miles that direction.” Ling whispered back, wiping the beads of sweat from his forehead. “Heck, we’ll starve before he gets anywhere.”

“And that’s why you’re still a private.” Kimji snorted. “You give up too easily. We follow him for at least another hour. If nothing happens, and you don’t complain, we’ll head back.”

That shut the younger agent up.

Ahead of them, Iroh continued to hum merrily, taking a swig of water from his pouch. “Those poor boys.” He mumbled, overhearing the two agents bickering behind him. “They’re probably parched.” The general stopped, much to the bewilderment of the two young men behind him.

“So, do we capture him or just let him go if anything happens?” Ling asked, crouching low so as not to be spotted.

“Depends.” Kimji’s emerald gaze never strayed from Iroh.

That was when the old man did something so crazy, no runaway prisoner would’ve done it…or so the two agents thought.

“Hey boys!” Iroh called back, grinning amiably as he turned to face them. “You must be thirsty! Would you care for a drink?” He held up the water canteen.

Flabbergasted, Kimji took off back towards the city with Ling hot on his heels. “Crazy old man. I told you we were following him for nothing.”

Kimji just snorted something about not telling anyone that they were spotted, sprinting away from the chortling Iroh.
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Even though the thick canopy of trees kept the sunlight out, Sokka was still sweating like a hog-monkey.

“Darn mosquito-flies!” he grumbled, swatting the blood-sucking pests away. “They’re almost as bad here as back at the Foggy Swamp!”

Tripping over a tree root in his struggle with the bugs, Sokka stumbled into a shallow green pond covered in lily pads and tiny pink flowers. Here, thin shards of light made their way through the leaves, creating an ethereal feeling to the secluded little glade.

Sokka…

A ghostly voice, sweet and musical, reached his ears. Startled, Sokka whirled around to see a beautiful young woman kneeling at the edge of the pool, her white dress flowing in tendrils out around her and even spilling into the water…her eyes glowed with an unearthly intensity behind her long, flowing white locks.

“Yue?” Sokka whispered, unable to believe it was her. “Is it…really?”

The young woman turned to him, smiling softly. “Yes. It is wonderful to see you again, Sokka.”

“You too…” He waded through the calf-deep water, smiling gently back at his long-lost love. “I’ve missed you, Yue…” He sat on the bank next to her, his hand brushing against the cold air where her hand should have been.

“And I you.” Yue’s echoey voice softly whispered. “I see you’ve found love again, my brave warrior.” She smiled.

“Suki!?” Sokka blushed slightly, remembering his last encounter with the pretty young Kyoshi warrior. “You’re not mad, are you?” He timidly turned his cerulean eyes to meet her silvery-blue ones.

“No.” Yue’s beautiful smile was sad, but proud. “She is a strong and smart young woman. I am glad that you’ve found someone who appreciates and shares your skills, and who can help you to improve them. You can learn much from her, Sokka, just as I learned much from you. You have my blessing, little fish-bear.”

Sokka smiled, remembering the trinket he’d carved for her back at the North Pole. “Do you know when I’ll see her again?”

“Soon. She and some of the other warriors are headed to Ba Sing Se now, to meet up with you actually. In four days’ time, they will emerge from the Serpent’s Pass. Take Appa there to meet them, and soon you can restore Ba Sing Se to its rightful rule.”

“But what about Aang?” Sokka protested. “He can’t heal until Katara returns with the medicine, and even then he’ll take weeks to fully recover…I don’t even know if or when Katara will return…” His gaze fell guiltily as he blamed himself once more for letting her go alone into the city.

“Do not fret, Katara is in good hands.” Yue smiled, knowing how protective the boy was of his sister. “She will return to you in good time.”

Sokka perked up, feeling less guilty now that he knew she was safe. “But Aang…”

“You will fight this battle without the help of the Avatar, Sokka.” Yue caressed his stricken face softly, her wispy fingers cooling his heated skin. “But do not fear, my brave warrior, help will come in the most unexpected forms. You might not like where your help comes from, but promise me you’ll give it a chance.”

“Anything for you…” Sokka smiled, closing his eyes as the Spirit of the Moon kissed him, a soft chill against his lips.

“I will always be with you, remember that.” The Moon Goddess whispered as her form started to fade away. “This battle will test you all in astonishing ways, but do not ever back down. Together, you will prevail.”

“When can I see you again, Yue?” Sokka whispered as only her face remained clear, and even that was slowly fading from view.

“Whenever you need me, I will be there…” Only her startling blue eyes remained, “Be brave, my little sun and stars…”

“I’ll try…” Sokka whispered back, a single tear rolling down his cheek as she faded into the haze of the jungle. He lingered a few moments more, and then turned to leave the glade and return to the rest of the gang.
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The crowds were so thick in the marketplace that Zuko and Katara were nearly crushed together. They’d linked arms after some shifty men wolf-whistled at Katara, trying to push her away from the scarred prince. Normally, Katara would’ve fought back, but the last time she’d been face-to-face with a drunk in a dark alley was still all too fresh in her memory. Zuko just rolled his eyes, snarling at the giddy drunkards, before leading her away. He smirked as she clung tightly to his arm, fingers digging into him.

“What was that?” He sniggered. “Don’t tell me the fearless master Waterbender is afraid of some old drunks?”

“For your information, the last time I was near people like that, I was kidnapped by the Dai Li and taken to the palace with you!” She snapped, lips pursed angrily.

“Well, that wasn’t all bad, now is it?” he smirked, “Because if you hadn’t, I wouldn’t be able to spend my day with a beautiful young woman…”

Katara blushed, and Zuko looked away as he realized what he’d just said. Darn it! What was that? You don’t have to compliment her to get her trust, you twit!

“I guess you’re right…and I wouldn’t get to spend my afternoon with a handsome prince…” Katara retorted, though her thoughts quickly mirrored his. They fell into an awkward silence for a few minutes, until Zuko spoke.

“We need to get you some Earth Kingdom clothes.” He said simply, “Your blue dress stands out too much.”

“What’s wrong with blue?” She raised an eyebrow, frowning slightly. “I don’t think it stands out.”

“That’s because you see it every day. How do you think I always found you?” Zuko inquired, pushing by a vegetable cart, “It’s not exactly hard to spot two kids dressed in blue and a bald monk in orange when everyone else is wearing greens and browns.”

“I guess you’re right…” Katara mused, stopping to admire a dress in one of the shop windows. “Let’s check this one out!” She took his hand and dragged him after her into the shop.

“Hello, welcome to Auntie Fu’s fashion boutique!” An old woman with her graying hair pulled into a messy bun greeted them. “How may I help such a lovely young couple?”

“We’re not…”

“I was just admiring some of your beautiful dresses.” Katara interrupted Zuko’s protest, elbowing him lightly in the ribs. He rolled his eyes, but decided it was better to just play along. She ran her hand along a bolt of ocean blue silk, admiring the smooth fabric. “I could use a few new outfits, so I figured I’d take a closer look.”

“Ahh, I see.” Auntie Fu grinned. “Well, I’ll just leave you two alone to browse. Call if you need anything, dearies!” She waltzed off, leaving them to look through the clothes.

“What about this?” Katara asked after a few minutes, holding up an ivory tunic with green trim. Zuko’s face twisted curiously for a moment, then he nodded.

“Sure, looks fine.” He shrugged.

“I’m going to try it on first to see how it looks.” She said, more to herself than him. She grabbed the matching green pants and slid off through the rows of clothing and fabric to find the dressing room. Zuko followed aimlessly, leaning against the wall as he waited for her to change.

“Well, what do you think?”

Zuko turned around, golden eyes following the shape of her body as he examined the clothes. He only nodded, and Katara giggled softly. She returned to the dressing room, but when she reemerged she wasn’t wearing her normal dress, and Zuko couldn’t help but stare. She was wearing a soft, puffy green top with a lighter, sea foam green undershirt that stretched from the end of the three-quarter sleeves to her wrists. A khaki sash wrapped around her torso from the bottom of her ribcage to her hips, where an ivory skirt seamlessly flowed down to her ankles. A delicate leaf pattern in assorted greens flowed up from the bottom of the skirt.

“Where did that come from?” Zuko asked incredulously, unable to tear his gaze away from her.

“You like it?” Katara twisted around, letting the hem of the skirt brush against her legs. “I grabbed it on the way here, didn’t you see?” She put her hands on her hips, letting the fabric brush over the silk, sea foam green slippers on her dainty feet.

“Not really, I wasn’t paying that much attention.” Zuko admitted, “But you look…” Say it! His brain screamed at him, Say she looks beautiful!

“I look what?” A coy smile graced her lips, as if she could see his thoughts.

“You look…great.” He finished, and a slight pink crept into both of their cheeks.

“Thank you, Zuko.”

“Let’s get you rung up, now shall we?” Aunt Fu popped up behind the flustered prince. Katara nodded, allowing herself to be dragged along behind the exuberant older woman as she clutched the other outfit to her chest.

“Zuko, would you grab my blue dress, please?” She called back. “I left it folded on the bench.”

The prince rolled his eyes, but pulled back the curtain and grabbed the neat bundle of clothes before tagging along after the eccentric old woman. When he finally reached the counter, Katara was already handing over the coins to pay. Aunt Fu handed her the bag with her other outfit, and Katara took her old dress from Zuko and placed it into the paper sack. She thanked the woman, and then turned to leave. Zuko couldn’t help but let his gaze stray to her slender form as she walked off, the skirt swishing softly with the rhythmic movement of her hips.

“You’re one lucky young man.” Auntie Fu whispered in his ear.

“You have no idea…” Zuko commented, a slight grin pulling on the corner of his mouth.

“Come on, Zuko!” Katara called from the doorway, a soft smile gracing her lips. Silhouetted against the sunlight outside, she looked like a goddess, an angel fallen to earth…

“Take care of her well.” Aunt Fu’s voice brought him back from his reverie.

“I will.” He smiled, then took off after her. She watched the young couple leave, arm in arm, with a sly grin.

“Right again, my sister.” She thought aloud. “He will be a very powerful bender…as will she. But then again, when has a Wu prediction ever come wrong?”