Serendipity Chapter 8

Chapter 8: Back to the Beginning

~*~*~*~

"You're calling off the wedding?" Zuko asked, totally bewildered

"Look, Zuko… I can't do this… I can't keep pretending anymore…" Mai replied, wiping her tears away from her cheeks.

"I…. I really don't know what to say…"

"Look, I'm ready for it… Put me in jail. Banish me. Have me scourged. I-I deserve it."

"No, Mai… I guess I have something to confess too…"

"I'm sure it's not as bad as mine."

"It is… In fact, I think it's worse. Umm… remember that girl I told you about? The one I met seven years ago?"

"The one from the Water Tribe? Yes, why?"

"She's kind of the reason why I kept travelling... and why I kept looking for a Water Tribe Scroll."

"What do you mean?"

And so, Zuko explained it all – from the day he and Katara met to the day he told Mai to move up the wedding.

"So… all this time, you've been keeping this from everyone?" Mai said, more intrigued than heartbroken.

"Not really. Aang and Uncle Iroh know."

"Why didn't you just tell me?"

"Because you acted like you wanted to marry me so badly that I thought I would just hurt you."

"Wait, you thought I was crazy about you?"

"Umm… yes?"

"Zuko, have you noticed that I was acting all bitchy and moody before?"

"Well… kind of… yes…"

"I was actually trying to drive you away."

"What?"

"Look, I know it was unkind of me and I'm sorry. I should have just told you in the first place."

"So, let me get this straight. All this time, we've been in love with other people and we decided to keep it a secret from each other until our wedding day?"

Mai and Zuko both laughed at the statement. Looking back, they found it both amusing and annoying. The problem they tried to solve by travelling all over the world and lying about who they are could have been completely solved if they had just opened up.

"Umm… Not to ruin this moment but I think we have to tell your Uncle what's happening before the guests start to arrive." Mai said

"Alright, I'll handle it." Zuko said, holding his hand out to Mai. "Friends?"

Mai shook it and smiled at him.

"Always."

"Go on and tell Jet. I'll find Uncle."

"Thank you, Zuko… really. This means a lot."

"Trust me, it means a lot for both of us."

"What are you going to do know?"

"I guess I'll keep looking for that girl. What about you?"

"Good luck with that. I suppose Jet and I will spend some time together and… see where it goes."

"I wish you both well."

"Thanks."

They exchanged friendly hugs and separated. Mai went straight to her room and found Jet still waiting, sitting on her windowsill.

"You know…" she said. "We do have chairs."

"Hey!" Jet replied, standing back up and walking to her. "So what happened? You're smiling! Is that a good sign?"

"Actually, yes. He understood and he's telling his Uncle right now to call the whole thing off."

"So we're good? We're getting back together?"

"Nuh-uh, mister. You still have a fiancé."

"Speaking of my fiancé, I saw her down there arranging the flowers."

"What? But she's from the Water Tribe, right?"

"Yes, but she's down there." Jet said, pointing out the window to the group of flower arrangers. "God knows why, but she's arranging the flowers for the wedding."

"What now?"

"Do you want me to tell her now?"

"I told you, it's up to you. No pressure."

"You know what? I'll tell her now. It's unfair to you if I don't. After all, you just called off your own wedding for me."

Jet wrapped his arms around Mai lovingly and she stepped into hold willingly.

"That's right and don't you forget it."

"I'll go now and tell her."

"I'll be watching, okay? No funny stuff!"

"Don't worry about it."

Jet started to walk out the door after giving Mai a peck on the lips.

"Love you!" Mai called after him

"Love you more!" he hollered back.

And with that, he ran as fast as he could outside to find Katara. Shuffling through the crowd of flower arrangers, he tapped the shoulder of a certain lady in blue and called her name.

"Katara?" he said

The lady turned around and gasped.

"Jet?" she said, her blue eyes widening in surprise. "Wh-Why are you here?"

"No time to explain. Katara, I need to talk to you."

"What? Now? B-But the wedding's about to start!"

"Please? It's really important. It won't take long."

Jet led her to the side of the Palace where there were no people. He sat down on a bench and invited her to sit with him.

"So what's this about?" Katara said.

"It's… It's about us…" Jet replied

"What about us?"

"I… I'm in love with someone else."

~*~

To Zuko, it all came crashing down like a tidal wave. A mix of emotions came with it. On one hand he felt sad about Mai calling off the wedding but on the other hand, he was overjoyed because he was free from an arranged marriage. Despite the heartbreak he experienced at the South Pole, he couldn't stop thinking about Katara. He somehow felt that they were still meant to be. After all, if he and Mai were meant to get married, shouldn't the ceremony be taking place right now?

With all of these in his mind, he knocked on his Uncle's chamber and called for him.

"Uncle? Uncle Iroh?" Zuko said. "Are you there?"

A few moments later, his uncle opened the door and greeted him with a smile.

"Hello, Zuko. Is something the matter?" he said

"Uncle, Mai and I called the wedding off."

Zuko held his breath and waited for a scolding. To his surprise, nothing but a chuckle was heard.

"I will go tell the workers right now." Uncle said, walking away and smiling

"Wha-… Bu-… You're not mad?"

"Of course not, nephew."

"A-Are you sure?"

"Yes."

"So, that's it? No scolding? No slap on the head? Not even a cup of tea?"

"None whatsoever… except the tea. Maybe we'll have some later…"

Zuko stood dumbfounded while his Uncle made his way towards the main hall. On the way, he saw Uncle pass by Aang.

"What's going on?" Aang said.

Iroh looked at him cheerfully and patted his shoulder.

"I told you so."

~*~
Aang jumped up and down with excitement after Zuko explained everything to him.

"Yes!" he cheered, pumping his fist in the air. "The wedding's off! This is awesome!"

"Yeah, yeah…" Zuko said, rolling his eyes.

"So what are you going to do now?"

"Well, I still can't get Katara out of my mind, that's for sure."

"Really? Are you going to find her again?"

"I actually don't know yet. Right now, I just want to go back to the place we first met."

"Where's that?"

"In the outskirts of Ba Sing Se."

"Go ahead. You can borrow Appa."

"Are you sure? You won't need him for a few days?"

"Nah… Besides, I've got a hot date."

"What? Seriously?"

"Uh-huh."

"Does she know about your small  di-"

"Hey! I told you! No one needs to know!"

Zuko laughed at him again while Aang tried to put him in a headlock.

"Dude! I'm way taller than you!" Zuko said, trying to shake him off. "You can't win!"

Aang struggled a bit more before finally giving up, letting himself fall on the floor. They both lay on the floor of Zuko's room and relaxed.

"Where'd you meet her?" Zuko said.

"Well, actually, she was that girl I saw across the fountain when we were in Ba Sing Se." Aang said. "You know, the girl whom I was about to talk to when you pulled me away…"

"Why is she here, then?"

"Mai invited her."

"Really? Hmm.. Small world."

"Uh-huh. So when are you leaving?"

"Well, if it's okay with you, right now."

"Now? Seriously? I mean, I knew you were impulsive but I didn't think it would be like this."

"Well, I have to clear my head. I don't know why but being there makes me more… serene, somehow."

"Okay… Good luck, buddy. Appa's in the stable."

"Thanks, Aang."

"Anytime…"

~*~

Iroh went to the palace grounds and called everyone's attention.

"Everyone, I'm sorry to tell you this but the wedding has been officially called off!" he announced, receiving gasps and whispers from the crowd.

"I'm sorry for all your trouble." Iroh continued. "To compensate for your efforts, everyone will still be paid plus free fare for the trip back home."

The whispers and gasps ended and the crowd started repacking all the equipment that they had set up moments ago.

"Uncle?" Aang said from behind him.

"Yes, Aang?" he replied, turning around to face the boy

"Zuko went to Ba Sing Se a few minutes ago."

"Why is that?"

"Well, he said he wanted some time to think."

"He's still thinking about that girl, isn't he?"

"Never stopped, I guess."

"Well, fate has been good to him. Let's hope his luck doesn't wear out soon."

~*~

"So that's it, then?" Katara asked, trying to take in everything Jet said.

"Yeah…" Jet said, preparing himself for a slap on the face.

"Okay… Sure."

"That's it? You're not mad?"

"Well, remember how you said a while ago that you didn't really think that I was fully committed to our relationship?"

"Uh-huh…"

"You're right. I wish I could have told you before you proposed but-"

"No, don't worry about it. We'll always be friends, right?"

"Of course. Come visit sometime with that girl, okay? I'm really happy for you."

"Thank you, Katara… Thank you so much for understanding."

"It was nothing, really. I just have to get back to the wedding now."

"Why are you arranging flowers, by the way? It's a long story. I'll tell you later after the wedding, okay?"

"But-"

"Later, Jet!"

Katara ran back to where the wedding was to be held, leaving Jet scratching his head in confusion. He shrugged and went back inside the palace to find Mai.

Maybe I can introduce them to each other later…

~*~

Katara ran back to the front of the palace and arrived at an almost empty area.

Was I gone that long?

Katara tried to find someone to ask about the wedding. She found an old man bringing a tray with cups and a teapot on it to a table full of people about her age. They were in a garden on the other side of the palace. Katara ran to them and was shocked when she saw the people who were sitting on the table.

"Ty Lee?" Katara said, seeing her friend chatting with a bald boy

"Katara?" her friend said, running to her and hugging her. "What are you doing here?"

"I was looking for Zuko, actually. I-Is the wedding over?"

"Of course, it is." said the old man with the tea. "They called it off. Have a seat, young lady."

Katara let out a sigh of relief and sat down.

"So… where's Zuko?" she said

"You know him?" asked the bald boy.

"Umm… he was an old… friend."

"Oh, Katara, this is Aang, by the way." Ty Lee said, introducing her friend. "He's a friend of Zuko's."

Hmm… Katara… Aang thought, That name sounds so familiar…

"You know Zuko?"

"I'm his best friend actually."

"Hey, guys" said a throaty voice from the door.

Jet and Mai walked hand in hand towards the table and sat down. Jet started to introduce the two girls to each other.

"Mai, this is-"

"Katara…" Mai said, recognizing Ty Lee's friend. "I remember you!"

"Mai!" Katara replied. "You're the girl that Jet's in love with? But I thought you were going to marry Zuko?"

"We called it off."

"Oh… I'm sorry about that…"

"Don't be." Mai said, smiling at Jet. "I've never been happier."

Katara gave them a congratulating look and focused her attention back to Aang.

"So where did you and Ty Lee meet?" Katara asked

"Actually, Katara…" said Ty Lee. "Remember that boy I told you about in the Earth Kingdom who was smiling at me from across the fountain? Well, that's Aang."

"That was you? What were you doing in the Earth Kingdom?"

"I was accompanying Zuko." Aang replied. "He was going crazy about this girl…"

Katara's heart dropped when she heard what Aang said.

He has another girl?

"We even went to the Southern Water Tribe to look for her…" Aang continued

"How did you know that she lived there?" asked Katara

"Well, Mai gave him a gift that had her name and address on it. I think it was a waterbending scroll."

Katara gasped. Could it be? Was he looking for her all this time too?

"That's so weird…" Ty Lee said. "We went there because Katara was crazy about this guy she met seven years ago…"

"That's also when Zuko met that Water Tribe girl."

A moment passed. They sipped their tea. Another moment passed. Then, realization struck them and they spewed out the tea in shock.

"You're the Water Tribe girl?" Aang said, wiping his mouth

"Yes, that's me!"

"You have to go now!"

"What? Why?"

"Because Zuko went to the place where you guys first met! You have to go now so you can catch him!"

"Take the ship we rode on going here. It's the fastest we've got." encouraged Mai.

Katara nodded, switched purses with Ty Lee and ran to the dock.

This is it… she thought. I'm finally going to meet him.

~*~

Enjoying the breeze in the air, Zuko leaned on the trunk of the tree and relaxed. He pictured their first day together. So much time had passed since then.

Closing his eyes, he remembered how she came up to him. At first he heard nothing but a rustle of her footsteps on the grass. Then, her gentle voice filled the air.

"Hey…"

His imagination was so vivid sometimes that he thought it was real. He then heard a few more rustles and he felt a familiar warmth on his side.

"Damn… You're not real… Just my imagination…" he said, keeping his eyes closed

"Maybe you should open your eyes…" insisted the voice.

"No… If I do, I'll be reminded that I'm all alone."

"You're not."

Zuko said nothing but kept his eyes closed.

"Zuko, just open your eyes already."

After a few moments, the prince reluctantly opened his eyes and squinted at the afternoon sun. He looked around.

Okay… I'm still in the meadow… I'm still leaning on the tree… I'm still alo-

Then, he saw her. His eyes travelled from her boot-covered feet to cerulean doe-eyes.

"Please tell me you're real…" he whispered pleadingly, not wanting to end this dream, if it were really a dream.

"One hundred percent…" she replied, smiling brightly at him.

His hand slowly crept to hers and held it. The familiar feel of her soft fingers and palms made him smile back.

"I've been looking for you for so long, you know…" he said, using his hand to tuck a lock of her long brown hair behind her ear.

She smiled shyly and giggled.

"Same here… I heard you went to the South Pole just to look for me…"

"I did… Your house-sitters are very… frisky."

"Trust me. They're in trouble when I get home."

"Who told you, by the way?"

"Your friend, Aang."

"You know him?"

"I was in the palace, actually."

"What? Why?"

"I was going to try and stop your wedding…"

She looked away in embarrassment while Zuko chuckled. He put his arm around her shoulders and leaned his head on the top of hers. He inhaled the flowery scent of her hair and smiled. Just like old times…

She scooted closer and put her arm around his stomach. She rested her head on his muscular chest while embracing him tightly.

"I've missed you…" she said, looking up to face him

"I didn't even think you'd remember me."

"Why wouldn't I?"

"I don't know… I mean, you're a pretty girl. You can get any guy you want."

"Well, you're a prince. Thanks for telling me seven years ago, by the way."

"Sorry about that."

Their faces were now inches apart. Their hearts were beating wildly. They were sinking into each other's eyes.

"So what now?" Zuko asked, never taking his golden eyes off her azure ones

"You tell me…" Katara said. "Do you think your family would ever approve of some Water Tribe peasant like me?"

"Of course they will… And if they don't, I'll give up my throne."

"What? Are you sure I'm worth it?"

"Yes… I can't lose you again… Not after seven years without you…"

"Even if it means giving up everything you have?"

"You're everything I have…"

"I know this seems impulsive to say but… I love you, Zuko…"

Zuko grinned and held her closer.

"I love you too…" he murmured against her lips before giving her a passionate kiss.

Fireworks exploded as their lips met. Their hearts fluttered inside their chests, as if they wanted to burst. Running out of breath, they parted but kept their faces close to each other.

"So… how'd you end up almost marrying Mai?" Katara asked, poking his abs

"I could ask you the same thing about Jet." Zuko replied, playing with her hair.

"Can't we just enjoy the moment right now? It's a very long story…"

"Don't worry. We've got the rest of our lives… "

The sun set as the two lovers held each other, never wanting to let go. The full moon rose and they remained sitting under the tree in each other's arms. The city lights of Ba Sing Se glowed and they felt like the whole city was congratulating them both. The stars and the moon shone brightly upon them, as if celebrating their reunion and marking the start of a new journey with each other.

For seven years, these two have been marked by fate. Despite all their downfalls and obstacles, they managed to fight their way back into each other's hearts. True love powered their souls as they let fate guide their way. After all, it was not fate that made all the choices that led them here. It was their love for each other that burned brightly within their hearts.

After all, we may meet others by chance but we love them by choice…