Hello!

As this is my first time participating in Zutara Week, I'd like to start by clarifying a few things. I'll be the first to admit that this story doesn't have much plot. But we all know that if you're reading this, you're likely here for some good ole' Zutara fluff, anyway. :) Just a warning, you may see some tropes. There is also some implied Sukka. This first chapter will be the longest one, because it sets up the premise of the story. Rating is for safety; I don't go too far with anything. This is one continuous story, and not a series of one-shots. I don't own anything remotely related to Avatar: The Last Airbender.

So without further ado, I present Awaiting a Brand New Day.


Day 1: First Kiss

I: Gentleness

"Fire Lord Zuko, with other dignitaries and representatives, has requested the presence of esteemed leaders of other nations for an international Summit, to be held exactly two weeks after Midsummer Day, at the Royal Palace of the Fire Nation. Such leaders will receive a temporary allowance to port at the docks free of charge, and will be accommodated with private living spaces and meals during their stay. The following individuals will be accounted for by default, and are requested to send a return letter indicating their unavailability, should they not be in attendance:

Hakoda, Chief,

Sokka, Master, son of Hakoda,

Suki, Kyoshi Warrior, wife of Sokka,

Katara, Master, daughter of Hakoda,

Pakku, Master, friend of the Order of the White Lotus,

Kanna, wife of Pakku

Signed,

Joko, Secretary of International Affairs, Fire Nation"

Katara reread the letter and set it down on the small coffer beside her. The boat rocked gently with the waves beneath it. She loved being at sea – water, after all, was her element – but the summit couldn't come soon enough. She was so eager to see her friends again, to reminisce about the good times, catch up on recent happenings, and make more promises that they would all see each other soon.

She couldn't help but wonder if anyone had changed. The war ended four years ago, and as much as she loved those people who joined her in the effort for peace, she was pitiable at keeping up with them. After the war ended, she and Sokka quickly retreated to the South Pole to rebuild. It took over 3 years, but he finally married Suki on Kyoshi Island, and they lived in the South so that Sokka could learn to inherit Chief duties. Aang had spent a year with her, but he would get antsy, and she wouldn't budge. Her duty was to her people, and his was to the world at large. He left, and most of his time was spent in the Earth Kingdom, but he seemed to not have much time to write her. Toph was doing who knows what. Last Katara heard, Toph had started earthbending classes in local communities, but Katara knew to interpret "teaching these guys a lesson!" as an entirely different endeavor that likely involved arenas. Zuko was, of course, Fire Lord, and probably never got to leave his palace. He did have Mai and Iroh to keep him company; however, the Fire Nation was the busiest of all after the war, so he scarcely had time for anything else.

This, Katara told herself, was why she was on a boat with her father, Sokka, and Suki. Master Pakku wouldn't go to the summit, claiming that his task was done and the world needed the younger generations to lead its affairs. Katara would use any reason to see her friends all together, and the summit was a welcome excuse.

She heard a knock at her cabin door. "Katara?" Hakoda's voice rang.

"Yeah?"

The door opened, and her father poked his head through. "Sokka and I just spotted the coast. We should be at port in a few hours. Unless, of course," he smirked, "you want to help speed things up?"

Katara perked up and grinned. "I'll be right there!"

Manipulating the waves to accelerate the boat was normally exhausting, so she didn't do it often. But with the end in sight, Katara was more than ready to shove the boat closer to land. She made her way to the prow of the boat, basking in the smell of the sea. The coast was faint on the horizon, and squawking birds were approaching.

It's time.

Katara exhaled a deep breath as she extended her arms out from her sides, palms down. Then in one smooth motion, she circled her arms up and around down her front, and the waves followed her command. The boat lurched forward with ferocity. The sea didn't stand a chance.

"A little warning next time would be nice!" Sokka groaned as he got up from being sprawled on the deck from the sudden force.

Suki giggled beside him. "Weren't you ready? What happened to those shrewcat-like reflexes?"

Sokka made a guttural sound in protest.

"He must have left them at home," Katara looked over her shoulder to reply. She couldn't help but be a key player in her brother's misfortunes.

He stood up straighter and lifted his chin. "I can't wait until we get off this boat. All this water trickery is just annoying. And it's been too long since I've had any fire flakes," he pouted.

"We're almost there," Katara said as she turned her head back toward their destination. "Then you can have all the food you could ever want."

Her statement seemed to calm him down. She heard him say something like "Mmm. Meat," but she had to concentrate on getting the boat safely to shore.

Land was quickly approaching. Within just ten minutes at the helm, Katara guided the boat through the harbor and to the dock. Hakoda tossed out ropes to Sokka and Suki, who had jumped out to moor the boat.

Fire Nation shipwrights waved at the Southern Water Tribe group as Katara exited the boat with her father, and Hakoda gave a polite wave back to them. A guard came up to him. "Greetings," he said as he held out a hand. "You must be Chief Hakoda. My name is Lieutenant Garzo. I am in charge of guiding the visiting entourages to the palace."

Hakoda took his hand and shook it. "Pleasure to meet you, Lieutenant." He gave a small bow and smiled as he presented his children. "This is Sokka, Suki, and Katara."

The five people all nodded in acknowledgement. "Very good," Garzo replied. "Please, follow me. Don't worry about your ship; it will be well taken care of during your stay."

The walk through town was surprisingly short. Of course, it didn't help that Katara and Sokka couldn't stop eyeing goods and wares through windows as they walked by the plethora of shops. Katara was so far loving this part of the trip. The streets were nothing like those in the South. She got a kick out of watching hagglers gain favor with store owners. She found herself walking at the same tempo as the music from street performers. But the excitement was over too soon as the group arrived at the palace gate.

"Jori," Garzo alerted one of the guards standing by the gate.

The guard straightened his back. "Yes, sir?"

"This is Chief Hakoda, Sokka, Suki, and Katara, from the Southern Water Tribe. Please give them their brief tour and show them to their rooms."

"Yes, sir. Right this way," the guard Jori held out a hand to wave them through the gate.

Garzo started to retreat and nodded at Hakoda. "Chief."

"Lieutenant," Hakoda nodded back.

"This, as you can see," Jori started as the group fell in step behind him, "is the front garden. Normally, the Fire Lord would greet his guests here, but seeing that you are two days early for the summit, my lord does not have the ability to greet you at this time. I must apologize on his behalf."

Katara's eyes widened as she took in the view. The garden was a series of tiered rock walls with patches of grass and flowering shrubs on each tier, showering the ground with reds, blues, and yellows. Stone walkways were intermittently wound throughout the grass. Tall trees lined the outside, obscuring much of the palace walls. The garden was large – larger even than Katara's war-time village.

"It is no trouble, Jori. He must be a busy man," Hakoda replied.

"Very much so, sir," the guard said as he led them through a large set of ornate double doors. "This is the entrance to common wing, which is where the banquet hall and meeting rooms are."

Once inside, Katara welcomed the shade of the roof overhead and the cool stone walls. She knew the Fire Nation was hot, so she didn't think the palace would be so chilly indoors. She was glad she thought to bring an extra cloak.

As the group approached the council rooms, Katara heard voices ringing from down the hall, no doubt reverberated by the flat stone around her. It sounded like two people were in a heated argument. She thought she recognized one voice as Zuko's, but changed her mind, because it was lower and more confident. Surely that wasn't him?

Her suspicions were confirmed as their group turned a corner and she saw Zuko glaring at who seemed to be an advisor. "I will not discard those precious resources in such a way, Mister Tong. Please reconsider my amendment. We're done here."

"Of course, Your Majesty," the man gave a weak bow and shot a glance at the group as he stood straight. He promptly headed in the opposite direction, clearly disgruntled.

Zuko shagged his shoulders and exhaled. He turned his head their way. Katara started. His eyes had small bags under them, and some of his hair had escaped his topknot. He looked exhausted, yet his eyes caught hers and he shone a light smile. "Jori," he said as he walked closer. "I see our first guests have arrived."

"Yes, my lord." Jori bowed low, and everyone else started to follow suit.

"Stop," Zuko interrupted. "No relation of Sokka or Katara will bow to me. We are equals."

It took all of Katara's will to not run forward and hug him until his lungs hurt. She could see Sokka in her peripheral vision, and he was standing awkwardly, also seeming to want to greet his friend with an arm grab or a gentle jab on the shoulder. They both refrained.

Zuko spoke again, looking at Hakoda. "You're two days early, Chief."

"To be early is to be on time, Fire Lord," Hakoda replied, holding out his arm.

Zuko hastily grabbed the extended arm and couldn't help but smile. "That's what I like to hear." He shook his arm away. "Welcome to the summit. Please make yourselves comfortable."

It was almost as if he had given Katara unspoken permission. She stepped towards him and wrapped her arms around him. "It's so good to see you, Zuko!" She felt his arms on her back, reciprocating her hug. His body was warm and comforting. "It's been too long."

"Katara," he sounded incredulous and he stepped back. "You saw me six months ago, remember? At their wedding?" He inclined his head towards Sokka.

"That doesn't count. You were there for about two seconds and then had to go back to the Fire Nation for business. We didn't get to talk, let alone say 'hello'. Plus, we all said we'd visit each other, and you never did." She crossed her arms.

Zuko stiffened and glared at her, visibly discontented. "Neither did you."

The ensuing silence was maddening. She kicked herself internally that they had to greet like this.

Zuko's face softened. "I'm sorry. It's been a long week, preparing for this summit. Tensions have been high lately. We're not yet prepared for housing so many people."

"It's okay," Katara replied as Sokka and Suki hugged Zuko, one on each side.

"Hey buddy," Sokka began, "as long as there's food and a scapegoat for anything that goes wrong, we'll be just fine." They broke up their hug.

"Except that someone will probably be you," Suki chimed in, kissing him on the cheek.

The warrior's face turned pink. "Worth it."

Zuko cleared his throat. "As it is, I'm afraid I still have more work to do. The official start of the summit is in two days. I'll see you all there." He nodded before he turned to walk away. "Jori, you may continue showing our guests to their rooms."

"Yes, my lord," the guard replied, and Zuko disappeared around a corner.


Those two days were exciting at best and agonizing at worst. Most of the other guests arrived the day after Katara. Aang had flown in on Appa into the middle of the city streets, eliciting mostly cheers and only a few leering faces. He was quickly escorted into the palace, where Katara, Sokka, and Suki gave him a warm welcome. They showed him what they knew of the palace (Sokka was especially enjoying the banquet hall and the armory), before abruptly bumping into Toph, who had shown up seemingly out of nowhere. She said she came with King Bumi and "that sourpuss governor's family from Omashu."

Katara was just glad everyone was back together again. Except for Zuko, of course, who seemed to be holed up in his office the whole time. So, everyone else would find themselves in a central garden sparring, speculating on how the summit was going to go. They ran into Iroh several times, but he was usually busy assisting Zuko. Every guest got his or her own room; the palace was enormous, and it became quite the effort the navigate its maze-like halls, so most of the other guests tended to stay in their rooms so they wouldn't get lost. There were no set meal times. Food was always present in the banquet hall, and guests could arrive and eat on their own schedule.

Finally, the big day came for everyone to meet in the main council room at midday, beginning the first large meeting of the summit. Katara stood in front of the mirror in her room, trying to look presentable. She decided to wear a simple Water Tribe blue dress with elbow length sleeves and a moderate v-neckline. She finished off the look with a dark blue sash and slippers. She still never went anywhere without her mother's necklace. Her hair had two "loopies," but the rest remained straight down her back, held out of her face by a half ponytail.

"Knock knock, are you ready?" Suki waltzed in, wearing her Kyoshi uniform without the makeup. She stood in the doorway, hands on her hips. "Well you're looking nice today. Getting prepared to see a certain Fire Lord, are we?"

"What!?" Katara's face flushed. "No, why would you think that?"

Her sister-in-law smirked. "Oh, no reason. Only the fact that none of the Water Tribe boys could catch your eye, and here you are playing dress-up for a certain single someone."

"Am not," Katara retorted. "This dress happens to be a formal Water Tribe dress. I should look presentable as a representative of my tribe, should I not?" And then Suki's words came back to her. "Did you say Zuko's single? What happened to Mai?"

"You didn't hear? They broke up two years ago."

Surprise covered Katara's face. "Two years? Am I really that out of the loop?"

"Maybe, maybe not," Suki assured her. "It was a pretty hush-hush situation. I heard about it from Ty Lee. Mai loved him, but he apparently didn't feel the same way. It's a shame, really. She was one of the few people who could get along with him."

Suki paused in thought but continued, holding out her arm, "Well, regardless, the rest of the tribe is waiting for you. Ready?"

"Ready," Katara said as she linked her arm with Suki's. They walked a short distance down the hall and met up with Hakoda, Sokka, and Jori the guard.

Hakoda nodded to Jori, "We're all here. Lead on."

"Yes, sir. This way," the guard replied.

As they approached the meeting room, Katara could see that every one of the guests was being greeted by Zuko at the door. He looked regal with his layered robes, sharp pauldrons, and immaculate topknot. The assigned guard would introduce the visiting entourage, and everyone would shake hands with Zuko before entering the room. There were several groups ahead of the Southern Water Tribe. Katara recognized Toph and Bumi together, and who must have been Mai's parents, but without their daughter.

"Was Mai not invited?" Katara whispered to Suki.

"No, she was," the warrior answered. "She decided not to come. Didn't want things to get more awkward, what with the breakup. Last I heard, she's not living with her parents, but with some other nobles in the Fire Nation. I guess she really hates Omashu."

"Oh," the waterbender exhaled. She didn't dislike Mai; in fact, she had thought they could be decent friends after they got to know each other a little better in Ba Sing Se after the war. But another part of Katara didn't mind that the governor's daughter wasn't at the summit. It would have indeed made things more awkward.

It was the Water Tribe's turn to greet the Fire Lord.

"Your Majesty," Jori started, "from the Southern Water Tribe, I present Chief Hakoda, his son Sokka, daughter-in-law Suki, and daughter Katara."

"Yes, we've met," Zuko gave a small grin. Katara's eyes widened. She could have sworn he just winked at her.

Everyone had their turn giving Zuko a handshake. "Welcome. Jori will show you to your seats," Zuko added.

The group entered and found their seats, and within a few minutes, the doors closed and Zuko walked to the head of the table. Iroh was to his right. Aang sat directly to his left, and Katara's group was seated several seats down from Iroh. Toph was nearly across from her. Two Kyoshi warriors, one of which was Ty Lee, were allowed to sit next to Suki. They engaged in light chatter about how the warriors were doing. Finally, Zuko raised his hand and the room silenced.

"You are all here today to reignite the flame for the winds of peace," Zuko instructed. Katara chuckled internally. Iroh had to have come up with that. "One hundred years is a long time for mistrust and resentment to spread. In the four years after that long war, we have gone above and beyond for the price of peace," Zuko looked around the room, "but we still have much to accomplish." He rested his fisted hands on the table and his face almost looked solemn. "Right here and right now, each of us must make peace the primary objective for the world and within our nations."

Several heads nodded in agreement. Katara's was one of them. Zuko's demeanor was becoming of his position. She softly smiled with proud admiration.

Zuko further spoke, "I will start the discussion by defining Fire Nation reparation efforts for the other nations…"


The meeting went much longer than anyone had anticipated. People were getting hungry, and tired, and therefore irritable. The discussions started out productive, but eventually grew to contain sensitive topics that brought about cold glares and obvious sighs. Even Aang's calming voice and peaceful presence did little for the atmosphere. Katara didn't say much, and it became somewhat frustrating to watch. She was admittedly relieved when Zuko adjourned the meeting. Everyone except the former Team Avatar left the room in a hurry. The gang moved into seats closer to Zuko.

When only his friends remained, Zuko gripped his head in his hands and rested his elbows on the table. "Shen," he called a manservant over, "bring me the strongest fire whiskey and four glasses."

"Yes, sir," the servant promptly left the room, and within a few moments, returned with the request.

"That will be all. Leave us," Zuko sounded as exhausted as he looked. The servant left the room, and the group of friends was alone.

"Four?" Toph seemed offended. "Why only four? There are six of us."

"You and Aang are underage. You don't get any," Zuko replied.

The earthbender crossed her arms and huffed at her bangs in resignation.

"Well that was…" Aang looked for something to say, "interesting."

"And not uncommon, unfortunately," the firebender said as he poured himself a drink and took a gulp and winced.

Sokka followed Zuko's example and filled his glass. "You mean all Fire Nation meetings end with people wanting to tear each other's throats out?" He put his glass up to his mouth and swallowed a mouthful, resulting in a harsh gag. "Ack! This burns!"

"Yes," Zuko said while smirking and swirling his drink. "Also, it's fire whiskey after all."

Katara didn't want to try any of the whiskey. She got one whiff and decided against it. What she really needed was a cool glass of water. She wondered if she could get Zuko to call a servant back in…

Her thoughts were interrupted when she saw Zuko's head hit the table and his hands sprawl out beside him. "Guys," he said to the hardwood, voice reverberating through the table, "Fire Lording is the worst job ever. It's so bad, I'd rather serve tea with Uncle than do this."

"Well, why make it worse?" Aang spoke up. "We could all tell some jokes or something, just to make the evening a little lighter."

"Ooh, yes! I'll start!" Sokka beamed. "Haru's mustache." He gawked. "Get it? Because it looks funny."

Katara facepalmed internally and rolled her eyes. "Sokka, he looked just fine."

"Yeah," Sokka retorted, "says the girl who fell for Jet."

"That was one time, okay? Before I knew he was a jerk."

Her brother wiggled his eyebrows. "But apparently not enough of a jerk to not give him your first kiss."

Katara felt her face burning up. She didn't have anything to counter his jab.

"Jet?" Zuko perked up his head. "Your first kiss was Jet? As in the kid that stole things and chewed on grass and had a pair of hook swords?"

She looked down, almost ashamed. "Yes," she turned her head back up towards him. "But it was one time, and he was charming and manipulative and I was gullible. I'm not entirely to blame."

"When did it happen?" Aang asked.

Katara sighed. "Remember when we first met the Freedom Fighters, and they had a little feast that night to celebrate harassing some Fire Nation soldiers? Well, later that night he took me on a walk, and we got talking, and…well we were caught up in the moment and it just sort of happened. But I swear, that was the one and only time." She looked around shyly. "After that, it was just Aang, and no one since we broke up."

"Whoa, okay Sweetness, we don't need your life story," Toph interrupted.

Katara was grateful she didn't have to give any more juicy details; instead, she could turn the attention onto someone else. "Why not, Toph? Are you so eager to tell us about your first kiss?"

"Hah!" the earthbender guffawed. "Sure. It doesn't exist."

"Surely not, Toph," Suki questioned her. "Don't you have guys eternally crawling at your door?"

Toph grinned. "Oh yeah, lots of guys want my attention. Doesn't mean I have to pity them and give it to them. I may be blind, but I can see them for what they are. They're not worthy for the Toph-meister."

"What about you, Suki?" Katara asked. "Who was your first kiss? Was it Sokka?"

Suki's face reddened. "Yeah," she said sheepishly. "And, even though I wasn't his first, I don't love him any less." She rested her head on her husband's shoulder.

"True," Sokka chimed in. "My first kiss wasn't Suki, it was Yue. Yes, the Yue. The moon spirit Yue. Be jealous."

"I'm pretty sure we all know who Yue is at this point, Sokka," Zuko interrupted.

"Well, mine was Katara. You probably all knew that too," Aang added. "Okay, Zuko, your turn. Who was your first kiss?"

Zuko hesitated, calculating everyone's gazes before he looked down at the table. "Her name was Jin."

"Not gloomy Mai?" Sokka asked.

The firebender shook his head. "Not Mai. Jin was stalking me – or just fancied me, I'm really not sure which – when I served tea in the lower ring of Ba Sing Se. She wouldn't stop coming into the shop. Then my conniving uncle made me go on a date with her. She was pretty, don't get me wrong, but dating wasn't something I wanted to pursue. Not when I could have been capturing Aang, for example. Dinner was seriously awkward. Then we went on a walk, I lit some lamps, and gave her a coupon to the tea shop. This was Uncle's idea, of course. Then she must have liked me, because she made me close my eyes and kissed me out of nowhere. I, um," he paused and cleared his throat, "may have kissed her back."

"Whoa, watch out everybody! We've got a ladies' man over here," Sokka announced.

"Well it was just her and Mai, so that's not exactly record-breaking," Zuko reminded him.

"So, you haven't tried courting anyone else since Mai left?" Katara asked.

He shrugged. "Haven't had the time. Some of the noblemen try to introduce me to their daughters or nieces, but I'm trying to focus on running my nation. Frankly, that's already a lot to ask for a twenty-year-old."

"I feel you," Aang piped in. "Being sixteen and the Avatar is no walk in the park, either."

Suki shifted in her seat. "We're all in this together, right? You guys don't have to do this alone." She took a sip from Sokka's glass and made a sour face. "Wow, this does burn. The flavor is nice, though."

"I'm glad somebody likes it," Zuko replied as he stood up with effort. "If you'll all excuse me, I'm exhausted and need to rest." He took one last swig of his whiskey. "See you in the morning?"

Sokka was the first of the others to stand up and stretch. "Yes. That is, if you'll be in the banquet hall in the morning."

"That is indeed where you'll find Sokka," Katara grinned at her brother.

"And me," Toph interrupted. The she noticed the incredulous faces around her. "What? I'm a growing teenager!"

Zuko waved at everyone as he exited the meeting room. "Sure. Good night, guys."

"…'Night," the others reciprocated, and parted ways to their own rooms.


When Katara got to her room, she replaced her dress with her sleeping robe. She debated going to bed, but decided to relax first with waterbending. She made off to wander the halls, careful to remember which routes she was taking. She came upon a small garden with a pond in the middle, inlaid with a small fountain. Hesitantly walking to the pond, she became aware of the serenity of the night and faint sounds of cicadas. Little turtleducks were nestled near the fountain, huddled together and sleeping. She had to waterbend quietly, so as to not disturb their peaceful slumber. A voice behind her made her jump and startled her out of her thoughts.

"Out for an evening stroll?" Zuko spoke firmly.

Katara looked over her shoulder. "Spirits, Zuko, you scared me. Also, be quiet, or you'll wake the turtleducks."

He came forward and stood beside her. The air around her was already getting warmer. His face was repentant. "Sorry," he said, giving her a small smile from the scarred side of his face. "What are you doing?"

Katara shrugged in resignation. "Well, I was going to waterbend a bit. It helps me relax. You showed up before I could really get started."

"Your splashing is too loud. You'd wake the turtleducks in an instant."

"Not if I'm gentle," Katara retorted.

A small chuckle escaped his breath. "I'd like to see you attempt to be gentle. I don't think it's possible."

"What?" Her mouth gaped open. "I can be gentle!" Her voice rose.

Zuko's warm hand covered her mouth and he put a finger to his lips, leaning in. "Shh," he whispered, removing his finger to point at the turtleducks. "They're sleeping."

"Hmph," was all Katara could reply.

He moved his hand away from her face. "That's what I thought," he smirked.

But something strange happened. He did not move away. In fact, it seemed he was getting closer to her. She was mesmerized by his warmth, his calming presence, his gentle acceptance of the nearby turtleducks. For some reason, Katara couldn't flinch away. There was something about Zuko in that moment that made Katara realize that she'd been needing this friendship. Yes, she was great friends with Sokka, but they would never physically end up this close. Aang had been one of her best friends, but she couldn't see herself as being happy with him. Zuko, however, was a different entity entirely. She wanted to grow this friendship, make it bloom like an eager flower pining for the sun's rays.

"So…" Katara began, "what are—"

—his mouth on hers eradicated any further discussion.

His lips were warm, and softer than she would have expected. One of his hands cradled her face as his opposite hand was on her waist. Without thinking, she leaned further into him, basking in his scent. But her brain caught up with her body. She put her hands on his shoulders and gently pushed him away.

"Are you drunk?" she asked, eyeing him suspiciously.

"I don't think so," he responded, slightly confused. "Would you like me to be?"

She hesitated before grabbing his hand. She refused to break eye contact. "No, I need you to have full awareness and recognition of what you're doing."

"You're right," he shook his head, almost scowling. "That was out of line. I must apologize."

"Well," she knew how dangerous things could get when he hated himself, "I didn't say our first kiss was bad by any means."

He put an arm around her waist. "Not a bad first kiss?"

"No, not bad. In fact," she leaned on her toes and laced her arms around his neck. "It was perfect."

This time, it was her turn to start the kiss.