He had seen this look in her eyes before.
It had been years before- when they'd been young and foolish, before they had known the truth of the world. He kept his gaze upon her, those sapphire hues penetrating his very soul, her lips curved with a frown. There was nothing more he wanted to do but take her into his arms and crush her against him, to feel the softness of her brown hair between his fingers, to know that she was his and nobody else's.
But he'd let that chance slip him by, had he not?
"Zuko..." Her voice was sweet to his ears; she tilted her magnificent head, the frown increasing, a brow arching as if it posed a silent question. He cleared his throat, trying to find the words to say... Anything, say anything! As always, he found himself speechless in her presence, and it was as if he were a teenage boy all over again. "Don't look at me that way." She pleaded softly, her voice suddenly taking on another tone entirely, and to his surprise tears were filling her beautiful blue eyes. "Please, Zuko..."
The Fire Lord stiffened his spine and swallowed, giving his own head a little shake, as if this would clear all of the thoughts from within. For years now he had hated himself for letting this girl go, for years now he had cursed himself for letting her go with someone else. "You're happy," he said softly, and she gave a small, single nod. How could she tell him anything different? How could she tell him that every day since their last encounter she had regretted walking away? But, her eyes were betraying her, he could see the truth reflected there in their brilliantly colored depths. Something inside of him broke and Zuko ignored every voice in his mind screaming at him to stop. He closed the gap between them and drew her into his arms, holding onto her as if he would never let her go. She struggled against him for only a moment, before relaxing against him, her face buried in his chest. "Katara..." He murmured her name softly, one hand tipping her head back, allowing him to look into her eyes yet again. "I can't live without you." He said simply and without ceremony. Suddenly, it didn't matter that they were both to be married to someone else. "I have tried and I can't do it Katara. I won't do it."
Though surprise widened her eyes, Katara could not stop the slow smile from spreading over her features, brightening her like a flame from within. She had, in these last few years, come to be as happy as a person could be when they knew they were with the wrong person. And besides, she had always known Zuko to be far above her station- esteemed bender or not, Katara was not of royal blood, and could never have been his queen. Why put herself into the postion to be hurt? And so she had walked away well over three years ago, to travel the world with Aang, working to bring peace to their once broken world. But here she was, clutching to Zuko as if he were her very lifeline, feeling something she had never once ever felt with Aang. "We can't do this..." She whispered, shaking her head, a single tear trailing the curve of her cheek. Zuko did not respond, but rather his lips found hers, and she was giving in to him.
Zuko knew this was a mistake, but there was no stopping them, not now. He kissed her deeper, his tongue meeting hers and he felt intoxicated. Clinging to her, his hand lost in the sweet-smelling curls of her hair, Zuko finally broke the kiss. She was pressed tightly against him, her own hands wandering, one coming to a rest on the side of his head. "I can't live without you," he repeated simply, shrugging his shoulders ever so slightly, his golden eyes meeting hers. "But if you tell me to let go, then I will let go."
For several long moments, they stared back at one another, while Katara wrestled with the thoughts swirling in her head. It was wrong of her, to be comtemplating this, to do this to Aang who had been nothing but good to her all these years, who had been her friend first and foremost, who she did indeed love, if not in the way he had always loved her... But... Her heart was speaking to her, far too loudly for her to ignore, and she gave in yet again. Her mouth covered his, her hand sliding up into his hair, the other one on his upper arm. Zuko felt his heart turnover and an indescribable feeling surged through him. Their kiss deepened and Zuko wrapped his free arm around her slim waist, drawing her closer to him, if that was even possible. As he always was, he was amazed at how perfectly she fit against him.
In the moments that passed, their passion increased, and Zuko felt himself growing hard beneath his robes as his palm enclosed her breast. She had her head tipped back, hair a waterfall down her back, the skin of her neck exposed to him in a delicious sort of fashion. One hand still on her breast, his mouth moved downward, and his teeth sank into the bronzed skin of her neck, earning him a moan from her lips that sent shivers down his spine. "Zuko..." She whispered his name, her tone much different than it had been at the start of their meeting. Feeling quite thankful he'd urged their meeting to be held in his own private chambers, Zuko rose his mouth back to hers, efficiently silencing her before she could say another word. His hand left her breast then and she was biting his lower lip, a playful bite that only made him shiver with lust.
Pulling back, he stared at her for a long moment, and a silent conversation passed between them. She was smiling then, taking a single step back as she brought her hands up to shed the outermost layer of the robes she wore. It left her dressed in only the simple, yet elegant gown of dark blue, which hugged her curves in a magnificent way. She was turning her back to him then and looking at him over a shoulder, her sapphire eyes dancing with mischief as she looked upon him. His gaze swept her up and down, realizing then what she was intending him to do; stepping forwards, he reached out with slightly shaking hands, to undo the ten buttons that spanned her spine, holding the dress together. When he had finished, he drew back, watching in awe as she slowly let the dress drop from her shoulders and into a puddle of silk at her feet. Stepping out from the garment, she turned back to face him, her head held high as she looked him in the eyes.
Zuko had, never in all of his life, seen a creature more beautiful than her. Standing there before him, fully nude, with her hair cascading over one shoulder, he had never seen her more lovely. She was like a goddess, illuminated by the moonlight that peered in from behind the curtains. No, she was more like a dream, he told himelf, so close to being unreal that it was almost frightening. But as he took her into his arms again, he knew without a doubt that there was nothing more real in all of his world. Kissing her gently, he then took her by the hand, drawing her towards the bed which stood in the eastern corner of the bed. When beside it, he gave her a gentle push so she fell back onto the bed with a giggle, her blue eyes bright in the moonlight. He tore his own clothing off, tossing it aside in his haste to climb onto the bed beside her, and at once was pulling her close.
His kiss was like wildfire and spreading quick; first her mouth, then her neck, and down further to her breasts. Katara moaned as he took one into his mouth, his other hand trailing lower down her body. The sound of her moan was more than enough to put him over the edge, but Zuko controlled himself as he trailed kisses down her abdomen, both of his hands on her hips, while hers tangled themselves into his hair. But, he knew he could not wait any longer to have her, and he drew himself back up, positioning himself over her. In an instant, he'd entered her and she gave a little cry, her nails digging into his back as he thrust against her. She was crying out his name, her voice shrill with lust as Zuko bore down against her, hips to hips, not even an inch of space between them.
Later, when all was said and done, they lay side by side in his bed, the blankets drawn up, as if this was where they both belonged. "I have to go..." She murmured softly, though of course neither of them wished for her to go. But, there were things to be done, hearts to be broken, honesty had to be spilled. She was not going to hurt Aang worse by telling him what had transpired this night, but she would also not ever go behind his back again. It would be over, that very night, she would things like she already should have done. And Zuko... Well, he was already preparing to tell his council the next morning of his plans. There would be no Earth Kingdom princess for him, in fact, he had a hunch his bride would rather be a beautiful waterbender already well loved in his kingdom from her days of war.
"I know," he replied, tipping his forehead against hers, knowing her conversation would be all the more difficult than his own would be. He watched her as she rose up from the bed, slipping out from the sheets, her place still yet warm to the touch. She redressed with a little help from him and as she was pulling her robe back on, he was kissing her one last time, a kiss full of encouragement and unspoken words. She was smiling when she drew back and he reached out, brushing a stray strand of hair from her face. "Until tomorrow," he said by way of goodbye, to which she smiled and gave a single little nod.
"Until tomorrow," she repeated back to him, her heart beating fast inside of her chest. Their hands lingered on one another's for a moment longer, but then she was gone, slipping out of his chamber and into the hall. She went back the guards who paid her no mind and made her way back down the hall, to the rooms she shared with Aang, who she knew would be waiting for her inside.
Zuko watched as she went, hand curling into the emptiness when hers had slipped away, and he let out a shaky little breath. Offering up a silent prayer to the universe that Aang would remain a friend after this and that things could still have a semblance of normalcy after today. He closed the door after her and returned to his bed, sliding back beneath the covers, well aware of just how cold his bed was without her in it.