Zuko and the rest of the gaang sat around the fire he had started, waiting for Katara to be done with dinner. They were all trying to be patient, knowing that she would only get angry if they complained about the amount of time it was taking, but since they hadn't eaten since the morning, before they had left on Appa, it wasn't easy; especially for Sokka, the human vacuum. Finally, he couldn't take it anymore, "Katara! When is it going to be ready" he whined. Suki jabbed him in the ribs, trying to make him shut up, expecting the inevitable fight.
"Well maybe if one of you would help me, I would be done much faster! You all just sit around here, and expect me to take care of you! I do everything! I cook, I clean, I do the laundry, and I make sure that everyone trains when you all want to be lazy! I'm not the oldest, but I still take all of the responsibility. Here take your dinner!" She screamed at her brother. Bending the stew out of the pot and into a water whip, continuously slapping him across the face. Toph laughed hysterically at the sight in front of her. After a few moments she raised a wall in front of Sokka, deciding that Katara had tortured him enough. Glaring at the young girl, Katara stormed off.
"Why do you always have to bother your sister?" Suki exclaimed. "You know that we dump all the responsibility on her, and I would help, but I'm a warrior, so someone else should."
"Exactly!" Sokka answered. "I'm a warrior too, and we can't expect the Avatar, the firebender or earthbender to cook for us. So it has to be Katara."
Glaring at all of them, Zuko stood up. "You do realize that Katara is a waterbending master? She is the Avatar's teacher, and as such she should be treated with respect. You are all idiots." Zuko stalked off in the direction that Katara had gone. When he finally found her, she was standing in the middle of a river bending the water around her into ice picks and throwing them at trees. Zuko watched for a few minutes, and when her bending began to calm down, and she reduced to simply making the water swirl around her feet, Zuko approached her. "Umm...hey Katara."
Spinning around she eyed him carefully, and was about to speak when he interrupted her. "Don't say anything. I just wanted to tell you that you're right." He shifted awkwardly, and trained his eyes on the ground in front of him, not knowing how she'd react. "You do everything for us, and we take you for granted. You are a master bender, and the Avatar's teacher, and as such you should receive all the respect of any sifu. I know that you hate me and don't trust me, but I wanted you to know that I'm sorry. I should do more to help out, as should everyone."
The two of them stood awkwardly next to each other for a few moments. Thinking that she wasn't going to answer him, Zuko turned away and walked back to the camp. Katara stood there for a few minutes in absolute silence. She couldn't believe that Zuko had talked to her. I can't believe that he would talk to me! He knows that I don't like him. Well, maybe I should. I mean, he has finally proved himself to be trustworthy, I trust Aang's decision to accept him, and he has been teaching Aang firebending. I just can't believe I let him betray me that one time; I had actually started to fall for him in Ba Sing Se. I thought that he had changed, for me. But now he has changed, and he's proven that. Boys are so complicated!
Sokka, Suki, Aang and Toph all waited in silence after Zuko stalked off after Katara. It was a rather strange situation, aside from Sokka being hungry. Zuko was the last person that anyone thought could calm Katara down. They waited for what seemed to be an eternity before Zuko walked back into view.
"Hey Zuko. Did you calm Katara down? Is she going to come back and make dinner for us?" Sokka asked, looking very hopeful at the thought of dinner.
Zuko glared at him. "She already served yours Sokka." He motioned at the stew all over the other boy's clothes. "If you all want to eat I suggest eating some fruit, then going to sleep before she comes back. You all do realize that she was absolutely right don't you? We should appreciate her more. No go," he growled at them.
Confused, the other teens grabbed some fruit then set up for bed. Aang settled down on Appa, Toph created a rock tent for herself, and Sokka and Suki laid out their bedrolls next to each other. Zuko sat down next to the fire to keep watch until Katara came back; he wanted to give her the time she needed. Realizing that it would show her how serious he was about gaining her trust, and forgiveness, as well as her respect, he stood, and began to gather firewood so they would have enough for the entire night. Then he gathered the various things that they wouldn't need for the morning and packed them together, tossing them gently into Appa's saddle. He had hoped that Katara would be back by now since he was nearing exhaustion, she might rise with the moon, but he had to rise with the sun. Sighing he plopped on to the ground, and awaited her return.
Almost an hour later Katara returned to the camp site, ready to turn in because the moon was disappearing. She saw that everyone was in their usual sleeping spots, but didn't see Zuko, after looking around for him, she saw him slumped over next to the fire. She realized that he had been waiting for her, and she smiled to herself, secretly glad that he had. She walked over to him, and gently tapped his shoulder, "Zuko, Zuko, you can go to bed now."
Slowly he opened his eyes and looked up at her. He smiled slightly and mumbled, "You're back. I was a little worried."
"I'm sorry." She whispered. "But, thank you. For coming and talking to me, for reassuring me that I'm not crazy and was somewhat validated in what I said. I just, thank you…"
"Of course Katara, I want us to be friends. And I agree with what you said, and friends stand up for each other." He smiled at her, a real, full blown smile, and she decided that he was gorgeous. His smile lit up his whole face and caused his amber eyes to twinkle. She had never seen him really smile before, and she was unable to restrain herself, she threw her arms around his neck and brought him into a hug. At first, Zuko didn't know how to act, but then he wrapped his arms around her and hugged him back.
Pulling back slightly, Katara smiled up at him. "Oh Zuko, I want to be friends too. I know that you think I don't trust you, but that's not true. I do trust you, even though I haven't really been able to show you. I just took what happened in Ba Sing Se very personally. I wanted you to change, I thought that I could change you, but you needed to figure it out for yourself. I realized that by offering to heal you, and by not being able to, I made you very vulnerable and emotional, if I hadn't offered, or if I had time to, you wouldn't have gone to Azula. I'm so sorry Zuko, so sorry." Tears began to stream down her face as she thought about that fateful day.
Zuko didn't know what to do; he had never been very good with crying girls. He was rather scared of them. But he knew that he needed to try. Wrapping his arms more tightly around her, he brought her into his chest. "Don't cry Katara. I did betray you that day, and I feel so bad about it. But you have to realize, you did change me. I realized that you were right, and that I was truly a good person. I wanted you to see that, and I worked so hard to change, and gain everyone's trust, but you are the only one that I really need to trust me, and to believe me. I care about you, so much." He held her close to him for a few more moments before she pulled back, and out of the embrace so that she could look at him directly.
"You really mean that don't you? I can read it in your eyes, you really tried to change for me, and you really do care about me?"
"Of course Katara, I would never lie to you."
"Oh Zuko, I care about you too. I really like you, but I was scared that you would reject me or something." Katara cast her gaze downward, and refused to look him in the eyes. He placed his hand under her chin and tilted her face back up so that he could look at her. Then ever so slowly he leaned towards her and kissed her gently on the lips. She gasped in shock, and he pulled back quickly, afraid that he had scared her. But then she wrapped her arms around his neck and brought him closer to her, kissing him harder than before. Getting the hint, Zuko licked her bottom lip slowly, and he was granted access to her mouth. He growled softly as he tasted her for the first time. He tore his mouth of her and started placing feather light kisses all over her neck, pausing to suck on her pulse point, making her let out a low moan. He moved back to her lips and continued to devour her mouth for a few moments.
"Katara, we need to stop," Zuko said, pulling back, but noticing the disappointment that graced her features. "It's just that I don't want to rush you, or do anything that you'd regret in the morning." Katara was a bit sad that they had to stop, but smiled that he was being so sweet and thoughtful. Zuko sat down in front of the fire again, and pulled on Katara's hand so she would sit next to him. When she did, he wrapped his arm around her and they sat in silence until they both fell asleep. The next morning Katara woke up next to the fire alone. She panicked, thinking that last night had been a dream, but she looked over and saw Zuko peeling moon peaches for their breakfast. She smiled at him, and walked around trying to wake everyone else up so they could leave early. Then she walked over and kissed Zuko, sitting down beside him and grabbing one of the peaches. She knew that from now things would be better.