A storm was coming.
Blue hues lifted to the skies, watching as the intense clouds rolled by, the lightning flashing, thunder rumbling in the distance. She was all alone, a cloak thrown over her head, but the wind was whipping about now, casting off her hood, revealing dark locks that fell in the softest of curls. There wasn't much time before the storm hit and she turned, her eyes falling instead upon the palace in the background. She had come to the Fire Nation at the invite of Zuko, whom she still had to remind herself to properly address now that he was Fire Lord. He had invited all of them- Aang, Toph, and of course Sokka and herself. They were all there, but things weren't the same anymore. They had all grown up, for one.
In the five years that had passed since the end of the war, many changes had come to all of the world, as well as all of them. Aang continued to strive for peace, as did Zuko, and together they were planning a majestic city for all benders and non-benders alike. Toph taught Earthbending and Katara had heard she had even taught a few select students metalbending. Sokka was one step behind their father, who had taken on the role of Chief in their village, as well as the head of North and South Pole's combined militia group. Even she was doing her own things- she had returned home initially, to take care of their ailing grandmother. When she had passed on two years later, Katara had gone to the North Pole, where she quickly earned the title of Master once more, teaching groups of young waterbenders. Her reputation carried far and it didn't take long for her to become known as one of the most powerful benders of her time. She didn't only teach bending, though; she took on the role of healer, teaching those same benders the art of healing, should they have the ability to do so.
From a short distance away, golden eyes watched her; Zuko couldn't help himself, not really anyways. He had been stunned to see her after those long five years, to see the beauty that she had become. Of course, he had always thought her to be lovely, but now… She was almost dreamlike, too good to be true, with her big, blue eyes and her bronzed skin. She was the same height, still slim as ever, and her hair… It was longer than ever before, falling down nearly to her hips, and in the softest looking curls he had ever seen. Zuko had been mesmerized from the moment she had set foot in his palace, but he found, she was intimidating. He stumbled over his words when he spoke, felt shy and unsure of himself, when in truth he was fairly confident these days. Seeing her again made him feel like a teenager all over again.
Thunder crashed overhead and the lighting struck- it illuminated her, standing there at the riverside, hair billowing about her lithe frame. He stepped out then, his foot snapping a twig, causing her to turn, those eyes of hers falling upon his face. At once her features softened and a smile appeared, but the lighting was gone and she was cast into shadows. Raising a hand, he conjured a flickering flame, giving him just enough light to see her face as he stepped up closer, his own lips twitching with a smile. "What're you doing out here?" She asked, arching a brow in surprise; it was quite late, after all.
"I was going to ask the same of you," he said, happy to hear the giggle that escaped her. "I saw you sneaking out," he admitted a moment later, noticing the light blush that stained her cheeks. "It was late, so I followed you." He glanced upwards as another streak of lightning lit up the sky. "Besides, the storm is coming, it's going to be a bad one."
Katara could not help but to smile, knowing he had followed her with every good intention. She was reminded of the time where she had not trusted him, hated him really, where she could not stand to even look him in the eye. That had been so long ago. She recalled seeing him for the first time in five years, how he had grown, both taller and more muscular. His hair was longer but always pulled back in the typical style of the Fire Lord; he was different, yet the very same. Those golden eyes of his though… Those were the same as always. "I couldn't sleep, I guess I'm not used to palace life yet." She said, tipping her head to the side, dark hair falling across her shoulder. "And its very warm," she added, remembering how stuffy her chamber had been. Everything here was different from the South Pole, from the world she was used to. "If it's so late, what were you doing up?" She then asked, folding her arms over her chest, a smile teetering on her lips. "Surely you need your rest for all those Fire Lord duties you have."
Now it was Zuko's turn to laugh. "I couldn't sleep either, I was going to the kitchens when I saw you." He explained, head thrown back in his laughter. "And I was hot too, actually." The day had been unbearably hot, but now with the storm coming in, the temperature had dropped only a few degrees, while the humidity had increased tenfold. Even the natives were complaining of the intense heat that had blown in only a few days before. "And actually, I don't have anything to do tomorrow." Now, that wasn't entirely true- he was supposed to meet with his advisors in the morning, to discuss a handful of things, but that didn't sound like much fun. "Maybe… I could show you around the Fire Nation." He suggested after a few beats of silence, his hand rising up to the back of his head, a gesture she had seen in him a million times before.
"That sounds great," she replied with an easy smile, one that seemed to erase the awkwardness that Zuko was feeling. What was it about her that made him feel this way? And why was it so easy for her? Unbeknownst to him, she too felt the awkward tug on her heart, felt the heat rushing to her cheeks at the mere sound of his voice. She wondered could he hear the beating of her heart? They had been apart all of these years… But it was almost as if they had never left one another. And in some ways, they hadn't… They had written often, both never admitting in any letter just how much every response meant to them. Katara did not doubt the chemistry between them, could not deny what could have been had she stayed… But she had been needed at home, had needed to go home, and he couldn't blame her for that. "I've missed you," she murmured then, the words falling free from her lips before she had a chance to second guess them.
A different time, a different life, back then he would have asked her to stay. To stay with him and… And be what? And do what? He was selfish, he had longed for the normality he was used to, being with her and the others. But he had know she needed to go. For many years, three… four… how many had it been? For all those years she had thought of everyone else but herself. She had put her life on the line time and time again, had fought for peace and won. She had deserved to return home, to return to a normal life. But, he supposed, none of them would really ever have a normal life again. Hearing her speak, he watched her cheeks tint crimson, her face down-turned in her embarrassment. "Katara, I…" He trailed off, shaking his head, unsure of what he had meant to say. He stepped up closer to her, his palm closing on the flame, extinguishing it; cast into darkness, his hand stretched out, cupping her cheek into his palm.
His skin was warm against hers; he was staring into her eyes and she found that she could not look away. "I missed you too," he finally said, his voice a thread, a whisper along the wind. Her heart swelled and she could not stop the relief from flooding her features, her embarrassment fading. Zuko opened his mouth to speak, but suddenly the thunder boomed overhead, louder than ever before, and a moment later the skies opened up. The rain that fell was warm and refreshing, soaking them in an instant, forcing both to laugh as their heads tipped back to stare at the dark sky above. His hand fell away from her face, but not before the tips of his fingers brushed a stray lock of hair away from her face. Looking back to him a moment later, she found he had already been looking back at her, and she reached her hand out, to thread her fingers with his. It was strange, how right such a thing felt.
Zuko held fast to her hand, inching closer to her all the while… His other arm snaked around her waist, pulling her towards him, his face hovering above hers. She was smiling then, illuminated by the lightning strike, and suddenly his heart knew what to do. Brushing his lips against hers, softly at first, it took only a moment for her to respond. She was returning his kiss, her other hand rising up to the left side of his face. As the storm raged over their heads, their gentle kiss took to passion, and Zuko found himself running his tongue along her lower lip, her teeth nipping at his in response. Their hands released, both locking onto parts of the other, never once breaking the kiss.
After what could have very well been a millennia, Zuko pulled back, breathless and glossy-eyed, his heart pounding within his chest. She was smiling too, her hand lingering on his face, the pads of her fingers tracing the outline of his jaw. They both turned at the sound of voices, Zuko's guards searching for him no doubt, and their laughter was drowned out by the rumble of thunder. Taking her by the hand, he led her towards the voices, calling out to his guards that he was well, that all was well. Together, hand in hand, they were led back to the palace by the guards,
"Tomorrow," he murmured into her ear as they parted ways in the corridor outside her chamber, still dripping wet from the rain. Katara nodded, feeling her heart swelling as he tipped his forehead against hers, before he turned, heading down the hall. He turned back once, to smile upon her, before turning the corner and disappearing from her sight. As both laid down for bed, stripped from their wet clothing and dressed in dry, neither could think of anything else but the other. Katara lay in bed for hours after, staring at the crimson hangings over her bed, his husky voice a whisper in her ears. As he lay in his, Zuko stared at the wall to his left, her shining eyes haunting his mind. Daybreak could not come fast enough, for either in the pair. They had waited five years, five years of longing and of wondering, five years that had dragged on for what very well could have been an eternity. Now, time was theirs, and waiting would no longer be a part of either's vocabulary.