Zutara Week

Last day (Crying eyes out)- Storm

Disclaimer: Why do you keep making me put a stupid disclaimer? I so obviously don't own it! Honestly, this is just fan fiction. FAN fiction. For FANS. I highly doubt Mike and Bryan write ATLA fan fiction. Just sayin'.

Author's Note: Yay! I love my reviewers! You should all get ice cream! Maybe not… Then you would get really fat. Morbidly obese people don't review my fics, so no more ice cream for you! HA! This is a little drabble-ish fluffy shtuff. It kind of goes with canon. It's a little Zutara "deleted scene" from the Southern Raiders episode. Also, I decided to continue my AU story! (WOOT!) It will be posted as a new story, though, since the original was meant to be a Zutara Week one-shot. Basically, I will be re-writing random scenes (The way they should've happened!) in favor of the Zutarian Empire! (How exciting!) Also, I have another idea (I'm just chock-full of 'em!). I'll tell you about it in my Author's Notes… Yay! Section at the end. (You know that's your favorite part!) Anyways… Time for my catchphrase!

Heeeeeeeeeeeeeeere goes it!

"You should get some rest. We'll be there in a few hours. You'll need all your strength."

"Now, don't you worry about my strength. I have plenty. I'm not the helpless little girl I was when they came."

As the Waterbender drifted off into thought, he came to the front edge of the saddle. Her eyes were brimming with rage and anger. He noticed, but didn't mention the tears slowly creeping down her tanned skin. "I know. Don't blame yourself. You did all you could."

She turned to him, mouth agape, slightly startled by the sound of understanding in his voice. She let the tears flow more freely now, trusting the scarred man with her feelings. "I might not have been there, but I know how much you love your mother. I know you did everything in your power to help her."

That did it. She cried out now, letting her pain take over her. She wanted to speak, but there was nothing that she really needed to say at that point. He sighed and threw his long legs over the side of the saddle, landing next to her on the flying bison's head. He looked apologetically at the young girl. "I'm sorry for what my people did. I wish I could erase all the horrible things they've done to this world… Me included." He pulled her face up to look into his fiery golden eyes. She stopped crying at the sight of him. "We'll find the man that took your mother."

She flushed a little as his hand lingered on her face. He pulled away and looked down at the moonlit ocean. She saw the pain in him and put a delicate hand on his strong shoulder. "Don't blame yourself for what the Fire Nation's done." He looked up to her beautiful, perfect face with despair in his eyes. Don't blame yourself for Kya's death.

She shifted nervously as he just stared into her deep blue eyes. Finally he snapped out of his memories. "You should sleep." It came out nervously and much faster than he had intended. She smiled. She didn't have to be a Firebender to make his heart melt.

"I'm fine, really. I've got a lot to think about, anyway…" He smiled and shook his head. She could be so… What everyone else would call stubborn, he called independent. What others called nosy, he called caring. Suddenly, something familiar flashed in his mind. Someone. Mai. He remembered her dull, bored eyes, her permanent frown, that narrow glare that was so cold and uncaring, the way she refused to show any emotion whatsoever. Then he remembered that she probably never wanted to see him again. You could've at least looked me in the eye when you ripped my heart out… He inwardly laughed. What heart?

"Are you okay?" A familiar hand reached up towards his shoulder again. He turned to face her, putting one of his hands over hers. She blushed again, thankful for the darkness of the night. He smiled. She found that she loved that smile. He wore it better than his usual scowl.

"Yeah, but it's my turn to steer." He let go of her hand to reach for the reins tied around Appa's horns. She laughed- He loved when she laughed- and leaned away from the man. Appa groaned and tilted his entire body to the left in response to the tug on the ropes, causing him to fall awkwardly on top of the girl. He was less than an inch away from her face, supporting his weight on his forearms. She had her arms up towards her face, palms pointing in his direction. His knees were planted alongside her and she blushed like mad feeling a long, hot breath on her face. He blushed, too. She squirmed out from under him as he shot up. They couldn't make eye contact after that, not that they could see each other at all in the darkness. Love is brightest in the dark…

"Sorry, I didn't mean to-!" She laughed at the way his words fumbled out. "What? Stop laughing at me! I was just trying to apologize for…" She laughed harder.

"For what?" Her tone was playful.

"Forget it!" He started to head back to Appa's saddle, but a cool hand grabbing his own stopped him. He would never admit it, but at that moment his heart skipped a beat. He stood in shock, staring into where he figured those blue eyes sat.

"It's okay. It was just Appa. When I leaned over, I guess I accidentally pulled the reins…" She blushed, gently pulling the man back down to the bison's head. He smiled faintly, trying to hide his feelings the way Mai often did. "Stay?" He nodded, loving how sweet her voice sounded at that moment. He hesitantly shifted behind her, sitting with his legs pulled under him. He reached his pale arms around her waist, grabbing hold of the reins. She blushed furiously, as if her cheeks were on fire. When did she start doing that? He smiled and she tried not to grin stupidly. "What are you-"

"You're not going to let go of these reins." She was confused, but nodded. "You still need to sleep, though." He let go of the rope with one hand to pull her close to him. He smiled harder. She scowled for a moment, knowing that she didn't need to sleep, but leaned back into his chest. He closed his eyes, just breathing in the scent of her hair. It smelled just like the ocean, which he found oddly intoxicating.

He laughed softly into her chocolate colored tresses as she smiled in her sleep. He began to feel drowsy, himself. Her smell was calming, soothing. It made him tired. He rested his pointy chin on her shoulder. She was slumped over, leaning on his left side. She unconsciously snuggled into him at his touch. He was so happy, just sitting here with her, that he failed to notice the massive storm ahead. He leaned his small pink ear to her shoulder, listening to her heartbeat. Appa bellowed and he felt the first drop of rain hit the end of his nose.

He was startled at the sight of endless gray before him. He tried to get the beast to back away from the storm, but realized they would have to make a large half-circle to turn completely around (That is, without throwing the both of them to the harsh tides). He sighed and gently shook the girl in his arms awake. She smiled up into his golden eyes, until she saw the smudge of gray sky behind him. She crawled to Appa's saddle, then stood. "I'll bend the water so that we don't get rained on. It'll take a while to get Appa turned around. There was an island back in the direction we came, but to the south a little. Don't jerk on his reins! It only scares him!" He nodded and directed his attention back to the hazy, merciless sky.

Finally, after about half an hour of bending and steering the sky bison, they landed on a small, rocky island. The exhausted female bender almost fell trying to climb off the saddle. The man saw this and rushed over to the beast's side, catching her before she hit the ground. He grinned and she laughed nervously. He placed her down and pulled a sleeping bag off Appa's saddle. He smiled and nodded toward a cave. She nodded back and began walking over to it. He smiled at her slender form walking in the moonlit rain. He looked up, though the falling water was cutting at his eyes, to see Yue in her fullest form. He smiled even more.

He sighed and handed her the faded, damp sleeping bag. She took it, hesitantly. She looked up at him. She wasn't going to let him freeze to death. She shoved the rolled up blanket back at him. He grunted in frustration and took it, making her smile in accomplishment. He laid the old musty thing out on the ground. He looked back at her. She gave a slight smile and nod as she bended the water out of it. He smiled back at her. "Good night." He went to the other side of the cave and laid down. She was irritated at the man for not taking the stupid thing. She scoffed.

"I want you to take it."

"I don't want it."

"But you'll freeze!"

"I'm a Firebender."

"Well, I don't need it! You take it!"

"I'm not letting you freeze."

"I won't freeze! Now I insist you take it!"

"Look, I don't need it. I can Firebend. You can't. It's going to get much colder before morning. If you don't take the sleeping bag, you'll freeze. You're exhausted from all the Waterbending, anyways." She couldn't argue. He was right.

"Fine!" She threw herself hastily on the stupid thing. He smiled and she made an annoyed sound in her throat. "But start a fire." He continued to smile up in her direction.

"Scared of the dark?"

"Ugh!" He grinned, seeing this as a perfect moment to annoy the Water Tribe girl.

"It's okay…" He crawled up to her side, grinning mischievously. "I'm right here." He said it in a low voice that made her skin crawl. He was behind her, playing absentmindedly with her hair. She lightly smacked his hand away.

"Shut up. I still hate you." He just sat there, (Halfway) pretending to be offended. She busted out laughing at her serious tone. He chuckled a bit and walked back over to his own spot in the cave.

"Thanks. You, too." He laughed a bit more, and this time she joined him. "There won't be any dry wood out there to start a fire. There might be some in the back of the cave, but…" His voice trailed off as he was captured in her eyes.

"What?"

"You're cute when you hate me." She blushed for what felt like the millionth time that night.

Why did he make her do that so much?

"Um… Thanks…?" She said it in that I'm-not-taking-you-serious tone. Little did she know, he wasn't joking. He laughed, realizing this fact. He wondered in the back of his mind if she would ever know that his little comments were more than jokes. He sighed, walking towards the back of the cave.

"You're welcome. Get some sleep." She smiled up at his scared face.

"I'm not going to sleep until you start that fire."

"So you are scared of the dark!" He sent a smirk in her direction.

"No! I just want to know that you won't freeze your butt off tonight." They laughed together.

He came back to her, squatting next to that darn sleeping bag. She shifted nervously. He smiled at this. "Lay down." She looked confused, but obeyed. He pulled the cloth up to her chin, stuffing her arms inside. "You need to sleep. Here…" He ignited a small flame over his palm and smiled at her radiant, glowing face. She smiled.

When did he start caring so much?

How could she be so beautiful in the both the light of the moon and the glow of a fire?

"Still cold?" He asked, startling her a bit. She nodded and he moved closer, still holding the tiny flame.

She sighed. He was so warm. She wondered sleepily if he was always like that, or if it was partially his Firebending. He tucked his feet under him and gently pulled her until her head was in his lap. He smiled adoringly at her. She returned it, not seeing the admiration in those sparkling gold eyes. He ran his fingers slowly through her incredibly soft hair. She was drifting off into sleep already. He sat there for a moment, gazing at her sleeping form. He put her tenderly back down on the cave floor and she made a soft sound in the back of her throat. He drew a rough index finger across a perfect caramel cheek. The corners of her lips drew up a bit in her sleep. He smiled, before kissing her forehead and placing himself next to her to rest, letting the tiny, flickering flame slowly fade.

Love is brightest in the dark.

Authors Notes… Yay!

1. Like?

2. Sorry, don't care!

3. Just kidding! Tell me what you thought in a review!

4. I know it was weird, okay!

5. Apparently, 'Tara is a crappy packer.

6. I don't know!

7. I never planned that part!

8. Don't flame me!

9. *Whimper*

10. Oh, and how'd you like the quotes?

11. I liked using the Kataang quote.

12. Twice.

13. In my other fic, Zutara Date Day, I used a MAIKO quote!

14. I like using other ships' best quotes against them!

15. IN THE NAME OF ZUTARA!

16. …

17. Anyways…

18. My idea that I mentioned is this:

19. You guys PM me a quote from the show…

20. And I write a Zutarian one-shot based off it!

21. …Are you excited or are the crickets chirping?

22. Please, please, PLEASE PM me quotes!

23. And review on Forgotten!

24. I'll post a new chapie if you do!

25. So, anyways…

26. Questions, comments, and reviews are recommended for your health!

27. But not emo poetry.

28. That's actually very bad for you.

29. By the way, I know this is random, but…

30. I'm just wondering…

31. Do you guys think I'm funny?

32. I think I'm HI-larious!

33. But I don't know.

34. Tell me in your review!

35. Alrighty!

36. Start sending me quotes!

37. (It can be a Kataang or Maiko quote, by the way. Any quote from any character will do!)

38. Bye, guys!

39. (Sorry this one sucked!)

40. *FROWNY FACE!*