A/n: This was originally going to be for Zutara month but I'm taking it out of there since I got a better idea for the prompts. So here's Katara's first Meditation!
Being Ambassador to the Southern Water Tribe was proving to be a taxing job. It wasn't like it was a hard job but just the political climate here was hard to be around.
I was walking around the Fire Lord's palace heading out to the garden so I could feed the turtleducks. It was one of my favourite things to do while visiting the Fire Nation. Zuko was always in meetings it seemed so sharing stories with my good friend was out of my schedule. Really I think the only reason for secluding myself in the garden was that I didn't really fit in around court. I was well respected but it was just my exotic appearance that made most of the people avoid contact with me. Some of the younger men at court tried to flirt with me but I would always tell them I wasn't interested in a political arrangement. I wasn't being forced into marriage by my father so, I know there was no hurry for me to find my match. I was confidant that one day I would marry a powerful bender and we would be deeply in love.
My thoughts were cut short when I noticed someone sitting under the tree in the garden. I frowned that was usually my spot when I had come to feed the turtleducks. It was the best spot to escape the afternoon sun. As I drew closer I saw that famous scar across the left side of Zuko's face. I was surprised, he was always in never ending meetings it seemed. He wasn't dressed in his usual robes, it looked as if he was going causal today. I crept to the side of the tree and slowly slid down to the grass. I guess he's deep in meditation I thought to myself. I turned my body around the tree a little and looked at how he was sitting. It wasn't very grown up of me to mock the Fire Lord but I couldn't help it. I needed a break from the serious that was surrounding me. So I took the same pose as him and closed my eyes.
The basic principle of meditation was a clear mind and reflection on the world around me, right? I had no idea. So, instead of worrying about that I just let my mind wander to the water. To just feel the small push and pull of the pond. The feeling began to take me over.
It was like my whole body was filled with water in that moment. Almost as if the moon was full above me singing through my blood. The fluid motions going through me felt like laying on the shore having the waves crash onto my body. I then felt like rain was falling on each and every pressure point on my body. It was like healing, everything was open and receptive.
My reverie was broken when I felt as if I was on fire. An overwhelming heat came over me and as I opened my eyes I was startled backward into the bark of the tree. Zuko was staring at me. He looked soaking wet as he was scowling at me. I noticed I was all wet too.
"Hi...Zuko. Is there something I can help you with?" I was nervous with him glaring at me like that. He was positively steaming!
"Did you have fun breaking my meditation with your bending?" I did what now? I looked around him a little to the pond... it was completely bare. I began to stand so I could apologize to him and bend all the water back to the pond. Zuko apparently had something else in mind.
"Where do you think you're going? You are going to pay for interrupting my meditation, peasant!" He was backing me up to the tree and as he spoke his last word he nipped on my ear. I had barely any time to register the shiver running down my spine as his lips were on mine. That serenity of the meditation I felt was coming right back to me as I closed my eyes. Turns out I like meditation after all.