Fandom: Avatar: the Last Airbender
Pairing: Zuko and Katara
Theme set: Gamma
Rating: Teen
Warning[s]: A few suggestive themes, but nothing explicit. Also, Zutara, as some people are offended by the pairing. X3
Other notes: Reviews are welcome and criticism is encouraged. Any and all flames will be used to roast marshmallows. :3
1. Ring
When Zuko proposed to Katara, he used both of their cultures' traditions; a necklace with a pendant hand-carved by himself of a combination of their nations' symbols for the Water Tribes and a golden band with their names engraved on the inside of it for the Fire Nation.
2. Hero
As a member of the Avatar's group that helped to end the war, Zuko was considered a war hero; only Katara would know how much of a hero he really was.
3. Memory
It was odd to think that their first memory of each other was one of adversaries, but for them, it made sense after everything that had happened to them, leading up to the end of the war and to a powerful bond between the masters of two opposing elements.
4. Box
Zuko's crew knew that he kept the Water Tribe girl's necklace in a small box in his cabin, but what they didn't know was that whenever he was alone in there, he pulled it out and felt over the smooth pendant and smelled the cloth, almost tasting the young girl's skin on his lips.
5. Run
The space between them in the Agni Kai arena never seemed to close as Katara rushed to Zuko's side after he took Azula's deadly lightning blast for her.
6. Hurricane
When they fought together, they were like an unstoppable force; between the powerful bursts of flame and the torrents of water, taking Zuko and Katara on was like facing down a hurricane.
7. Wings
Standing beside each other, both of them felt invincible as long as they were together.
8. Cold
Zuko could never understand how such a frigid place could be considered a place to live, but he thought better of bringing that up in the presence of her intimidating waterbending master surrounded by his element.
9. Red
Zuko always thought that Katara looked dazzling in his nation's colors which seemed to highlight every curve of her body.
10. Drink
Zuko originally thought that firebenders were the worst at holding their liquor, but after exposing Katara to Fire Whiskey, he soon learned that waterbenders outclassed firebenders in the speed in which they got drunk.
11. Midnight
It always seemed like their moments were at night, late when everyone else was fast asleep, so that they could be together without any distractions.
12. Temptation
As his relationship with Mai faltered, Zuko found it increasingly difficult to resist the urge to bring Katara in his chambers and shame all three of them.
13. View
Zuko caught Katara staring out towards the ocean that first night at Ember Island and caught how the moon's light captured an ethereal sort of beauty in her.
14. Music
Iroh usually couldn't get Zuko to play the Sungi horn on music night, but one look from Katara – oh Agni, that look – was all it would take before Zuko caved and played for her.
15. Silk
The night they consummated their marriage in the Fire Lord's bed was one filled with sensations neither of them had expected, from the sensual touch of the sheets around their naked flesh which added to the peak of shared pleasure.
16. Cover
Katara and Zuko found themselves caught in a summer rainstorm, so Katara bent the water away from the top of their heads as a makeshift cover of sorts.
17. Promise
The day the exchanged vows, they also made a private promise away from peering eyes to never betray the other's trust ever again.
18. Dream
Despite having what seemed to be a happy relationship with Aang, Katara's dreams were filled with fantasies of Zuko.
19. Candle
After lighting the candle with a spark rock, Katara found herself staring at the flame, wondering what Zuko was doing while she was far away helping to keep the peace with Aang.
20. Talent
When the two of them sparred, it was often difficult to tell which of the two was the more powerful bender as they met blow for blow, their opposing elements in a constant stalemate.
21. Silence
It was difficult to breach that pregnant silence between them that day they had to separate after the war.
22. Journal
Ever since that night with the pirates, I can't keep my mind off of the Waterbending witch, Zuko wrote in his private log in his cabin, taking a short beak from his constant search for the Avatar.
23. Fire
Katara smiled one day, when she realized the element that used to cause her fear instead gave her the greatest comfort she could imagine.
24. Strength
Every time Katara and Zuko met on the battlefield, they tested each other, seeing how each had grown and tested out new ways to try and defeat the other.
25. Mask
The gang exchanged stories by the fireside one night while on Ember Island, and of those surprised by Zuko's action as the Blue Spirit, Katara was most visibly, yet deep down the least, shocked at his actions when they all believed him to be the irredeemable villain.
26. Ice
When Katara threatened Zuko that day at the Western Air Temple, it felt as though she were twisting an ice dagger into his heart.
27. Fall
As Appa sailed under to catch Zuko, Katara reached up and grabbed him out of the sky to prevent him of falling to his death.
28. Forgotten
It seemed after that hug of forgiveness, every bit of hatred toward Zuko that Katara once held for him was lost, forgotten down the river.
29. Dance
When Zuko and Katara sparred, it didn't seem like two fighters clashing, it seemed closer to two lovers dancing.
30. Body
Their bodies moved in time with one another, hands exploring one another in the timeless dance between two lovers.
31. Sacred
Coming from two completely different cultures meant that they had different beliefs; and so both of them made sure to respect the other's beliefs while they honored their own gods.
32. Farewells
The powerful duo found it difficult to say goodbye – even more so than saying the three unspoken words between them – before they had to leave with those who had loved them longer.
33. World
While their treks across the world were full of both wonderful and painful memories, it was the memories of each other that would always stand out the most to them.
34. Formal
Katara spent many months trying on her wedding robes so that she would be able to participate in her wedding ceremony without making a fool of herself.
35. Fever
When the young Fire Lord had fallen ill, the servants noticed he called out for his waterbending friend rather than his girlfriend in his feverish daze.
36. Laugh
Zuko adored the way Katara's face lit up as she bubbled over in laughter.
37. Lies
After Ba Sing Se, Zuko felt as if he had lied to the waterbender, connecting with her, and betraying her as he had.
38. Forever
Some days, it seemed like yesterday Katara and Zuko met in the frigid South Pole; others, it felt like they had known each other all their lives.
39. Overwhelmed
When the duties of being Fire lord nearly drove him crazy, thoughts of an equally crazy waterbender grounded Zuko enough to continue his work.
40. Whisper
As she felt Zuko's hot breath on her cheek while tied to the tree, she found it increasingly difficult to keep a stern look on her face and prevent herself from melting where she stood.
41. Wait
Zuko paced outside Katara's room while she was in labor, stressing over becoming a father and worrying over Katara and his new child's health.
42. Talk
Time flew as the two of them exchanged stories about their pasts and their broken families in the catacombs; thus the start of a bond that would last.
43. Search
As Zuko chased after the Avatar, he started to wonder if it was only the Avatar he wanted to take back to the Fire Nation with him.
44. Hope
After she finally broke up with Aang, she could only pray that she could muster up the courage to tell Zuko how she felt about him.
45. Eclipse
When they fought side by side, Katara and Zuko were easily seen as equals, never one or the other better than each other, fighting in a powerful combination.
46. Gravity
It didn't matter what either of them did, it always seemed like Fate conspired to keep those two together, constantly coming closer with each encounter.
47. Highway
If their primary lesson that day when they set out to find Yon Ra was forgiveness, then "the road to hell is paved with good intentions" was their secondary lesson.
48. Unknown
They didn't know what the future had in store for them, but they made a promise to stay together despite what those who would condemn their relationship would say.
49. Lock
Oftentimes when Zuko found himself stressed from the work of being Fire Lord, he would take his Fire Lady to the nearest hidden passageway to "unwind" a bit.
50. Breathe
He awoke earlier than he usually did, so Zuko took a little bit of time before getting out of bed to listen to the sound of his love breathing, remembering the times they had saved each others' lives so that this day could arrive.