Healing Your Scar

Summary: Who knew I would become this? I hated their guts and suddenly this happens. Why? Why am I changing?

Author notes: Quwah! Another Zutara story thrown into the bunch. Sigh. Avatar is one of my absolute favorite TV shows. THE FIRE NATION IS GOING DOWN!! Funny because everytime I take an elemental quiz (before and after the start of Avatar), I always the element Fire and Water. Funny. Heh. Anyway, I really hope this story turns out to be a smashing hit! (Or at least popular.) Enjoy!

'Test' – Character's thoughts

"Text" – Character's dialogue

(Text) – Author's note to reader(s)

Chapter 1 – First Time

The first time Katara set eyes on him, she laughed. The fire nation may be tough and pretentious but those shoulder things and that helmet makes the whole armor suit look ridiculous. But the way he kicked Sokka aside, maybe he wasn't as childish as he seems to be. Then again, that expression on his face when her brother's boomerang hit that helmet...priceless. Unfortunately, that was all the fun. This began her journey. Their journey. With the avatar.

"I'm soooo hungry!"

"Shut up, Sokka."

"Don't tell me you're not straving, Toph!"

"...you've got a point there."

Katara rolled my eyes as she handed both Toph and Sokka some leftover meat jerky. "Does anybody else want meat jerky?"

"I do, Katara." Katara give our bison driver some. Then she sat back down to eat, totally ignoring the other passenger.

"Um...Katara? Should you offer some for Zuko too?" Sokka asked.

She completely ignored my brother. Aang glanced at the banished prince of the fire nation. Toph finished her meat jerky and held her hand out. "Can I have some more jerky, Katara?"

"Sure Toph. Anything for a nice girl like you." Sokka winced at my sneer as Katara gladly handed Toph the rest of the jerky. She crawled over to that son-of-a-murderer and handed him the very jerky Katara just gave her.

"Here you go. It's all we've got left."

Zuko looked the jerky with pleading eyes...er, eye. "Thanks Toph. I appreciate it." He bit a small piece of the food, as if he needed to savor taste. Only my stupid brother does that.

It's has been only days since Zuko returned from that ancient city place and got Aang firebending again. She going to deny it. Katara was impressed that Zuko and Aang faced two dragons. She was happy. Happy that Zuko got Aang to firebend and let go of his fears. But that was when it hit her. Katara was allowing Zuko to grow on me. Fire and water never mix. They never will. Zuko and Katara are like yin and yang. Two complete different halves of a whole. Even though Katara can't accept him, our group needs him. More then ever. And she hate it each time.

Katara got up the next morning to start making breakfast. The kitchen in the temple is very useful. The food scource, not so great. Katara bent the water from the fountain and began to clean whatever is left of the vaggies. She used her abilities to chop the veggies and pull out some fruits fromt he shelf.

"Need help?"

Katara twisted her head around only the find the least favorite person standing there with a sack over his shoulder. She rolled her eyes and resumed watching her cooking. "No. What I need is more food for the rest of the week."

The exiled fire nation prince and walked over to peek over Katara shoulder, only to earn some water bent straight out his face.

"Hey!"

"Oops. My wrist slipped. My bad, Zuko." Katara completely ignored him as she continued to cook food.

Zuko dropped his sack next to the shelf of food. "Well here is some more food." He stood there, as if he wanted her to say something. "I'm going to wake everyone else up then." With that, he shuffled away from the kitchen. Katara paused her bending and glanced at his back. The way his shoulders pull back that shirt, it shows up his taut back muscles. Katara grumbled about focusing and went back to her motherly task.

Teo, Duke and Haru were the first ones to walk into the kitchen. "What's for breakfast, Katara?" piped Duke as he sat on a make-shift rock of a chair.

"Veggies, fruits, and some tea."

"It's one of our better meals today?"

"Very funny Haru. You don't any fruit."

Haru pouted as he grabbed his bowl from Katara before she could take it away. "Where is everybody else?"

"Shaving," Teo answered as he dug into his meal.

"Excuse me?"

"Shaving. Something only men do, Katara." Toph walked in yawning and stratching her belly before collapsing on the ground.

Katara handed Toph her bowl. "I know what shaving is. The only half man we have in this household is Zuko. And he's not even that older than Sokka!" Katara immediately marched towards the bathhouse.

Apparently the air nomads love to cleanse themselves allow, thus the overly vast and clean bathhouse. One bathhouse. Only one. Katara turned into the room only to find all three males of the missing members there, looking at themselves in a mirror. Aang was cleaning his head, Sokka was splashing water onto his face, and Zuko was...the shaving one.

"Where did you guys find the cream?" Zuko asked as he smeared some more around his jawline.

Sokka waved his hand carelessly in the air as he toweled his face dry. "It was in this storage room place here."

Aang grabbed the towel from Sokka. "I found it, Sokka. Not you. And the monks had to shave their heads. That's what I do once in a while."

Zuko paused in his smearing. "You shave?"

"Just my head."

Zuko snorted. "Sokka, I need to borrow your boomerang." Sokka tossed it at Zuko. "Thanks. Hey Aang, I'm guessing you airbenders don't have too much trouble to find lightbulbs right?"

Sokka bursted out laughing. Aang grew pink. Zuko smirked as he processed to shave. "Good one Zuko."

"Oh yeah Zuko. Really original." Katara couldn't take it anymore and marched straight into the bathhouse. Sokka yelped and fell. Aang froze with the towel around his head like a turban. Zuko dropped the boomerang and ended up coming this close to cutting himself. Katara quickly clasped a hand over her mouth but a giggle escaped before she could stop it in time.

Zuko glared at her. "What are you doing here?"

"Just checking to see if you actually woke everybody up."

"My Suki is making her bed," Sokka shouted.

"I didn't ask you, Sokka." Katara crossed her arms as she walked up to Zuko. "What's it going to be?"

Zuko glanced at her before returning to his activity. "I'm shaving."

"Oh? Do you take messages, your highness?"

Zuko finished his scarred left face before going to the right side. "After the beep."

Katara clenched her fist. "Get your royal hind to kitchen." She whirled around and started to storm out of the bathhouse. Aang and Sokka shrugged. "Oh...wait. Zuko? Are you still taking a message?"

Zuko flicked the shaving cream off Sokka's weapon. "Sure honey."

The water in the trough twisted upward. She spun, and it covered Zuko in one large wave. The others attempted to avoid it but failed. Sokka held up his pants. "My pants…"

Katara walked past Suki. "Hey Katara! You look...mad."

"Go ask my stupid brother. He's in there."

Katara stomped into the kitchen only to find Toph sitting there playing with a couple of pebbles. "Uh...where did everyone go?"

"Exploring. I told them I already where everything is in this little temple." Toph glanced up into the direction of Katara. "You okay, sweet thang? You're sweating up a storm."

"I wish I could...ARGH!!"

"You wish to what?" Toph bent a small rock towards Katara teasingly. "Confession time. Spit it out."

"You wouldn't understand, Toph. It is just...complicated."

Toph grinned mischeviously. "Katara, are you in lov-"

"ABSOLUTELY NOT, TOPH!!"

Katara grabbed food and stuffed her mouth. "Mind your own business, Rumble Champ."

"Sure sure sure."

The day passed by with the usual events. Aang trained with Zuko first. Toph would insist on bending training with Zuko even though it was obvious that she wanted to mess with him. Katara would then serve lunch and train with Aang. Then Zuko would challedge Katara or Toph, claiming it to be training for Azula. Haru would come with Teo and Duke after hunting for food. Aang would take Appa out for a fly. Dinner. Then story time. Tonight was Aang's turn. And it was long.

"And thats how we play airball."

Teo and Duke were probably the only ones who were listening to the avatar's long 'story'. "That's so cool!"

"Really? Thanks. We should play it sometime."

Katara nervously laughed as she clapped her hands to grab everybody's attention. "Okay. Thank you Aang for that lovely elaborated explanation of airball. Who is up next? Haru?"

Haru shook his head as he bit into his moon peach. "Why not Duke do one?"

"Uh uh," Sokka protested. "I don't need to know more about the Freedom Fighters, no offense Duke."

"It's THE DUKE! Ask Toph."

Toph cracked up. "Oh yeah. My stories are quite colorful."

Sokka nodded. "True. Toph is the creative one here."

"I especially like it when you draw pictures in the air, Sokka."

"Really? I really want everyone to see-okay, stop it, Toph."

Toph smirked. "Hey. Why not Flameo tell us-o one."

"Yeah," agreed Aang. They all turned towards the lonesome firebender who was Toph's pillow.

Zuko's good eye blinked rapidly. "But I don't know any good stories."

Toph rapped his head with her fist. "Don't lie. I can tell you're lying."

Katara rolled her eyes. "Any good romance stories, Zuko dearest?"

"Of course honey. But I prefer the stories with pirates in it."

Katara blushed with embarassment. "You wouldn't..."

His eyebrow raised. "Oh, but I would."

It grew awkward and silence. Suki stood up abruptly. "It's late. I think we all deserve a good night's rest. Come on, the Duke. You too Haru and Teo." Suki ushered the three towards their sleeping quaters. Katara mouthed the words 'thank you' to Suki.

Sokka stretched as he got up onto his feet. "Come on Aang. I'll come with you to Appa before residing back into our rooms, 'kay?"

"Sure Sokka." Aang turned to Katara. "Good night, Katara." He ran up and hugged her tightly.

Katara hugged him tightly back. "Good night, Aang. Sleep well."

As those two walked away, Toph poked Zuko roughly. "Hey Flameo. Carry me to my room."

Zuko sighed but couldn't hide his smile. "Fine fine." He grabbed her and tossed her over his shoulder. "Like this?"

"Hey! That hurt! Put me down right now!"

"Are you sure? I don't want you to hurt yourself there, Toph."

"Oh trust me. It's not going to be me hurt here." Zuko shrugged and proceeded to her bedroom with Toph pounding his back. Katara finally found some peace and quiet to herself.

She bent some water from the fountain to her, giving herself a short yet cleansing bending shower. She allowed the water to let her hair free and bent her clothes clean. She danced the water around herself, weaving in and out of her own work of art. She smiled as she began to pick up speed. Katara even giggled as she bent the ribbon of water around her. Her hands gracefully loped around her head as she aerial flipped around the water. She landed softly and immediately began to flip backwards several times. Katara laughed and twirled in mid air before crash landing into sometime warm. She grab sometime and balance herself, only to feel two warm arms to wrap around her.

"Oh! I'm sorry!"

"No, it's okay. I was just...you know...watching." Katara glanced and froze in her spot. She was in Zuko arms. Extremely close to him. She never felt this before. Except for maybe Jet. Just maybe. Zuko looked down with his golden eyes into her aqua water eyes. They both froze. Katara couldn't stop staring into that eye. The eye of the face of the boy who threatened her life many times. 'Why are his eyes so...sad?'

Zuko suddenly realized the situation and released her as if she volcano hot. "Um...I'm sorry. I was just walked to grab a moon peach when I saw your bending and I couldn't help but watch." He suddenly clamped his mouth shut. "Excuse me." He whirled around and walked quickly to his room. Katara stood there, frozen to her spot.

That was the first time. The first time Zuko was caught embarrassed for simply watching Katara bend water. The first time the two of the masters embraced like that. The first time Katara truly looked into his eyes. The first time Zuko complimented her without knowing it until it was too late. Katara slowly reached up and held her cheeks. As if she was trying to stop the blood from rushing to her cheeks. What was this feeling? Something she felt when eating a warm moon peach.

"This is wrong. I hate him. This shouldn't be happening." Katara slowly walked to her room. She passed by his room, and paused without knowing it, hoping to hear something. But all she heard was the candle flickering. She shook her head. 'Come on girl. Don't get the wrong ideas.' As she walked away from the exiled prince's room, Zuko was giving himself a pep talk.

"Zuko, you shouldn't do this. It would give away everything. Ugh, stupid stupid stupid me." Zuko pulled off his shirts and stripped off his boots. His hand ran through his shaggy hair as he leaned out the window. He looked up at the night sky. "Either way, it would never happen." He looked at the cresent moon. "But could only hope, right Uncle?"

Sorry it was short. Okay so don't kill me. I haven't watch the last several episodes of Avatar. I blame my so-called loving and supportive father. I don't really care about the episode of the Ember Island Players. But I haven't seen the movie. And besides, I should be Azula in the live-action movie of Avatar. I fit the part pretty much. I love getting into character. I know how to control my limbs to make them look like I'm fighting. I'm lean and fit and asian. What's better then getting an asian for the part? Tell me about it. Ugh. Kaatang shouldn't ever happen. I mean come on. Aang is like 2 years younger than Katara. Totally not what I consider as a couple. He's 12 for goodness sake. It's like my sister and my brother dating. Ugh. Zutara all the way. Mai could go join Jet and marry him, if ghosts are allowed to wed. Heh heh heh.