I've been working on my other story A Lifetime but then a bunch of ideas came into mind, so I decided to go crazy and have some fun. Not quite drabbles but not quite long length chapters. Dark themes, fluff, humor, me having too much fun! Grab a cup of tea and thanks for reading!

~Roze

: One :

To Hear What Isn't Being Said

"That move you did to the leader of the Southern Raiders back on the ship- what was that?" Zuko asked Katara when the two were far from the rest of the group's hearing range. It had been two days since their little field trip, and Katara still appeared the slightest bit shaken up from her hefty decisions. The rest of the group was growing concerned. Zuko had then decided to confront her, being the only person who had been present to witness her actions.

Katara hesitated before answering, her eyes lowered. "Bloodbending."

From the cold tone of her short response, Zuko could tell that it was something she was not proud of, nor was it something she wanted to remember. But he was curious and, if anything, wanted for her to forgive herself in addition to having forgiven him.

"Have you… ever been bloodbended?" he continued on carefully. She appeared more distance than usual. Her eyes dazed as if her mind was in another world.

"Yes."

Zuko blinked, carefully observing the way she held herself together in such a predicament. He was unfazed by her honest answers. After all, he was so used to being the monster.

"What does it feel like?"

Now it was Katara's turn to blink and look up at him in shock. "What?" she said, as if she couldn't believe that Zuko had really asked her that question: that he was taking interest in her horrid skill.

The firebender met her eyes, making sure she knew that he was serious. "What does it feel like…? To be bloodbended?"

"Why are you asking?" she asked in a hushed voice.

"I want to know."

So I can share that pain.

After a long silence, Katara shook her head.

"You're crazy," she said gently and started to walk away.

"It was beautiful."

That made her stop in her tracks. Her jaw dropped and eyes widened. It was probably the first time someone had complimented her for performing such a horrendous skill.

"That passion… that drive to do whatever it takes for a loved one," Zuko explained, "If only everyone could see that." When people were at their most unrelenting state, their most vulnerable state, their most powerful state… that was the moment their true selves were revealed. Naked and exposed. It could be considered intimate.

Katara exhaled a hot breath of air. She gave him a determined glance that said everything. "You want to know what it feels like to be bloodbended?"

She moved inland and Zuko took the notion to follow her. They regrouped with Toph who was alone, relaxing in the center of the courtyard.

"Sit down," the waterbender ordered, pointing to the edge of the stone bordered water fountain. Zuko did as he was told. "Toph, I need some earth."

Toph raised an eyebrow, curious but willing to do as the waterbender demanded. She stomped a foot on the ground and a flat sculpted boulder the size of Zuko erupted in front of them.

"Lightly on his legs," Katara directed and the earthbender complied. Zuko's eyes flashed to meet a pair of confident, blue eyes, and his breathing relaxed. The boulder pressed onto his thighs, applying enough pressure so that he could withstand the weight but not budge.

"And what exactly are we doing?" Toph asked, preventing the boulder from completely crushing the teenager.

"An experiment. Zuko requested it."

Katara strode over to the immobilized Zuko. "Tell me when your legs feel numb."

After a short while, Zuko looked in her direction. "Okay."

Katara raised a hand up to signal Toph to release the boulder. She stood directly in front of the firebender. "Now walk."

Zuko tried to stand up. That was the easy part. All that pressure on his legs had made them fall asleep. He could feel his legs tingling, burning, the blood and nerves in his body now rushing to his lower half. Zuko grunted, struggling to even stand up straight. "Argh!" He wobbled forward, immediately reaching a hand out which landed heavily on Katara's shoulder for support. Then he attempted to take a single step toward her, but he felt like he was stepping on pins and needles, almost like when he had redirected lightning against his father.

"Hard to move and control, isn't it?" she finally voiced. It was more a statement than a question.

"Very."

She waited until he could regain a proper stance, studying his face contoured with pain, but also mixed with a hint of awe and determination. "Do you still think something like that can be beautiful?"

"Like I explained. It's not the ability," Zuko said releasing his hold on her, his fingertips brushing against the edge of her cloth as he did so. "It's you doing it."

There was a moment of silence as Katara's face softened. From the side, Toph shifted her feet comfortably, enjoying the show in front of her.

"You're… crazy," Katara said for the second time that afternoon- this time though, with a fragile voice. Zuko could've sworn he saw her lips curve up faintly as she turned her head away from him. She headed toward the main house, refusing to make eye contact with Zuko. Perhaps if she had, she would have surely started crying, not because he had hurt her, but because he had helped her face the other side of herself that she feared; because he had helped her realize her complete self.