Gold
(A Zutara Short-fic)
The sky was grey. Not slate blue, like the storm sky, but true grey. Frozen rain glittered like precious gems on the trees' slender branches, as the soft ppt ppt of a drizzle fell to the bleached ground. She sat under a tree, serenely staring off at nothing in particular, and casually making the raindrops dance before her eyes with a twitch of her finger. She sighed. They had been traveling in this damp, cold, foggy world for what seemed an eternity, their hair wet and heavy and dripping down their backs. She was tired of darkness. As she thought, she glanced at her sodden companions... all soaked but one. He was surrounded by steam, from the rain that evaporated when it fell on his tousled black hair and red Fire Nation robes. There was an uncharacteristic smile on his pale face, which for almost the first time ever had also reached the molten gold of his eyes. A blush started on her cheeks; he was beautiful when he smiled, so light and carefree for once in his troubled life. She wished she knew how to ease his pain, to see him smile always, that was her deepest wish. With a jolt of reality she realized she was walking towards him. He sat in the middle of a clearing, framed by soft gingko trees. He looked up as she rustled the leaves, though she made barely a whisper of sound beneath her feet. His smile broadened, and he held out his arms to her, an invitation to sit in his lap. She did so, resting her head in the hollow between his jaw and collarbone. He kissed her hair, softly, and a wave of dry warmth spread through her body, melting the tense cold that had surrounded her. His strong arms wrapped around her, steam rising from both their bodies as her sodden clothes were dried by his warm touch. She turned her face up to look at his, their eyes locked in the gray of the rain around them, and he leaned in to press his lips firmly against her own. Her arms twined around his neck, her fingers twisting into his hair, as he pulled her shivering body closer to his, warming her to her very core. His hands ran down her back, and suddenly he stood, lifting her effortlessly into his arms, tucked into his chest, safe from the freezing rain. She looked up at him from her cradled position, and her ice-blue eyes melted in his golden stare. He began to walk silently across the clearing, towards a large willow tree, whose slender branches were covered in a waterfall of green leaves. He ducked through an opening in the leaves, into a dry, green cave. Inside, the ground was dry, the leaves creating a magnificent natural roof. He set her down gently on the soft earth, and then lay down beside her, smiling contentedly as his face reflected tints of deep green. "Are you cold?" He asked quietly, concern in his golden eyes. She laughed aloud, and she pulled his face forward, touching her lips to his once more.