Author's Note: I own nothing, etc. I wrote this a long time ago and thought I'd publish it.
Katara left the cave to go find firewood. Aang, Sokka, and Toph were off doing who-knew-what and Zuko was probably off in a corner moping about something. Which meant, as usual, that Katara was left to take care of everything- at the moment, that meant cooking dinner.
She'd gotten not more than one hundred feet out of the cave when Katara saw Zuko, sitting quietly like she knew he would be, against a tree trunk. His eyes were closed.
Katara sighed- she should probably go talk to him. She hadn't exactly made him feel very welcome these past few weeks…
"Hey," she walked up to him.
Zuko opened his eyes, "Hey."
"What are you doing?"
"Nothing."
Always one for a great conversation, Katara noted sarcastically.
"Well, I was just going on a walk… You want to come?" Please say no, she thought.
"Sure." Zuko stood up.
Oh. That wasn't expected. Great. Now Katara had to go on a walk with Zuko. She rolled her eyes, making sure he couldn't see, and started walking.
They didn't talk very much- not at all, at first- but Katara found herself talking at Zuko more than talking with him. She told him about her worries for Aang, about her guilt for leaving home, about her increasing knowledge of waterbending. He silently listened.
"I'm sorry," Katara said eventually, "I don't know why I'm telling you all of this…" Not to mention, she didn't exactly fully trust Zuko yet…
He nodded, seeming unbothered, "Sometimes, we just need someone to listen."
Katara nodded. That made perfect sense. Still, there was something about the feeling that arose in her stomach as he said this… It was just so good to have someone who finally understood, who didn't mind just listening.
Katara smiled at Zuko appreciatively and they kept walking. Eventually, they reached a small pond. The willow trees leaning into the water on all sides, the stillness of the water, it was breathtakingly beautiful.
Zuko studied Katara's expression and began looking around. Shortly, he'd found an old boat sitting among the reeds. He smiled and went to pull it out. He helped Katara in and got in the opposite side of the boat, facing her.
"There aren't any oars…" Zuko frowned.
Katara smiled and with a flick of her wrist the small boat was gliding silently toward the middle of the pond.
"Oh. Right." He chuckled.
Once the boat had reached the middle, it started spinning in slow circles.
They sat quietly, looking out at the gently rotating, beautiful view. Eventually the sun started to set, but Katara hardly cared. This was so peaceful, almost enchanting.
When it started to get dark, Zuko quietly sent small balls of fire to varying places around the pond. The effect was even more breathtaking- it appeared as if the pond was lit by candles on all sides, casting strange but beautiful shadows over everything, especially Zuko's face, which was now hidden almost completely.
The new view took Katara's breath away, "It's so beautiful. Thank you."
Their gaze met for the first time that night. Katara felt instantly uncomfortable- way out of her depth- but she couldn't look away.
The lights behind Zuko blurred, framing his face, and she saw everything. The strong jawline, the scar filling the entire side of his face. Katara felt as if she finally understood him.
The boat still spun, and every rotation brought the two closer and closer together until finally, their lips met.
The kiss frightened Katara, but she didn't stop. She could feel through Zuko's soft lips that he cared for her. It was a sudden change from the mutual hostility between them that had been there only an hour ago, but Katara felt as if her heart melted into that kiss.
It was good. It didn't stop.
She'd let Sokka worry about dinner.