Katara let the water slide through the air. She sighed. She shifted stances but stopped when she felt someone behind her. Masculine hands slid down her brown arms and pinned them to her sides gently.
"Stunning," Zuko's voice whispered in her ear. His lips grazed her ear, sending shivers down her spine. She closed her eyes and sighed again. She had to do it before she lost the courage.
"We can't keep doing this," Katara stated as he laid his head on her head.
"Why not?" Zuko asked almost lazily. His arms slid down around her waist pressing her close.
"I can't do this to my brother. Or to Aang. I can't keep lying to them," Katara explained. Why was love so complicated? Why couldn't it be simple like breathing? Well, falling in love was easy, she amended mentally. It was the long run that was complicated. It was kind of like bending. Except in reverse. It was hard to learn the moves but so easy to perform them afterwards.
Zuko turned her around quickly. The two stood flush against each other, their breathing irregular. Was it from how close they were? Or was it from fear?
"You're serious," he said, looking into her eyes. She saw in his eyes fear. She could feel his hands trembling as he grasped her forearms. Why did this have to hurt him so much? She felt tears gather at the corners of her blue eyes. She pulled away from Zuko and stepped away from him.
"I wish I wasn't," Katara whispered under her breath. Please understand, Zuko. It's for the best this way.
She ran from Zuko. She couldn't do it anymore.
