Hey guys! Chapter two is much shorter and there's no smut, sorry! Cute SukixSokka moment along with Zutara navigating their relationship.
I changed the title bc water + fire = steam? Haha? Maybe? (Please send me title suggestions I'm floundering)
I woke up alone. Katara's clothes and pack were gone. I hastily dressed and rushed outside.
"Katara?" I yell. I look around the clearing and can't see her anywhere. "Katara?" I say again. I hear shifting coming from above and Appa moos at the noise.
"Up here," a quiet voice calls. I look up to see Katara in Appa's saddle, packing our things. She doesn't say anything else, so I go back to the tent, taking it apart and putting it in a sack. I gather the rest of my stuff and climb up into the saddle. Katara has taken her spot as navigator and soon we are flying. We fly in silence until we are about half way back to Ember Island.
"Are we going to talk about what happened?" I ask, my voice just above a whisper. I didn't want to upset her, not knowing where her feelings lie. She doesn't say anything for a long time and I'm not sure she heard me until she sighed.
"Zuko…" she said, her voice was reminiscent of a tired mother, gentle but with a hint of frustration. "I think we should just forget about what happened." My chest felt tight and I looked down at my hands, not wanting to show any emotions.
"Yeah, um. Maybe that's for the best." I say, silently cursing my voice for not holding steady. Katara whips around.
"No! I meant not now," she assures me quickly. "It's just that, with everything going on, we don't have time to lose focus. The comet is so close. It's just… Not the right time, you know?"
"Right," I say nodding. "Of course. Not a problem." We don't speak for the rest of the ride. When we arrive, Katara stays silent. She makes polite conversations, ignoring prodding questions from Aang and her brother. She doesn't look at me all day, walking away from the group when I walk up, spending a lot of the day in her tent or down on the beach.
Later that evening, around dusk, Aang comes to find me.
"Have you seen Katara?" he asks.
"Uh, not for a few hours. Why?"
"I'm just worried about her. Facing her mother's killer must have done a lot of emotional damage." He's always talking like a monk, which is calming sometimes but mostly just annoying. He acts like he knows so much about her, but he keeps Katara on a pedestal, some sort of flawless deity instead of a complex, powerful girl. Woman, I guess.
"She's stronger than you think," I reply curtly. I walk towards the beach and I can feel Aang following behind me. He was never good at reading the room. I see a form sitting at the end of the dock and realize it's Katara. Aang runs up ahead of me.
"Katara!" he calls out. "Are you okay?"
"I'm doing fine," Katara replies without turning around.
"Zuko told me what you did, or what you didn't do, I guess. I'm proud of you." Katara sighs heavily and stands up to face us.
"I wanted to do it," she starts. "I wanted to take out all my anger at him but, I couldn't. I don't know if it's because I'm too weak to do it or if it's because I'm strong enough not to."
"You did the right thing," Aang tells her. "Forgiveness is the first step you have to take to begin healing."
"But I didn't forgive him. I'll never forgive him," Katara looks at me. "But I am ready to forgive you." My heart feels light as Katara throws her arms around me. She places a hand on my chest and mouths a thank you. She walks off and I turn to watch her leave. I look at Aang.
"You were right about what Katara needed," I tell him and he smiles up at me. "Violence wasn't the answer."
"It never is,"
"Then I have a question for you. What are you going to do when you face my father?" Aang looks at me, stunned. He doesn't respond and there is an awkward silence, so I eventually walk off, leaving him to ponder.
I head towards the house looking for Katara. I passed Sokka and Suki cuddling on the sofa in the common room. Normally their constant affection would aggravate me, but instead I felt a small sense of jealously. How incredible it must feel to have someone so completely suited for you. I hear Suki giggle and look over to see Sokka snuggling into her neck.
"Sokka! Stop it," Suki laughs. I smile.
"Knock it off lovebirds," I say, humor in my voice. Suki blushes but Sokka just laughs and throws an arm around his beloved.
"Sounds like Zuko's lonely after breaking up with Mai," Sokka jokes. I fake a scowl but chuckle, sure it hurt to leave Mai, but she didn't understand why I switched sides, and I don't know if she ever fully would.
"Yeah yeah whatever." We say quick goodnights and the couple goes back to laughing and sneaking kisses as I wander upstairs. I hear Toph snoring in her room, but nothing else. Katara's door is closed but the light coming from beneath it means she must be awake. I knock softly.
"Tara? Are you up? Can I come in?" I ask. I hear footsteps and see her shadow under the door, but she doesn't open it right away.
"I really think we should talk," I try again, whispering as to not spill our secret. The lock clicks and Katara opens the door. Without words, she grabs my hand and pulls me into the room, closing the door gently behind me and locking it. I look around the room. It's modest, meant for guests. Not nearly large enough to impress the royal family, but enough space for a bed, a writing desk and chair, a small water tribe chest Katara had found at the market, and a wardrobe. She had lit a lantern and some candles, the dark wood floors and red curtains made the house feel incredibly dark. I sit at the desk, turning the chair and straddling it to face Katara as she sits at the end of her bed. I watch her carefully but she can't meet my eyes.
"So…" she says. I raise an eyebrow.
"So?" I challenge. "Katara, did I do something wrong? Did I hurt you in any way? Is that why you're not speaking to me?"
"You didn't do anything wrong. It's me. I made a huge mistake. What I did was irresponsible. I wasn't thinking and I let my emotions get the best of me. And if you expect me to have sex with you again then you'll-"
"Wait," I interrupt. "I don't expect you to have sex with me. I don't expect you to do anything." Katara looks skeptical.
"You don't?"
"No, I don't. I agree with you."
"You do?"
"Yes. I think you're right. It was a big decision that I don't think either of us were in the right state of mind to make. But I don't regret it. And if you'd like, we could start over. Move slowly, if you'd like." I hope she can't see my face burning up, but my pale skin often gives me away.
"I'd like that," she says softly, reaching out to take my hand and intertwining our fingers. A thought occurs to me that ruins the moment.
"I have a question," I state. Katara nods and looks at me expectantly. I take a breath.
"What about Aang?" I ask. Her face falls and for a moment I think she might cry.
"Honestly," she whispers. "I guess I forgot about Aang." I immediately burst into laughter. Katara looks at me, shocked, but soon she's laughing too. We fall back in a fit of giggles. When we collect ourselves, Katara scooches over and lays her head on my chest. I let my hand rest on her hair and we sit in comfortable silence.
"You know," I start. "You'll have to tell Aang you don't want to be with me. The boy is in love with you." Katara sighs deeply.
"I know," she says. "But not right now. Is that okay? I don't want him all upset before the comet."
"I understand, Tara," I assure her. "But, I have to get to my room before the others come upstairs." I sit up, bringing her with me. I stand to leave and Katara grabs my hand, walking me to her door.
"Don't I get a kiss goodnight?" she asks.
"Slow, remember?" I tease her. She fakes a pout and I smirk at her, leaning down for a far too quick kiss.
"Goodnight Zuko."
"Goodnight Katara." I leave her room, closely the door behind me as gently as possible. I turn to walk away and come face to face with Toph.
"I heard that."
Oooooh cliffhanger. Sorry about that, I have so much homework, not a lot of writing time. Will hopefully update Sunday! Lots of love and please review!
