Chapter 2: Love
Disclaimer: Avatar: The Last Airbender and The Legend of Korra are property of Michael Dante DiMartino and Bryan Konietzko and Nickelodeon. As much as we would like to, we cannot and do not claim any sort of authorship, ownership, or "melon lordship" over the original characters, plot, etc.
"Like waves washing away the footprints on the sand, Ember Island gives everyone a clean slate. Ember Island reveals the true you." ~ Lo and Li
Katara stood amid the sand and surf, bathing in the moon's soft glow as she welcomed in the tide. She closed her eyes and breathed deeply of the salt and sea, letting the ocean's caress wash over her as she ventured deeper into the rising waters. The waves crashed against the shoreline, sending a salty foam to ripple along the beach sand. Even though it was well after midnight, the sand was still warm, as if heated from below by some sort of furnace. It was the Fire Nation's incessant summer heat that had ultimately driven her to seek out the comfort of her mother element in the middle of the night.
Unable to sleep, she had flung aside the bed sheets and left the room she shared with Toph and Suki, intent on escaping the sweltering air that threatened to suffocate her if she stayed in that house one more moment. As soon as she stepped onto the porch, Katara breathed a sigh of relief. From there she could hear the ocean, its gentle lull luring her down the steps and toward the beach path. Along the way, she shed her robes, leaving them trailing behind her until all that remained was the white bindings.
The ocean brought her peace, serenity. It was the one thing she could always turn to when she needed to clear her mind and escape from the world, even if it was only for a little while. The waterbender stretched out her palms and felt the hum of the waves as the ocean entwined itself in her embrace.
"You love me."
The Fire Lord's raspy voice tore through Katara's concentration and the water whips she had wielded dissolved into foam and mist. It wasn't a question but rather an assertion, and an arrogant one at that. She breathed deeply before turning to face the firebender.
Zuko stood, arms crossed, at the edge of the shore just out of the water's reach, his night robes open and fluttering in the evening breeze.
Katara sighed. "You don't know what you're talking about."
He ventured closer then, his eyes locking on her umber form. "I've seen the way you look at me when you think I'm not looking."
She stared at him, one of her eyebrows lifted ever so slightly. "Is that so?"
"It is and you know it."
"Get over yourself, Zuko."
"Hey, I'm just calling it like I see it," he smirked.
"You're crazy." Her blue eyes flashed.
"And you're a liar."
"Honestly, Zuko. Don't you have anything better to do than bother me with your crazy, completely unfounded epiphanies in the middle of the night?"
"Like what?"
"Oh, I don't know. Sleep, maybe?"
"No, not really."
"Well, I happen to be busy practicing my waterbending forms right now, so if you'd kindly go away then I could get back to work."
"There's nothing wrong with your form, Katara. In fact, it looks quite nice from here."
"Goodnight, Zuko."
The Fire Lord thought for a moment. "Oh, I suppose I should get some sleep. I am quite tired after all." He stretched and faked a yawn. "By the way, I'll be practicing firebending with Aang first thing in the morning in case you want to watch…" His ember eyes smoldered at her.
She ignored him, hoping he'd soon go away, back to the vacation house with the others or back to his glorious golden palace, away from here, and her. She turned her back to him and gathered the waves once more, forming a water ball which she bent to retain her composure.
Zuko stepped farther into the surf then, pressing his chest to Katara's bare back. He swept her hair away from her neck and whispered, "Without a shirt."
The water ball she had been bending back and forth exploded, shattering water down upon her head. Zuko jumped back as Katara let lose a flurry of curses which the waves quickly gathered and carried away.
"Good night, Katara," he purred as he made his way out of the shallows and back toward the path. He ducked as a water whip snapped past his head and stripped the nearby palm of its bark.
The Fire Lord's laughter echoed down the beach as Katara struggled to establish control over the water she had bent from her hair. Once again, the ocean claimed the curses that tumbled from her lips.
End.
Mythian's Author's Note: This prompt proved rather difficult for me, and I sat on it for quite some time before I finally figured out the right direction to go in. I wanted to try to venture away from the traditional sappy approach to the idea of love, so for this one I figured I'd go with the more abrasive approach and have Zuko confront Katara about her feelings for him. I borrowed the whole "You're crazy" and "You're a liar" aspect from The Legend of Korra episode five, "The Spirit of Competition."
Thank you for reading!