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Chapter 4: The Night Visitor

The night was unusually silent in Bah Sing Se. Serenity was brought all over the city. The habitants of the Impenetranable city were now sleeping, unaware of the indefinite threat that was upon them. Maybe the fact that the city's King was just a figure had help Azula immensely, since there wasn't a single sign of an uproar.

However, this so called serenity seemed to have taken over every house in the city except this one where the former Prince of the Fire Nation was now inhabiting. The latter was the only one in the very apartment still awake. Both his uncle and their recent guest were enjoying a careless sleep, as if none of the events of that day ever existed. As if none of the events of the last half year ever existed.

When certain that everyone was asleep, Zuko got up from the uncomfortable couch that he was sleeping for the sake of his uncle new beloved guest. The cheap piece of furniture creaked under his movements, causing him to still. Assured that no one had been awaken; he took a few shy steps leading himself to his room. He could now peek into the room. It wasn't too dark since the Waterbender chose to leave the window open for the night.

"What an idiot! How will she be able to keep sleeping when the sun comes up? It is simple practicality." The firebender thought.

Anyway, that wasn't the reason had decided to slip into her room tonight.

"Wait, it wasn't her room, it is actually My room. Great."

Now that he clarified that to himself Zuko started scanning the room, his sole purpose to find what he was searching for in the beginning. Her bag. He noticed the waterbender carrying it with her the whole time when they were… arguing. Zuko couldn't guess what she was hiding in there. Perhaps, a letter from the Avatar stating his current position? It was all a huge slip back, but he didn't care. His curiosity had surpassed him and everything his new lifestyle stood for. His eyes were searching the room unstoppably, but didn't seem to find their target.

Then, as being magnetized, they stole a small, so terribly small glimpse of the sleeping girl, and finally rested on her as if she was providing them a break from their agonizing search.

She was deeply sleeping, Zuko could tell. Her breathing was heavy, proving the fact that her body was indeed affected by the recent events. The waterbender was lying in almost a fetus position, her knees close to her stomach, both of her hands lightly holding the pillow.

The only thing Zuko could hear was their breaths competing with each other. While Katara's breathing was heavy, yet stable, proving the fact that her body was indeed affected by the recent events, Zuko's was quiet erratic because of the fact that he was sneaking into a master waterbender's room while she was sleeping. A girl's room. Wait… it was his room, so it wasn't exactly "sneaking" right?

The sheets swished softly snapping Zuko out of his inner turmoil, moving his attention to the sleeping girl.

The sheet was embracing her soft curves with excessive detail. Zuko had never been able to observe a woman's body so thoroughly before. Exile and constant chase of a long disappeared boy were not exactly the best opportunities for him to start taking an interest in the other sex.

And there was the sole girl he had seen for a very long time, sleeping without her usual leggings, the sheet just above her calves that had just started to shape and look more… well, feminine. His eyes traveled automatically up from her covered

hips and small torso to her long neck. Zuko noticed that she was wearing the necklace that he had once used in order to find her (not her specifically, mainly her friend) even in her sleep.

She looked so fragile and vulnerable in her sleep, unlike the feisty girl he knew Well…not exactly "knew", since circumstances weren't exactly favorable for that. Her long hair was not in her casual braid, lying free on the white pillow, looking like ink spilt on a clean piece of paper. Her lips were slightly parted as she was exhaling.

The moonlight sneaking through her open window was illuminating her now peaceful facial features, making Zuko unconsciously gulp to the ethereal image. There was something about Waterbenders and the moon, just like Firebenders and the sun. It seemed that under the moonlight she was feeling safe, invisible. That could only explain the serenity of her sleep.

Zuko caught himself smirking as he remembered their fight during the siege of the North Pole. How powerful and confident she fought him while the moon was hanging proudly on the night sky. How certain and gracious her moves were.

But he was not there for that. He was searching for something. What was it that he was searching again? Oh, right, her bag. Her bag that was probably holding precious information about the Avatar. And what was he going to do with that information?

Zuko covered his face with both of his hands and started furiously rubbing his eyes. This was not the right time to question his actions. He was in a room with an asleep waterbender- to be more precise, his enemy's waterbending master- and if for Agni's sake that girl woke up he would be in serious trouble.

The inner turmoil of the young Firebender could not really be helped by the fact that the girl's bag was… well, nowhere to be seen! She must have hidden it somewhere. Maybe it was inside the large wooden drawers that his Uncle uses to store their clean sheets. Zuko entered the room, walking on his toes trying to remember which parts of the wooden floor creaked more when you step on them.

On one careless step, just a few inches away from the before said drawers, the floor squeaked making Zuko freeze right on the spot. He looked down at the asleep Waterbender, a few steps away from him, who didn't seem to be fret at all.

Zuko thanked Agni with all his heart, only to get upset with himself right after for being so afraid (no, terrified it was) of waking up this girl. It was HIS room after all!

He could have been there in order to get… well, something important.

"What the heck is wrong with me" he hissed before he could stop himself.

The girl suddenly stirred in her sleep, and Zuko covered his mouth with his hands and closed his eyes, waiting for her scream and a well formed ice dagger right on his throat.

But nothing happened. She just changed her sleeping position, now lying on her back, her chest heaving with her every breath, giving Zuko the opportunity to glance at her round breasts that were covered by her tunic, the white sheet ruffled just below them.

Zuko had to mentally slap himself a few times in order to get himself together again. Trying to rationalize the indecent thoughts that took over his mind, he promised himself that when this… whole thing was over he would start dating. It had to be the long time he lived in the ship and his utter focus on his so important goal to capture the Avatar the main sources of his unreasonable want to touch the girl, no, enemy that was lying asleep before him and probably do many more things besides that.

"It must be because I am tired. That's all!

Or the fact that you are simply a depraved teenager.

Shut up!"

With all that Zuko focused on finding what he originally came for. Her bag. Her where-the-fuck-could-it-be bag.

At first, he thought that it was going to be such an easy task, since she came into their house so exhausted. She must have thrown it somewhere carelessly so that she could just go to sleep. Zuko opened as much quietly as he could every single drawer of the room, each time repeating the same prayer to Agni hoping that she won't wake up. He checked under the small table that was near the open window and inside the big ruby red vase that his Uncle had bought at a what himself thought was a crazy deal at the flea market (why would you buy a huge stupid vase when you can't even afford your house's basic furniture? Just why Uncle?)

He even checked her pile of folded clothes.

"Did I imagined her carrying a bag? Am I really this desperate? But all girls carry bags with them right? No? And even if she was indeed carrying a bag what tells me that this bag is holding some important information about the Avatar? And am I supposed to care about the Avatar? What am I doing in my life?"

"Who's there?"

Zuko almost screamed when he heard the waterbender's voice behind. He stilled right where he was and closed his eyes shut with so much pressure it almost hurt.

"She is waking up" he thought "and she is going to be so pissed and she is going to think I am a pervert or if I am lucky she is just going to think that I came here to kill her in her sleep. What do I do now? What do I say? Hey, I just came here to search your stuff? No, no, no. that's a definite suicide. "

"Aang, is that you?"

Aang? Who the hell is… oh! Great…

Zuko slowly turned to face her with all the courage he could muster. She had slightly popped her head up from the pillow and was staring at his direction, eyes half closed still dazed from sleep. She wasn't fully awake.

Zuko didn't have exactly the luxury of time in his favor so he went for the absolute craziest thing he could do.

"Yes. It's me… Sorry if I woke you up. You can go back to sleep now."

And with that he almost started running towards the doors ignoring the fact that he was making much more noise than before and that he could also wake his Unlce up.

"Wait."

Oh. No.

"Tell Sokka to stop snorting. Otherwise, no breakfast for any of you tomorrow."

Zuko nodded like she was saying the most logical thing in the world and whispered her "Okay".

And with all that, he exited his bedroom and started breathing again.

"No more night sneaking. Ever."

A/N: Sorry for the late upload! I just came back to my parents house since University is over for me this year!(YAYYYY!) At least now I will be able to upload much more often now!Hope you enjoy this chapters!Reviews are always more than welcome :-)