~Chapter Four~ The Beach
s she stirred a large pot of stewed sea prunes with her bending, Katara admitted to herself that she had not suggested the beach party solely for the benefit of getting Sokka off her back. She knew for certain that she loved Zuko – just thinking about him sent pleasant shivers up and down her spine, and there was little doubt in her mind that Zuko was attracted to her…that he might even love her. She flushed, smiling at the thought, recalling the thrilling tingle that had jumped between them as their hands touched when he had handed her the tea.
A flash of sparks.
Her breath caught. It was exactly what she had thought about the previous night.
It had to be a sign of something. Of deep affection. Of love. It was just as in her dream; they were lodestones for each other. And what about the fire? She knew that for most firebenders their bending was closely linked to their emotions, but she was also aware that Zuko had learnt to distance his firebending from his emotions. Katara frowned at the pot, not seeing it. Perhaps, even the best of firebenders can lose control of particularly strong emotions, and let it seep into their firebending... She blushed, smiling to herself.
Katara's guilt still twinged slightly when she recalled the problem of Mai; after all, for all she knew Mai and Zuko could still be together. That Zuko might be using her. Angry tears began to form in her eyes and she turned away from the pot.
No! Katara firmly brushed the tears away. She was being stupid. Zuko would never do anything like that; not the new Zuko. She was sure of it. The correspondence over the past four years had given her a great deal of insight into the Fire Lord, and she knew that he would not do such a thing.
Katara nodded to herself. She knew that down at the beach everyone would be distracted, and that it should give her and Zuko some time alone to at least talk and get their feelings for each other out in the open, and to clear up the topic of Mai. Also, it wouldn't be a bad chance to see Zuko in whatever he wore when swimming, she blushed at the thought. Last time they had held a beach party at Ember Island she had no such opportunity, as Zuko had ruined it, wearing full clothes, by attacking Aang, and later bringing them the bad news about the return of Sozin's Comet and what his father intended to use it for. Katara smiled gently to herself. Not that she hadn't seen Zuko without a shirt on before, but… She shook her head, trying to get it out of the clouds.
"Do you need any help?" A familiar, somewhat husky voice interrupted Katara's thoughts. Startled, her hand made a wild movement, the soup sloshing up the side of the pot, and almost out onto the floor, before she managed to save it, her heart beating wildly, cheeks flaming.
Zuko stood in the doorway of the kitchen, hands outstretched in an attempt to prevent the soup from spilling, expression mortified. Together they straightened, eyes locked. Zuko stuck a hand behind his head and rubbed it uncomfortably. Blushing, he grinned somewhat awkwardly.
"Uh, sorry. I…I didn't mean to startle you." Katara smiled through her curtain of wavy hair as she turned back to the pot. She liked this shy, unsure Zuko; it was endearing and somewhat charming to see the awkwardness behind his usual shadowed charisma. In their letters they had always been frank with each other, their conversation easy and unaffected. This was something completely different. Both of them were stumbling about awkwardly, unsure of what to do or say, as if it was the first time they had ever been in love. Katara grinned to herself. Technically speaking it was the first time, for her at least, to feel love and not merely affection or admiration.
"That's OK; it was my fault really." Zuko felt relief at the warm tone of her voice, and stopped internally berating himself.
"Soo…" He said. They paused awkwardly. Katara turned again, a mischievous grin lighting up her face. It was an expression he had never seen on her before. He knew that there was a sweet roguishness in her personality, but he had only read it in her letters, never seen it. Her blue eyes were fixed on his, and he was unable and unwilling to relinquish their gaze. He could feel his heart beating faster, the way it always did around her.
"So, what do you want?" It was a friendly question. Katara flicked her hair over her shoulder coyly, still smiling at Zuko with the same impish sparkle in her eyes. Zuko felt vague irritation at the creeping suspicion that she was enjoying his awkward embarrassment, but there was something very attractive about this new playfulness. He blushed a little, and looked at his feet, trying to gather his scrambled thoughts together in a cohesive unit so that he could speak. Those eyes!
"Well, I – uh –" it wasn't going well, "I…I was wondering, if you needed...any help, you know…uh…taking out the food, or…something." The words came out in a stilted jumble, loud and awkward, with all the wrong intonations. He was reminded forcibly of his rehearsal introductions with the frog above the Western Air temple before he joined the group. If she hadn't been facing him, he would have hit himself. Why did talking to her face to face have to be so much harder than when they were writing to each other? And why did she have to seem so much more at ease that he did? And most of all, why did she have to be acting so provocatively?
Katara's grin widened to a beaming smile, eyes sparkling, and a faint blush rising in her cheeks.
"Um, yeah." Quickly she turned and bended the soup into a large tureen, and placed a lid over it. "Here." She handed him the dish, which Zuko received, standing stiffly upright as she drew close. They paused for a moment, both holding the dish, eyes locked. Then Katara turned, moving over to a giant steamer. Zuko remained where she had left him, motionless, staring after her. Then something seemed to click in his head, and he came back to himself.
Feeling a little silly, Zuko turned and marched woodenly out of the kitchen wondering whether he had actually achieved anything in the encounter. His thoughts were interrupted by a sudden swishing and a breezy fragrance.
"See you at the beach." Katara whispered over his shoulder, a girlish giggle creeping into her voice as she ended. Then she whipped back around and rushed back into the kitchen.
Zuko froze, arrested. If he had been able to feel any part of his body, he would have dropped the tureen by now, but instead he was paralyzed, his knuckles white as he gripped the handles. He knew since last night that Katara definitely loved him (the thought still sent shivers down his spine), and he had known for a long time that he loved her. But this… His mind reeled. He had never thought that Katara would be so…forward. He blushed at his own shyness. He had never really had much…or any…experience with girls as friends or otherwise; only his sister, Mai and Ty Lee – none of which were exactly stereotypical. Besides, Azula was hardly the sort of sibling that was going to give great tips on people skills – hers consisted entirely of inspiring terror. Mai was too pessimistic and shut off from the world to really attract many guys – he had observed it over their shared childhood. Ty Lee was the only one that had actually had boyfriends, he realised. She had always been surrounded by a gaggle of slavish admirers. Katara wasn't really like any of them. She was beautiful and hot headed, unafraid to show her emotions and unwilling to back down. She was tough and caring, but from her letters, he knew that she needed someone to confide in and talk to just as much as he did. And she understood him, almost instinctively. Zuko smiled to himself. In some ways they were more alike than he had ever thought.
Katara peeked around the edge of the doorframe, watching Zuko's constricted form, her blue eyes wide. She was still trembling at her own daring, hardly able to believe that it had been her that had so openly flirted with Zuko. What was wrong with her?! I'm never like this! Katara thought. She had never really flirted with any guy before. Sure, she had fancied Jet and…when she admitted it…even Haru; but the most she had ever done in the way of flirting was compliments. Even with Aang – he had been the one that had instigated almost all of their…romantic encounters, and they had never really flirted with each other at all. Katara withdrew her head from the doorway, and rested against the wall, her back pressed straight up against it, staring at the ceiling. There was something about Zuko that made her more daring. Her body was still pounding with the rush that her little escapade had produced, and her fingers tingled. Was this what it was meant to be like when you were in love? To do impulsive and embarrassing things that she would never normally have even thought about doing? Katara breathed deeply, trying to expel some of the elated silliness that was rushing around her body. She wasn't even sure why she was doing it. She knew that she had to figure out some way to tell Zuko about her feelings, but, unlike Sokka, she had inherited tact and the ability to exercise it, and, deep down, she was still a little shy about making any sort of declaration of her love. Afterall, what it Zuko was still with Mai? Katara hit her head a little in frustration, screwing up her eyes. How am I going to do this?! She screamed in her head. Calm down, Katara. Said another voice, calm and soothing – a voice from her childhood. When the time is right, you will know. Katara felt a small jump of elated joy in her heart. Mum? She thought, questioningly. Kaya's soft smiling face swam into her head. You will know, sweetheart. Katara blinked and opened her eyes.
"I can do this." She muttered to herself. With a great deal of difficulty she put Zuko to one side, and returned to preparing lunch.
In the corridor, Zuko shook his head, sighing. He was certainly on his own, and so far; girls were proving unfathomable.
There was no one he could go to.
"Soo, Sokka. I was wondering what kind of advice you might have on…girls." The words spilled out of Zuko's mouth in an embarrassed rush as he stood awkwardly in the doorway of Sokka's room. Sokka, who had been lazily reclining on the ground examining his reflection in a mirror, sat up, instantly assuming the role of the all-knowing guru. Zuko's good eye narrowed to match that of his scarred one; he was already starting to regret his decision to ask Sokka for advice. If only he could bend time; he could have prevented himself from doing this. But there was no turning back now. He was going to have to sit through it.
"Well, you've come to the right guy, Zuko! There is nothing I don't know about girls – trust me." Sokka winked hugely. "So what seems to be your problem?"
Zuko scratched the back of his head, trying to think of a way to phrase his problem without giving away to Sokka that he fancied his sister. "Well…there's a girl that I…like…and I, uh…I was wondering how I could…ask her out?" The sentence ended sounding like a question as Zuko muddled his way through the minefield of tact. Sokka smiled broadly.
"Ahh. So, I take it you have a new interest other than that gloomy girl with the knives?" Zuko frowned slightly.
"Her name is Mai, if you remember, and…yeah, I do." Sokka patted the cushion next to him.
"Take a seat." Zuko sat, and when he turned to face Sokka a dragon headed bubble pipe had appeared from nowhere, upon which Sokka began to puff impressively. Zuko frowned slightly, his one eyebrow raised in confusion. Sokka turned back to him, waving the pipe around carelessly, his other arm clamped around Zuko's shoulders. "Now, in my opinion, you can't beat asking a girl out for an activity together." Zuko's eyes narrowed, his eyebrow contorted.
"An activity together?" His voice was heavy with badly suppressed misgivings, but Sokka nodded impressively as though he was imparting the single most valuable piece of knowledge in the world.
"Exactly – and seeing as you're the Fire Lord, it can't hurt to make a casual mention of it, if she isn't already aware of it." Zuko grinned slightly to himself, rubbing the back of his head.
"Oh…she knows about that all right." Sokka beamed, clapping Zuko heartily on the back.
"Then you're all set, buddy!" Zuko frowned slightly. He was sure there was more to it than that. There had to be some finesse, surely. Mind you…this was Sokka…
"Is that it? I mean, are you sure it'll work?" Sokka flourished his hand and placed it with the fingers splayed on his own chest, lowering his chin, and gazing up at Zuko from under his eyebrows with the expression of a master.
"Zuko, trust me. That was how I got my first girlfriend. It works like a charm." Despite himself, Zuko's eyebrows raised disbelievingly.
"Really? The girl that became the Moon Spirit?" Sokka's face fell slightly, and he nodded.
"Yeah; Yue – she was the Princess of the Northern Water Tribe; daughter of Chief Arnos." Awkwardly Zuko reached over and clapped Sokka on the back.
"That's rough." Sokka nodded.
"Yeah…thanks." Then he suddenly brightened. "So, there you have it! The foolproof method to asking a girl out!" Zuko nodded as he got to his feet. The only thing he was sure about that if it had worked for Sokka, if definitely had to be foolproof.
"Thanks, Sokka." Zuko paused as a thought occurred to him.
"If Yue was Princess because her father was Chief of the Northern Water Tribe – doesn't that mean that you and Katara are…well…Prince and Princess too? I mean…your father's the Chief of the Southern Water Tribe, right?" Sokka squinted at the ceiling.
"Well…technically speaking, yeah – but as you know, our village isn't exactly on the same scale as the Northern Water Tribe; even when Katara and I were kids, it was no where near as big, and after the Fire Nation raids…" There was an awkward pause and they both rubbed the back of their heads simultaneously, glancing away from each other. Sokka coughed slightly. "I mean, it's starting to expand and grow again…but I reckon it'll take a while before it gets anywhere near the Northern Water Tribe." Zuko nodded his head, rubbing his chin thoughtfully.
"Well, thanks, Sokka."
"No problems, Zuko!" Sokka waved a dismissive hand. Zuko turned a second time and was almost at the door when he froze.
"You don't think…that if I ask her out like you did, this girl will become the Moon Spirit too?" Sokka snorted, and waved his hands.
"Of course not! That was a one off; the Moon Spirit gave Yue life when she was a baby, and she gave it back when Zhao killed it." Zuko nodded, reassured.
"Thanks, again." He said as he turned back to the door.
"No worries." Called Sokka, cheerfully. "Besides, it's not as if the girl you're interested in is even from the Water Tribes; there's no way it could happen." Zuko froze for a moment, then shook his head, not daring to turn around.
"Yeah…no way…" He muttered, pulling a strangled face to himself. Sokka grinned, and waved at Zuko's retreating figure cheerily.
As Zuko exited, Sokka dusted his nails carelessly on his shirt and examined them.
"Still got it…" He said to himself, grinning.
Zuko had to admit, he had had some doubts about the beach party, but it actually wasn't that bad. Perhaps it was because Katara had organised it, or that it was held on his own private stretch of the beach where people couldn't interfere, or maybe even because it was with people he actually cared about, but Zuko had never had such a good time at a the beach since he had been young. He had arrived late, having spent a great deal of unnecessary time choosing which pair of pants he should wear, and as he surveyed the group he smiled, pleased that they were enjoying themselves too.
Toph was bending exact sculptures of everyone out of the sand with such reality that Momo had taken fright at his replica and attacked it, after which Toph simply resurrected the crumbled pile, sending the alarmed lemur flying to Appa, who, after an initial roar, sat calmly regarding his own sandy likeness as he floated in the shallows.
Aang, still as childish at heart as ever at sixteen as he had been at twelve, was riding an air scooter around on the surface of the ocean, experimenting with a water scooter, and sending vast sheets of water spraying up in various directions.
Suki sat, somewhat bemusedly in the centre of a sandy excavation site, about which Sokka ran and drilled, intermittently eating food, creating what he eventually pronounced was Kyoshi Island, but just looked like strategically mounded sand, with a few dozen crumbling squares that supposedly resembled the village houses.
Katara was surfing on an iceboard, and Zuko watched her as she moved easily along the waves, which he strongly suspected she had created herself.
Unsure of what he should do, but content to watch Katara, Zuko helped himself to some dumplings, and sat on the sand by Toph, who was absently bending the space metal bracelet that Sokka had given her.
Katara had noticed Zuko's arrival, and had very nearly melted her iceboard, blushing furiously. She wasn't sure if she would ever get used to the sight of him shirtless…but she was willing to try, no matter how much practice it took.
Sokka was now floating aimlessly in the sea on a piece of driftwood, trying to fend off Aang, who was squirting water at him from where he sat on Appa's belly as Appa himself floated upside down in the water. Suki laughed, getting up and running in to join the fun.
"Toph! Come in – it's great!" Aang called, laughing as he bended an enormous wave of water over a now thoroughly drenched and utterly unamused Sokka. Toph smiled to herself (unnoticed by Zuko, whose eyes were fixed on Katara), and, somewhat unwillingly, got to her feet. She stood at the water's edge, unable to see what was happening in the water, but listening intently to the shouts and squeals as Suki tipped Sokka off the driftwood.
"I'm not so sure, Twinkletoes. I can't see in the water, remember?" She waved a hand in front of her eyes. Aang's hopeful face fell slightly.
"Oh…right." He cast about, rubbing the back of his head. "Well, you could always stay on Appa? Right, buddy?" He leant down and rubbed the Sky Bison's tummy affectionately. Appa gave a gentle assenting roar. Toph turned a little green.
"Uhh…I don't –" But before she could protest further, Aang had leapt up turning several somersaults through the air, propelled by a deep breath, and had scooped her up, then shot off, depositing her on Appa's stomach, before taking to the water on his air scooter.
"See! It's not that bad." He called as he whizzed around Appa. Toph, who was lying flat out on Appa's stomach and holding on tightly shook her head firmly.
"You've come up with a way of travelling that's even worse than flying, Aang…no offence Appa." She patted the great beast's belly affectionately. Appa roared softly, and drifted closer to the shore. Somewhat unsteadily, Toph crawled along his stomach and down his tail, smiling as she made contact with the sand. "Thanks." She muttered to the bison, standing. "I'll just stay in the shallows." She called back to Aang, who shrugged his shoulders, dodging a spray of water sent his way by Sokka who was furiously rushing through the water.
"Hey guys, watch this!" Katara called, glancing at Zuko from beneath her lashes. A great rolling wave came rushing in, and she sped along under the curve of it, scooping her hands through the water to gain speed. Then, just when it seemed the wave would come crashing down on her, she shot up the side, upside down for a few moments, before she took to the air, spinning four complete turns before landing on the crest of the wave and gliding casually into shore. The others all cheered and whooped. Katara bowed graciously to them as she ran up to Zuko.
Zuko gazed up at her, reclining in as careless a manner as possible. Her cheeks were flushed, but perhaps it was merely the sun. Katara extended a hand to him.
"Come on, Zuko. Don't be a wet blanket…or in your case, a dry blanket." She grinned, laughing a little. Zuko couldn't help but respond to the smile, his own mouth curving into one. He took her cool hand, pulling off the shirt-like robe he had been wearing, feeling the same inexplicable thrill as their hands met, and allowed himself to be pulled to his feet and into the water. Firebender that he was, he didn't relish being immersed in his natural opposing element, but still holding Katara's hand beneath the water (for neither of them had relinquished their grip), he found the sensation growing on him, and he had never had any enormous objection to water anyway.
"Zuko! What took you so long to come in?" Called Aang, speeding past on his air scooter, and laughing happily. A great spray of water from Sokka, directed at Aang, who dodged it, drenched Zuko. Zuko froze, then steamed the water off himself, the water around him bubbling.
"Aww man! Sorry, Zuko!" Sokka yelled, as he continued to frantically hit great sprays of water at Aang, beating the water with his fists and running uncoordinatedly through the resisting sloshing element.
Zuko frowned slightly, then relaxed as Katara laughed by his side.
"Let's have a water fight!" Called out Aang. The others all agreed with laughing whoops, and they congregated in the shallows, for Toph's benefit. "We'll all divide into pairs." Instantly everyone in the circle shuffled towards their own preferred partner. No one noticed the speed with which Zuko and Katara moved towards each other; even Toph, distracted by Aang's sudden proximity, did not register their sudden closeness. Zuko and Katara, revelling in their now justified physical contact, missed Aang's shout by a few seconds as he said; "GO!"
Instantly, everyone leapt into the water, Toph going so far as to wade in up to her waist, her feet buried in the sand.
Katara tugged on Zuko's hand.
"Come on!" She laughed, pulling him into the water for a second time.
Soon the entire group was joyfully splashing water at each other – even Toph. Katara taught Zuko how to use the flat of his palm or his fist to strike the water and send sprays up at the others. It had taken him a little while to concentrate, as she had stood behind him, her chin resting on his shoulder, her arms wrapped around him pressed against his back, hands holding his as she demonstrated, and where their skin touched heat had flared between them, but soon enough he too was rushing about in the water, wetting anyone that came too near.
Katara and Aang, of course, had an unfair advantage, being waterbenders – but there was an unspoken agreement for neither of them to use their bending, in the interests of fun, as well as fairness for Sokka and Suki. If it had merely been a matter of bending prowess, Zuko and Katara would have won with little effort required from either of them, as, despite the fact that he was the Avatar, Aang would have been defeated by Katara. There were several times, however, when a wave was slightly larger than it ought to have been, or when a spray managed to go further than was possible, but the disputes were solved as they had begun – with everyone getting soaked.
Gradually the game disintegrated of its own accord, and they drifted back to the beach in ones and twos. The carefree high spirits and exuberance that had filled them all before had faded down to a comfortable tranquillity. Appa was snoring contentedly on his side in the shade created by the slight cliff that abutted the left side of the sand and faded into forest. Momo was occupied under the stone table that Toph had bended out of the cliff for the food, occasionally reaching up to steal a bun from a steamer or fruit from a bowl.
Hungry now, they all made towards the food. Sokka, with a blissful cry, rushed towards the table, eyes swimming, and piled a small mountain of food on his plate, before ravenously devouring it with a fine disregard for dining etiquette. The others acted with more decorum, calmly selecting their food, and using the utensils provided, rather than their hands.
Aang surreptitiously steered well clear of the tureen of stewed sea prunes, as well as all the meat items, sitting down, blushing slightly, beside a flushed Toph.
Wordlessly, Zuko gathered two plates of food, clad in his robe once more, wielding his chopsticks expertly, and took them over to Katara, who was bending the water out of her hair and bindings.
"Uh…here, I got you some food." He proffered the plate a little self-consciously. "I hope you like the stuff I picked." Katara turned as she pulled on a blue and white robe similar to Zuko's. Taking the plate, she glanced at it, surprised. Zuko had, by some stroke of luck, chosen all her favourite things. She nodded, smiling up at him.
"Thanks. You picked my favourites." Blushing and a little embarrassed, they sat down next to each other; everyone else was sitting in couples, immersed in their separate worlds of two, and even if they hadn't been, they were all aware of the friendliness and communication that existed between Zuko and Katara since the end of the war.
There was silence between them as they ate, neither looking at the other. Both were bursting with things to say, questions to ask, things to do, but neither were sure how to start.
When they finished eating they continued to sit, quiet; the uncomfortable tension between them growing. Then suddenly both opened their mouths at the same time, then shut them, glancing at each other embarrassed. Katara did not seem to be forthcoming with whatever she had been about to say, so Zuko took a deep breath and spoke first.
"Do you…do you want to go do an activity together?" Katara turned and stared at him. Zuko looked away, embarrassed. Even to himself the words sounded dodgy. It didn't even sound like he was asking her out. Internally he began berating himself. Stupid, stupid, stupid!
A strange bubbling sound interrupted Zuko's agonised thoughts. Katara's light laugh cut through the silence between them. Zuko turned to her, eyes wide with surprise. She smiled up at him, blushing.
"Sure…how about a walk?" Zuko, dumbstruck, merely nodded mutely. Together they rose, and began to move away down the beach, unnoticed by the others.
