The swim was not a pleasant one, despite the fact that Katara enjoyed swimming probably more than anything else. With Zuko getting angry and blasting steam into the air every minute or so, Katara understood why she wasn't having any fun.
"Just relax," Katara said finally, when about six gallons of water poured down on her head. She had an even pace going, while Zuko continued to kick and claw the water like he was drowning. She wondered how he made it this far. "All you have to do is relax and just go with the water."
"I hate water," Zuko grumbled.
"How can you hate water?" Katara asked, shocked. "Water is everything! You're made up of water!"
"Doesn't mean I have to like it," he muttered.
Katara rolled her eyes. "Just come on. You can do it. Watch how I swim. You just have to pull yourself through the water...glide through it."
Zuko stopped thrashing for a few seconds to do what she said. He felt himself begin to blush, watching the way she moved. He shook his head and began to swim, copying her ways, if only a little.
"They can't come out to meet us?"
Katara sighed.
...
"Zuko! Katara!" Sokka screamed, pretty much defeating the purpose of then hiding. "Hey, guys! Over here!"
"Like we could miss a giant bison floating in the water," Zuko grumbled.
Sokka threw a rope over the side of Appa for them to grab a hold of. He watched Zuko swim sloppily over to the rope.
"Wow, Zuko," Sokka said. "You swim like a girl."
Zuko glared and began heating himself to rid the water from his body. It came off in steam, successfully blinding Sokka, at least for the moment. "Shut up," he mumbled.
"Katara!" Aang exclaimed, throwing his arms around the girl. Zuko couldn't help but feel a stab of jealousy deep inside of his stomach. He had to restrain himself from knocking the airbending world saviour off of his own bison.
"Let's get moving," Zuko said. "I want to get out of here as soon as possible. It won't be long before they send out the ships and the blimps."
Aang nodded and removed his arms from Katara's waist, settling himself on Appa's gigantic head. With a cheerful, "Yip yip!" the group was off, headed to an island just off a ways.
After they had spent time catching up and Sokka and Aang fretted over how worried they'd been about Katara, Zuko decided it was time for business.
"Did you get them?"
"Don't doubt our abilities, fire-pants," Sokka said, grinning. "Of course we got them. Now it's just a matter of putting them all together."
"Not so fast," Toph said. "We still haven't found the one from the Air Temple."
"But that shouldn't be too difficult," Aang replied. "I remember exactly where it is."
"Then let's get going," Katara said. "I'd like to get this over with."
Zuko glanced over and couldn't help but wonder why she was in such a hurry. Did she want to get away from him? Or…maybe it was someone else. Toph? Her brother? …Aang? He watched as she stared pointedly ahead, not quite at Aang, but not quite away from him, either. Zuko felt more than a little confused. He decided he'd ask her about it that night, when they stopped to make camp and everyone else was asleep.
…
Katara sighed and stretched as she leaned back against Appa's saddle, enjoying the feel of the wind on her face, pulling through the hair she let down and causing her to be more relaxed than she'd been in a long time. She wondered what Hana was up to. With a pang of regret, she wished she could have brought the girl with her. She felt like they could probably be great friends if they were still together.
She stretched again and shook out her hair, leaning far back over Appa's saddle. Her back cracked and she sighed, sinking down to curl up in a little ball, preparing herself for a deep sleep until they reached the island, which wouldn't be for at least two more hours.
That is, she'd intended on sleeping. Before she was suddenly hit with hundreds of thousands of thoughts. Thoughts of Aang, thoughts of Zuko. Thoughts on how to easily break it to Aang that she wasn't interested and ways to subtly let Zuko know that she wanted him to be hers.
Because now she knew that this was what she wanted. Opening her eyes into slits, she allowed herself a quick peek at the firebender. He was asleep, it seemed, leaning back over the saddle, arms out at his sides, head lolled backwards. She could see his muscles strain against his shirt as he breathed; his angle was so awkward that it pulled his clothes taught against his body. The foot that had previously been injured twitched and he muttered something in his sleep.
Katara shut her eyes and turned back over. Maybe she would be subtle, maybe she wouldn't be. All she knew is that she would get the point across if it were the last thing she did.
…
They finally reached the island. Katara was woken by Aang gently shaking her by the shoulders, while Zuko was rudely awoken when Aang airbended the saddle to the ground.
"Ouch!" He exclaimed, jumping to his feet, immediately putting out his hands to protect himself.
Katara smiled at him. "What would you guys like for supper tonight, then?"
"Pasta!" Aang exclaimed.
"Meat!" Sokka shouted.
"Food!" Toph said loudly, stomping her foot.
"Whatever," Zuko said, thinking about the food he'd eaten the past few days while he stayed at the castle and nearly gagging when he realised he'd be back to sad excuses for "pasta" and "meat" and "food."
"Alright," Katara said, rifling through one of the saddle bags. "It looks like I can make pasta. And if you guys were to go hunting, I could easily make some meat to go along with it. What do you say?"
"I say, where's my boomerang?" Sokka exclaimed. He brandished it from his belt and ran off into the woods, calling out like a savage.
"Alright, I guess I'll get the pasta started, then," Katara said, pulling things out. Because they were on an island, water was abundant. Katara bended water from the ocean, straining out the salt and microorganisms and anything else dwelling in the water, then placed it in a pot over a fire Zuko started for her, letting it boil before she added anything to make sure everything in it died. Zuko watched her as she added the pasta and began stirring the liquid with her bending. Katara glanced up to catch Zuko watching her. She smiled slightly.
"Did you need anything?"
Zuko flushed. "No," he said, barely audible, before turning around and heading off in the other direction.
What was wrong with him lately? He'd never been like this about a girl before. He grumbled angrily to himself as he sat down against Appa's saddle and crossed his arms, staring off across the clearing they were in. Toph was doing pretty much the same thing, only she was staring off into nothing. Aang was working on putting up the tents. Zuko would have helped him, but he didn't feel like moving. He'd put it up later.
…
Zuko was definitely regretting the fact that he'd put off putting up a tent, especially when, shortly after supper, the sky opened up and a torrential downpour hit them out of nowhere.
"Quick, into my tent," Katara called, waving Zuko over as he watched the others slip inside their own shelters. Zuko took her advice, jogging to where she was holding the tent flap open for him. He ducked inside, quickly followed by Katara.
She had the room circled in candles, and was clumsily messing with her match book, trying to light the soaked matches. Zuko easily sent out bits of spark in all directions, lighting the room quite effectively.
Katara grinned at him. "Thanks. So, uh…tea?"
She moved to the other side of the tent where she kept a thermos of tea and a few cups. As she poured them, Zuko looked around her tent. The floor was covered in furs. It reminded him immensely of the frozen homes of the water nation, and he assumed that's what it was meant to reflect.
Zuko turned back to Katara and his face flushed red when he realised she had stripped out of her wet clothes and was now standing in her pants and a thin camisole. She handed him a cup of tea, and he knew she purposely made for their hands to brush.
"This storm is pretty unfortunate," she said after a moment. "Do you think it will stop long enough for you to go out and set up your tent?"
Zuko shook his head. "I don't think so. This storm will probably be raging on late into tomorrow morning by the way the clouds were looking."
"That's too bad," Katara said. "I guess you'll just have to stay in here with me."
Zuko swallowed hard. "I don't think your brother would allow that."
She shrugged. "Probably not. In fact, he'll probably be in here in a few minutes to pull you over to his and Aang's tent. So if there's anything you need to tell me, you should probably tell me now, while we're still alone."
Zuko's mind went blank. Was there something he needed to tell her? By the look in her eyes he could guess what she wanted him to tell her, but he wasn't so sure if that's what he wanted to tell her. Were they the same thing?
He began to stammer awkwardly. "K-k-k…"
"Yes?"
He could hear rustling outside of the tent and knew he only had a few seconds left.
"K-k-k…"
"Yes…?"
"K-" He gave up speaking. His lips were on hers in a split second. After only three seconds, thought, Zuko was roughed backwards quite roughly and pulled out of the tent and through the rain by a very angry brother.
…
Oh my gosh I hate that there's no Korra this weekend… ;~;
Leave me a review if you get the chance! Thanks for reading this! I hope it's actually good…