Disclaimer: I do not, and never will, own Avatar: the Last Airbender.
Zutara Week: Rhythm
Toph, Suki, and Sokka clapped and cheered enthusiastically while Zuko clapped politely as Aang and Katara finished their dance.
"Wow! That was amazing! Where did you guys learn to dance like that?" Suki said admiringly.
"It was even better in the cave, with all the people and and the music," Toph remarked, grinning.
"It was still a stupid idea to have a dance party in the middle of the Fire Nation,"
"Shut up, Sokka,"
"Well it was!"
As the group squabbled, Aang and Katara sat down, faces flushed with exertion. Zuko sat, strange thoughts running through his head. He had felt a strange, raw emotion in his gut while watching Aang and Katara dance. And when the dance had ended with Katara over the boy's leg, the feeling exploded and Zuko had had to exert all his self control not to go and tackle the little monk. Now, doing the best to shut out his emotions, Zuko tried to pay attention to the conversation.
"Hey! What if we have a dance party now?" Suki suggested, "It'd be fun,"
"It's not like we have anything better to do," Sokka put in, warming to the idea. The two flushed dancers made noises of agreement. Then, Zuko had to put in his two-cents worth.
"A party?" he asked skeptically, "With what, five people?"
Sokka glared at him.
"It's a good idea," he said stubbornly.
"Hey wait. There's six of us," Katara said, the slight crease in her brow making Zuko nearly faint with the emotions that the simple action awoke in him. Despite them, he kept up his calm facade.
"Five. I'm not dancing," Immediately, everybody protested loudly.
"Zuko! Come on! You have to dance," Katara said firmly, "I've got an idea. You like contests right? Course you do. You're a competitive person and you don't like to lose," she said, ignoring Zuko's protests at her reading of his personality, "So, we'll have a dancing contest!"
Everyone was silent as they rolled the idea around.
"I like it! How 'bout we split into teams? Snoozles and Fangirl, Me and Twinkletoes, Sugar Queen and Sparky,"
"Sure!" both Sokka and Suki were happy to be paired together.
"NO!" Zuko and Katara each had identical expressions of horror that showed in their voices.
"Why does Zuko have to be with Katara?" Aang cried.
"Because, oh smart one, I need a partner and you're the only one my height. That leaves Sparky and Sweetness,"
Not wanting to hurt Toph's feelings, Aang conceded reluctantly.
In a moment, each group had gone off to their own corner where they had an hour to come up with and practice a dance to the rhythm of a simple melody they had all agreed on.
****************************************************************
One Hour Later
****************************************************************
"Yay Sokka!" Katara cried, applauding as her brother and Suki sat down. The two had preformed a lively ball room dance, with Sokka managing only to trip three times and trod on Suki's feet twice.
"What are you talking about? Snoozles sucked! Fangirl was pretty good though," Toph protested.
"True," Katara agreed after a moment's consideration, "But I have to support him, he's my brother,"
Toph snorted.
Next, Aang and Toph preformed a ribbon dance, using thin strips of rock that they bended to their will as they danced. Leaping up about them as they twirled were beautiful twisting shapes of earth that both earthbending masters bent up around them. The whole dance was coergraphed so that the movements would produce elegant earth sculptures but still keeping the steps themselves pretty.
Everyone clapped, admiring the splendid earthbending display.
Finally, Zuko and Katara were up. Each throwing one last glare at Toph that she couldn't see, the two stepped into the center space.
"This should be good," Toph smirked.
"Shut up," Zuko growled.
And then, Katara and Zuko moved to their beginning positions.
The two benders stood about half a foot apart, facing each other. When the first notes of the music sounded, Katara raised her arms and began to move her hips and legs slowly to the music. As the music sped up, Katara moved out of her position and began dancing a shifting series of movements in a wide circle around Zuko. Her dancing was obviously based off of waterbending forms and she moved from one movement to the next; always moving, flowing, changing. Then, Zuko stopped being stationary. He preformed a powerful series of movements strongly reminiscent of the Dancing Dragon. And so, strong, raging fire was encircled by shifting, changing water.
When the music's tempo slowed, the two revolved until Katara stood in the center, shifting into the forms that called huge tidal waves and froze water into enormous ice bergs. Zuko revolved around her, his movements reminders of flickering embers and candle light.
Then, the rhythm of the music changed yet again. Faster and faster and faster, until, with a flourish, the dance ended with Katara holding her arms above her head and Zuko with his arms forming a circle around her waist, their faces a mere inch from the others.
Ignoring the applause of the others, Zuko and Katara held their finishing poses, chests heaving. Nervously, the applause died out. Aang and Suki shifted uncomfortably and Sokka yelled out,
"You can get your hands off my sister now!"
But they did not hear. They only heard the rapid beating of the other's heart, their fast thrumming continuing the rhythm of their music. Closer and closer they leaned, until their lips met lightly. The enraged rantings of Sokka and gasp of shock from Aang were reduced to mere murmurings in the background, adding to the music. The kiss deepened, and they turned their heads this way and that, their lips moving to the rhythm of their hearts.
Author's Note: Sorry I took so long getting this up, I just had no ideas. I know Zutara Week is already over, but I WILL get all these prompts up. I know the description of the Zutara dance was a bit boring, but I really needed to say exactly what it looked like in my head. And its a bit OOC, but oh well. :D PLEASE REVEIW!!!!! PLEASE!!!