Chapter Nine- In the Cover of Night

Katara had never felt so many emotions at one time, never in her entire life.

At the forefront of all those emotions was desire, which explained why she had decided to give into Zuko's request. Next would probably be shame at committing adultery against her husband, then love for Zuko's person, passion, guilt, anger, bliss… the list continued and Katara decided it would be easiest to focus on the first. It was hard to do anything else as her mind was occupied with the way the Firelord was nibbling on her neck in a most enticing manner.

They hadn't exactly entered his rooms yet and were settled against the wall leading to his room. She thought that was a rather foolish maneuver, but again, her lips were too busy kissing the firebender or moaning aloud. Eventually she found her voice.

"Are we going to stand out here all night," she whispered, biting her lip as he chuckled into her neck, his breath tickling her already heated skin.

"Someone is in a hurry."

"Says the man who took me from the party in front of all your guests. There will be all sorts of gossip tomorrow."

Zuko claimed her mouth once more as she sighed contently. "Does that concern you, Katara?"

"Not enough to stop."

His smirk was wide and she saw his white teeth even in the dim lantern light. He pulled her from the wall and walked the short distance to his rooms; stopping at the threshold he gave her a questioning look. Kissing in corners and making love in dreams was one thing, but willingly making the choice to lie with another man was something Katara would have to live with her entire life. She opened her mouth to speak, but she heard angry steps coming up the hall. Panicking she pushed Zuko and herself into his room just as a furious figure in a black sheer dress walked by. Mai didn't seem to notice them and Katara snapped the door closed.

"Where was she going?" she said aloud, then covered her mouth quickly.

Zuko gave a hollow laugh, "Where do you think?"

Katara gave him a sad nod as his expression changed. Slowly he stalked up to her, Katara had a hard time describing that strut; he was like a predator, and well, she was the prey.

She broke his gaze and looked away as he reached her side. Much like two days before, he lifted her from where she stood and carried her to his bed, this time stopping short and setting her on the small couch at its end. He sat next to her and gently pulled the pink flower from her hair and placed it in a vase across the room.

"So it isn't ruined," he told her and Katara nodded nervously. She gripped the fabric of her dress to still her shaking hands.

Katara had no idea how to approach what they were about to do. Before, he had surprised her, there was no anticipation leading up to the event, only fireworks. Everything about the current situation deemed that they would slow down, way down. That thought only made her tremble.

Zuko looked down at her then, taking in her current state and smiled kindly. That smile was what Katara found when he kneeled before her and took her small hands between his.

"Why are you shaking?" he asked her as he turned her palms in his, kissing the soft flesh, gently nipping at her knuckles and then kissing up her wrists.

"I'm nervous," she said, feeling very foolish.

He did not laugh, only continued to kiss her gently, keeping his lips on her hands and wrists. "Why?"

"This is different than before," she blushed as he scooted forward and placed his cheek against hers. Her hands found his broad shoulders and slowly ran her fingers back and forth. "I don't know what you expect of me."

"What I expect of you?" he mimicked her; she could feel his smile against her face. "You've made love before; I believe you know exactly what will come of this."

Katara flushed, remembering the rules of love play taught to her by her culture. "How do you want me to pleasure you?"

Zuko moaned at her words. "I can think of several ways, but I think I shall pleasure you first."

Katara opened her mouth to object when he kissed her, delving his tongue between her lips and gently massaging her own. His arms reached around her waist and untied the sash to her dress, and then slid the fabric from her shoulders and tossed it aside.

Zuko took in her nearly nude form and grew hard at the sight of her under wrappings. It was the sheerest blue silk he had ever seen, her dark nipples clearly visible beneath the fabric. Something similar was wrapped around her womanhood, his hands drifted down to brush her flesh surrounding the fabric before dipping his right hand between and legs and stroking her lightly. She whimpered and closed her blue eyes.

He bumped her arm as he made his way up and realized she was covering her scar.

"Let me see," he told her and attempted to move her arm, she would not budge.

"It's an ugly scar, my shame; I don't want you to see it."

"I happen to be quite fond of scars, let me see Katara," he said huskily and managed to move her hand and place his own over the rough flesh. He still did not look. As he moved his hand, she inhaled sharply and turned her head. She looked down at him a second later and watched as he simply appraised her.

The thin scar was nearly six inches in length and was several shades lighter than her skin, almost the opposite of his own. Ever so slowly he bent his mouth to her stomach and began to kiss the flesh just below the navel.

"That's not so bad," Zuko told her as his tongue ran across the scarred flesh. Tears pricked her eyes at his reaction. She had been worried for nothing. "Not bad at all," he whispered, still kneeling between her legs he moved his hands up her stomach, and rest them gently on her breasts. Despite the warm sensation he was causing, Katara felt a shiver up her spine, and her nipples hardened as he continued in his kneading.

"Zuko…" she whispered his name, a longing frown upon her face. He pulled his gaze up to her eyes and then leaned in to kiss her tenderly, one of his hands moving from her breast to the nape of her neck, both hands still massaging their different locations.

He leaned back then, a dangerous glare in his eye. Raising his hand, Zuko sparked his finger.

"You need to remove your bindings before I burn them away."

Katara frowned, having a strong affection for the thin wrappings. Her hands moved quickly to her chest and pulled the fabric away. It was not an easy task as her hands were still shaking, so Zuko reached up and gently pushed her hands away. As soon as the blue silk was removed it was tossed to the floor, forgotten. He devoured her chest then, not leaving an inch of skin untouched. As she leaned back on the red couch the only thought that crossed her mind was that any woman who looked for affection outside the bed of this man her was surely mad.

His kisses on her skin drifted lower, down her abdomen and to her scar once more. She shuddered as his hands reached the edge of the remaining blue silk and shoved them it past her knees, where Katara then kicked it away. Somewhere in the back of her mind she registered that he was still fully clothed, and if he was to reach his release first, his mouth could not continue on its current path.

"Zuko?" she called in her haze of pleasure.

"Yes Katara," he whispered against her flesh as his lips settled over the curls at her core. She bucked as his tongue dipped into her.

"You have to stop," she panted and then bit her lip tightly, attempting to squeeze her legs back together. Zuko was not going to be moved so easily, he simply pinned her limbs to the couch and continued in his ministrations. "I'm going to…" it drifted into another moan and she felt him chuckle.

"That is the point," he told her, then leaned back and gave her a curious stare. "What's the matter?"

"I can't reach completion before you," she blushed. "Men are supposed come before women."

"Says who?" he laughed again, and leaned forward once more. Katara was ready for him and simply scooted back onto the bed. She frowned.

"My tribe. It's what my Gran told me on my wedding night," she mumbled. It was true she thought it seemed unfair, but some things are ingrained so deeply into the mind that one couldn't fight it even if they wanted to.

"But you came first before," he told her remembering his dream. "Three times."

He crawled up towards her once more, that time slipping between her legs and settled his clothed form over her nude one.

"Last time was different."

"Because I wasn't conscious?" he asked.

Katara nodded. "I couldn't wake you."

Zuko pressed his cheek to hers as he bent to nuzzle her neck, near her left ear so that his scar rubbed gently against her skin.

"I have news for you," he said calmly, nipping her ear. "You aren't in the Watertribe now, but the Fire Nation. And as Firelord, I declare that you will come whenever I say."

"Zuko—," she said as his moved between her once more and took her with his mouth. "Oh yes…"

Her suckled hard on the sensitive nub, as she felt two fingers enter her. "Agni, Katara," his muffled words against her responsive flesh caused her to shudder uncontrollably. "You are so tight."

She lost it in that moment; the skill of his touch combined with the wanton thoughts that had haunted her mind since their last coupling sent her over the edge. With no one directly on top of her, Katara arched completely off the bed in her orgasm. She screamed and then took to murmuring his name over and over again.

Zuko moved slowly up her body, tracing her dark skin with his pale hands, adding soft kisses to keep her in a heated state. He was so warm, and Katara felt sleepy in that moment. He stood abruptly and Katara whimpered at the loss of his warmth. He stood next to the bed, the look of hunger still in his eye as he pulled the robe from his shoulders, then his shirt, boots, finally standing before her in just his dark pants. Reaching up he pulled the headpiece from his hair and let the ebony locks fall to his shoulders.

La, how she loved his long hair.

The past weeks had done wonders for his form. While still thin, all of the fatty foods had helped fill his limbs out, and his face. Katara wished to run her hands along the thin lines of muscle on his chest. She bit her lip and ogled him, hoping to reassure him of her attraction. Zuko smirked at her then; yes that message had been clear.

He slipped his pants down and Katara smiled at his impressive size, remembering the feel of his warm member inside of her caused her to growl in anticipation.

Judging her reaction he jumped back on the bed and kissed her hard, touching her everywhere at once. She couldn't seem to get enough of his skin either as she pulled him close to her and ran her hands down his stomach, pulling him by his manhood and demanding that he enter her.

Zuko hissed and thrust into her in a hurried motion, moaning at the familiar tightness.

He began driving into her, encouraged by her throaty groans and rough panting.

"Yes, yes, yes," he heard himself saying and nearly laughed at his words. "Katara you feel so good."

"Hnn," Katara tried to speak, but the sensations were building to fast to let her form a sentence. So she simply reached up and grabbed his face, sucking on his bottom lip, and ran her tongue along his teeth before breathing a cold breath into his mouth. The cold temperature brought him to attention from his thrusting and he moved to her neck, leaving fiery kisses on her neck, nuzzling her intensely.

"I love to taste you," he told her shoulder as he sat up, pulling them to their knees, he kept thrusting and Katara kept moaning, feeling the pressure build to an unrecognizable level. He was close as well, his pace increased and his breathing was erratic. The room grew colder then warmer. Katara felt the perspiration on their skins evaporating into steam as Zuko groaned.

Her hands held his shoulder as he held her face with one hand and steadied her hips with his other. Katara slipped her hands between them and rubbed his chest, then inching down to feel where they were joined. She gave a bashful smile as his look of surprise turned to one of ecstasy. Slowly she rubbed the base of his shaft, slipping a finger past his testicles and stroked the tender flesh between his manhood and rectum.

Zuko hissed in delight as he hit his release, emptying his seed into her as she broke into her own set of moans, collapsing against him in sated exhaustion. He laid them down then, still splaying gentle kisses over her body. Katara still ran her hands over his skin that seemed to have cooled slightly.

They stayed like that for several minutes, still intimately joined, lying on their sides, exchanging lazy kisses and soft caresses. Eventually he grew hard once more and rolled her onto her back. Resting on his elbows, he moved in and out of her, making sure to rub his smooth chest against her sensitive breasts.

"Mmm, Zuko…" she trailed off, her eyes closed as she faded slowly into desire. She wondered someday if he would make love to her in her sleep as she did him.

To answer her he placed a languorous kiss upon her lips as she clenched around him, he could feel her exhaustion and his own as well. Four strokes later she was arching her back once more. He followed her release, a blissful smile on his face for the pleasure they had shared.

Zuko held her as their breathing calmed and sleep overcame them, sated for the moment.

He woke sometime later, the moon was high in the window and Katara was at the end of the bed, hastily wrapping her breasts and placing her blue dress back around her waist.

"Where are you going?" he asked calmly. He had wanted her to stay with him all night.

"I'm going back to my room," she gave him a half smile. "Part of having an affair is that you can't be caught."

"Is that what this is, an affair?" his tone was a bit cooler that before. "I was under the impression that it was something much more."

Katara looked at him then, his half covered body splayed on the sheets. It was a tempting offer, staying the entire night, but she shuddered at the thought of Aang entering her room for some reason and finding her bed empty.

"Like what?" she asked him, making her way to his side. It was a dangerous move, but she wanted to see his eyes when he explained his words.

"I don't know," he rubbed his hair from his face, flipping it back in a very appealing motion. Katara placed a hand on his cheek for him to continue, but he moved and caught her palm against his lips. "I'm hesitant to use certain phrases. But I care for you on a much deeper level, more than what an affair entails. More like a relationship?"

"A relationship implies that this will continue, but by my reasoning, this can't go on once you're well. I can't stay here as your mistress," she rubbed his tired eye and sighed. "No matter how appealing that sounds."

"How long will you stay then?" his gold eyes burned into her.

"Aang is leaving for the Earth Kingdom in a week, he expected me to stay and heal you, but since you are so much better, I don't know what he'll want of me."

"And if you stay, how long?" there was a soft pleading in those words and Katara felt her eyes prickle with tears.

"A month maybe, six weeks at the longest, then I will return to the Southern Watertribe."

"A month of this—," he motioned between them. "—would make me a very happy man."

"Or it would spoil us both; make us sick once I leave. Do you want to do that?" she asked him. "My decision is made, but would you want that much between us, when you know you won't see me for a very long time, if ever again?"

"That's not true," he told her but she shook her head.

"Yes it is."

He was silent, thinking it over as his brow furrowed. "I want as much of you as I can get. At least leave me those memories, a perfect memory."

"I was hoping you would be the sensible one," Katara said, taking his face within her hands. "I'd much rather have memories than nothing at all," she whispered into his lips.

Zuko kissed her, but more concerned with showing her just how much he wanted her by his side at that moment, by pressing his body against hers.

"Stay a bit longer," he whispered to her ear. Katara smiled to him.

"Alright," she murmured into his neck, wondering why she couldn't say no to the man holding her. She knew it had something to do with a certain four letter word. In that moment Katara wondered if Zuko could ever love her as she did him.

Pleased by her response he placed her at his side; wrapping his arms about her waist he hummed a light melody in her ear.

She drifted to sleep within that tender lullaby.

/

Shadowed from light, we hide, we wait,

Touches swift and thorough.

Day a mask of foolishness

From faces surely borrowed.

Kisses in corners, saved for dreams,

Time no longer a friend.

Passion built, encompassing sorrow

And the only logical end.

Fire that burns, water to soothe

Nothing is left in between.

Except for the feelings we kept in our heart

And a future to never be seen.

Eyes of ember, oceans vast

Hips crash into our sight.

So patiently, we love, escape

In the cover of night.

/

/

A/N- Okay, that was chapter 9- My original idea when I came up with the story was to write it as a really short piece, just about Katara and Zuko's infidelity, but adding more characters and plot was what my muse wanted, so that's what I did.

I hope you enjoyed the shamless fluffy smut.

BTW- someone asked why Zuko didn't know how to dance last chapter. Idk, I just figured he was like the rest of the Firenation in that nobody knew how to dance because they didn't hold public dances anymore. I was just referencing the information I got from the Headband episode (or as I like to call it Footloose 2: Avatar Style). In that episode it seemed like dancing had been forgotten. I know, I pick the smallest things to keep in character and then everything else just goes out the window.

That also relates to Katara's ideas of lovemaking in this chapter. I figured it would add more to their relationship if Katara was taught in her patriarchal culture what exactly should happen between men and women. I guess that would make Gran Gran a little OOC, right? Well somebody has to be, oh well.

As always, thanks for reading and reviewing! See you next chapter.