Footsteps thundered down the inner halls of the Fire Nation Palace. Two men and four women, clutching hair brushes, pins, bolts of fabric, and dance shoes, raced through the home of the Fire Lord, all of them searching for the same woman.

"Lady Katara!" They all called out as quietly as possible while rushing around the expansive palace, careful to not disturb the royals or alert their lord that they had lost his favorite guest while preparing her for the birthday celebration.

The woman in question was currently sliding over the mud at the bottom of the waterlily pond. Making sure one of the flowering aquatic plants was over her head, she raised her eyes just above the surface. The herd of trackers emerged from the labyrinth of a palace and ran past just as she ducked back under where it was peaceful. Katara closed her eyes and let herself float down to the bottom. It was the most relaxed she had been since leaving her room that morning. The decorative fish swam around her body in comforting swirls, just as the creatures of the ocean had. She wove her hands into the muck, reveling in its soft, smooth texture. She smiled, remembering the day she had fought with the girl who had become a sister to her in less than a year.

The mud under her body suddenly started to harden. Katara tried to wriggle away, but it held her fast. Her arms and legs were locked together, limiting her bending and preventing any chance of escape. Lifting her up like a human sacrifice, she erupted from her watery hideout.

"Hide and seek is over, Sugar Queen. The coast is clear."

Katara flopped onto the shore, covered in water plants and grinning at the person who had blown her cover. "What a coincidence. I was just thinking about you, Toph." She laughed at the blind woman standing over her and wearing a ridiculous grin that was almost a smirk. "But did you really have to bring me back? I was enjoying myself down there."

Toph scoffed, rolling her eyes. "I never thought that a water bender would enjoy rolling around in the mud so much." She stood impatiently while Katara cleaned herself with the pond water. "Is that really clean water?" she asked finally.

Katara stopped, turning slowly. "Since when has the Blind Bandit cared whether the water I use to clean myself is pure?"

The Bandit rolled her eyes. "Never. But I have to smell you, and I really cannot stand the scent of fish at all. Plus, I have a more acute sense of smell than most people."

Her friend sighed and returned the water. "Relax. As a water bender, I can purify any water easily. Now, was there a specific reason for you to hunt me down or did you just want to chat?"

"Neither. It's unfair that you get to hide from those annoying people while I have to sit there quietly and get prettied up." She stuck her finger in her ear and flicked away a piece of earwax, something that looked completely wrong for a woman in a delicate green silk robe to be doing. "I figured I might as well drag somebody I can stand through the torture with me."

"You're kindness and love know no bounds," Katara replied sarcastically. "So how have you been since we all last met at the South Pole? Are you still in Be Sing Se with Iroh's tea shop?"

Toph's eyes fell, her expression becoming cloudy. "Yeah. I still help run it." She took a deep breath. "Aang came to see us."

All of the air whooshed out of Katara's lungs. It felt as if she had been punched in the gut. "What... What did... did he say..."

"Nothing."

Katara took a tentative breath. "Oh."

"He said he was going to go find other air benders, and that he had to go alone, which was why he broke up with you. He also said that he should've let you go before the Comet. And then he just... collapsed."

"What was wrong? Was he sick? Was it an Avatar thing?"

"Whoa! Whoa! Hold up there, Sugar Queen. It was only the sleeping drugs I slipped into his tea. He'd flow Appa straight to Ba Sing Se without stopping. They all needed a lot of rest." They walked a bit farther, steering clear of the paved paths. "So. You and Sparky, huh?"

Katara sighed. "I... I... I really don't know. I mean, he's the Fire Lord-"

"-and you're the woman who made sure he was alive long enough to make it there," the stubborn earth bender countered. "Remember? The fight where his sister went insane?"

"Toph, I'm the reason he got hit!" The younger woman blinked in surprise. "The story I told you... it wasn't completely true." She turned away as the truth came tumbling out. "Zuko was fighting Azula just fine. I was standing behind him, watching, wishing I could do something to help him. Then they stopped to face each other. Zuko gathered himself, ready to counter any attack she could throw at him. She had her eyes glued to his, her body poised like a feral cat. But, for some reason, her gaze flickered to me for just a second. One second. She started smiling like a maniac as she summoned that awful blue fire and attacked. But she aimed for me. For his..."

"His weakness," Toph finished, her voice faint with shock. "Even she knew he would do anything for you."

"Stop it Toph!" Katara turned on her friend, tears blurring her vision. "He would've done the same thing for you! For Aang! For Sokka or Suki! It wasn't just me!" She hiccuped, wiping the tears from her eyes. "It was not just me."

Toph wrapped her arms around her friend. Katara sobbed quietly, her hands clutching the arms wrapped around her. They stood together for a long time until at last Katara's tears dried and her sobs stopped. "Toph, what would I do without you?"

The blind woman shrugged. "I dunno. Probably die." They laughed together, not because it was funny, but because they needed to lift their spirits and move on.

"What's so funny?" The girls turned to see a shirtless Zuko standing behind them, one arm leaning on a wooden pole. The scar he had earned from the battle against Azula glistened in the middle of his chest as if to slap Katara in the face and remind her how much pain she had already caused him. "And why are you two all the way down here? Don't you have to go get ready?"

"Psh. As if. Do you really think I care? And Katara doesn't need to waste her time getting plastered with make-up, now does she?"

Katara looked down, a slight grin accompanied by a blush spreading across her face. Zuko just chuckled. "No, she does not." He raised the towel that was in his other hand to wipe his dripping face. "I was just working off some pent-up energy. Would you ladies care to watch?" He bowed to them, his silly grin contagious.

"Thank you, Lord of the Fire Nation," Katara replied, bowing back, "but you of all people should know that women do not belong in the stands at fighting arenas." Zuko looked up, puzzled. "Especially not the teachers of the Avatar. We will, of course, be participating."

He smirked, accepting her challenge. "Of course! How could I not offer to let two of the strongest benders in the whole world come spar with us! My sincerest apologies."

"Us?" Toph cut in. "Who's 'us?'"

Zuko turned. "The best of the best that the Fire Nation has to offer. These men have been training their whole lives to be a part of my special guard. To keep them on their toes, we sometimes come down here to spar. Would you care to help? It's not every day they get to fight against other benders."

Toph cracked her knuckles. "You had me at 'best of the best.' We'll see just how good these wussies really are." She marched past the other two into the ring. "Alright! Look lively you scum!" Her booming voice echoed around the ring and made all of the men jump. "Today you worthless piles of crap are going to get some REAL training!"

Katara laughed as she watched the blind earth bender command the poor guards, some of them three times as tall as her, to drop and give her 50 push-ups. "They have no idea what's just hit them," she whispered to Zuko as they followed their friend. "Are you sure you want us to torture them before the party?"

"Of course! They have the night off tonight. With all of the benders that are going to be here tonight, I figured I would be safe."

"Oh?" Katara arched her eyebrow. "So you are releasing your private guard for the night on the assumption that I'll be there to save your ass if anything bad happens?"

"Well, yes, that is the plan." He stopped, turning so he was fully facing her.

"What if I the one attacking?" she said, her tone playful.

Zuko chuckled and leaned in close, lowering his voice. "Then I'll just win. As usual."

"In your dreams." Her neck was curved upwards, her lips dancing in front of his. Remembering that all-too-brief moment earlier, she nearly gave in to the temptation to taste him once again. Spinning away, she undid the knot on the robe she was wearing, letting it fall to the dust a safe distance away. Standing in only her under wrappings, she took her traditional water bending stance. "If you're so sure that you can finally win, then prove it."

Zuko took up his own stance. "With pleasure."

The pair watched each other for a moment longer before the dusty arena erupted in an explosion of water and fire. Blue and orange and dark and light danced around and above and below and with each other, every attack perfectly countered, every step flawlessly matched. Toph and her newest batch of bitches froze, unable to tear their gaze away from the dazzling, frightening pair before them. "That, kids, is how it's done," their blind instructor commented, able to feel the steps they took on the ground and elements they so skillfully controlled. The breath of the two opponents became shallower as the attacks brought them closer and closer until they were fighting hand-to-hand, all bending forgotten. Fists flew and heads ducked until at last Zuko managed to wrap his hand around Katara's hair. Snapping her whole body around, he whispered in her ear.

"I win."

Katara growled. Throwing her weight against him, she twisted out of his grip before flipping him over her head. Pouncing on his chest, she pinned his stronger arm to the dirt above his head and wrapped her other hand around his throat. "I don't think so," she purred, triumphant. As usual.

As they laid there, panting, Katara was acutely aware of Zuko's steaming body under her sweating one. She could feel the pulsing of his heart through the veins under her fingers. His whole body was still battle-tensed, every muscle taunt and solid.

Katara was not pure; she had slept with other men before. Some from her village, some in the North, and one of two from the other nations. But never had she ached to be with any of them as she wanted the one she had bested. She was now battling herself, keeping her body hovering over his instead of pressing against it, holding her head away from his soft neck. The hand she had pinned against his body was curled around her calf now, his fingers dancing up her leg to rest on the bare skin just above the back of her knee. Her face drew closer to his, her body ready for a different sort of fight. Her hand slid to the back of his neck, her fingers weaving into his shaggy hair. Before she knew what was happening, before she could react, Zuko closed the distance between them. His lips pressed into her wild hair, searching for her ear. "You've beaten me. Now I am yours to command." His soothing voice, husky with desire, sent a shiver through her body. He pulled back, waiting for her to speak.

"What an amazing teach you guys have! He makes you a stronger bender AND a ladies man!" Toph, crazy, loud, loyal, sensible Toph, brought them back to the present. Katara pushed off Zuko's chest, rising quickly and offering the Fire Lord her arm. He took it and was yanked up. "And that, gentlemen, is how you fight fire with water. Now, who wants to take her on?" Zuko bowed and stepped away as a cocky, handsome young man rose to the challenge. He stood next to Toph as Katara and her new opponent bowed in the center of the ring. "Way to go, Sparky," Toph said quietly. Zuko flinched.

The man threw two successive fireballs at the water bender's face. She swallowed them in a wave that seemed to appear out of midair. This is child's play for her, Zuko scoffed. She's been fighting that attack since before she was taught by a master. More fire flew from his hands and feet, each projectile increasing in size and speed. He's testing her, he realized.

"His mistake," Toph said, as if reading his mind. Not a second later, the man fell with a dull thud onto the arena floor, a puff of dust taking flight. Katara leaned down and lifted him under his arms. As he rose, Zuko could see the icy shackles that held his feet and hands together. Water swirled over his mouth.

"Never underestimate another bender, no matter what nation or gender. Wasting you time testing them could be your biggest and last mistake ever." She released him and he hobbled over to his comrades. "Toph, would you like to help me tag-team these children? It seems that they don't respect female benders like they should."

Toph's grin stretched from ear to ear. She cracked her knuckles over her head. "Sounds like out kind of job. I only wish Suki was here to put them in their place like she did to your bro." They laughed as they both pictured Sokka in the traditional armor and face paint of the warrior women on Kyoshi Island. Ever since the earth bender had been told the story, it had become her favorite of the times the Gaang had spent together before finding her. "Alright!" she snapped, switching from giggling girl to drill sargent in the blink of an eye. "You, you, and you. Out here. Now!" The three she had randomly pointed to jogged into the fighting ring, their eyes betraying just how intimidating they found the blind one.

"Go easy on them, Pebbles," Zuko chided, using his new nickname for her. "I need them to all come out in one piece, and preferably no blood."

Toph yawned, waving her hand at the Fire Lord. "Chill, Sparky. We're only here with the greatest healer in the world. Anything I break, she can fix." Katara rolled her eyes as Toph smirked in her direction. "Now! You all know how to fight as a unit, correct?" In response, the men took fighting stances that perfectly complimented the others. "Good. Here we go!"

The shadows grew longer as they continued to fight, fire against water and earth. Sometimes the girls would fight with the guards against Zuko or another guard or each other. Sometimes Katara and Zuko would fight together against the guards. At one point, they were fighting all of the guards except the one Katara had already bested.

He stood, captivated, as their elements came together into single attacks that nearly blew the others out of the arena. "Beautiful," he murmured. Toph nodded in agreement. "They are the perfect example of opposites working together in perfect harmony." He looked at her, stunned that she was there and had heard him, so she replied the only way Toph really could; a punch of love.

They were always careful to avoid any prolonged looks or touching. They even made sure that they were never on opposite teams. Fleeting glances, like school children too shy to talk to each other, were all that they allowed each other. Toph kept the men busy, making sure that they would forget the image of their leader being straddled by a water bender, and Katara was eternally grateful.

As the last man of the drill hit the floor, Toph dusted herself off and grinned at Sparky, who she had been fighting with. "Well, I think that's enough ass-kicking for tonight. What do you say Katara?"

The woman in question was bent over a man's arm, her brows furrowing as she repaired a hairline fracture. The water faded just as her face relaxed. "There, all finished. But try to keep weight off it for a few days. Go easy on the push-ups." She gave a breath-taking smile as she rose and patted his cheek. "I think it's time we went to a party, Toph!" she called, walking towards the exit. Zuko came up beside them.

"Thank you both so much. I don't know how to repay you." He glanced back at his men who were nursing their various bruises. "They needed that more than you know. They knock me down once and they think their unstoppable."

"Anytime you need somebody to whip those pussies into shape, just send for us. It's what we do best."

Katara grinned. "Toph, I think we've run from those beauticians long enough. We're going to relive our day in Ba Sing Se."

Toph yelped. "Awesome! Do we get to dump the prissy bitches into a river again?!"

Zuko gave Katara a puzzled, and worried, look. She grinned. "I think we need to play nice tonight." Toph's shoulders dropped. "But I never said we'd play nice tomorrow."

The earth bender laughed. "I can feel your anxiousness vibrating through the air, Sparky. Just chill. We'll only dump the dumb, no-name ones in the river. The princesses go into the pond." She walked away, her grin stretching from ear to ear.

Zuko watched her go in horror. "I am going to have to lock that woman up," he muttered.

Katara smiled. "That's our girl," she replied.

They stood for a moment longer, their eyes looking everywhere but at each other. "So, I guess I'll see you at the party."

"Your party," she corrected.

He chuckled. "Don't remind me." He sighed, his eyes finally finding hers. "You know, I'm not sure if I'll be able to dance with you tonight. You'll have to tell me what you're wearing so I can find you."

Katara smirked. She stepped up to him, so close that she could feel the heat pulsing from his body. "I'll be the one in red," she breathed. Then she twirled away to join her friend, leaving the man behind her confused and speechless.

A/N: HA. You all thought I was dead, didn't you? I'm sure you did. This chapter was just such a struggle to write! But then I had the girls kick some manly ass so it's all good. A little shorter that usual, but oh well. It's up!

And yes, I know I promised a dance this chapter, but this scene got a little long. I don't care if it has nothing to do with anything (except for some almost Zutara sexytimes) I liked it. So NEXT chapter, a dance. And some party crashers. A big huge cookie for the person that guesses the right person!!