Chapter 11: Touch

The moment was still, so still that Katara was convinced her breathing would deafen her if someone didn't speak soon. Everyone had left - the councillors, servants, advisors - everyone except Zuko who now stood opposite her in the vast and empty hall. She had stopped crying at last but she still couldn't help feeling hopelessly awkward standing alone and opposite Zuko. Her confused mind tried desperately to process through what exactly he was to her now. How many changes was their relationship to endure? Once her enemy, he had become her friend, then a Lord of an entire nation and now…now her fiancé. Despite the heat of the fire nation during the day it could often hit goose-bump inducing temperatures at night. Clad in her somewhat insufficient dress, Katara shuddered against the breeze that swept through from the open door.

"You're cold" Zuko stated, rather unnecessarily.

"I am" Katara responded, equally as unnecessarily. "Perhaps I should…" she was about to suggest she retire to her rooms but before she could finish, a heavy and beautifully warm cloak had landed on her shoulders.

"But what about you?" she went to return the cloak, feeling guilty that her complaining would lead to him being cold, but he stopped her with a small smile and a shake of his head.

"Fire bender." he offered as explanation. Seeing the blank look on her face he tried to elaborate, "we're hot blooded". Apparently even that explanation wasn't enough, Katara's expression remained confused. He hunted around for the right words but eventually settled on the easiest way he could think of to demonstrate what it meant to be a fire bender. Taking one of her hands gently in his, he raised it to his chest. Slowly, so as not to frighten her, he pressed it against the skin above his heart. An electric shock pulsed through him from the point of contact and, judging by the look on Katara's face, he wasn't the only one who had felt it. Quickly, he realised he hadn't thought this plan through well enough as his heart began to increase furiously in speed at the feeling of her skin against his. Katara's eyes widened as she felt the heat of his skin. It was that perfect temperature - like the feeling of sitting beside a fire and letting its glow bathe your skin. She tried, and failed, to stop the shiver that ran down her spine at the feel of his warm skin. Zuko, meanwhile, was enduring a similar struggle. Katara's shiver only triggered certain reactions in him, ones that he fought very hard to control. In that moment, he could not resist the gasp that her reaction to him elicited. Katara pulled away, ashamed and embarrassed by her brazenness.

"Well," Katara forced a smile to mask her embarrassment, "perhaps we should go to bed?"

Zuko froze in wide-eyed shock, confusing Katara even further. It took Katara's addled mind a few more seconds to understand Zuko's reaction to her suggestion and a crimson blush flooded across her cheeks.

"No!" she quickly tried to explain herself, flustered by her inadvertent mistake. "No, no, no! I…I didn't mean…well I didn't mean we should…not like that…not together…I…" She let the words fade into silence and hung her head, furious with herself for allowing her own words to humiliate her. An explosive and unexpected laugh lifted her from her sudden mood crash. She immediately looked up at Zuko who was hunched over, clutching his ribs as laugh after laugh cascaded through him.

"You don't need to laugh at me!" Katara sulked, but within seconds she too was crouching as his laughter consumed her. It was a relief to laugh after such bewildering intensity. Eventually, the laughter subsided, taking the earlier awkwardness with it. The young couple stood opposite each other now with matching comfortable smiles on their faces.

"Well, Lady Katara," Zuko bowed mockingly, "oh, sorry, I mean just Katara. May I accompany you to the door of your room?" his mockery earned him a sharp slap across the back of the head but Katara only giggled as she accepted his offer and his arm.

Having walked Katara to her room, Zuko returned to his. Once safely inside, he collapsed against the wall, his heart thundering against his chest. Despite all the arrangements, problems and complaints he knew he would have to endure tomorrow - he felt lighter than he ever had in his entire life. So this was love. Agni, he had never felt anything like this before and he had fully believed he was in love with Mai. Experiencing now the full fire of the thing called love he realised he had felt nothing like it for Mai. Even the guilt of such a realisation could not bring him down from the almost unbearable emotional height he had reached. For the hundredth time he relived the events of that day. He saw vividly in his mind - Katara looking into his eyes, Katara agreeing to be his bride, Katara blushing as her hand touched his chest, Katara as they said goodnight. They had lingered at the doorway, neither wanting to say goodbye. Eventually she had whispered goodnight before, with the poise of a ballerina, leaning up onto her toes to brush his cheek with her soft lips. It had taken every ounce of strength in him not to grab her and put her lips to better use against his but it was too soon for that and he was still wary of frightening her. She had made a massive life alteration that day and he didn't want to push her too hard. But the Gods knew she tested his self control. He was beyond help where that woman was concerned; he was in love. With a contented sigh, he fell onto his four poster bed and allowed his dreams the freedom as he slept that he couldn't risk permitting them when he was awake.

It was only after Zuko had left that Katara had realised his robe was still wrapped around her shoulders. She had rushed out - half hoping that he was still there and she could see him again, half scared of what she might do if he was - but he was already gone. She had returned to her room and closed the door firmly before allowing herself an indulgent moment to hug the robe to her chest, pressing the fabric to her nose to inhale the scent of the man who was unwittingly driving her wild. Flopping onto the bed, she allowed the scents of cinnamon, mahogany and leather filtered through and eased her to the most restful sleep she had experienced since she arrived in the fire nation.


In the midst of all the euphoria it was all too easy to forget the stark warnings of the oracle. But just north of the capital, hidden in the mountains, the proof of the threat was stirring. A dense patch of darkness had gathered at the highest peek, a patch that dragged and pulled everything surrounding it into its foreboding circle. The tallest, proudest tree stood equal to a single blade of grass against the darkness' almighty hunger. But from the depths, the most horrifying aspect was yet to make its entrance into the world. The only clue it offered of its existence was the soulless laugh that echoed out across the mountain. Had anyone heard it they would have found their heart frozen at the sound of it. Yes, something evil was coming, something that could destroy them all. And only two young water benders stood in their way.


(A.N. I am churning them out here! It's going to be hard when I go back to university in a couple of weeks. Yes guys, I'm afraid to admit that the update rate will slow in a serious way when I'm back there. I will promise now though that I will update at least every other week at the least! As ever, I am LOVING writing this and I only hope that you're enjoying reading it just as much. Thank you for reading and all your reviews - they keep me motivated. My favourite this week was from sokkantylee. As odd as this may sound, I am SO glad I almost made you cry lol! Thanks, guys. Over and out!)