Katara felt considerably lighter for the rest of the day, not only because someone else now knew of her struggle, but because Toph had indeed kept it to herself. Aang seemed to be in better spirits too and spent most of his day training his firebending forms. Katara was impressed with how far he had come in just a few short days.
But as the sun moved across the sky and dipped lower and lower at the end of the day, the less Katara thought Sokka and Zuko would be returning that night. She found herself annoyed with their absence – why was a fishing trip more important than preparing Aang for the fight ahead?
The sun had just set when Katara heard Aang's anxious voice calling out, "There's a war ship approaching!"
She and Toph ran to where Aang was standing, his arms lifted in the air as if preparing to attack as they watched the ship lowering to the rocky surface – it was different from the war balloon Katara and Zuko had come in – at least twice as big with an actual compartment rather than a hallow hull.
The ship wasn't attacking, so the group watched and waited as it landed smoothly before them, the door swinging down into a bridge. Katara watched tensely, her eyes searching in the dark as two figures stirred from within. She nearly gasped when Sokka and Zuko emerged, accomplished smiles on their faces.
"Sokka? Zuko?" Aang said in surprise as Katara stepped forward.
"What are you doing in this thing? What happened to the war balloon?"
"It kind of got destroyed." Zuko said easily, the smile not faltering from his face.
"Sounds like a crazy fishing trip." Aang noted, turning to Toph as she perked up hopefully at their arrival.
"Did you at least get some good meat?"
"I did. The best meat of all. The meat of friendship and fatherhood."
Everyone watched as, from within the war balloon, more bodies began to shift out of the darkness. Suki was the first to emerge, surprising everyone as a larger body followed. Hakoda peeled out of the darkness with a limp and stopped on the ramp, his eyes scanning desperately for his daughter. His eyes locked on hers at the same time she spotted him. Both of their hearts seemed to stop as Katara gasped.
"Dad!" Her voice cracked from the overflowing emotion of seeing him, her feet carrying her to him instantly.
Hakoda reached the end of the plank and dropped to his knees before Katara barreled into his arms, his face pressing into her hair desperately.
"Katara." Hakoda choked out, adding through his tears, "You're alive…you're alive…" His words were drown out by his sobs as Katara clutched to him tighter, her own sob finally breaking through, though muffled in Hakoda's neck. After a few long moments of just holding each other, Katara finally sucked in a calming breath to speak.
"You're okay…" She whispered shakily, feeling her legs wobbling beneath her as she hoarsely added, "I was so worried about you."
"I'm so sorry, Katara. I'm sorry I wasn't there for you." He slid his hands against her face and guided her away from him to look at her, really look at her as he questioned tensely, "Did they hurt you?"
"Dad, it's okay. Everything is fine now." She assured, gripping his wrists with her hands as she took in his appearance as well. His face was sunken in and pale with dark, tired bags under his eyes – but otherwise he was in one piece. "How are you here?" She questioned in disbelief, her eyes darting to Sokka who was smiling happily at their reunion.
"We kind of went to a Fire Nation prison." Sokka sounded almost smug as he sang the words, his head held high.
Katara couldn't find it in her to be mad at them, not with them standing safely in front of her with their father out of harm's way. Without another word, she gripped Sokka's wrist and dragged him into their hug, relieved to have her family whole once again.
"But seriously, you guys didn't find any meat?"
Everyone had given Katara, Sokka, and Hakoda time to be alone after the commotion of their return. It was well into the night by the time they turned in for sleep, parting to their respective rooms for the night (with no one noticing Sokka sneaking into Suki's room).
Katara was still on such a high from the events of the night that she didn't even think about the night of sleep ahead – so she was even more surprised when she turned into her room and found Zuko sitting on her bed waiting for her.
"Zuko!" She whispered harshly, her hand darting to her chest from being startled.
He stood up and offered her an apologetic look before stepping towards her.
"Sorry – I wasn't sure when you'd be back so I thought I'd wait. I just wanted to say I'm sorry for not telling you – " But before he could finish, Katara had jumped into his arms, wrapping her arms around his neck and practically pulling him down into her.
Zuko had never been much of a hugger, not since his mom had disappeared – but since being around Katara, he was getting more comfortable with it so he barely hesitated to return the hug by wrapping his arms around her back, his fingers pressing into her body firmly.
"Thank you." She whispered into his ear, her hot breath fanning against his skin.
After a moment, Zuko admitted, "I thought you'd be mad at me."
"Oh, I think you're a complete idiot for doing what you did," Katara began, but her tense words melted away when she added with realization, "But you went to keep my brother safe."
She tightened her hold, Zuko unable to ignore the feeling of all of her curves pressing into him, before her hand slipped along from the back of his neck to his cheek. She slid her face to mirror her hand on the opposite side and pressed her lips to his cheek, feeling the ridges of his scar against her nose. She realized as she was doing it that this peck wasn't like the ones she gave Aang or her brother, or even Toph when she could sneak them in.
She hadn't exactly decided on doing it, either, it just happened naturally – she pressed her lips fully against his flushed skin and let them linger just a little too long, pulling away slow enough that her lips made a resounding smack in the quiet room as they released from his cheek.
She pulled away just enough that she could still feel his breath against her skin but far enough that she could look him in the eyes. Katara noticed his eyes were slightly hooded as if he were in a daze as her fingers flexed around the back of his neck. His eyes slid down to her lips and Katara felt her stomach tense in anticipation. It would be so easy for him to lean forward and kiss her, and she was surprised at how excited that prospect made her.
She looked at him intently and waited, but his hesitation sent her excited anticipation crashing to her feet. Realizing he wasn't going to make a move, Katara smirked sadly and pulled away from him to lower herself onto her bed. Zuko hovered awkwardly nearby until she patted the spot next to her in an invitation for him to sit.
Katara convinced Zuko to recount their harrowing rescue mission at the Boiling Rock, which he did. Katara sat across from him with her legs folded beneath her, listening with great interest and even leaning towards him when the story got tense. Finally, when Zuko got to the part about getting himself thrown into the freezer for the night, Katara nearly gasped before shoving him.
Zuko kept himself from toppling completely over by pressing his forearm against the bed, but his gentle laughter kept him propped on his arm as he questioned, "What was that for?" Though he knew – he had a feeling she wouldn't have been thrilled with that stunt.
"You must have a death wish, Zuko. Why would you do something so dangerous?" She chastised, not finding the humor in it as Zuko rose back upright.
"In the grand scheme of things, that was probably the least dangerous thing I did on the whole trip." He said matter-of-factly, but all that did was further Katara's disapproval. "I wasn't in any danger in the freezer – I can regulate my body temperature with my bending."
Katara's face softened at that information as she looked at Zuko with intrigue. "You can?"
"Yeah, Uncle taught me. Haven't you ever noticed how hot my skin is?"
"Well, yeah, but I thought that was just…you. I just thought maybe you were naturally…hotter." Katara realized only too late her choice of words and bit her lip self-consciously, thankful that at least Zuko didn't seem to think twice about it.
Instead, he scooted closer to her until their knees were touching and took Katara's hands into his own, lifting them to his lips and breathing out gently. Katara watched intently as his breath came out glowing orange, fanning over her skin like a heater as his hands undeniably heated up against hers. Katara looked up to him with a large smile and wide eyes, feeling like a kid discovering something for the first time.
"That's so cool!"
Zuko's face flushed as he smiled at her excitement.
When Zuko released Katara's hands and they fell back into her lap, a chill swept through the room causing her to miss the heat immediately. She hugged her knees to her chest as Zuko laid back on the bed, his eyes heavy and his breathing deep.
"I don't think I can move anymore tonight." He said lowly, his words drawn out as if it were getting more difficult for him to stay awake. She knew he was exhausted – but still, a smile rose to her lips at the prospect of sharing a bed with him that night.
"Then don't." Katara said simply. Before Zuko could counter with what would be "appropriate," she lowered herself into his side so she was sandwiched between him and the wall. Katara rested her head on Zuko's shoulder, the act jolting him awake. Before he could protest, however, Katara asked in a soft, innocent voice, "do you mind?"
Zuko remained still for a few long moments, as if letting it all sink in, before she felt the tension in his body lift. He made sure to keep his hands at his sides, even though he would have liked to wrap them around her – even just to see what it would be like.
"No, I don't mind. This is okay?" He questioned and almost instantly felt her nod into his chest, humming an, "mm-hmm."
Just before she dozed off, Katara smiled when she felt Zuko's body heat up again, encasing her in a warm cocoon.
By morning, just as the sun is beginning to peek out from over the horizon, Zuko is stirring in his sleep. The peaceful serenity of the night is being taken over by a nightmare as his body twitches and sweat drips from his brow. His restlessness stirs Katara who groggily lifts herself from the bed – it takes a few moments for the sleep to wear off before she realizes what is happening, and seeing Zuko in distress has her snapping awake instantly.
"Zuko…" Her voice is a bit anxious as she places a hand on his chest. She can feel how rapidly his heart is beating and it makes her a bit frantic. She grips his shoulder with her other hand and shakes, trying to wake him from whatever nightmare has him in its grips. "Zuko, wake up!"
Katara is careful not to raise her voice too high, but it seems her efforts are only making it worse. Finally, after calling his name and shaking him a bit more urgently, Zuko's eyes shoot open as he gasps in a start. His hands secure themselves around her wrists before she could even register he had moved, but she can see his eyes are still unfocused. His grip isn't painful, but it is firm enough that she can't pull away.
"Zuko, it's okay, it's me. It's Katara." She assures gently as Zuko blinks away what's left of the nightmare. He works to get his breathing back under control as his grip on her loosens.
"Katara." He says out of breath, his head falling back to the bed. "I'm sorry…"
"It's okay." She assured softly, lifting her hand to his forehead to brush the matted hair from his eyes. As his breathing evened out, Katara asked hesitantly, "do you want to talk about it?"
Katara watched as Zuko rubbed at his eyes roughly, dragging his wrist along his brow before moving to sit up. He kept his eyes cast down but she could tell his mind was working of what to tell her. She didn't want to push him so she just waited patiently for him to speak.
"I'm okay I just – I have nightmares sometimes."
"Are they about," Katara was hesitant to finish her question, and paused as Zuko's eyes finally lifted to hers. She motioned towards him, making it clear she was trying to ask about his scar without actually saying it as Katara asked, "your dad?"
Zuko's face changed just enough that Katara felt she had made him uncomfortable with her question, so she tried to reassure him by noting, "I only ask because – well, I used to have nightmares about my mom and – I still sometimes do and…"
"Sometimes they're about him." Zuko confirmed quietly, surprising her when he added, "sometimes they're about my mom."
Sensing that was all he was willing to share at the moment, Katara nodded in understanding and placed her hand over his. After a moment of silence, she gripped his hand and scooted off the bed, pulling him with her.
"Common, let's get breakfast started before anyone else wakes up."
Katara and Zuko were only alone for a short time before the rest of the group began waking up and joining them inside the shuttered room near their fountain. Everyone grabbed their meal and sat in little groups, easy conversations filling the air. The sun was working its way into the sky, making way for another beautiful day.
Their tranquil morning was quickly cut short when the walls around them began to shake. Everyone looked around, confused what could have jolted the temple so drastically, when the bridge leading out from the fountain exploded.
Everyone moved at once, some to find where the danger was coming from, others shielding the younger members of the group. The temple rattled again, this time rocks and dust raining down from the ceiling above them. That was when they saw the fleet of Fire Nation war balloons come into view, a sense of dread falling over the group when they realized who was leading the attack – Princess Azula.
Aang acted quickly, jumping forward with his staff just as another flaming bolder was launched from their ships. The airbender whipped his staff with one powerful thrust, managing to shut all of the stone doors around them, momentarily shielding them from any damage. Or so they thought.
The jolt rocked the temple so harshly that chunks of the ceiling were now caving in, one particularly large piece breaking off right above an unsuspecting Katara. Zuko moved swiftly, pulling Suki behind him and out of danger before launching forward and barreling into Katara right before the heavy stone crashed into the ground.
Zuko wrapped his arms protectively around the waterbender as they both slammed harshly onto the ground, Zuko in turn taking the brunt of the fall – he hissed as his arms scraped roughly along the stone floor before they both roughly came to a stop.
"Zuko – " Katara groaned, moving to her knees but not pulling away from his grip, instead she moved her hands around his chest and pulled him to his feet, moving them towards the others just as more debris fell behind them.
Zuko regained his composure and gripped Katara's hand into his as he led her to the back of the room where everyone else was now gathered.
Toph and Haru were quick to create a tunnel as pieces of stone crumbled from the temple and urged everyone into the safety of its confines. The multiple bodies began filing into the dark space as Aang took hold of Appa's reins.
Just as he began to pull his large companion towards the tunnel, Aang noticed Zuko moving towards the chaos outside.
"What are you doing?" Aang shouted over the blasts and falling rubble, catching Katara's attention as she was making her way for the tunnel with the others.
"Go ahead! I'll hold them off." Zuko announced, not hesitating to wait for any objections as he sprinted towards the now-broken doors of the temple.
Katara shot towards him, fear coursing through her as she shouted desperately, "Zuko, no!"
Before she could get past Aang, he had grabbed onto her to hold her back just as another large piece of the ceiling came crashing down. After the dust cleared, Katara attempted to get passed Aang but Sokka was close behind to help keep her put.
"He'll be fine, Katara – common, we have to get everyone out of here!" Sokka used his weight to guide Katara back into the tunnel as Aang once again struggled with Appa.
Katara couldn't stop looking back to where Zuko had disappeared in worry, but reluctantly agreed that she needed to make sure everyone else got out safely. She could only pray Zuko would stay safe long enough for them to retrieve him.
"I can't get him to go in there! Appa hates tunnels!" Aang called over his shoulder.
"Aang, there's no way we can't fly out of here." Sokka informed him grimly as he and Katara came to help pull on his reins as well, hoping it would get the bison to budge. With no luck, Aang looked towards the opening in the temple.
"We'll have to find a way."
Exasperated, Sokka straightened himself, abandoning his efforts with Appa, as he announced, "We need to split up." The young water tribe warrior ran over to his comrades and instructed sternly, "go through the tunnel and get to the stolen air ship."
Katara realized quickly that Sokka intended for their father to accompany the others out through the tunnel, meaning they would be separated after just finding each other again.
"No." She said harshly, running next to Sokka and angrily looking from him to their dad. "The Fire Nation can't split up our family again!"
Hakoda stepped towards her and put a reassuring hand on her shoulder – having to part from her again after having lost her before was near impossible, but he knew it was what had to be done. With as much strength as he could muster, he tried to reassure her.
"It's not forever. You're safe now, and so am I. It'll be okay, I promise."
Katara had to grit her teeth, but realizing she didn't have the luxury of time to fight him or any of them on this considering the temple was about to collapse on them, she nodded and pulled him in a for a hug.
Sokka grasped onto his father one last time as well before taking ahold of Suki's hand and ushering her towards Appa.
"I can clear this out and we can fly through there!" Toph insured, propelling herself into Appa's saddle as Suki looked at her skeptically.
"Are you sure? There's an awful lot of fire in that general direction."
"We'll make it through." Aang reassured, taking his place on Appa's head and gripping the reins into his hands.
The side of the temple burst open and Appa shot out with a protective shield of rock covering his front. As they passed Azula, she shot a fireball that was harmless against the protection as they soared up into the air.
"Don't forget, we still have to find Zuko!" Katara reminded, looking urgently over the saddle for him below.
"There he is!" Suki pointed out as everyone noticed a new airship rising with Zuko perched on top.
Azula turned to him and smiled, and the last thing they saw was Zuko crouching into a fighting stance. Balls of fire began to rain around the group as Appa weaved and dipped to avoid the danger. Aang had to pull on Appa's reins so the bison would fly upwards, and when he did, Katara thrust her arms to the left, causing a sharp spray of water against a row of soldiers who were actively firebending at them. The rush of water had been so intense that it knocked out every last one of them.
Katara collapsed back into the saddle, gripping at her arm from the strain as her eyes scanned the open air once again for Zuko. She felt the panic build when she failed to spot him immediately – it wasn't until Sokka's voice broke through the whipping air did she feel some relief.
"There!"
That relief didn't last long, however. A huge explosion nearly blinded the gang and once their eyes re-adjusted, they were horrified to discover both Fire Nation siblings plummeting through the open air.
Aang moved fast to pull on Appa's reins, putting all of his weight into the action to signal his companion to dip down through the clouds. Appa flew so fast that the chill of the air bit at everyone's faces harshly. Zuko was falling fast, and for a moment it seemed like they wouldn't reach him.
The bison leveled himself and shot forward positioning himself just under Zuko. His eyes found Katara's almost immediately as the waterbender thrust her arm up, ignoring the throbbing pain that followed.
The timing had been perfect – Zuko was able to grasp onto Katara's hand and she pulled with all the strength she had left until he was sprawled out next to her in Appa's saddle. Before she could even utter a word to him, Zuko shot up to see Azula still plummeting with no help in sight.
"She's not going to make it." He uttered, feeling nothing but surprise that his sister had been bested.
He could see her expression harden with that undeniable determination in her eyes as she straightened her body before an explosion of blue fire burst from her feet. She propelled herself to the mountainside and was able to take hold of the jagged rocks, her grip strong enough to hold her until her soldiers retrieved her.
Zuko exhaled an, "of course she is," realizing he should have known better.
He noticed her watching him fly away with his friends with a murderous look on her face. The only thing that pulled him away from watching her was a punch to his arm from Toph. It jarred him enough that he nearly fell over.
"Good to see you still in one piece, Sparky." She offered as he rubbed his arm gingerly.
"You are one lucky jerkbender, I'll give you that!" Sokka exclaimed, pushing at Zuko before finding a place next to Suki in the saddle.
"Ah…thanks."
As everyone started chattering of where they should go next, Katara looked over to Zuko and noticed all of the cuts lining his arms. She took his forearm in her hands and turned it over, earning her Zuko's attention as she did. Some of his cuts were small while others were quite large and shimmering with fresh blood. She moved her fingers up his warm skin, unknowingly sending a chill down Zuko's spine.
Katara looked up to Zuko with a look of apology, the guilt obvious on her face. He nudged her softly, letting her know it wasn't a big deal, but that wasn't good enough for her. She pulled out her waterskin and coated her hands in the water, the liquid glowing softly as she pressed her skilled hands to his wounds. Within moments, his skin was pieced back together again.
Zuko's eyes slid up to Katara and he smiled his gratitude, earning him a nudge back.
"I don't know if there's any place in the Fire Nation where we'll be completely safe." Aang's voice cut through Zuko and Katara's quiet moment, and they noticed everyone's look of defeat.
"I know where we can go where we'll be safe…but we'll have to walk there." Zuko announced easily, adding, "we'd be spotted if we flew in on Appa."
"Where?" Suki asked.
"My family's beach house on Ember Island – it's been abandoned for years."
"You're sure no one will go poking around there looking for us?" Katara asked skeptically.
"Yes, that's the last place they'd think to look for me, I hate being there. Which makes it the perfect place for us to hide."
"Okay, where is it?" Aang asked, his tone much more hopeful than it had been earlier.
"There's a cluster of islands on the Eastern side of the Fire Nation. We would need to fly around and land Appa on the Southernmost point of the islands and work out way up by foot."
Sokka's face lit up before asking, "is it near the Black Cliffs?"
"Yes, it's not far from there."
"That was our rendezvous point before the Invasion." Sokka explained matter-of-factly.
"Alright, you heard them Appa, yip-yip!"
Appa turned sharply and set them on their course for the Eastern Islands of the Fire Nation.
The gang landed just after nightfall at the southernmost point of the islands and let Appa roam in a field nearby to eat and sleep while everyone else sat around a campfire in the woods just outside of a small village.
With nothing else to do, Sokka had the bright idea of telling ghost stories. After his story failed to garner a reaction from anyone, Katara volunteered to tell one of her own, a story that she claimed to be true. Everyone seemed to be on edge after the story, everyone except Toph. So when she unexpectedly gasped, everyone jumped.
Toph pressed her hand to the ground as she exclaimed, "guys, did you hear that?!"
Everyone huddled into each other – Katara gripped onto Zuko and Sokka and Aang encased Suki in a frightened bear hug.
"I hear people under the mountain, and they're screaming."
Sokka was the first to come to his senses as he scoffed with a "nice try." Zuko snickered at Katara, who swatted at him in embarrassment, a flush rising to her cheeks.
"No, I'm serious! I hear something…"
"You're probably just jumpy from the ghost stories." Suki suggested, everyone's bodies relaxing as the tension died down.
"It just stopped." Toph's voice was small, unsure, as silence encased them once again.
"Okay…now I'm getting scared." Aang whispered nervously before a new voice cut into the silence, one they didn't recognize.
"Hello, children."
Everyone screamed at the old shrill voice, even Zuko gripped onto Katara this time as everyone ran to gather into a group. They watched as a figure beyond the light of their camp fire moved towards them – all that was visible was wispy white hair.
An old woman stepped into the fire's light, highlighting her in a warm glow as she smiled kindly at the gang.
"Sorry to frighten you, my name is Hama. You children shouldn't be out in the forest by yourselves at night. I have an inn nearby, why don't you come back there for some spiced tea and warm beds?"
Everyone looked sheepish at how scared they had been, and instantly relaxed at her offer.
"Yes, please." Sokka accepted meekly.
Hama had led them up the mountain to her quaint little inn, where everyone sat around a large table, greedily taking in the tea and snacks she had offered them.
"Thank you for letting us stay here tonight, you have a lovely inn." Katara complimented as Hama poured her a hot cup of tea.
"Aren't you sweet." The old woman praised as she slowly took a seat. "You know, you should be careful. People have been disappearing in those woods you were camping in."
"What do you mean disappearing?" Sokka asked as he placed down his steaming cup of tea.
"When the moon turns full, people walk in and they don't come out." She said ominously, putting everyone on edge, until suddenly she popped up and exclaimed cheerily, "Who wants more tea?"
Seeing the frightened looks on their faces, Hama warmly reassures them. "Don't worry, you'll all be safe here. Why don't I show you to your rooms and you can get a good night's rest?"
Hama had enough rooms for everyone to get their own space for the night, all except for two, so she decided to pair up Toph and Katara. Katara assumed it was because Hama saw Toph the way most people did – a helpless little blind girl that needed caring for. Toph only scoffed but did not argue, just happy to be sleeping in a bed for the night.
When the inn quieted down and nothing could be heard but the creaking of the old wood, Katara laid in her bed wide awake. She could feel her heart pounding as her eyes searched the darkness blindly. She knew Toph was nearby, but it was doing little to comfort her. She flipped back and forth, not able to get comfortable, and eventually sat up in frustration. Katara was surprised when Toph sat straight up.
"Are you going to be making this much noise all night sweetness?" Toph said lowly. Clearly Katara had woken her.
"Sorry, Toph." Katara's shoulders slouched in embarrassment as Toph swung her feet over the edge of her bed.
"Should I go get Sparky, then?" She asked bluntly before adding, "So we can both get some sleep."
Katara didn't respond as Toph was already shuffling towards the door. As her hand wrapped around the door knob, she turned her head in Katara's direction as she said, "You know he's not going to be around to do this forever."
Katara deflated when Toph pointed this out – it was something she was all too aware of.
"I know." She whispered sadly before the blind earth bender disappeared behind the door.
Only minutes later the door was opening again, only this time a tall figure was stepping into the room. Zuko moved silently to Katara's bed and without hesitation, pulled up the covers before he slid in. Katara's racing heart immediately calmed as she felt his warmth and scent encase her. She laid back down as well but kept her distance from him, turning to her side so she could see him. He remained on his back but feeling her looking at him, he turned his head to her, her eyes moved up to meet his in the darkness.
"You okay?" Zuko asked as Katara nodded her head.
Even in the darkness Zuko could tell she wasn't okay. She was thinking hard about something that was clearly bothering her.
"What is it?"
Katara remained quiet for a long moment, debating if she wanted to talk about this. She was afraid of what he would say, afraid to allow herself to face the inevitable – that one day she wouldn't have Zuko anymore.
"I hate being this person…" Her voice was barely a whisper, but it carried louder in the silent room. "I'm not dependent on people, people depend on me. I don't know how to be this way. I've been fighting against it but I just can't go back to how I used to be no matter what I do." She explained as a tear escaped down her cheek. She shut her eyes tightly on them and felt as Zuko moved so he was also on his side to face her completely.
"Katara, you're allowed to depend on others, it's not a sign of weakness. What you went through, it was traumatic and you're coping the best you can. Your body is still in survival mode." Zuko explained softly, his hand moving to swipe away her stray tear.
"Even if that's the case…what am I going to do when the war is over?" She asked, her voice small as her fingers moved to Zuko's shirt, playing with the fabric to distract her from the situation.
Zuko didn't respond for a long moment, trying to make sense of what she meant but coming up empty. "What do you mean?"
"Toph was right…you're not going to be around forever. Soon, this won't be an option. Eventually I'm going to have to figure out how to cope without you."
Katara wouldn't look at Zuko as she spoke, and he could see how terrified she was at the prospect of not having him around anymore. He'd never been needed by anyone in such a way, but at the same time, he realized he needed Katara too. His nights away from her had been hard on him too – he found himself uneasy when he wasn't around her. He hadn't thought of life after the war, not until that very moment, and the thought of them having to part ways tore him up inside. He swallowed thickly before responding.
"We don't know what's going to happen…none of us do. So we don't need to worry about that right now."
Katara looked up to Zuko and saw the same pain reflecting back at her in his eyes. Her lips moved up into a meek smile and she whispered, "Okay." Because he was right, there was no point in worrying about that now.
Katara scooted forward and pressed her body into Zuko's, wrapping her arms around his back and nuzzling her face into his chest. She felt Zuko rest his free arm around her back and his long fingers glide through her long chestnut hair to find her scalp, which he gently scratched at. Katara sighed contently, not only at the sensation, but for how comfortable Zuko now was with her.
"You're going to be a great Fire Lord, Zuko. The world will be lucky to have you." Katara whispered, her lips ghosting over the skin near Zuko's collarbones.
Katara was surprised when a few moments later, she felt Zuko's lips press against her forehead. Her eyes nearly shot open at the gesture, but instead of addressing it, she decided to relish in the feeling of being in his arms and closed her eyes until sleep took her.
Sokka struggled to sleep – the old inn was creepy enough on its own without the added creaking of floorboards he was constantly hearing. After tossing and turning for hours, he finally threw back his covers and got out of bed to find Suki.
Sokka is so groggy that when he's shuffling through the hallway, he mistakes Katara's room for Suki's and pushes the door open, stepping inside and closing it quickly.
He turns, whispering for Suki, but instead trips over Katara's bag. Sokka goes crashing into a nightstand and knocks over something he can't see, the noise startling both Katara and Zuko awake.
Both benders shot up, Katara gasping in fear before feeling Zuko angling his body in front of hers to protect her from whatever the danger was, only to see Sokka standing upright with his sights set directly on the prince lying in bed next to his little sister.
A/N: Miss me? I sure missed this story.
