Katara could hear whispering coming from the Kyoshi warriors behind her and glanced over her shoulder to see what it was about. Suki's two friends were whispering amongst each other while staring in Zuko's general direction. When the girls realized they were being watched, they quickly looked away from Zuko and ceased their gossiping. Katara turned to Zuko, knowing he had to have heard the whispering as well. His expression appeared rather annoyed and uncomfortable. She placed a hand on his knee for comfort, but she could feel the eyes of the girls gawking at the sight, so she quickly pulled it back.
Suki noticed the behavior of her fellow warriors and told them to knock it off. She moved to the front of Appa to sit on the side of Katara opposite of Zuko.
Katara gave Suki a friendly smile. "What's on your mind?"
Suki stared at her lap, embarrassed by what she was thinking. "I'm really worried about your brother," she whispered.
"Me too," Katara replied, her thoughts drifting to the possible endeavors her friends were currently facing.
Nightfall came sooner than expected. Katara and her crew were close to the Fire Nation, but in their flight path was yet another ominous storm rolling in.
"We have an extra tent, if you'd like to use it," Suki offered to Katara as Appa descended towards the earth.
"That would be great," Katara replied, "I had to sleep in a damp smelly cave last night."
There was a brief silence. Suki looked as if she had something to say to Katara. Seeing this, Katara smiled reassuringly. "What's the matter Suki?" she questioned.
"Could I talk to you for a minute… alone?" Suki asked quietly as she and Katara climbed down from Appa. She caught a glimpse of Zuko's unscarred eye watching her suspiciously, making her feel somewhat awkward.
"Of course," Katara replied enthusiastically, though concerned about what Suki needed to say. "Zuko, could you set up the other tent please?" she requested as she followed Suki to a more private area behind a large tree.
Zuko reluctantly took the tent that one of the Kyoshi warriors handed him and sauntered off to a random spot where he dropped the tent carelessly. The girls watched him closely as they set up their own tent on a flat patch of land. They giggled girlishly, noticing he was setting up at the bottom of a hill, which was obviously not the best choice when there was sure to be rain.
"Is something wrong?" Katara questioned Suki as they stood facing each other.
Suki laughed half-heartedly, somewhat reluctant to ask the questions on her mind. "Nothing's wrong… or at least I don't think… well… besides the Avatar and your brother being captured." She took a deep breath, knowing she was just rambling. Katara silently watched her, waiting patiently for her to speak again. Suki finally forced herself to get to the point. "Is there something going on between you and Zuko?"
Katara began stroking her long braid nervously. "What do you mean?" She pretended not to know what Suki was getting at.
Katara's actions pretty much gave away the answer, but Suki wanted to hear the details, so she continued to prod for information. "I noticed that even though the entire time we were riding Appa Zuko did not speak, he was watching you closely and listening to everything you said to me and the other warriors. It just seemed a little strange. Actually… he was sort of acting the way Aang did around you."
Katara let go of her braid, surprised that she had not noticed Zuko watching her, or listening to her. "Really?"
Suki was equally surprised, but more by Katara's response. Now she was not sure what to think. Katara appeared sincerely surprised about Zuko's interest in her. "You didn't notice?" Suki asked. Katara shook her head in response. They stood in uncomfortable silence momentarily until Suki spoke again. "Well, he clearly likes you, Katara."
Katara tried to hide her blushing, messing with her hair-loops so that her arms covered her cheeks. "That's weird," she replied, laughing uneasily.
"Yeah…" Suki agreed, though she was suspicious that Katara might be hiding something. "You know, you can tell me anything Katara. I'm not going to judge you." She took a second to peer around the tree to be sure her fellow warriors were not listening in on the conversation.
A sigh escaped Katara's lips. She knew Suki was being truthful. Though honestly, Katara was not even sure what was happening between her and Zuko. Zuko was not exactly the most open about his feelings, and he gave her mixed signals. "I'll be honest with you," she whispered, "I'm not entirely sure what is going on between us. I do know we've kissed…" She paused for a moment, awaiting Suki's reaction to the statement. As she expected, Suki's eyes widened, but only for a brief moment. "The whole thing is just really weird. I don't know what to think. I mean… he's technically the enemy, right?"
Shortly after pondering Katara's question, Suki answered, "Not necessarily. Is he still after the Avatar? Or has he mentioned anything about taking over the other nations? Just because he's from the Fire Nation, doesn't mean he's in agreement with the war."
"That's what's so weird!" Katara replied, almost too loudly. She lowered her voice as she continued. "He was all about restoring his honor and capturing the Avatar, so much as to hurt other people, including your village. But now, he never mentions anything about the Avatar, and he hasn't really shown any violence other than when he's protecting us." She lifted her hands to her head, massaging her temples.
"I'm sorry," Suki apologized, "I didn't mean for this to bother you. I should have minded my own business."
"No, it's OK," Katara responded and took her hands away from her head. "I'm just a bit confused… about my own feelings I guess. I think there is good in Zuko and honestly, I think he has some noble features."
Suki flashed Katara a friendly smile. "Well apparently he likes some of your features as well," she teased. Katara laughed along with Suki, though Katara's blush had returned.
Thunder crashed in the distance, taking both of the girls' attention to the sky. "Let's get back. I'm sure it's going to rain any second now," Suki said and motioned for Katara to follow her.
Suki walked over to her friends and began helping them finish with their tent. Katara stood before Zuko, amazed at how horrible he was at setting up a tent. As it was, it did not even appear to be a tent, only a pile of sticks and cloth. "Do you need some help?" she asked, trying not to laugh.
Zuko leapt to his feet and irritably chucked one of the sticks he had been holding at the ground. "This is ridiculous!" he hollered.
Katara stood beside him and placed a reassuring hand on his lower back. "It's alright Zuko. I'll help," she whispered and bent down to pick up his mess. "I take it you've never put up a tent before?" Zuko shook his head, still pouting childishly. Katara smiled in amusement and carried the tent pieces to a different location, Zuko following her.
"Well, first thing you should know about setting up a tent is never put it at the bottom of a hill. If it rains, which I'm sure it will tonight, the water will run down the hill and pool underneath the tent," Katara began explaining as she pieced the tent together.
Thunder rumbled again, this time the sound resonating closer. Katara gazed up into the sky. The dark clouds were now over them, ready to pour any second. The wind had picked up as well, another hint of what was to come. "We had better hurry," Katara said as she picked up the pace on setting up the tent. Then a though occurred to her. Appa needed shelter, and the tent certainly wasn't big enough for him. As if she spoke her thoughts aloud, she saw Suki and her friends fastening a large tarp in the trees near their tent. "Is that for Appa?" Katara called out. Suki nodded as she tied the last corner of the tarp to a tree branch. "Thanks so much!" Katara called out, raising her voice over the howl of the wind.
Suki ran over to Katara while the other girls crawled into their tent. "I don't know how well that will work with all this wind," Suki stated to Katara. They both turned to watch Appa shuffle under the shelter.
Katara shrugged her shoulders. "There's not much more we can do, but I think he'll be fine. He's been through plenty of storms before. Besides, if he can survive being frozen for a hundred years, he can handle just about anything."
Suki nodded in agreement and began helping Katara secure her tent to the ground. Katara was beginning to worry about her own safety. The wind had picked up tremendously, enough to nearly knock her over. Thunder crashed above them and the clouds instantly released a massive amount of rain. Suki ran off to her tent as Zuko and Katara crawled into theirs.
The rain poured relentlessly on the tent as Katara huddled beside Zuko. "I hope we don't blow away," she whispered jokingly. Zuko wrapped an arm around her back and pulled her closer to his side. Katara's cheeks reddened from both embarrassment and lust. She tilted her head back and gazed up at his face, their eyes meeting. He appeared surprisingly happy and content, a slight smirk on his face. The storm outside seemed to disappear as Katara and Zuko gazed into each others eyes in silence. Katara wanted to ask him what his thoughts were, but feared his response might not be pleasant.
Zuko broke their gaze as he brought his lips close to Katara's ear and whispered, "Are you cold?"
Katara shivered, but not from the cold. Zuko's husky voice and warm breath against her ear sent chills down her spine. "Yes, a little," she replied softly and turned her head, trying to keep his lips away from her sensitive ear.
"A little?" Zuko questioned, his breath now rolling across Katara's neck. She squirmed slightly and attempted to overcome the strange feelings she was so suddenly having. Zuko cocked his head to the side, wondering why Katara was acting strange. "You're shaking like you're more than a little cold," he whispered. He moved away from Katara for a moment as he stripped off his earth kingdom robe. He gently placed it over Katara's shoulders as he moved closer to her again.
"Thanks," Katara spoke softly and closed her eyes, resting against Zuko's chest. The wind and rain had died down outside. Now there was only a light patter of rain drops softly falling on the tent. Katara reveled in the warmth of Zuko's body close to hers, and the serenity of the sounds of gentle rain and Zuko's deep breaths.
Katara's reverie was momentarily interrupted when she sensed something was amiss. She opened her eyes and peered up at Zuko. He gazed down blankly with a dismal expression. Katara sat up and turned to face him. "Is something wrong?" She gazed into his golden eyes with concern. He was too hard to read. It was obvious something was bothering him, but she wasn't sure what that something was. "What's on your mind?" He still did not respond, so she tried to persuade him to open up to her. "I know it's hard to talk about your problems, but it might help."
Zuko's eyes were listless and empty, as if he had lost all hope. He finally spoke, but his tone was dark. "I'll never have my honor back."
Katara could not believe he was still stuck on the whole honor issue. She thought after what his father had done he would have seen how foolish it was. Yet, her heart ached, seeing the pain he was in. But she knew of nothing to say or do to heal his emotional wreckage. She wished she had seen him this way long ago. There was so much she had not known, and she had wrongly judged him. "Why are you still going on about that?" she questioned. "Can't you see your father is a horrible person? What honor is there in appealing to a man who wages war on the world, including his own son?!" Her voice was now more harsh and strident, frustrated with Zuko's ignorance. "Where is the honor in defeating the world's hero?"
Zuko's face twisted in anger at Katara's words. He leapt to his feet, glaring accusingly down at Katara. "You know nothing about me!" he shouted. "Your life is perfect! Your family and friends accept you for who you are! You don't hold the weight of an entire nation on your shoulders. Nor do you rely on the guidance of a dead man! So don't lecture me, peasant!"
Lightning struck through the midnight sky as Zuko stormed out of the tent. Katara stood up, calling out to Zuko. "Wait, Zuko! I'm sorry!" There was nothing she could say now, he was already gone. He had disappeared into the dense forest just beyond their tent site.
Katara clutched Zuko's robe against her chest, fearing the possiblities now that Zuko's mind was filled with hatred yet again. His outburst had been the most words he had ever spoken to her, but they were such harsh words. His final word echoed in her mind, threatening to bring her down. '…peasant.' She wondered if that was really how he felt about her. Perhaps she had only been fooling herself into thinking he had changed for the better
Katara realized just how much she really needed Aang and her brother right now. Without Aang's optimism and Sokka's motivation, Katara felt she was slowly losing hope, something she thought she could never lose. She slowly ducked back into the tent, forcing her pessimism out and convincing herself that things would be better without Zuko tagging along. The rain began to pour again, and the wind picked up, preventing her from ceasing her concerns for Zuko.
A/N: I personally do not like how I wrote the last couple of paragraphs. Katara seems to... I dunno... pansy-ish? Granted she is only 14 and probably rather unstable from all the mishaps that have occurred in her life.
Well, I hope this chapter was a good one despite the drama!