[Katara]

After a few days of traveling, we've finally made it to Ember Island. We have a two-story beach house, along with a rather large allowance. As soon as I stepped off Appa, I was filled with excitement and the anticipation of having a kick-ass time. Zuko, on the other hand, was less than thrilled; however, he seemed happy to finally be somewhere other than the Fire Nation.

I practically sprinted to the house to pick out my room-the room I share with Zuko. Sokka, of course, didn't like that I was sharing a room with him, but I pointed out the he was sharing a room with Suki, so he didn't have any room to talk. He reluctantly agreed, but sternly threatened to kill Zuko if he caught us doing anything. Soon after we unpacked, Sokka and Suki headed to the beach, while Zuko and I stayed behind in our room. Aang and Toph went somewhere, but I didn't bother asking where they were going.

"You are way too excited about this." Zuko says while sipping his glass of watermelon juice.

I roll my eyes and nudge his ribs with my elbow. "And you're way too unexcited about this. Lighten up-you're ruining the vibe."

Zuko frowns. "I'm 'ruining the vibe'? You sound like Sokka."

I ignore his comment about me sounding like Sokka. "It's true, though. You didn't deny it."

He sighs and sets his drink down. "I'm just apprehensive, ok? I have very few pleasant memories."

How could I forget? "Oh, right, of course. I'm sorry. I guess it slipped my mind."

"It's ok."

I lean my head on his shoulder and set my drink down. (We're currently laying on the bed.) I look up at him and can tell that something's bothering him. He has a downcast and rather disturbed expression.

"Zuko, is everything ok?" I ask, trying not to sound too concerned.

He yawns and sets his drink down. "I'm just tired, that's all. I'll be more 'festive' tomorrow."

Fine, don't tell me. "Ok, if you say so...Wanna go to the beach, then?"

He shrugs nonchalantly. "Sure, why not?"

I grin. "You just want to see me in a swimsuit."

His expression goes from gloomy to sly. "That would be nice, but I didn't say that."

I roll my eyes and kiss his cheek. "I'll go change."

Before he can say anything, I hop off the bed and find my swimsuit. I walk into the bathroom and change. Sokka said that he and Suki would be at the beach am hour ago, so they should still be there. Hmm, I wonder where Aang and Toph went. Oh well, it doesn't matter.

o0o

[Aang]

While Toph relaxes in the sun on the beach, I practice my surfing, which has gotten pretty rusty. I love feeling the breeze against my face, and the cold water all around me. Water always was one of my favorite elements. I look down and see some fish swimming beneath me. This is definitely what I needed.

Sokka is busy making sand sculptures of Suki while also making one of Toph. Suki is laying on her towel, face to the sun. Her light brown hair is pulled back. Unfortunately, I lose concentration and fall into the water. My ice board melts, which forces me to swim up manually. When I break surface, I see that Katara and Zuko are on their way over here. I feel excited, but sad at the same time. Nevertheless, I swim back to the beach.

"Nice wipeout, Aang." Katara says and laughs.

My cheeks heat up. "I'm the master of all elements, not all sports."

She raises her eyebrows and smiles. "That wasn't the case a few years ago, you know. You used to be quite the surfer."

I frown. "Um, 'used to'? Psh, I was just getting warmed up!"

"Hey, that's my line." Zuko says with a hint of anger.

"Is that a challenge?" Katara asks in a cocky tone, then crosses her arms.

I crack my knuckles and nod. "Winner gets hand fed dinner by the loser for a week," I pause, "with a smile, of course."

Zuko quietly chuckles.

Katara narrows her eyes at me and holds out her hand. "Deal. So, first person to wipeout three times loses."

I take her hand and shake it. "Deal."

"Good luck, you're gonna need it," she says. She walks off, practically dragging Zuko with her.

Toph comes up behind me and begins massaging my shoulders. "We haven't even been here a full day, and you're already in a surfing competition. What's up with you?"

"I don't know." I reply. "Ever since we left the Temple, I've been feeling less stressed."

She pauses her massage. "I heard you and Katara talking on the way here. What'd she say? You were pretty quiet afterwards."

I bite my lip. "She...she, um, tried to reconcile with me."

"What do you mean by 'tried'? Did she have a change of heart or something?"

"No, not exactly."

She forcefully turns me around so I'm facing her. "Stop being vague and tell me what she said!"

"Well, she apologized. She said she wanted to be friend and that she didn't want things to end badly between us...But I don't know if I can do that."

"Understandably so. How does she expect things to be exactly the same after all this drama happened?"

I shrug. "I don't know."

"Are you two still gonna be friends?" Her voice is quieter.

"In time, perhaps. We'll see how it goes."

She steps close and pulls my shirt so that our faces are inches apart. "If I catch you doing anything with her that I don't like, you can be certain that you will not live to see your children be born."

I gulp and nod. "Got it."

She lets go. "Hugs are ok in the proper context, though."

"Ok."

She smiles. "Now, go kick her skinny ass!"

I chuckle. "Yes, ma'am."

She punches my arm for luck and heads further away from the water. She sits next to Suki and screams her version of encouragement at me.

This is the strangest, yet most normal vacation I've ever had.

o0o

[Katara]

As I stretch, preparing for the competition, Zuko starts drinking his third glass of watermelon juice, only this time, it has a pinch of alcohol. (Is that considered a margarita?) I don't like that he drinks occasionally, but he's never gotten drunk, as far as I know, and I trust that he will be responsible. He's sitting underneath an umbrella, claiming he burns easily, but I think he doesn't want to get darker.

"Aren't you taking this competition thing a little too seriously?" Zuko asks as I join him under the umbrella for a brief moment.

"I always take challenges seriously, especially when it involves my bending skills." I reply.

He shrugs and takes a sip of his drink. "Whatever. I think it's a bit overkill."

I ignore his last sentence. "How can you drink that?"

"I dunno, I just can. Want some?"

I hesitate at first, but give in and take a small sip of his drink. The alcohol doesn't taste too bad, but it still leaves a less than desired taste in my mouth.

Zuko laughs. "You make the cutest faces, you know that?"

My cheeks heat up, most likely causing them to turn pink. "Shut up."

He kisses my cheek. "Just do me a favor regarding this competition."

I nod. "Sure."

"Have fun-don't be overly serious. Everyone knows that you're the real waterbending master around here. Aang may be the avatar, but he has nothing on you."

I smile and kiss his lips. "You're quite the charmer with your cleverly phrased words."

"I've had a lot of practice." he pauses. "Go show Aang who's boss."

"I will." I stand and walk toward the water, where Aang is waiting for me.

"May the best bender win." He says and extends his hand.

"You mean the best surfer." I correct, taking his hand. "Best of luck, Aang."

"And best of luck to you, Katara." He replies.

Sokka is standing in front of us and blows his whistle to, I assume, get our attention. "I'll be closely monitoring you two from the air on Appa. No dirty tricks, got that? If I see anything remotely suspicious, you'll hear my whistle. You have one warning, then you're out."

We both nod.

"Now, go!" He yells then blows his whistle again. He hops on Appa and takes off into the air with a roar.

Bring it.

o0o

Author's Note: I apologize for the long overdue update. I had terrible writer's block. School's gonna start soon, so I'll try to update as much as I can. Also, thank you for voting!

PS: I appreciate any feedback/comments that you guys have.