Whoot whoot! I am SO excited for this little arc. I've been so excited to post it and hear you guy's reactions. Enjoy "The Lady & The Spirit Part I." I have most of this written out already but I can only update once every 24 hours or it won't update properly.
(I also just posted a rated M one-shot set in the future if you want to check that out. ;) )
Also, please be patient and don't kill me.
The moon wasn't quite full in the sky, but was getting brighter as the full moon approached in the coming week. Katara felt the energy fill her whole body as her bending got stronger and stronger. She and Zuko had missed their early morning sparring session that day (thanks to Aang waking up early for once) and they decided to do it once every one else had gone to bed. For once, Katara would have the upper hand. She was excited for Zuko to see her spar under the moon. She wanted him to see every angle of her bending. He hadn't seen anything like that since the Southern Raiders trip.
She didn't want tonight to be anything like that trip. The memories flooded through her as she walked behind Zuko to the beach, beach towel in hand. She remembered the look on his face when she cut herself then worked on her healing. The admiration he admitted to her. The acceptance she had felt after he saw her blood bend. It filled her with a warm feeling towards the fire bender.
She was starting to feel conflicted and confused. On one hand she had Aang, her sweet friend who loved her dearly. She loved him too, but was still unsure about the nature of those feelings. One thing was clear. Whatever she felt for Aang was calm and sweet, like a cool drink of water. She always felt at peace when she was helping guide the avatar. Like she was fulfilling her destiny and her purpose in life. It always felt good to do the right thing.
On the other hand was Zuko, her enemy turned friend who was an open book and a walking mystery all at the same time. Her feelings for him were less clear, but there all the same. Zuko was not like a cool drink of water. Not at all. Zuko bounced between a gentle flame and a raging inferno. Get too close and you get burned, step away and you freeze to death. She was like a moth drawn to a flame and in the particular weak moments she wanted to burn. She wanted to be consumed. It was confusing and exhilarating all at the same time.
When they reached the beach Katara took a deep breath and pull off her shirt and pants, leaving only her bindings and a thin layer of fabric that draped over her shorts and hips. She had never sparred with Zuko like this, but she decided she was past caring. She sparred with Aang all the time in her bindings. There shouldn't be a difference. But she sure felt different. Her heart raced and she awkwardly played with the towel as Zuko pulled off his tunic leaving only his swim trunks. Her heart was really racing now.
Zuko turned around and saw her waiting for him, just two feet away. She looked like a river spirit, he realized. He blushed crimson when he realized he was openly staring at her. He couldn't help it. Her chestnut hair cast shadows over her shoulders and neck. She had untied it and it flowed loosely around her form as the wind blew across the waves. Her white bindings were such a stark contrast to her dark skin that it looked like they were glowing in the moonlight. She wasn't thin and her biceps and calves showed the toning and muscles there. He had to pull his eyes away from her curves and back up to her eyes.
Her eyes. They were nervous, and they were staring at him as intently as he was staring at her. And they were not meeting his eyes, they were staring at his exposed abdomen. The realization made him proud and self-conscious all in the same moment. She couldn't help it.
She had seen Zuko shirtless before when he was sparring with Aang, but she'd never seen him like this. Alone. At night. Just two feet away from her. His muscles were pronounced over his shoulders and stomach. His skin was flawless up to the red scar that covered most of half his face. She was tempted to reach her hand out and trace the edges of the scar.
"Are you ready?" he asked quietly, breaking the moment. Katara snapped out of her trance and her face blushed a deep red. It was ok. Their faces just currently matched in color. He reminded himself why he shouldn't get close. Told himself that either one of them could die when Sozen's comet arrived. Repeatedly shouted that he needed self control, restraint. Suki's voice echoed in his head.
"Don't regret anything that you could've done, but didn't."
He took a quick step forward. A foot apart. So close. There was no Aang to interrupt. It looked like Katara was having trouble maintaining eye contact and he heard the slight change in her breathing as he entered her personal space. Zuko, however, never broke his gaze away.
But timing Zuko argued with himself, She's my beautiful good friend. She's fifteen. We're in the middle of a war. She has feelings for someone else.
"I asked if you were ready" Zuko asked again, so softly. Katara looked startled. She needed to back up. Back away from the fire bender who was quite literally radiating heat in front of her. His eyes were magnetic.
"I..." Katara began. It was like that moment at the carnival all over again. There were no crowds to break it apart. There was no one. Just herself, Zuko, Yue and the waves crashing on shore. This time, it was Katara who glanced down at Zuko's lips.
"I'm ready" she said finally. Her eyes fluttered closed as his breath ghosted over her cheeks. She wanted to lean up into the inevitable kiss. She wanted to feel his heat again. Forget sparring. This was much more exciting.
But Zuko had already made up his mind, self-control, though weakening (especially when her eyes went to his lips), winning out in the moment. A searing heat poured out on either side of her as Zuko started the spar. He bended fire around her, lighting up the beach. She jumped back, startled as she watched Zuko take another stance. His face was still a bit pink, betraying his feelings, but there was a slight smirk on his lips.
Oh no. She would not be that easy. She was under the moonlight. She wouldn't let his charms and abs be the reason she lost this fight. His fire had brushed so close to her skin. She had almost lost in the first minute. The strength of the moon poured through her veins. La, It had been so long since she had bended at night. She called the ocean to her hands, letting it swirl around her first before making the ring of water and shooting a volley of darts from the sphere.
It was the move he taught her, Zuko thought proudly. Her aim was much better and thickness of the ice daggers was much greater than it had been before. So much so that his wall of fire was not enough to eliminate the oncoming threats. One cracked against his upper bicep and sent him backwards. Still on his feet, he mounted a counter attack, shooting a dart of fire into the sphere of water, breaking the circle and stopping the daggers.
Katara turned, spinning an oncoming wave around her like a shield. She twisted a torrent of water beneath her, lifting herself above the water wall. From her perch she rained down numerous streams. All spinning at high speeds and all aimed at his bare torso. It was Zuko's turn for a surprise. He suddenly spun onto his back, lifting his feet into the air and kicking in a circular motion, sending a shock wave of fire around him, cutting straight through Katara's protective wave and cutting down the twister that she sat upon.
It was an air bending move.
One of her streams had managed to knock him down, but he quickly got back up as Katara rounded up the fallen wave. Her weakness was in close quarters. She would need to fix that, and Zuko would show her where her weak spot was. She threw a wave at him, then seconds later, another. The moves were fast and ferocious. Like a firebender. Though the attacks were pointed at him, Zuko couldn't help but be entranced. Her moves were beautiful. Taking water and making it move like that was unique...and undeniably sexy.
He found himself constantly on the defensive. And why not? He was facing a master water bender at night. It was a doomed mission from the start. And he was enjoying every second.
Katara, meanwhile, was relishing the fight. It was competitive, for sure, but as the duel went on she slowly saw herself getting the upper hand. But she wanted more. She wanted him to know for sure that he couldn't beat her. But as they say, pride cometh before a fall. Zuko dodged and rolled, only using the time to get closer to her, pulling out fire only when needed and doing nothing to make her draw back. She was standing at the very edge of the ocean, the foam licking at her ankles.
She didn't realize what he was doing. She bent a water whip, intending to take out his feet and declare herself the victor. It was her signature move, and Zuko was ready for it. She went for his feet, he jumped forward, and without any bending, tackled her full force. She fell backwards into the wet sand, the next wave washed around her as she made an imprint on the shore. Zuko was above her, a knee between her legs and both of his hands on either of her wrists. She was breathing hard and as the glow of his victory started to fade, he realized the intimate position they were in.
Her eyes were angry. It was night. There was no way she could lose. She struggled beneath him, tearing her eyes away from his bare torso and focusing on the water that swarmed her hair. He leaned closer, his chest now barely brushing hers. He wanted to goad her a little bit, after all, it was an impressive win.
"So even when you have the moon on your side" he whispered to her "We still end up here." Katara froze. Two could play that game. She relaxed beneath him and stopped struggling.
"Only when you start cheating" she whispered back, her words dripping like sugar. She lifted her head up closer to his face. He looked taken aback by her reaction.
"Katara..." he began. "I wasn't cheating...I..."She leaned forward and her lips brushed against his good cheek. Zuko froze. She could sense his heart beat racing beneath the skin. He was completely off guard now. With one swift motion she freed her wrists and bended the water around her against him. He was flung back into the waves. The match was still on. He stood up, water dripping down his body as he shook his head to get the hair out of his eyes. Katara flashed him a smirk and raced down the edge of the beach towards the deserted end with the cave, bending water with her as she went.
Zuko chased her, steaming water out of his way as he tore after her. Once he got a good foothold he sent a torrent of flame in her direct towards her feet. She turned, sending the large wave she had gathered flowing towards him like a tsunami. She jumped onto the ocean, icing herself a raft and dodging his attack while he was swept away into the sea. He was in deeper water now. She was pulling him further into her element. She moved the ice flow towards him. The water around him started to retract, swirling around him and forming a pit around him. A pit he stood at the bottom of.
Katara appeared at the top and he punched some fire balls in her direction. Katara appeared again. He had evidently missed. She shot her hands downward and the pit started to collapse around him. She was pulling the sea down on top of him. He held his breath and let it happen.
Katara waited, chest deep in water, for Zuko to resurface. When he didn't, she started to panic.
"Zuko?" she called out. There was no answer. She took a step forward and suddenly felt arms close around her middle. A warm body was pressed up against her backside.
"I am not the cheater in this situation" Zuko hissed into her ear. It sent chills down her back. Her brain was fighting between continuing the fight or turning and slamming her lips against his and kissing him for all she was worth. Unbeknownst to her, Zuko was considering the same thing. Her pride won out. There was no way she was losing to a firebender at night. She iced the water around her body, making her float up and out of his grasp, then quickly melted the ice and stood above him on an ice raft.
"Right. Using your charm to take my focus isn't cheating at all. Sorry, didn't realize" Katara laughed. She stopped as she realized the confession she had just made. Zuko, however, was thrilled. He grabbed the edge of the ice raft and it tipped as he pulled himself onto it. Katara froze more water, making the raft larger.
"Oh, just try it, Zuko. You're standing in the middle of the ocean" Katara reminded him. Zuko smirked again.
"Never stopped me before" he told her. Katara blushed furiously. He was impossible. She turned and ran across the top of the water, parallel to the shore, icing it as she went. The view of this spar was fantastic from the shore.
An older firebender stood at the edge of cliff, thankful to get away from his loud family and enjoy a bit of tranquility of an evening walk. He watched as a small blue figure in the distance raced atop the water, chased by another darker figure. He lit a fire in his palm and watched, wondering at the spectacle below.
Katara and Zuko were completely unaware of the person watching. Katara bended fog over the ice bridge, waiting to hear a splash if Zuko lost his footing and fell over the side. There was no splash and she kept running. A stitch tore into her side and she stopped, letting the wind blow the fog around and hide her from the shore. She listened, waiting, feeling for footsteps on the ice. It was silent. Katara turned, not wanting to be caught off guard again.
"Zuko?" she called softly. No answer.
Meanwhile, Zuko was determined to win this fight. Never mind that it wasn't likely; if he used his wits instead of his firebending he might have a shot. When Katara bended the fog over the ice bridge he silently slipped into the water and started to swim in Katara's direction. She wouldn't be expecting him to attack from behind her, if he could only swim ahead of her.
The fog served as added cover as Zuko dove beneath the surface and swam beneath the ice. He saw her shadow and her an echo of her voice as she called out for him. Good. Let her get a little spooked. His head breached the surface and he sucked a quiet breath of the night air. He peaked over the edge of the ice bridge and saw her back was turned to him. She was scanning the top of the waves looking for him. He formed a plan and quickly ducked down into the water again.
He swam until he was directly beneath her. Just like he had done at the north pole, he pushed his hands up against the ice and started to melt away, making sure to be out of the way when she fell through.
It all happened very quickly. One moment Katara was standing atop the ice, completely dry as she opened her mouth to call for Zuko again. The next moment she plunged through the water through the hole in the ice. She opened her eyes under water to look Zuko in the face. He wrapped his arms around her and was grinning like the idiot he was. But they were still immersed her element.
Zuko could've smacked himself. How was this a good idea? Katara spun and the water below him disappeared. They dropped down onto the sea floor as Katara created a air dome beneath the surface. Zuko never let go of her and kicked her legs out from under her. She collapsed against the wet sand and sea plants, adrenalin pumping through her system at a furious rate.
She kept her hands up, steadying the water around them. If she let go the water would crash over both of them. Her win. But he was still over her, fire in palm as he pinned her down with his other hand. The ocean was dark and it was the only light illuminating their little sanctuary. The tension returned and Zuko's self-restrain was waning. Her blue eyes flashed at him in defiance. If only...
He wanted to lean down right then and capture her lips with his. He wanted to kiss her like he had never kissed anyone - he'd never wanted to kiss someone this bad. He wanted to know what those soft lips felt like against his own. His eyes drifted to her mouth again. All it would take was a second. All he had to do was lean forward. But she looked angry. Or frustrated. He couldn't tell which.
"Draw" Zuko said as he looked over his head at the ocean she was keeping off his back.
"I didn't perform my best tonight" Katara spat back at him. He wanted to argue but he knew she was right. She was off her game. He released her and she sat up. The moment was gone again and Zuko was kicking himself. He determined right then and there that if he got another chance, he would not waste it.
Katara gradually bent the water back around them, and the two swam back up to the surface. Katara quickly melted the ice bridge as the fog started to drift away in the wind. She was about to start swimming to shore so they could clean up and go to bed when Zuko grabbed her arm and pulled her back.
"Katara" he hissed into her ear. "Up on the cliffs, look."
Katara followed his finger to where he was pointing. There, in the distance, was a light. It was a fire bender or someone with a torch. They stood still and stared at them on the sea.
"They could've been watching the whole thing" Katara whispered. A pit landed in her stomach. This wasn't good.
"Hide" Zuko whispered. They dove beneath the waves, only letting their noses breach the water to get air. They stayed like that for a good twenty minutes before checking to see if the man was still there. Katara sighed in relief when the light from the cliffs disappeared. Zuko, however, was not relieved at all.
"Come on" he told her, as he started to swim to shore. "We have to find out what he saw."