*Holds breath while posting and hopes the wait was worth it...*
The public beach across from most of the beach houses was very flat and clear of rocks. There weren't any places to hide and Katara began to feel panicked as the mass of torches and fire benders approached them through the fog. She could see their dimmed lights and hear their shots. She had forgotten how little respect the Fire Nation had for the spirits. The scare tactic seemed to have the opposite effect they were looking for. One thing was for certain, they could not hide on the beach.
Zuko had never let go of her hand and he squeezed it tightly now, picking up on her nerves.
"We can't hide here" Katara hissed to him. Zuko turned quickly, putting a finger on the mouth of the mask. They couldn't risk being heard by the crowd forming. He simply gave a gentle pull on her arm so she would follow him. Katara complied willingly. Zuko knew this island better than she did, and she starting to suspect he had quite the resume when it came to impersonating spirits.
He guided her to the far end of the beach where they could slip behind one of the houses without being seen. The moonlight glistened overhead, filling Katara with the energy she needed to keep the fog bending going. She could not, however, maintain cover in the areas that they left. The fog kept them covered but also served as a dead giveaway for their location. The mob realized this and started to make their way up the beach, following the moving fog.
There was a two hundred foot gap between the house and the first building in the market area. Katara pulled moisture from the humid sea air and from the dew on the ground, making a cover that stretched from one building to the next. She heard a man shout and turned to see the glowing torches through the fog. She quickly pulled some more water from the surroundings and pushed it into the nearest house.
Shouts came from the inside and a woman opened the front door in a panic, hollering for help from their pursuers. It was the distraction they needed, and Zuko pulled Katara through the misty cover until they entered the first alley in the market. The commotion had stirred up the little town as shopkeepers emerged from the apartments atop the stores. Katara jumped atop a barrel in the alley, meaning to pull herself up onto one of the roofs. She figured they had run across the town on the rooftops before. Why would now be any different?
Suddenly, Zuko pulled her back with a force she was not expecting. She squeaked in surprise just for Zuko to clamp a hand over her mouth and pull her against the side of the alley. He turned his head away from the entrance and used his body to hide her red costume. His Blue Spirit costume blended into the shadows, effectively hiding her from view.
"You keep having to do that." Katara whispered to him with a concealed giggle as his hand relaxed and fell away from her mouth. She remembered when she had almost given away their position at the communication tower on the Southern Raiders mission. "Apparently stealth isn't my..." Zuko grunted and his hand covered her mouth again as their was a sudden noise on the road.
Their was a flurry of angry voices on the street and torchlight chased away the shadows that the two so desperately needed to hide them. Ever so slowly, Zuko pulled her down behind the stack of barrels stored in the alley. He glared at her through the mask and she felt the scolding he was silently giving her as he released her. Lesson learn. No jokes on stealth missions.
Katara was reeling from the sudden shock of adrenaline to her system. Zuko never spoke, but she had grown attuned to his heartbeat, sensing it now without really trying as long as they weren't submerged in water to muddle her senses.
His heart was racing, not a far cry from her own. Even though they were currently hiding from an angry mob, she felt unusually safe. Zuko, however, was on high alert as he constantly scanned the alley and the roof above for any sign of movement. Katara was depending and trusting him. If only she would stop talking. Take note. Sokka and Katara. Both absolutely horrible when it came to stealth. The fact that she was trying to make jokes and wasn't completely panicked, however, made him feel good. It meant she trusted him. The realization flooded his chest like a warm cup of tea (brewed by the one and only Uncle Iroh).
Her swirling blue eyes twinkled at him through the veil, excited and eager. She looked so...innocent.
Also Gorgeous. Mysterious in costume. Powerful water bender. And freakishly adorable right now.
Zuko didn't know if anything of those things could go together at the same time. But Katara could make it happen. Agni. He was smitten. The amount of time he had spent that evening standing so close to her was driving him a bit crazy. He was trying to keep his mind on everything else. The Painted Lady beside him was proving to be a greater distraction than anticipated.
They waited in the alley for a few more minutes as the crowd reached the other end of the town at the market place square. He hesitantly stood up and took a step out of the alley.
"I think...I think we lost them" Katara said. Zuko quickly looked over his shoulder, glaring at her. She did not understand the concept of whispering, apparently. The costume was heavy and hard to run in. She was lucky she didn't trip on the long skirts. Zuko turned to her, the grin of his mask gleaming in the moonlight. He was lucky. His costume was literally made for these situations.
"Should we go back to the house? I'm fairly certain they're distracted away from the far coast" Katara asked. Zuko just shook his head, bring his finger to the mouth of his mask once more. No. The fire benders would not stop searching unless they were convinced that the spirits had left. A plan started to formulate in his mind. They would need to do one thing first.
He wasn't ready for the evening to end - not by a long shot, and they needed to make sure the little stir they had caused stayed on the island. To do that, they needed to take away the means of communication. He quickly turned back into the alley and used the barrel to jump up onto the rooftop. His eyes scanned the coastline. He had a good vantage point from where he stood and he quickly spotted the lighthouse that beamed a light into the ocean, announcing the island's existence to anyone at sea.
He felt a brush at his elbow and looked to see Katara crouching next to him. He pointed at the tower and she nodded. Finally, she was getting this whole stealth thing. He hadn't hardly uttered a word since they announced their presence to the villagers, completely absorbed into his spirit facade. Katara had gotten used to the silence and simply followed him when he suddenly jumped from the roof and slid down a drain pipe to the alleyway. She could take some notes. This spirit thing was fun, but tricky.
Silently, the two spirits glided through the town, abandoning the use of the fog and opting for speed instead. There was no sign of their earlier pursuers and Katara felt like she was floating. The only sound was the wind against her rippling long gown. The veil blew across her face as she watched Zuko run ahead of her. They left the town and headed towards a small tower amidst the beach houses on the coastline. Katara realized what they were doing.
The tower served as a lighthouse for the island, but also as a mail service. If they could eliminate the messenger hawks then there wouldn't be any risk of their activity making it back to the mainland. Zuko was thinking ahead.
The hawkkeeper was sound asleep just inside the door of the lighthouse. The two spirits glided past him soundlessly. Katara didn't see the hawk cages and was starting to explore the first floor when Zuko softly touched her shoulder. He pointed towards the nearby staircase that went to the top of the tower and motioned for her to follow. His shoes didn't make a sound on the steps as they spiraled upward. When they opened the door on the top floor of the tower, Katara's eyes were immediately draw to the stack of cages on the opposite wall.
She quickly walked over. Most of the birds were asleep, and they peered at her sleepily as she unlocked the cages. Together, Zuko and Katara pulled out a bird at time and held it over the edge of the railing. The bird's feathers fluttered in the wind as the night air woke each of them up gradually. One by one, the birds were released into the night sky, flapping quietly away. Katara watched them go as the moonlight caught each of them as tiny specks in the night sky.
She stood there until the last hawk had disappeared from view. She heard a creaking noise and spotted Zuko climbing up a ladder to the lighthouse chamber. She followed him up and gasped in awe when she caught view of the massive fire at the top. It was made like a giant oil lantern and the fire burned brightly as a set of prisms swirled around it, reflecting the light out to sea.
Zuko had wanted to see if he could spot their pursuers. His eyes scanned the village below and spotted a small crowd around the first house. Some people were hanging wet rugs or blankets on their porch railings. He couldn't help but smirk to himself. They still needed to make sure the people had no more reason to search for them. They needed to make sure they had a very public exit.
He felt safe enough to remove his mask and turn to enjoy the view for just a moment. Katara saw him and she pulled off the veiled hat. She moved to stand next to him as leaned against the railings.
"She's beautiful, isn't she?" Katara murmured to Zuko. Zuko didn't realize what she was talking about until she nodded at the moon.
"Sure" he responded. "But how do you know it's a she?" he asked. Katara turned to him in surprise.
"Sokka didn't tell you?" she asked. Zuko frowned and thought back. He did remember Sokka mentioning something about the moon, but it had sounded a bit crazy and he didn't know how to respond to it in the moment. What do you say to a guy who claims his girlfriend is the moon?
"When Zhao was in the North Pole he killed a Koi fish that was the physical embodiment of the moon spirit" Katara began. Zuko remembered that. He remembered seeing the world go dark. Uncle had explained to him briefly what had taken place, but he never had really connected the dots.
"The princess, my uncle said the princess of the northern tribe died that night" Zuko said, remembering. Katara nodded sadly.
"Princess Yue was a brave woman. The moon spirit had given her life, so she gave it back. She was Sokka's first love, and he took it very hard. Whenever I look at the moon I remember her. She was a beautiful person. Inside and out" Katara said sadly, looking up at the celestial body above.
"If our nations weren't at war I probably would've known her" Zuko said. "Fellow royal and all that." Katara nodded. It was strange to think of the world without the war. Who would she be? She would have never met Aang and traveled the world. She certainly wouldn't be dressed up like a spirit on a stealth mission with the Fire Prince. Beside her, Zuko was having the same thoughts. Bitterly, he realized he still might have the scar, war or not. His father hated him and that had nothing to do with the war, so he thought.
"When Sokka, Aang, and I are traveling we used to play a game. We called it World without War and we took turns saying what we would do if the war ended that day. It was a way to give us hope for tomorrow" Katara said softly. She impulsively reached for his hand. "What would you do if the war ended today, Zuko?"
Zuko looked at her as hope and longing filled his heart. He knew exactly what he would do.
"I would find my mother" he said hoarsely. He still didn't dare to dream that would be a possibility. Would she still be alive after all these years? Katara's eyes filled with tears for him. Her mind flitted back to the night the had stayed up together alone on Ember Island before the Gaang had joined them. He had explained his mistakes and apologized sincerely. They both had cried and shared their pain with each other. Zuko had told her that his father told him his mother was alive, right before Ozai had tried to kill him with lightening. They had talked about so many things that night.
She shared his hope now, and pulled his head against her shoulder without hesitation. She hugged him closely and he wrapped his arms around her tightly, never wanting to let go.
"If the war ended today, then I would help you, Zuko. I want to be by your side when you find her" she whispered into his ear. "I promise."
Zuko pulled back a little and looked her in the eyes, their gazes locking together.
"Thank you" he whispered to her. He reached up to brush away the few tears that had slipped down her face. Katara leaned into his touch, thankful for the comfort and the moment they shared. Zuko hesitated, then leaned forward. Butterflies filled every inch of Katara's body as she felt his lips brush lightly against her forehead in a gentle kiss.
"Thank you" he repeated softly, his breath brushing over her skin as he looked down at her. All she could do was smile.
Or rather, she wanted to scream. Zuko had kissed her! She wanted to relive the moment over and over. But already, Zuko was pulling his mask back on. She reached for her hat, not ready to have the moment end.
"Ok, so I have a plan" Zuko said to her. How could he do that? Go from a tender moment like that to all business the next. What she didn't know was that Zuko could've jumped off the tower and flown all the way back to the house. His heart soared when he realized she had accepted the kiss. He currently didn't care about Aang and what existed between him and the water bender. But he did have to focus. He promised Suki they wouldn't be out all night and he didn't want to worry her.
The lighthouse light panned out to see and he pointed to the best lit area of water in front of the largest row of beach houses. The men were still crowded around the beach.
"We need to disappear right in front of their eyes. It's the only way they'll think we've gone. Ready to put on a bit of a show?" he asked her. She grinned through the veil and nodded. "Ok, so do what you did in our spar earlier. I need you to start on the far corner of the beach where they can't see you, and run out into the sea on an ice bridge. Cover the area in fog so it'll look like you're running on water. They should be able to see you and that'll get their attention. Hopefully. If they don't see you then they'll definitely see me. I'm going to run out on the ice bridge after you and when I get to you I'll melt the ice beneath our feet and you can take us down in an air bubble beneath the water like you did earlier."
Katara looked at him with wide eyes. "That's a lot of bending all at once, Zuko" she said to him.
"Also, you'll need to melt the ice bridge and eliminate the fog so it really looks like we've disappeared into thin air" Zuko added. Boy did he have a dramatic flair. Katara looked doubtful. "I really think it's our best option" Zuko insisted. She sighed and nodded.
"Ok. Let's do this" she said finally. They ran down the steps of the tower and past the hawkkeeper who was still fast asleep. They slipped under the cover of darkness to the edge of the beach. Katara stood and let the waves lap at her feet, soaking her robe. Her heart was pounding and she was nervous. If this didn't work, then she didn't know what they would do.
Zuko grabbed her hand and squeezed it in encouragement. It was now or never. Katara took a deep breath, then swung her arms out to bend a cloud of fog around her. She stepped onto the wet sand, freezing it beneath her feet, then took off across the water. She was careful to guide the fog behind her and in front of her, but never hid herself from the shore. Zuko watched as she ran. It was amazing. She was pulling of the act marvelously and if he didn't know better, he would've sworn she was running atop the water, almost flying.
Katara looked to her left at the shore. The light from the lighthouse beamed across her and she saw faces turn her way. She was far enough away from shore that they wouldn't be able to pick out any defining features. Zuko heard shouts and knew she had been spotted. She stopped, suddenly, letting the fog hide the ice bridge. Zuko needed to run out to her quickly. She would not be able to maintain the bridge in the waves for very long.
He was already on the way. The group on the beach watched in awe as the robed, veiled figure glided across the water, then stopped, standing above the ocean. There was a movement to their right and suddenly they spotted the second spirit. The grinning face of the Blue Spirit turned their way, striking fear into their hearts. They had tampered with forces they did not understand.
The ice began to crack beneath Zuko's feet and he ran faster, turning his attention away from the shore and zeroing in on Katara. She turned to watch him come. His heart raced and he was filled with the excitement of the moment as he approached her. She was beautiful. Her hair and robe blew in the wind and moved the veil against her face. He wanted that hat gone. He wanted to look her in the eyes again and hold her close.
He reached her, and as the crowd on the beach watched, he wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her flush against him. Her breath caught in her throat as he closed around her. His masked face tipped her head back and pulled away the veil from her head. She looked up at him, towering above her. His golden eyes gleamed at her with a ferocity that did not scare her, their noses and lips not a hand width apart, only separated by the cold mask of the Blue Spirit.
She barely had time to remember to bend away the ice bridge and fog in that moment. She felt secured against him as the ice melted beneath his feet and she parted back the water below them. They sank into the sanctuary beneath the waves and disappeared from view.
From the shore, the group watched as the whole picture suddenly disappeared before them. The spirits and fog vanished like it had never been there at all. Some of the older men blinked their eyes and strained to see across the dark water. The lighthouse beam dispelled any suspicions that the spirits remained. They grew silent and one by one retired to their houses.
A legend began that night that was repeated for decades to come. The Blue Spirit and the Painted Lady, bonded together by their hatred for the war now haunted the shores and waters of the Fire Nation islands. It was said, if your house leaked in the storms or if the fog grew so thick that you couldn't see the sea, then they were visiting. If you watched the ocean beneath the light of the moon you might even spot them, rushing to meet each other on the sea before disappearing once again above the waves.
As the waters closed over top of them and the darkness of the night and the sea surrounded them, Katara and Zuko fell onto the ocean floor. One arm still wrapped around her waist as she leaned up against him to catch her balance. The other hand had reached up to pull off the mask as they fell. When his feet were secure on the ground beneath him he did not hesitate one more moment.
He leaned forward and kissed her. His hand came up to cup her cheek and support the back of her neck as her cool lips finally pressed against his. The tension and wanting of the past month poured out into this one kiss. She smelled like lilies and he let her scent engulf him. Her hands came up to brace first against his chest, then moved to wrap around his neck and hold him closer. Katara's heart felt like it was about to burst from her chest as she forgot about every and any reason why she shouldn't kiss him back.
It didn't matter. Her heart realized and accepted all the feelings for him that she had yet to name. All she knew was she wanted to stay beneath this ocean with him for the rest of the night. He tasted sweet as honey with a tint of smoke and she was eager for more. Any kiss Zuko had experienced before melted from his memory as Katara sighed against him and moved her head to deepen the kiss.
They were lost to the world in those special minutes as Zuko memorized every sensation and feeling of her lips against his. They could lose each other so easily in the weeks to come, the realization broke over Katara like a wave and she pulled him as close as she could.
The future was unknown. But this moment was theirs.