Chapter 28

"KIA!" Aang came at Zuko, palms raised, fire blazing from his fingertips. Zuko ducked just in time to see a fireball whirl over his head and dissipate in the air behind him. Though the blow was ineffective, Aang whirled quickly and lashed out with his foot, sending a stream of fire at Zuko's ankles. Zuko blocked the strike and tried to counter with a hit to Aang's solar plexis, but Aang anticipated the attack and used Zuko's force against him, pivoting so that Zuko's hand went into the air over the boy's shoulder, causing him to loose his balance. Taking this opportunity, Aang struck Zuko's feet out from under him.

Zuko lay on the ground, looking up with surprise at the young Avatar.

"You beat me." It was almost more of a question than a declaration, as if the proud young Prince couldn't believe what he was saying.

"Hey! I did, didn't I?" Aang beamed and extended a hand to help Zuko up. "Does that mean I'm a master now?"

"No." Zuko said, somewhat moody from having been beaten. "I've taught you everything I know, but you need to practice it before you can call yourself a master. Firebending is an difficult, sacred art that takes years to even begin to truly appreciate. The bender must-"

"I know, I know." Aang sighed, then mimicked Zuko's deeper voice "the bender must practice self-control and diligence in every aspect of his life and must spend years training his body and working it into submission to truly handle fire with the respect it deserves." Aang finished Zuko's sentence for him.

"You've told me before." Aang said, sitting in the grass with a glazed, bored expression passing over his impish features. I looked to Zuko. Indignation flashed in Zuko's eyes for a moment, but then the firebender seemed to relax and soften a little. I smiled. Aang had been good for Zuko's lack of patience. The Fire Prince had learned a great deal of the virtue while teaching Aang firebending.

"So, if you've taught me everything, does that mean I'm ready to go back with you to the earthbender army?" Aang was practically bouncing.

"Yes. We'll leave tomorrow morning." Zuko said decisively.

"I'll start packing." I went inside the house and began to organize our things. It was not as easy a job as I'd imagined it would be. Although Zuko and I had walked into the camp with only our backpacks full of essentials, we were now burdened with not only our own essentials, but also the many gifts the villagers had given us as a way of saying 'thank you'.

Some of the gifts were practical: blankets, new shoes, provisions. But others were simply absurd, such as hats made of duck feathers and a ten foot rudder that one townsman said would 'help you steer the great shaggy beast better.' I was tempted to leave such gifts behind, but I didn't want to insult the people who had so graciously accommodated us.

So, I sacrificed my entire afternoon to organizing and bundling and piling not only mine and Zuko's things, but also Aang's and Sokka's. I only stopped packing when I realized I was having trouble seeing my hands in the growing darkness. I stretched, wincing at the cricks that had formed in my knees and back while I'd knelt on the floor, and lit some lamps.

Suddenly, a small thing with thousands of little waving arms streaked into the house and began to bubble at me.

"Where's Aang? He said he'd be ready for the festival!" It squeaked. Finally, it stopped dashing around the room and stood still long enough for me to get a look at it.

It was Meng. She'd tied so many ribbons to her unruly hair that she looked like a porcupine that had gotten into a fight with a sheet.

"Aang and Zuko are finishing up practicing for today." I said. "If you want, you can go into the field and get them."

Meng made a beeline for the door. "Oh, wait. Meng, have you seen Sokka?"

"He's already at the festival. He wanted to be the first one there when the food started arriving."

I inspected myself in front of the mirror. Not bad. I smiled as I tucked a piece of hair back into the bun I'd wound on top of my head. It was a more adult style than what I'd worn back home in the Water Tribe, and it fit me well, for I had grown over the past year. It was clear in the sharpening angles of my face and the way my curves no longer fit so well inside my tunic.

But my tunic had been abandoned tonight for the graceful lines of a new dress. It had been given to me by a kindly old woman after she'd learned of mine and Zuko's efforts in the rebel army. She'd explained that it had once belonged to her, when she was very young, but now she was old and would rather see it come alive once more on the frame of a young girl. My fingers smoothed the delicate, silky fabric that draped in luxurious folds from my waist. I'd not touched anything so soft in the entire year I'd spent in the rebel army.

It felt so good now, swishing around my ankles and hugging my bosom in a way that complimented my womanhood instead of hiding it, as the earthbender tunics had. I twirled in front of the mirror, watching as the shadows cast by the candle dance over the shimmering blue fabric. It was almost as if I wearing my element.

"It's beautiful." A low, husky voice murmured from the doorway. I whirled and dropped into a fighting stance. A hand came from the shadows, enveloping my wrist in a hot, intimate touch as it pulled me toward a pair of eyes that flickered the same golden glow as the candles.

"Zuko." I whispered, burying my face in his chest, breathing deep the smell of fire and heat and smoke. Zuko. He ran his fingers up my bare arms, over the collar of my dress, and tangled them in my hair. My bun pulled out, causing my hair to splash around my shoulders like water into a fountain.

I embraced him, aching, yearning for more. I knew he felt it, too, by the tightness of his muscles and his panting, quick breaths. I ran my hands up his chest, feeling the increasing heat of his body warm my fingertips. I traced his jawline with my index finger, then hooked it beneath his chin and brought him closer. I placed my mouth by his ear.

"We'd better get going before they get suspicious and start looking for us." I whispered, and swished from the house, leaving Zuko to catch his breath and follow me.

The festival was filled with the sounds of people laughing and shouting to each other, the lyrical plucking of the strings of a Bashi, the stomp of feet as couples danced by the fountain, and the appreciative sounds made by those sampling the array of food that was laid out on a long table.

I looked over the colorful garden of the villagers dressed in their best, searching for the faces of Sokka and Aang, but it was impossible to pick them out from the whirling, bustling, laughing crowd.

"Do you see Aang or Sokka?" I asked Zuko, hoping that his height might give him an advantage in spotting the boys. Zuko turned to look at me, amusement playing behind his eyes.

"You mean you don't know where your brother is?" He asked. I smiled and shook my head at my own foolishness.

We headed to the food table.

The night flew by as if it were bourne on wings. I tasted food of every kind, from spicy and hot to cool and sweet. I clapped along to the beat as musicians wove songs into the night sky, setting the stars dancing over our heads. I laughed as Aang performed tricks and put on a great show of element bending for an enthusiastic audience. I even got a chance to show off some of my waterbending moves, creating a spectacular, glittering castle of ice to surround the the village fountain. Zuko was the only bender that refused to perform. Though the townspeople begged him to create something beautiful with fire, Zuko's princely pride kept him leaning glumly against the side of house, staring with a moody gaze at the festivities.

But I enjoyed myself, despite him. In just a few hours I would be back in my earthbender tunic, back in the war boots I'd worn for the past year, back in the blood and the pain and the endless fighting. For now, I was going to enjoy forgetting.

But the night could not last forever. As the moon reached it zenith in the sky, a few of the villagers began to yawn and head for their homes. Even Aang showed signs of tiredness, his little eyelids dropping while he danced with Meng. The two looked as if they would fall asleep where they stood. I poked Sokka, who was sitting by the food table with a distended belly and a happy smile on his face.

"Maybe you'd better take those two home. We have a big day tomorrow and Aang will need his rest." I said. Sokka groaned and complained, but did as I said. With him gone, I looked around for Zuko.

We'd not been able to speak to each other all night, knowing that a simple slip of the tongue could rouse Aang or Sokka's suspicions. That was the last thing I wanted to happen before a long trip back to the rebel army fortress. But now... with Sokka and Aang gone...

"You're determined not to have fun, aren't you?" I said, tugging on Zuko's tunic playfully. He just continued pouting.

"We should be preparing for battle." He gloomed.

"Zuko! I've already packed everything. There's nothing left to get ready."

"Then we should be training."

"You know, I don't think you're that worried about training. I think you just don't know how to have fun." I teased, poking him in the ribs.

"Yes I do!"

"Really? Then tell me the last time you did anything even remotely fun."

A smirk twisted his lips. "How about when you pushed me in the water and-"

"No, I mean besides just with me."

He lifted his hand and pushed a tendril of hair away from my eyes, causing a waterfall of tingles to wash down my spine. "How could I have fun without you?" I opened my mouth, but no words came out.

"Dance with me." He whispered, extending a hand. I was taken back. Among my other misconceptions of Zuko, I'd harbored the belief that he must not know how to dance.

Of course he does, you silly girl. He's a prince, isn't he? I felt myself reach forward. I felt his warm, strong fingers grasp my small cool ones with gentle firmness. He led me to the middle of the square, where the remaining couples still danced beneath a starry sky.

I felt his palm slide around my waist to rest on the small of my back. He pulled me close, so close that I could feel the heat from his skin and smell the familiar scent of his body. I placed my hand on his shoulder, let the other one rest in his grasp, and let him lead me gently around the square.

It was a soft tune. It fell softly on my ears and swayed in time to our movements, it seemed to tangle in my limbs, lifting them like the strings of a marionette. I lost myself in the music, in the starry sky above me, in the embrace that wrapped me tightly to Zuko's chest, in the golden eyes that stared at me with passion, with respect, with love.

Love. I loved this man. I smiled, if I'd have been told years ago that I would fall in love with the prince of the Fire Nation, I would have considered them crazy. The words of Aunt Wu came echoing back to me. You will fall in love with a powerful bender.

Yes, Aunt Wu, a powerful bender. But not just that. A strong leader. A brilliant strategist. A compassionate warrior. A handsome Prince. A loving man. I leaned my head against Zuko's chest and breathed deep his fragrance. If this night never ended, I would be all too happy.

The night may not have ended at that moment, but the song did. With a heart-tugging flourish, the musician put down his instrument and picked up another one. With a nod to the other players, a new tune picked up. This one was fast, powerful, pounding. Zuko grinned and then leaned forward to whisper in my ear.

"I know this dance. It is popular in the Fire Nation. But it is fast, do you think you can handle it?" His eyes glimmered in the torchlight, daring me.

"Only if you are." I shot back, putting my hand in his and lifting my chin to stare down my nose at him. Suddenly, it felt as if my feet had been swept from beneath me as Zuko pulled me into the fast rhythm of the song.

I was clumsy at first, and had a hard time getting my feet to obey the sharp, powerful movements that the music demanded, but it didn't take me long to learn the steps. My heart began to pound and heat flushed my cheeks. No wonder this dance was popular in the Fire Nation.

I had a hard time keeping up, and it seemed I wasn't the only one. When I chanced a look around at the other couples, I found that we were alone in the dance square, while the rest stood on the side, watching us along with the other villagers that had stayed up past their bedtimes.

Any self-consciousness I might have felt at being the only couple left vanished like steam in the hot gaze of my dance partner. I bent and twisted with him, felt his muscles flex and harden against my body as he sent me spinning and pulled me close. Heat surrounded me, and the torches the surrounded the square seemed to burn brighter. I felt feverish and dizzy, and I wanted more. But the song was coming to an end. With a powerful, energetic flourish, the song ended and Zuko's hand lowered, pulling our hips together as he dropped me into a graceful arch.

With a jerk of his wrist he brought me back up to face him. But the jerk had been too powerful, and I was propelled into him, my hands pressed hard against his chest, my face centimeters from him, my hot breath mingling with his.

The heat was there.

The desire was there...

Our mouths pressed together, thirsty for the taste of each others lips.

Thunderous applause rose from the audience. I was dimly aware of increased brightness and heat. I realized that Zuko's passion must be causing the torches to put on a marvelous show. I smiled inwardly. The villagers were getting a firebending demonstration from Zuko after all, whether he meant to or not.

Finally, we broke the kiss, panting and smiling at each other. The world, the war, all was lost to us as we basked in each other's gaze. There was just me and Zuko

... and Sokka?

The ground dropped out from beneath me as I recognized Sokka's face in the crowd behind Zuko's shoulder. No, it can't be! But it was. Sokka was standing at the edge of the circle, a piece of peach pie splattered over his shoes, his mouth open and his eyes betraying a whirlwind of emotions: shock, betrayal, anger, and sadness all fought for dominance of his features.

"Sokka..." His name was wrenched from my throat with painful despair. No! This wasn't supposed to happen! He was supposed to find out later... when he was ready. I looked at him pleadingly, as if I could just will him to understand. As if my eyes could explain everything to him. But they couldn't.

He ran from the crowd. I turned to Zuko. "I have to go to him." I said quickly, pulling myself from Zuko's grasp.

"Let me come with you." He said.

"No. If you come with me, one of you won't be coming back."

I found Sokka on the road going out of the village. He was pacing and muttering to himself. I approached slowly, stalling for time. I wanted to collect my thoughts and prepare arguments in my defense before he had a chance to tongue lash me.

I stopped a few feet away. He was still pacing and muttering, but now he was louder, speaking so that I could hear him.

"I go down into the village to get a snack of peach pie, and what do I see? You and that... that... firebender making a snack of each other!" Sokka wrinkled his nose and convulsed as if it were the most horrid thing in the world.

"No! That can't be it. He forced himself on you, didn't he? And you just didn't know what to do, so you just kissed back, right?" Sokka turned to face me, desperation making his voice rise in the cool night air. I lowered my face and shook my head.

"Okay, so you kissed him, but you didn't mean to, right? I mean, it was just the music and the food and the dancing, right? You were thinking of Haru, right? He was a nice guy. You were thinking of him, that's all. Or Jet! Yeah, even Jet would be okay..." Sokka's eyes were wild as he dreamed up fantasies to replace the awful truth that was turning his world upside down.

"Sokka... I didn't want you to find out like this... not so soon... not like this..."

"Find out what? It's okay, Katara! It's not your fault that the stupid firebender stole your first kiss. I'll get him back for it. It's my fault. I should have been there." Sokka whipped his boomerang out and started walking toward the town, the lust for vengeance coloring his cheeks.

"Sokka... tonight wasn't... the first time." I admitted. Sokka turned on me slowly, his body trembling, his eyes disbelieving.

"He's forced himself on you before? Why didn't you tell me? I'll kill that worthless-"

"No, Sokka. He didn't force himself on me. I kissed him, too." Sokka's shoulders slumped and he fell to the ground, landing heavily on his bottom as if his legs hadn't the strength to stand anymore.

"Why?" Sokka's eyes were wide and pained as he looked at me.

"Because... I love him." It came out a trembling whisper. I wasn't even sure if Sokka heard it at first. But then...

"YOU LOVE HIM?" I thought for sure the people all the way back in the village could have heard him scream. I closed my eyes and waited.

"How can you say that?" Sokka shouted. "He's a filthy firebender! Not just a firebender, he's the Prince of firebenders!"

"So?" I asked. Sokka looked at me as if I'd just told him Appa could sing and dance.

"SO? Firebenders are disgusting, vile, horrid-"

"Sokka! Do you hear yourself?" My brother was silenced by my shout and stared at me dumbly. "Do you remember nothing Gran-Gran taught us? She used to tell us that everyone was a person, no matter what element they could bend. Did you forget how our mother used to say-"

"His people killed our mother, Katara!" Sokka screamed, pointed toward the village.

"But Zuko didn't-"

"No, Katara, you're right. He didn't. His father did! What makes you think he's any different?"

"He's fighting his father! He's raised an army and-"

"And then what? Even if he does beat Ozai, who's to say he won't turn into the same monster his father was once he's on the throne?"

"Because I'll be there."

"What?" Sokka's eyes were wide, his hands trembling.

"I love him, Sokka, and there's nothing you can do to stop that."

"Yes I can! I forbid you to love him!" He crossed his arms and looked at me like a rebellious child.

"Sokka!" I laughed bitterly "You can't forbid someone to love! Love is not something you can will away."

"While father is gone, I am the one who has to look out for your safety, and Zuko is a definite threat to your safety, so that means I forbid you to love him."

"A threat to my safety, or to yours?" I asked quietly.

"Mine? What do you mean?"

"You've built a nice little pedestal to stand on, haven't you? Thinking your better than an entire race of people?"

"I don't-"

"It must really tweak your pride to know that your sister's fallen in love with one of them."

"That's not it at all, Katara! I'm just concerned for your happiness. How do you know Zuko's not like his father?"

"Because I've looked into his eyes. I've battled with him, and seen him spare his enemies mercy. I've had him carefully tend to my wounds when I could not. I've seen him fight until he bled just to protect one small village."

"That doesn't change anything. He's still a firebender, and he's not to be trusted. Until I can trust him, I forbid you to love him."

"Sokka, I'm not a little girl anymore. I don't need your protection like I used to. I can watch out for myself now. You're going to have to trust me and let me go." I said softly, placing my hand on his cheek.

I saw my older brother's lip tremble, and tears glisten in his eyes. Sadness washed over his features like a wave consuming a beach. But then his face hardened and his hands clenched. Turning from me, he stormed back to the village, leaving me alone on the road.

"You'll understand someday, Sokka..." I whispered. "You have to..."