Chapter Eight: Like Music

The summer rain came the following week, coating the Fire Nation in a thin veil of cool fog, even as the sun peered through the clouds.

One morning, Katara woke up and went out on the balcony. Zuko had given her and Sokka their own private guest quarters, which were in the adjacent wing to where the royal family slept.

The world was quiet and edged in gray, with the sun hidden behind a soft barrier of clouds as the rain continued to fall. Katara closed her eyes, enjoying the soft pattering sound of the rain against the tiled roof of the Palace. She could hear the birds singing in the distance and the sounds of the surrounding town waking up.

Turning her palm out, Katara watched as rain water pooled in her hand. Smiling to herself, she bent it into different shapes to amuse herself. Stepping out further, she tilted her head back to allow the rain to fall on her face, sighing softly.

Soothed by her element, she continued to bend the rain even with her eyes closed. She was lost in this quiet morning, in the rain that fell like music all around her.

A knock on her door interrupted her thoughts, and she turned to walk back inside her room to answer it.

Zuko blinked at her and her wet hair. "I wasn't sure you would be up."

"I like the rain here," she said, smiling to walk back out towards the balcony.

Zuko followed her, watching as she stepped out from under the cover of the slanted roof. She leaned against the balcony railing, watching the rain. Her eyes looked more gray in this light, like the fog over the ocean.

"I wanted to see if you'd join me for breakfast," he said, moving to stand beside her, not minding the rain either. "I have a meeting with my advisors I would like you and Sokka to join as well."

Katara glanced at him. "Would they mind?" she asked, thinking about the Northern Water tribesmen who had not been pleased at her and Sokka's presence at their meeting with the chief.

"No," Zuko said. "You are my honored guests, and fellow war heroes."

The sun began to peer out from behind the clouds again, illuminating the Palace in soft, butter-yellow light. The rays caught the rain, and there were glimmers of rainbows here and there.

Katara waved a hand, creating a shield from the rain that protected her and Zuko. Both did not move at first, even as she used her free hand to bend the water from their hair and clothes. Zuko watched her hair tumble down her back.

"Let's go then," Katara said, unable to move away from Zuko's gaze.

Zuko stepped forward to touch the ends of her hair. "Your hair is darker than before," he said softly.

The hand that she had been using to keep the water off of them trembled. "Zuko?" she breathed.

His hand slid up, his fingertips brushing along her cheek, then the soft curve of her jaw. His eyes never left hers, burning in a way she couldn't read. She could barely breathe.

Her hand dropped to his shoulder, and the rain fell on them again, but neither of them noticed. Her other hand, on its own accord, found his scarred cheek, like it had before down in the catacombs.

Neither of them was sure who moved first, but it seemed to be in sync as their eyes remained on each other's as they moved closer. It was like gravity, drawing their bodies together, a force neither understood but that neither could fight.

When they were no more than a whisper apart, Katara started to close her eyes, waiting, wanting-

A loud knock had them both jumping apart.

"Zuko, Katara!" Iroh called out from behind the door.

Zuko stepped away first, murmuring a thanks as Katara bent the water off of them as they walked to the door together. When Katara opened the door, Iroh paused, taking in their expressions.

"Is everything all right?" he asked.

"Yes, Uncle," Zuko said. "I was just collecting Katara for breakfast before the meeting."

Iroh watched as Katara peered at Zuko from the corner of her eye, a faint blush dusking her brown cheeks. "Let's go then, the advisors do not like to be kept waiting."

Ooo0ooO

Same Day- Lone Island

The rain and fog provided a perfect cover, as it had at the beginning of his journey from the other prison.

It had been easy enough to leave the other place behind. He knew his purpose. Even after all these years, he had kept his mind sharp even as his body began to waste away.

This was the next step before completing his new destiny. He had been foolish, arrogant before. He knew better now.

The prison tower speared through the clouds like a bone sword, eery and silent.

Inside the tower, Azula watched the other approaching on his small raft, a cruel smile curving her lips. Her mind was clear today thanks to the physician being kept away with another prisoner that had murdered another inmate the night before.

All thanks to her, of course. She had coerced the fight, had left the sharpened piece of rock lying on the floor in just the right spot…

"I told them that he would come for me, those fools," she muttered to herself. "And now they will pay with their lives."

Ooo0ooO

Unaware of what was happening, Zuko and the others entered the war chamber where the meeting was to be held. Zuko strode towards his dais, before taking his seat. The others sat around the world map below.

"Master Katara and Sokka are in attendance today to give their input no what we discussed yesterday," Zuko told his advisors, who had been glancing at the two members of the Southern Water tribe curiously.

"The peace between the water tribes and Fire Nation is delicate," Iroh said, who sat across from Sokka. "And the Northern Water tribe has been requesting aid in rebuilding their city, as well as sending resources down south."

"Before we came to the Fire Nation, my sister and I have gone to the Northern Water tribe many times," Sokka began. "Although most of the damage from the war has been fixed, there is more to be done. Avatar Aang has restored balance in the Spirit Oasis, so the Moon and Ocean spirits can reside in peace."

"What more can we do?" one advisor asked. "We have other places where we are providing aid. We cannot be everywhere at once."

Katara and Sokka exchanged a glance. This conversation was very similar to the one they had at the meeting years ago. Katara held back an impatient sigh.

"I believe the solution would be to focus our attention on one area, rather than several places at once," Katara told them. "Yes, resources are thin. The rebuilding that has been accomplished is nearly done. That is not the only thing we must consider when it comes to fixing the nations."

Zuko spoke up. "The peace, as my uncle said, is delicate and new. Trade between the nations was interrupted by the war, and much of it focused on weaponry. Places such as the Lower Ring in Ba Sing Se are still struggling to get the basic necessities in order to survive."

"We cannot offer food as trade, such as the Earth Kingdom," another advisor said. "Our lands are not as fertile, the soil is too acidic and volcanic to support crops."

"There are other resources we may provide," Zuko said.

"Are we discussing peace or trade?" the first advisor demanded. "Peace between the nations will always be delicate, even if the war had not occurred. There is too much that divides our world."

"The divide amongst the nations allows for further unrest," Katara pointed out.

"What do suggest, erase the borders between nations?"

Katara sat up straighter. "That may be a path we may need to consider. Allowing free movement from one nation to another will allow for peace to be established more naturally than anything that is drawn up on paper."

"That may allow for dangerous people to have free reign! We must protect our borders!"

"Then offer that protection!" Katara exclaimed.

Sokka waved his hand. "Your armies are larger and stronger. You have the ability to move soldiers around so they can provide that protection while we grant the people safe passage between the nations."

"I suppose you want the walls of Ba Sing Se to fall next!"

Katara, Sokka, Zuko, and Iroh all winced.

"The walls," Zuko said, in a low voice, "are not the issue. It's the barriers between the people that do not allow us to help one another. We treat the upper class with respect while others are starving."

So the meeting continued, stretching on for hours. Lunch was served briefly before it continued on well into the evening.

Ooo0ooO

Lone Island

The guards were the first to fall. The work was done quickly, and with each swipe of the blade, more fell at his feet. Blood pooled in the hallways, like spilled paint.

His spies had given him useful information. He walked through the halls, ignoring the shouts of prisoners who were either crying out for help or calling out his name in praise.

The last of the guards put up a good fight, even as some tried to flee, possibly to get a message out. He did not spare them a second thought or glance as he cut them down.

But one guard managed to escape, knowing his life was void, and that these last few minutes had to be put to use. For so long he had walked these halls, hating it all with a deep passion. He hated when the former princess stared at him with her dead eyes, or when the prisoners howled like wolves, driven mad by their own thoughts and mania.

He was loyal to none but Fire Lord Zuko- not the man who stalked these blood drenched halls, slaughtering all as he went.

The message was written hastily, and tied to a hawk seconds before the man found him. Hate burned in the guard's eyes, but a smug smile curved his mouth as he watched the hawk sail away towards the Fire Nation.

"You won't get away with this," the guard hissed. "They will stop you, like they did before. They won't show you any mercy."

The man smiled widely, showing his teeth. "I look forward to it."

And then, with the swift cut of his sword, the guard fell at his feet, bleeding from the gaping wound in his throat.

As the life left the guard, the last thing he saw was the man open the door to the next cell.

"Hello, Father."

Ooo0ooO

When the meeting adjourned, Zuko walked to the pond where the turtleducks lived. He was tired and his back hurt from sitting for so long.

Sokka had explained after the meeting about his and Katara's journeys to the Northern Water tribe. It seemed that once they took a few steps forward in the right direction, they were pushed back to the beginning.

Zuko closed his eyes, leaning against a nearby tree. He could not doubt himself now, not when there was still so much to do. The leaders of each nation were stubborn, himself included. They had all lived the same way for so many years, divided, that he knew it would take some amount of compromise to get them to agree on anything.

His thoughts drifted, but his eyes opened when he felt the rain start again. Without any cover, save for some branches, his robes quickly got wet.

Night had fallen some time ago, and crickets and frogs were singing their nightly songs. The clouds kept the moon and stars hidden as the rain continued to roll in.

Then he felt a sense of awareness, like a tingle down his spine. When he looked, he saw Katara staring at him a few feet away.

The rain had already plastered her dress against her body, and her hair was black, making her eyes stand out even more in the low light.

Then she was moving towards him, walking swiftly, with the same fierce expression she wore while they sparred.

Zuko didn't think- didn't hardly dare to hope or breathe- as she collided with him, her arms wrapping around his neck as his went around her waist.

Her lips found his, warm and demanding, as her body pressed into his, his back still against the tree. His hands tightened on her hips and her fingers dove into his hair, and someone groaned and then the world faded away except for the two of them, both of them lost in each other in the rain.

The rain's melody changed as it began to pour, pounding like Katara's heart, but it was Zuko's lips against hers that sang to her, more than water, more than the rain, and she held on and on and on.

His tongue slid along hers, and she swore she felt lightning course through her veins, stronger and more wicked than anything he could bend.

Then somehow, their positions were reversed, and it was Zuko who was pushing her into the tree, and his teeth nipped her bottom lip and all thoughts drained from her head. All she wanted was more, more than anything; she never wanted this to end.

Zuko wondered if they would notice if the world flooded or if they would set it all on fire, and his inner fire roared inside him at the sensation of her against him, her lips fused to his, her tongue dancing with his. He could feel her hands on his neck, chest, back, and they burned.

The rain stopped falling, but it would be sometime before the two benders would notice.

Ooo0ooO

Disclaimer: I do not own ATLA or any of its characters.

Author's Note: Please review!