They set out from the village in the late afternoon—too late according to Zuko, as he grumbled about having to take her with him. Fung had contested that Katara should stay and rest longer, but the obstinate look on her face had overruled him easily. When it was clear that she could not be convinced otherwise, Fung disappeared for a few hours while Zuko and Katara purchased extra food and supplies, including a sleeping bag for Katara. Upon Fung's return, he presented Katara with a forged Earth Kingdom passport, to match the one he'd already given to Zuko. They would need official documentation to get into Ba Sing Se. Zuko still wasn't sure how this random old man was able to simply come up with fake passports so easily, but he supposed that Uncle's contacts were never quite what they appeared to be. Fung saw them off with well wishes.
The plan was to take the long way up to Full Moon Bay, where there was supposed to be a ferry to Ba Sing Se. Going straight through the desert would be the quickest path, but that way wasn't an option for anyone who wasn't a sandbender. Instead, they would give the desert a wide berth by going through the more verdant terrain that ringed it, passing by Omashu, then heading north and sticking by the river. It would likely take them several weeks to reach Ba Sing Se on foot, and they couldn't afford mounts.
As they walked on the first day, Katara tried to make conversation with Zuko but he only gave her short, clipped answers. For someone who had just saved her life, he was acting totally withdrawn. Just like when she was his captive, she could never figure him out. Was he her enemy, or not?
Eventually Katara gave up, focusing instead on keeping up with the brisk pace he set, which wasn't easy given that she still hadn't fully recovered from her time in the desert. But she refused to slow down and give Zuko the satisfaction of being right.
It was only when darkness had well and truly fallen that Zuko veered off the road in search of a good campsite for the night.
"I'll prep dinner, if you want to put up the tent." Katara said. They were going to have to make do with a single small camping tent, realistically meant for one traveler alone, because it was the only one they'd been able to find for sale in the small desert town.
He scoffed, "Looks to me like you can barely stand. Drink some water."
"I am fine, thank you very much."
He rolled his eyes. "You know, for a waterbender, you are really damn stubborn."
Katara raised her chin proudly. "I have no idea what you're talking about. But I will need a fire to make the food."
She thought she saw laughter in his eyes as he lit a small campfire for them.
O – O – O – O – O – O
After their meal, the exertions of the day caught up with Katara and she felt ready to fall into her sleeping bag. As she approached the small tent, however, she noticed that one set of sleeping gear was set up outside it—and it wasn't hers.
"What do you think you're doing?" She demanded.
Zuko was still sitting by the campfire, lost in his thoughts, staring into the flames. "Huh?"
"You can't sleep outside! The temperature drops too much at night, you'll freeze."
"I'll be fine." Even in the firelight, Katara could see that his face was set.
"You're crazy. I'm moving your stuff inside the tent." She began to drag his sleeping bag toward the tent but didn't get far before he came up behind her. When he grabbed her wrist, she noticed his grip was firm, but not rough.
A quiver ran through her at his touch.
"Hey!" She said. "I'm trying to stop you from freezing to death."
"I'm sleeping outside and I'm not changing my mind." He dropped her wrist and dragged his sleeping bag next to the campfire.
"Why?"
"It—I just am, okay? It doesn't matter." He said. "I think it's time we both got some rest."
He looked exhausted and Katara remembered thinking that he looked like he hadn't slept in a while when she had woken up that morning. She was tired of arguing and it was time they both got to sleep. If being cold all night was better than sharing sleeping space with her, then fine.
She crawled into her sleeping bag wondering why he seemed so reluctant to be near her. He was so standoffish, even when she just tried to talk to him. Still, he didn't seem like he hated her, most of the time. Perhaps he was just ashamed of what had happened between them those months ago, with someone he considered to be a peasant. The thought stung.
O – O – O – O – O – O
The next morning, Katara woke up first and peeked out of the tent. The sun was still below the horizon, but the first suggestion of morning twilight filtered through the sky.
She looked at Zuko, sleeping next to the ashes of the long-gone campfire. He was curled up into a ball, shivering intermittently. Even though they were still not far from the desert and it would become uncomfortably hot during the day, it was a brisk morning. And it would only have been colder throughout the night.
Katara frowned irritably. There is no good reason for this! Surely he can't be so disgusted by me that he can't bear to set up a sleeping bag next to mine in the tent. Her resolve hardened and she promised herself that she wouldn't relent until he gave up this foolishness the next night.
When they got on the road, Zuko retreated back into defensive silence, but Katara was having none of it today. She wasn't going to make the entire journey to Ba Sing Se with such a grumpy companion. And although it had been a long time, she felt sure that if she could just break through his reticence, they'd be able to get along at least as well as they had when they used to play pai sho. She couldn't see any reason for it to be otherwise—after all, he'd even been on their side against Azula not so long ago.
As they walked, she asked, "Why did you help me?"
"I…" Zuko cut off whatever he'd been about to say and considered his response. "Well, we're not enemies anymore, are we? And besides, you all saved me from freezing to death in the North Pole, so you can think of it as repaying a debt."
"So that's all it was? Repaying a debt?" Katara looked away, feeling stupid yet again for thinking that maybe she mattered to him, even a little bit.
Zuko grimaced. A muscle in his jaw worked as he grunted a curt, "Yeah."
"Yeah. Okay." Katara fell silent, hurt.
She could see Zuko looking at her out of the corner of his eye.
"And… maybe I didn't want one of the only people I can beat at pai sho to die unceremoniously in the middle of nowhere."
Katara's heart rose, but she immediately tried to clamp it down. Just because he said he cared that she didn't die did not mean there was anything more between them. And she shouldn't want anything more between them, for that matter. She couldn't be sure whose side he was on. And even if he wasn't her enemy, he definitely wasn't a nice person. She should want someone nice, not this sullen fire prince.
Still, she felt much lighter at his comment.
O – O – O – O – O – O
When they made camp that night, they had reached the edge of where the plant life began to repopulate the landscape. Clouds gathered overhead and Katara could sense a heaviness in the air that meant rain was coming. Where was this when I was in the desert? she grumbled to herself, annoyed.
She insisted on setting up the tent while directing Zuko to make the meal.
"Okay, I hope you can handle spicy food," he smirked. "And I'm sleeping next to the fire again tonight. You better make sure you set up my bedroll properly."
"Yes, your highness." Katara rolled her eyes and performed a mock bow.
When Zuko became engaged in whatever he was cooking, Katara covertly set up his sleeping bag in the tent. As she crouched inside the tiny shelter, she conceded that there really wasn't much room after all. Their sleeping bags had to be set up right next to each other, with no room in between.
"Hey!" came Zuko's voice from the firepit.
Katara braced herself for him to yell at her as she poked her head out of the tent.
"I told you, my sleeping bag goes outside the tent." Zuko sounded like he was losing his patience—and he never had much of that to begin with.
"I heard you. I just didn't listen."
He stalked over to her, leaving the meat roasting on the fire.
"Do it." He towered over her, clearly trying to be intimidating.
But she wasn't afraid of him in the slightest. She sighed.
"It's going to rain tonight. And I saw you last night, you were shivering and freezing. Listen, I—" she paused, uncertain how to phrase what she wanted to say. She wanted to assure him that he didn't need to be so uncomfortable around her, that she wouldn't make any unwanted advancements, that she wasn't even attracted to him anyway (okay, that was a lie). But she felt so humiliated at the thought of bringing it up. She'd gotten the message, loud and clear, that he wasn't interested in her, despite the chemistry she felt between them. She didn't want to actually have to put it out there, though. She could only imagine how much more awkward the rest of their journey would be. Not to mention, her wounded pride.
So, she didn't say any of that. Instead she continued with, "I'm just… I'm not taking no for an answer, okay? I won't have you cold outside in the rain when there's no good reason for you not to be in the tent. It. Will. Be. Fine."
Zuko rubbed his fingers on his forehead, looking concerned.
What does he have to be so concerned about? She thought testily. Does he seriously think I have zero self-control?
"If you're sure." He said softly, turning back to tend to the food before it burned.
O – O – O – O – O – O
Zuko reclined in his bedroll, the waterbender sleeping softly next to him with her back to him. He was shocked that she felt safe enough to fall asleep with him in such close proximity.
He listened to her breathing, wanting so badly to put his arms around her and knowing that he must not, under any circumstances, do so. It was all he could do to keep from tearing off her blankets and seeing how she would respond to his touch. His fingers itched to stroke her smooth skin, run through her hair, tilt her chin up into a kiss. He remembered the way she had felt under his hands.
It wasn't helping that she slept in only her sarashi wraps, either.
He wrenched himself to face away from her, wracked with guilt and self-reproach.
He had known better than to share the tent with her, known that it would make it that much harder to keep away. But he was disciplined, and he was used to doing difficult things. Nothing ever came easy for him. It didn't matter. He would get through this.
Eventually, the soft sounds of the rain and Katara's breathing lulled him into a tense sleep.
O – O – O – O – O – O
Katara awakened abruptly in the night. It was pitch black in the tent.
Next to her, Zuko tossed and turned fitfully, and cried out in his sleep. That must have been what had woken her.
"father, please" he murmured, sounding anguished.
Katara's heart went out to him. She didn't know many details about their relationship, but she wasn't surprised that he'd have nightmares about his father, the Fire Lord. The man who banished him, then made him a fugitive. The man who might have had something to do with his mother's disappearance. What else had he done to his son?
As her eyes began to adjust to the darkness, she could see Zuko's outline next to her. He was lying on his back and had thrown off his blankets. His body looked too rigid for someone who was sleeping, all hard lines, as he tried to shield himself from whatever was in his nightmare. Katara wished she could help.
"azula always lies. azula always lies." He sounded so lost.
Without thinking, Katara reached her hand toward him in comfort. She placed a gentle palm on his bare chest, whispering, "It's okay. It's just a dream."
Still asleep, Zuko snatched her hand with both of his. He clutched it like he was drowning. His body relaxed by a hair.
Not wanting to pull away when he seemed to need her, Katara inched closer to him so her outstretched arm could be more comfortable. Still holding her hand, Zuko rolled on his side, now facing her in the dark.
Katara's heartbeat sped up. She hadn't been this close to him since, well, since the night she escaped from his ship, of course. She watched his face, enthralled as the nightmare seemed to pass and he relaxed. She fought the urge to smooth his forehead with her other hand.
After a few minutes went by, his breathing slowed, and he seemed to be sleeping more peacefully. His grip on her hand loosened.
Katara carefully and slowly began to pull her hand away. As soon as she got it free, however, Zuko groaned in his sleep. With uncanny speed for someone who was sleeping, Zuko's strong arms encircled her, pulling her against him.
His closeness was intoxicating. Katara knew she should withdraw, but she was enjoying the feeling of his arms around her too much. It was electric. She took a shaky breath to steady herself, but only ended up breathing in his smoky, masculine scent. Her face was against his chest, and she valiantly resisted the impulse to plant lingering kisses along it.
The longer she lay there, the more difficult it became not to set her lips upon him. She had to at least turn around to remove the temptation. Very cautiously so as not to wake him, Katara began to shift in his arms, twisting herself around so her back was to him.
When she got most of the way around, Zuko called out softly, "katara"
Katara froze, panicking. She listened. Soon, she could tell by his breathing that he was still asleep. Why would he say my name in his sleep?
One of his arms now wound around her bare midsection and dragged her even tighter against him. Her entire back was molded against his body, her rear fitting perfectly—too perfectly—into his lap. He was so incredibly warm, but his breath on her neck still made her shiver. She imagined what it would feel like if he were to wake up and kiss the back of her neck.
Then, he shifted slightly. One of his warm legs slid in between hers until she could feel the heat between her thighs. She stifled a tiny moan.
Great, now she was completely aroused next to the sleeping fire prince who, she reminded herself, would definitely not want anything to do with her in the morning. She wished she could just take care of herself the way she normally would, but that was of course out of the question at the moment. She settled on taking deep breaths and trying to calm her furious pulse.
After some time, she noticed how safe and comfortable she felt lying with him like this. It was just one more thing she would probably never get to experience again, so she tried not to get too attached to it as she finally drifted back to sleep.