Katara awoke in the morning feeling warm and relaxed. For a moment, she didn't remember where she was. Sunlight dappled across her face through the thin tent canvas. Still half-asleep, she noted that someone was cuddled up to her, spooning her. Pale, strong arms wrapped around her and one of her legs was in between someone else's. It felt like this was where she belonged.

With a jolt, she remembered the night before. Zuko's nightmare. And how they'd ended up like this.

Fully awake now, she noticed too that something very hard was jutting against her back. When she became aware of it, a familiar feeling of molten desire pooled in the base of her stomach. She closed her eyes again, soaking in the feel of his masculine form pressed so intimately against her. She felt a heady rush and, feeling a little sinful, wiggled her body against his erection, just a tiny bit.

Zuko released a slight moan and his arms tightened around her.

Feeling possessed, she wiggled a bit more, slowly.

Zuko sleepily snaked a hand onto her hip and rocked her back into him.

Then, she heard a sharp intake of breath. Before she knew what was happening, she was being roughly shoved away. She turned around in time to catch the look of horror on his face as he recoiled as far toward the side of the tent as he could.

Tears filled her eyes, even as she berated herself. What did I think was going to happen? He doesn't want me and here I am rubbing up against him while he's sleeping.

Zuko took one look at the tears in her eyes and bolted from the tent.

Katara let him go without a word, not sure what she could even say. When he was gone, she curled up and put her face in her hands, silently shaking with tears. She had never known that it could be this painful to want someone so badly when they didn't want you back. Not only that, but the way he'd jerked away from her, like he couldn't even bear to touch her. Like he'd been burned.

If only Aang and Sokka could see me now. They'd think I'd gone insane. Throwing myself at Zuko. Crying over him. Spirits, it's so pathetic. What is wrong with me? Didn't I learn my lesson yet? Why does being close to him affect me like this?

And, if she wanted to make Zuko comfortable enough to relax and open up a little bit around her again then this was definitely not the way to do it.

Eventually, Katara wiped her tears away and sat up. It wouldn't do to sit around pitying herself all day. They had places to go, after all. If he even wanted to travel with her anymore, after that.

She made herself pull on her traveling clothes and leave the tent. Her eyes were still slightly swollen from crying but there was nothing she could do about that. As she exited the tent, she looked around the campsite, fully expecting to find that Zuko had simply left without her.

Instead, she found him sitting on a rock at the opposite side of the campsite, staring off into the distance. She could only see his back, which was tense and rigid. Just looking at him made her flush with shame. She knew she should apologize, but right now couldn't bear to talk to him. She quietly packed up the campsite on her own.

They got on the road early, neither of them hungry nor wanting to linger. The sky, still overcast and dreary, cast a pallor over the already strained mood. Zuko wouldn't even look at her, and he kept an even larger distance than usual between them as they walked.

By late morning, they still hadn't said a word, each lost in their own tumultuous thoughts. As usual, it was Katara who broke the silence. She couldn't take the tension any longer and she felt like she needed to at least try to explain, even if it was going to be totally mortifying.

"It was a nightmare," she said abruptly.

"What?"

"Last night." She felt like she had to force every word out. "You had a nightmare."

Zuko just stared at her quizzically. At least now he was actually looking at her… that counted for something, right?

She continued, "That's why—"

"I'm sorry." He interrupted her very quietly. "If you want me to leave, I'll understand."

"Sorry…" Katara was so confused. Why would he apologize for having a nightmare? Aren't I the one who is supposed to be apologizing? "Wha—"

"Are you okay?" He wanted to look anywhere else but forced himself to meet her eyes. Eyes which a few hours ago had been overflowing with tears thanks to him.

"What's that supposed to mean?" This was not what she expected at all when she started this conversation—what was he talking about?

Zuko flinched. It was a stupid question. Why would she be okay, waking up to being manhandled in her sleep? He tried to think of something to say, anything, but everything he could think of felt horribly inadequate.

To Katara, it seemed like everything she was saying was just making it worse. She needed to try to clear things up, "Listen, you don't have to apologize for having a nightmare. I'm the one who should be apologizing, what I did, I—"

"HELP!" A child's scream came from over the peak of the next hill.

Zuko and Katara glanced at each other, eyes widening. In unspoken agreement, they dropped everything they were carrying and dashed toward the sound. As he sprinted, Zuko readied his weapons, twin dao broadswords that were slightly curved. Opening her waterskin, Katara hoped she had recovered enough strength by now to handle whatever was going on.

"SOMEONE! HELP!"

A small brown-haired Earth Kingdom boy bolted toward them as they crested the hill. "Thank you, thank you, I didn't think there was anyone else around, please, you have to help us!"

"Slow down." Katara said, kneeling to speak to the boy on his own level and putting her hands on his shoulders comfortingly. "What is going on?"

The boy burst into tears. "My family. My mom… a pack of… they're surrounded, please help, you have to help."

"A pack of what?" Zuko said, cutting to the chase.

"Saber-tooth moose-lions. They came out of nowhere."

"Don't worry, we're here to help." Katara said reassuringly. The boy threw himself into her arms, sniffling.

"Where are they?" Zuko said, surveying the landscape around them.

"Over that way." The boy pointed in the direction he'd come from.

Zuko immediately took off toward the trouble.

Katara hugged the boy again and said, "Can you stay here and wait for us? It will be safer."

The boy nodded, still crying. "Please help them."

"We will." Katara raced after Zuko.

When she got to the bottom of the hill, it didn't take long to figure out where to go—she could hear angry growls and terrified shouts coming from just beyond a nearby thicket of trees. Touching her waterskin for reassurance, she raced through the bush.

Three saber-tooth moose-lions, absolutely massive beasts that were known for their viciousness when they felt threatened, surrounded an Earth Kingdom family. The mother, a pretty brown-haired woman in her mid-twenties, crouched on the ground, crying and trying to shield a toddler. She looked ready to flee at the first sign of a break in the animals' encirclement. The toddler bawled and looked through his mother's arms in terror at the huge creatures that stalked around them.

The father held a sword pointed at the animals—but his arm shook badly as he brandished it, and it was clear he barely knew how to hold it, let alone use it. He pushed his black hair away from his face, sweat gleaming on his brow.

The moose-lions growled menacingly, tilting their heads back and forth as they circled. At any moment, one of them could charge, antlers wreaking destruction on anything in their path.

Katara saw a small cave, not too far away, where five moose-lion cubs were huddled together. No wonder the creatures were so aggressive, it looked like the Earth Kingdom family had inadvertently ventured too near to their den. But that didn't matter now—what mattered was protecting them.

With Zuko's arrival, the moose-lions roared and bristled, becoming even more agitated. Zuko stood lightly on the balls of his feet as he assessed them, weapons raised, ready to react if any of them gave the slightest indication of attacking.

"Help us! Please!" The woman shouted.

"We are here to help you!" Katara responded. "Just hang on! No sudden moves."

Coming up next to Zuko, Katara touched his arm without taking her eyes off the moose-lions and whispered, "Try not to use firebending. If you can."

Unless the situation became extremely dire, she thought it was best if they didn't advertise that he was a firebender. Nothing good would come of it.

Zuko nodded in full agreement. He remembered the way the Earth Kingdom villagers had scorned him, even after he'd helped them, the last time he revealed his identity.

"We have to draw them away. Go around this way," he gestured, "and try to drive them toward me. I think I can get their attention."

Before Katara had time to respond, Zuko disappeared from her side and was already running toward the beasts. The two closest moose-lions faced him with hostility, pawing at the ground as he approached. Just before reaching them, he veered in a sharp left, putting himself in between the creatures and their young. Facing them, he beat his broadswords together three times. At the loud clash of metal, they lowered their heads and stamped their feet, preparing to charge.

It didn't seem like Zuko would need her to drive them to him after all. Still, Katara dashed around the other way. As the moose-lions geared up for the charge, she flung water whips at their hindquarters, one after the other in quick succession.

Roaring in outrage, two of the moose-lions launched toward Zuko with abandon. The other turned on Katara, screeching at the sting of her water whip.

Zuko leapt aside as the beasts thundered over the spot where he'd been a split-second before. He was fast, but not quite fast enough, as one of the moose-lions turned its head to catch him with its antlers. He twirled the broadswords in his hands, managing to deflect the antlers just enough to avoid being skewered.

The momentum carried him forward into a roll and he sprang back to his feet as the moose-lions rounded on him again. Now stalking a circle around him, they took turns dashing toward him and trying to knock him over and trample him.

The Blue Spirit wasn't renowned for his fighting prowess for nothing, though. Zuko moved so fluidly that the creatures caught only air or steel with each lunge. He wielded his weapons like extensions of his body, with remarkable grace and speed, knocking the antlers aside again and again, and landing a few strikes on the moose-lions in between.

The Earth Kingdom family watched with wide eyes.

Meanwhile, Katara confronted the remaining moose-lion. Right before it charged, she sent her water whip across its cheek, then let the water splash over its entire face. It stamped and shook its head in confusion, trying to shake off the water. While it was distracted, Katara hit it again with another water whip, this time on the side of its chest. When she raised the tendril again, the moose-lion backed away, grunting.

Holding the water up as a barrier, Katara motioned to the family with her other hand. "Come on—this way!"

Not needing to be told twice, the mother picked up her toddler and ran toward Katara. However, the father hesitated, torn between running to safety and trying to help Zuko.

Katara's eyes flickered to Zuko. Obviously he could handle himself, but she wasn't sure how long he could keep up the dangerous dance. If only he could use his firebending, he'd surely have the creatures running in the other direction within moments. As it was now, all it would take was one wrong move or being just a fraction of a second too slow…

She turned her attention back to the moose-lion near her, now pacing warily on the other side of the water barrier. Any minute now it was going to get fed up and rush at them.

"He'll be fine! You have to come right now." She yelled.

"Please!" The woman called to her husband.

Zuko dodged again, this time narrowly avoiding a razor-sharp saber-tooth to the gut.

Katara was losing patience. "Now! I can only help him after I help you."

The father lowered his sword and ran to join them, looking defeated.

Keeping an eye on the moose-lion behind the water barrier, Katara said, "Your son is up the ridge, that way. He's safe. Go to him."

"But—" the father protested.

Katara cut him off. "Go! We can handle this."

They fled, looking over their shoulders at the strangers who had saved them. Katara didn't have time to watch them go. She turned the water into a whip once more and flicked the moose-lion again. Disgruntled, the creature turned and ran back toward its den and cubs.

Katara dashed to Zuko and the two moose-lions flanking him. She readied her water. When Zuko saw that the Earth Kingdom family was safely away, he slipped out from between the animals, but as he passed between them, one lurched sideways, knocking him to the ground with its shoulder.

"Zuko!" Katara shouted, flinging her whip at the beast to turn it away before it could trample him. She splashed water into both of the moose-lions' faces, distracting them while she pulled Zuko up.

"I'm okay." He said, rising.

The moose-lions growled, keeping their antlers pointed toward Zuko and Katara as they slowly backed away, weapons at the ready. The beasts eyed them indignantly but seemed satisfied as they put more and more distance between themselves and the den.

"I never want to see another moose-lion again! Who knew they could be so quick?" Katara said once she was sure that the moose-lions were not going to pursue them.

Zuko twirled his swords before putting them away. "They'd have to be faster than that to be a match for me. Except, uh, right at the end there. I think you might have just saved me some broken ribs. Or worse. Thank you, Katara. Your bending has improved."

Katara grinned at the compliment, before catching a glimpse of red along Zuko's right arm, under his sleeve. "You're hurt!" She grabbed his sleeve and pushed it up, revealing a long slash along Zuko's bicep that continued up toward his shoulder.

"It's nothing." He yanked his sleeve back over his arm. "Literally just a scratch."

They reached the ridge where the Earth Kingdom family had fled to. At the top of the hill, they could see all four standing together, looking down at them but afraid to come any closer toward the moose-lion den.

"Did one get you with its tooth? I've heard those can fester, you know. You'd better let me heal it." Katara had that stubborn look on her face that Zuko had seen often enough by now.

"There's no saying no to you, is there?" He said, the corner of his mouth turning up in a half-smile.

"Exactly." Katara beamed. "I'm glad we understand each other, then. And anyway, I need to see if that family needs any healing too, so I'll heal you up at the same time. Come on."

Katara began to jog up the hill toward the family, missing the fleeting look of admiration that crossed Zuko's face as he watched her.

For the next hour, Katara healed all of the injuries of the group—luckily, nothing more serious than Zuko's scratch—and they shared a lunch with the Earth Kingdom family. The two benders were subjected to an unending shower of praise and thanks for saving their lives, with instructions on how to get to the family's farm and an open invitation to come and stay whenever they wanted. Katara accepted their thanks graciously, trying to tell them that it was only what any good person would have done. Zuko seemed a bit stunned, only giving the family an uncomfortable nod whenever they turned their appreciation on him.

The family was heading in the opposite direction to Katara and Zuko, so once Katara was satisfied that everyone was safe and well, it was time to go their separate ways.

The little boy ferociously hugged Katara, and when he let her go, his mother clasped Katara's hands and said, "I know I said this already but we really can never repay you two for your kindness."

"Don't worry about it, really. We were just happy we could help."

As Katara spoke to the woman, the little boy rounded on Zuko, and to his great surprise, crashed into his arms for a hug as well. Zuko hugged the boy in return, looking astonished but pleased.

Seeing this, the mother laughed. She leaned closer to Katara and said in a conspiratorial tone, "You know, it looks like your young man will make a great father one day. I wish you both prosperity and happiness... and many children!"

"Wha—no, uh…" Katara blushed furiously and sputtered as the woman embraced her. Over the woman's shoulder, she gave Zuko a panicked glance to see if he'd heard anything. She sighed in relief. If he had, he wasn't showing any sign of it. He seemed to be engaged with saying farewell to the father and deflecting yet more words of gratitude.

As Katara and Zuko set out on the road together again, the mood was far lighter than it had been in the morning. Adrenaline and the success of their teamwork eclipsed their other worries and forged a tentative openness between them. Their previous conversation was all but forgotten—at least, for the moment. And Katara always felt invigorated when she could help people in need. She talked happily and easily, and soon her enthusiasm infected Zuko as well.

"You were incredible! I've only ever seen you firebend—usually at me," Katara stopped to give Zuko a mock angry look. "But I didn't know you were so good with swords too."

Zuko couldn't help but smile. "Well, I had the best teachers. And I practiced. A lot."

"And you were fearless in front of those moose-lions. Getting them to chase you like that! But I guess that shouldn't surprise me. You are the same guy who keeps going up against the actual Avatar and tried to fight a waterbender during a full moon in the middle of a blizzard."

"I think you have the real courage. I've never seen you back down. Not once." Zuko gave her a mischievous sideways glance. "Even when you're horribly outmatched. I should know."

"Hey! You said it yourself, my bending is way more powerful than it was. I am definitely a match for you now, so you better watch out." She retorted.

Zuko snorted. "We'll see about that."

"Oh, so you are planning on attacking me again?"

"No! But now that you mention it—what do you think about sparring together sometime? If you think you're up for it."

"Seriously? You'd want to spar with me?"

"Yeah. It would keep us both in good practice. And there's another thing—"

"What?"

"I think we could learn from each other."

"How? You're a firebender and I'm a waterbender. It's nothing alike."

"No… but my uncle taught me a firebending move he invented based on waterbending techniques. I think maybe there's more we can learn from each other than we think."

"Wow, your uncle really made up a new firebending movement? What is it?"

"Redirecting lightning."

"Oh! That sounds amazing. Especially when fighting with Az—I mean…" Katara stumbled.

"It's okay. You can say her name. And you're right. It will be useful against my sister." Zuko's voice hardened.

They walked in silence for a while.

"We saved that family today, you know." Katara said, breaking out of her thoughts.

"Yeah. I know."

"Doesn't it feel good?"

"What?"

"Helping people."

"Yeah."

Zuko thought of all the people he'd encountered in the Earth Kingdom since being branded a Fire Nation traitor. The boy he'd helped, who had rejected him anyway. Others who had helped him, and he'd repaid their kindness with thievery—he'd regretted it later, but what was done was done. Merchants, families, farmers. People just trying to get by.

He had always thought the Fire Nation was spreading prosperity to the rest of the world through its conquest. But now that he'd seen first-hand what the army was doing in the Earth Kingdom, he wasn't so sure anymore.

A.N.: Just FYI for some upcoming chapters, I decided to post the full explicit versions here as well as Ao3 (originally in the summary, I mentioned the explicit version would only be on Ao3), so consider this a content warning ;)