Katara and Zuko walked along a small dirt path through the forest, eating dinner on the go, since they'd already stopped for a long lunch that day.
As the day grew long, a wall of dark clouds billowed overhead, moving fast on the wind and obscuring what little daylight was left. An ominous green hue hung over the air.
"We'd better make camp. Those clouds don't look friendly." Katara said. It was getting late, and they'd had a tiring day fighting moose-lions.
However, no sooner had they stopped than they heard a crack of thunder. Then the sky opened up and a torrential downpour drenched them within seconds.
Katara laughed and held out her arms, closing her eyes and turning her face skyward. She soaked in the sensation of the droplets hitting her and running down her skin.
Lightning streaked across the dark sky, too close for comfort. It was followed by a deafening thunder crash.
"Hey! Hey crazy waterbender!" Zuko had to yell to be heard over the deluge.
Another crack of thunder.
Katara looked at him and grinned, giddy with the rush of the storm. She'd only just discovered the joy of rainstorms since leaving her home in the South Pole, mere months ago.
"Hey!" Zuko repeated. "Help me get the tent up."
Katara shook her head. "I have a better idea. Come on!" She grabbed his arm and pulled him off the path and through the trees.
Before long they came to a steep ridge of grey rock that ran through the forest. Katara led Zuko to a small cave opening.
Zuko ran for shelter, staring at Katara as she continued to stand in the rain for another moment, the wind whipping water around her.
"You are crazy." He said.
Katara couldn't help but laugh when she looked at him again. He was completely drenched, with his black hair plastered to his forehead and water dripping from his clothes. He looked miserable.
Taking pity on the soaked fire prince, she stepped inside the cave herself and bent the water from him, leaving him dry.
"Thanks." He grumbled. "How'd you know this was here?"
Katara bent the water off of herself. "When it's raining like that… How can I put it? I can just kind of tell what's around. Like, if there's a place the rain isn't hitting or if there's a group of people in the rain, I can feel it."
Zuko looked impressed. "Well, I'm glad you can. I doubt the tent would have kept us dry in this." A gust of wind drove rain through the mouth of the cave, spattering them. Zuko made a face.
"Let's go deeper in." Katara giggled.
"Good idea." He replied dryly.
They could still hear the storm raging outside as they ventured a little further into the cave. Zuko lit a small flame in his hand to give them more light. Just when they had gotten to a spot where the rain couldn't reach, even when carried by the wind, Katara heard the steady sound of water falling—and it wasn't the rain outside. She ran ahead, with Zuko trailing.
Katara gasped as she rounded the corner. The cave, which had been only a small tunnel to this point, opened up all around them in a vast expanse. Way above, the entire ceiling was speckled with glowing, glittering blue-green lights, like stars. It was thousands of tiny bioluminescent mushrooms, infusing the whole cavern with a magical, otherworldly feeling.
Across the chamber, they saw a waterfall, twelve feet tall, cascading from an underground river somewhere higher up in the cave. That was the water Katara had heard. Gleaming and shining in the turquoise illumination, it tumbled merrily into a small pool at its base.
They both stood speechless at the beauty of this hidden place they had found. The flame in Zuko's palm went out.
Eventually Katara stepped into the grotto, making her way to the edge of the pool. She craned her neck to keep looking at the ceiling.
"This is incredible." She breathed.
Zuko gaped at her, unable to tear his eyes away. He was reminded of the night he brought her to the deck of his ship, and how radiant she had been in the starlight.
He cleared his throat. "Are you sure we should stay here? This looks like a place for the spirits."
Katara turned to him, her eyes shining. "We don't have anywhere else to go in the storm. I don't think the spirits will mind."
Zuko swung his pack to the floor. He didn't really want to go back out into the rain, spirits or not. "Okay. Although it seemed like you were pretty at home in the storm. Maybe I should toss you back out into it? Just in case, you know, the spirits."
Katara thought, Zuko is making a joke! Just this morning the idea of him joking around with me again seemed impossible. She was delighted to see his more playful side surfacing again.
"Toss me back into the storm, will you?" She said menacingly. She bent a stream of water from the pool and splashed Zuko lightly across the face with it, soaking him all over again.
"Hey!" He yelled. With the same fluid movements he'd displayed when outmaneuvering the moose-lions, he was behind Katara in an instant. He pushed her into the pool.
She fell into the cool water with a splash, taken entirely by surprise. The pool was shallow enough that she could stand, but the water came to her shoulders. Her clothing hung on her, heavy with water.
"Ohhh, fire boy, you made a mistake!" Laughing, she bent a huge wave from the pool and pulled Zuko in after her.
Once the wave fell away and Zuko's head came free of the water, he burst into laughter.
Katara looked at him in shock for a moment. She'd never heard him laugh before—not so naturally and spontaneously. The sound was joyful and untroubled; it filled her with delight. She laughed even harder herself, until tears streamed from her eyes.
"Now what are you going to do, waterbender?" He rounded on her, sending a large splash her way with his hands.
"Please. You're surrounded by my element, or did you already forget?" She bent a small wave toward him, rocking the entire pool slightly. "Do you yield?"
Still chuckling, Zuko said, "I never yield."
That was only too true. Katara rolled her eyes, grinning. "You know, I think this is the perfect place for a swim."
She took down her hair, releasing it in cascading waves around her shoulders. Then she made her way to the side of the pool and peeled off her clothing, leaving only her sarashi wraps, which she typically liked to swim in. The water made the scant fabric cling to her body.
Zuko backed away. "Wha—what are you doing?"
"I told you, swimming! Don't tell me you don't know how."
"Of course I know how." He crossed his arms. "The Fire Nation is a land of beautiful beaches, you know."
"Well then, come on!" Katara swam over to him. "It'll be fun. Remember fun? That thing I taught you about?"
She looked at Zuko so hopefully, and he felt much freer than he had in ages. He couldn't recall the last time he'd laughed like that. Somehow this waterbender always seemed to make him feel so alive, and—almost—happy.
But, he reminded himself, he needed to be very careful and maintain his self-control. Even if she made him feel like he could relax, he couldn't. Especially not when she was glistening in the water and wearing almost nothing. He loved the way she seemed so lighthearted with him tonight—he wasn't going to ruin it with his unwelcome desires.
Still, he couldn't resist her. "Finnnne." He grumbled, but Katara could tell he was pleased.
He swam to the side and removed his shirt, piling it with hers. Katara tried very hard not to stare at his lean, muscular chest. Or at least, not when he was looking in her direction.
Zuko did his best to act like he was just swimming around aimlessly, while keeping as much distance between them as possible.
After they'd swam for a bit, Zuko said, "It's a bit chilly, don't you think?"
"Mmm? Yeah, a bit." Katara agreed absently. She was floating in the pool and admiring the ceiling.
"What do you think about a little more heat?" Zuko tilted his head and smiled. He remembered how much she'd enjoyed the hot shower.
Katara stood up in the water. "Ohh. I didn't even think of that! That sounds amazing."
Zuko nodded and concentrated, firebending just enough to heat up the pool without going too far and scalding them. It was—as he'd been practicing since setting off with her in the first place—all about restraint.
The water warmed up pleasantly around them. Katara gave a blissful sigh and sank further into the pool, closing her eyes. Steam rose in the air.
"That's more like it." Zuko smiled, watching Katara enjoy the results of his efforts.
She could feel the hot water surrounding her and soothing her muscles, which were sore from walking so much after only just recovering from her stint in the desert. When she opened her eyes again, she saw Zuko had sunk down into the water and closed his eyes, too. She looked at him for a long time, taking in the lines of his jaw and cheekbones, the smooth curve of his lips, the strands of his black hair that were starting to grow long. She daydreamed about what it would feel like to run her fingers through it.
Before long, the warm water made Katara start to feel sleepy. She realized they hadn't even put out their sleeping bags or anything—all they'd done was dump their packs on the ground, forgotten as they admired the grotto.
Zuko was still floating serenely with his eyes closed. Quietly, Katara slipped out of the pool and bent their clothing dry. She pulled her dress back on, not bothering with her leggings since she'd be going to bed soon anyway, and put out a dry pair of pants for Zuko. Then she set about laying out the sleeping bags on the other side of the cavern. She hesitated, unable to decide where to put them—should she set them up right next to each other? It was bound to get cold in the cave overnight, especially with that storm going on outside, and it would probably be better to sleep close together for warmth. But, after last night, she was sure that sleeping beside her was the last thing Zuko would be interested in doing. She realized with a start that she never actually finished explaining to him that he'd had a nightmare and that was why he'd woken up entangled with her.
Pursing her lips, she laid the sleeping bags next to each other. She'd just have to explain herself to Zuko. Surely he'd agree that being near her wasn't as bad as freezing all night. Maybe.
She was bending water off their supplies and the tent so nothing would get damaged, when she heard movement behind her. Zuko had emerged from the steam of the pool and was putting his dry clothes on.
When he walked over and saw the sleeping bags, Katara was prepared for an angry outburst.
But that wasn't what she got. Zuko's brow creased and he glanced at her with a searching look. He sat on a nearby flat outcropping of rock and stared at the blankets for what felt to Katara like a very long time.
Katara opened her mouth to start explaining, when he said, almost so quietly she didn't hear, "What are you doing? You should be afraid of me."
She turned to face him, hands on her hips, still ready for the argument that didn't seem to be coming. "Well, I'm not afraid of you. I would have thought that was pretty clear by now."
"How can you say that? Don't you know I'm dangerous for you to be around?!" He spat, suddenly full of self-loathing.
Katara was puzzled. What is he getting at? Why the sudden change of mood? He looks so tortured. If he were Sokka or Aang and looking like that, I'd just give him a hug.
But of course, she wasn't exactly on hugging terms with Zuko. Instead, she approached slowly and sat beside him on the ledge.
She said gently, "I know you're dangerous, Zuko. No one who saw you fight could think otherwise. But, I don't feel like you're a danger to me. Not right now. And honestly, I haven't really been afraid of you since the first few nights on your ship."
"My ship… How can you be okay being alone with me after what I did to you? What I still want to do to you—" Zuko bit off his words with a frustrated growl.
Katara's heart raced. "What you did to me? Are you talking about—the night I left?"
Zuko stared at the ground, hating himself more with every moment that passed. He twisted away from her, full of guilty anger and shame. But he owed her an apology, at the very least.
"I'm so sorry, Katara. I… lost control, that night. You were my prisoner, you had no choice, and I… I forced you…"
Tears filled his eyes. He braced himself, waiting for the scorn and disgust that would surely come now.
Katara was blindsided. A thousand emotions clattered together at once, making it almost impossible to think. She felt at once elated and hopeful, for the first time in months, that maybe he actually did want her after all. Then, she was horrified at the realization that he'd somehow convinced himself that he'd forced himself on her. The guilt he must have felt. Oh, Zuko. She had no doubt in her mind that if she'd objected or shown any sign of pushing him away, he would have stopped.
All of his confusing behavior suddenly made sense. But he did want her. He wanted her. And she ached for him, despite her best efforts otherwise.
Katara sidled closer. When Zuko tried to pull away again, she softly cupped his face and made him look at her. Tears spilled down his cheeks. His tormented expression made her heart wrench.
"All this time. That's what you've been thinking?" she said.
"Didn't I?" he said, his voice rough.
"No. I seem to remember kissing you first."
He looked at her, dumbfounded. "I—I don't remember. I just remember… wanting you so badly. Shoving you. Almost…. Just to satisfy my own—" he broke off and closed his eyes in a grimace, unable to continue.
"Zuko." She remembered that night all too well, having relived it in her dreams countless times since. She'd been the one who hadn't been able to help herself, kissing him recklessly, pulling him as close against her as was humanly possible and still feeling like it wasn't enough. "You don't remember it right."
Feeling brave, she leaned forward and kissed him, light and soft. He kissed her back instinctually for a moment before pulling away.
"Don't. You need to be careful around me. I'll lose my self-restraint again."
"Maybe I want to see what you're like when you're not restraining yourself."
Katara felt as though she could see a flame in the depths of his golden eyes as he looked at her now. He clenched his hand by his side.
"You have to be sure, Katara. The way I feel… if you let me put my hands on you… I want you so much. I'll consume you."
Arousal shot through Katara like a lightning-bolt at his words. He felt it too, whatever that charged energybetween them was. Even now, it thrashed within her like a wild thing.
Breathlessly, she said, "Touch me, please Zuko."