Travelling with Katara is much different than he thought it would be. He had imagined that she'd be the same as she was at home; relaxed, in control, and level-headed. But he's finding that she's so much more than that. She's sarcastic and curious, always asking him about his previous travels and inquiring about the flora and fauna they come across. She's determined and persistent, asking Zuko to either spar or practice with their elements every single night. She's full of wonder and awe, her face nearly as bright as her eyes when she stares up into the night sky, the bursts of stars enchanting her with their swirls and constellations. Sometimes she's restless and frustrated, but most of the time she's downright chipper. He knows that there's something lurking underneath all her smiles and laughs, and he gets a taste of it when she lets her anger get the best of her. It's only happened on a few occasions, but there's definitely a darkness within her, and it's something he feels like she's been stifling for a long time.

She's very open about a lot of things in her life, but she's always skirting around the edge of something, never quite touching the things that really hurt. He, of course, has no ground to stand on when it comes to talking about things that upset him. After his outburst with his fire when Katara had brought up his family, she's stopped asking about his personal life, carefully avoiding any conversation that could lead down that road. He hates feeling fragile, like if she brings up certain topics he's bound to shatter into a thousand pieces, but that's just it; he is fragile. He loathes how broken he feels and how sensitive he gets, the feelings coded as weaknesses for nearly his entire life. Katara wears her heart on her sleeve, and he is ridiculously envious of her for her ability to be so vulnerable. He had always equated strength to stoicism, but Katara has turned that belief on its head, proving to him that you can be soft and strong at the same time, and he has no idea how to feel about it.

They've been practicing their swordfighting and wielding their elements every night, and he sees immense improvement in Katara's skill for both. She still hasn't disarmed him during their sparring, but he doesn't expect her too, and she still struggles with the finer movements of her water, but he does the same with his fire. After a long day of travelling, they settle down in an open space between the trees; the dirt road has led them into a thick, coniferous forest, one teeming with life in all its forms.

Once they lay down to sleep (he still isn't used to how close she is, his desires split between putting as much space between them as possible and pulling her as close as he can), he finds himself waking up what feels like moments later. The sky is still dark, the sounds of the forest permeating the space around him, but when he turns, he realizes that Katara isn't next to him. He bolts upright, fearing the worst as he shoves his arms through the holes in his overshirt. He pulls the tent flap open intending to run out into the night, but it stopped short by the sight before him.

Katara stands tall, bathed in the cool light of the moon, a thick ribbon of water flowing around her as she moves. Hundreds of stars dot the sky, but she is the only heavenly body he sees, her eyes closed and arms circling through the air as she sways on her feet. A somber tune that matches the fluid movements of her arms escapes her in a quiet hum, the water sparkling as it trails around her in curves and waves. The ribbon of water splits in two with a flick of her wrist, and then again into four thin strands that follow the sway of her hips and the reach of her arms, and he sits frozen in place, mesmerized by her movements. A furious blush floods his cheeks; he shouldn't be staring at her, this clearly isn't something meant for him to see, but she's so beautiful in the moonlight, her lithe figure almost ethereal going through it's smooth forms. He comes to his senses and ducks back into the tent silently, giving Katara the privacy she deserves as he tries to still his wild heart. The image of her mystical dance is burned into the back of his eyelids, his throat like sandpaper as he tries to swallow past the feeling of the universe trapped between his ribs that her visage conjures in him. He's been trying to ignore the fluttering in his gut when she looks at him, been trying to calm his hands when he reaches to correct her form when they spar, but after tonight he knows his efforts will be futile. He's never seen anyone, anything at all more beautiful than what he just saw, and he forces himself to come to terms with the fact that he's absolutely screwed.

"Katara?" He calls out to her before he leaves the tent, a fair warning of his impending presence, not wanting to embarrass her by intruding on a private moment.

"I'm out here!" she calls back. He climbs out of the tent, secretly lamenting the absence of her strange dance.

"Are you alright?"

"Yeah, I just couldn't sleep." She shrugs her shoulders.

"What were you doing?"

"I was just practicing with my water." She pulls a stream of sparkling liquid to her and twirls it around her body with a swirl of her wrist.

"Oh. What were you practicing?" She blushes a deep scarlet, the light of the moon showcasing her embarrassment.

"It was nothing, really." She guides the water back into the skin at her waist.

"Maybe if you show me I can practice with you." What am I even doing?

"I don't know, it's kind of lame..." she hugs her arms to her chest defensively.

"Does it help you?"

"Yeah, I think so." Her bright eyes lock on his, the glow almost sparkling in the moonlight.

"Then it's not lame," he shrugs. "You can show me, if you want. Maybe it'll help me too." He can see her thinking about it, her brow furrowing in contemplation, and she comes to a decision as she pulls a stream of water out from her hip.

"Well, it was sort of like dancing, I guess." She moves the water in a high arc above her head. "I've noticed that it's easier to control when my movements flow together and are smooth. So I was trying to string together some familiar movements from back home into a sort of dance." She smiles at him, shy and small, and his heart stutters in his chest at the pull of her lips. She starts moving slowly, her cheeks still tinted with a soft blush, her arms flowing gracefully around her as she guides the water through the air. "You should try it."

"Oh, I— I can't dance." Blood rushes to his cheeks, the idea of dancing with Katara terrifying and exhilarating at the same time.

"Come on, you said you'd practice with me!" Her smile pulls across her face, and Zuko swallows past his nerves.

"I said 'maybe'. Plus, I don't know how to dance." It's a half truth— the only dances he knows are formal and stiff, nothing like the lyrical forms Katara is doing.

"Just mirror me. Please?" How could I ever say no to her?

He steps up in front of her, conjuring a stream of fire to match Katara's water. She bends her knee and leans low, swinging her arm down and out in a wide arc. Zuko does the same, his fire trailing behind his hand as he moves it along. She brings her water up over her head, twisting it in a spiral around her body while she turns, and he does the same. He's never considered himself graceful, and the movements feel a little off while he tries to combine them with his fire. He experiments and puts a little more force behind his moves, still mirroring Katara, and his flames grow brighter, trailing bigger and longer after his hands.

"You said you couldn't dance!" Katara smirks at him as she moves around him, circling him and his fire.

"I can't." A reluctant smile emerges on his face as he moves with her, and flames burst forth from his foot as he kicks high into the air.

"Oh, look at you, mister fancy pants!" He laughs at her words, a real, hearty laugh, something that happens very rarely. She raises both arms into the air, the stream of water bursting into hundreds of tiny droplets, and as her hands reach their apex, the water freezes, falling down to the earth as snow.

"Wow." They stand facing each other, both breathing heavily and a little sweaty. "Who's the fancy pants now?" She laughs, the sound like wind chimes blowing in a warm breeze as the snow falls around them.

His cheeks hurt from the effort of smiling, something he hasn't experienced in longer than he can remember, and an odd warmth spreads through his chest as he looks at Katara's smile. The endless night stretches above them, the heavens running circles above their heads, and even with every star bright and burning above him, he doesn't think he's ever seen anything as beautiful as her.

Xx

He's been thinking about Katara's midnight practice with her water a lot lately. Not just the images that he can't seem to scrub from his mind, but about using something familiar to practice manipulating their elements. He's never really tried integrating his element into any other movements, but one night as they spar, he has an idea.

"What if we tried to use our elements instead of our swords?"

Katara's progressed a fair amount in the two weeks that they've been travelling, her attacks more confident and her footwork more steady as the days pass.

"What do you mean?" She's looking at him with a crease between her brows, confusion written all over her face.

"Exactly what I said." He puts his swords away in their scabbard and summons his fire to his hands. "We have to get better at combat, so I figure this is a good way to practice."

"Okay." She doesn't sound like she has much faith in him, but she sheaths her sword and pulls some water to her hands.

They circle each other as normal, and Katara strikes first, her water coming straight at him. He tries to make a shield using his fire, and it sort of works, except he gets a face full of hot steam as a result.

"Ah!" He lurches back, almost tripping over his feet in his haste to back up. He's lucky the steam wasn't any hotter, otherwise he'd have another burn to add to his collection.

"Zuko!" Katara is at his side in an instant. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah, I just wasn't expecting that to happen." He wipes the condensation off of his face. "Let's try again."

The two of them are clumsy, their moves either too sharp or too smooth, their respective elements flying every which way with no kind of organization. He tries to send his fire towards Katara in a sideways arc, but it peters out before it gets to her.

"Augh!" he throws his hands up in the air, his frustration coming to a head. "This is pointless."

"It's not that bad." Don't lash out, don't lash out, don't—

"That's easy for you to say!" Fuck. "I could burn you if I'm not careful! The worst you'll do to me is give me a scratch!"

"What, my water isn't powerful enough? You don't think it's a good weapon?" Katara's hands are on her hips, which is never a good sign.

"That's not what I meant! I have to be extra careful not to burn you, but you don't have to worry about that."

"I could still hurt you! I have to be careful too!"

"I know that! I just—" He grabs his head with his hands, gripping fistfulls of his hair to try to calm down. "This is stupid. We're obviously not ready for this yet. It was a dumb idea."

"It wasn't a dumb idea, Zuko. We just need more practice before this will actually work." He groans and sits down on the spot, flopping onto his back and staring up at the stars. "I guess we'll stick with the simpler stuff for now."

Katara sits next to him, lying on her back to look up at the stars as well. He takes some deep breaths, calming himself down as best he can. It hurts to fail at something; he's always been hesitant to try new things, the fear of failure almost paralyzing. His father had made sure that Zuko had known that failure was absolutely not an option when he was younger, and it's a lesson he's carried with him into adulthood in more ways than one.

"Remember you told me that I can't expect the world of myself?" He turns to look at Katara, her eyes glowing softly in the darkness of the night. "That goes for you too, you know. If I can't expect the world of myself, you can't expect it of yourself either." He lets out a heavy breath.

"I know." They lapse into silence, the sounds of the forest around them the only noise they hear for a long while. He feels his eyes starting to drift closed, his blinks becoming slower and heavier…

"Want some tea?"

He can always count on her to have the offer of a nice hot cup of tea on deck, and it soothes a part of his soul that he hadn't even known was sore.

"Sure." They sit together next to the fire, the crackling warmth seeping into his muscles as his frustration ebbs away.

"Hey, what if you tried adding your fire to your kata?" she asks, and he raises his brow at her. "No, think about it! You know the routine by heart, so adding your fire to it will be easier."

"But what will you do?" He has to admit, it does sound like a good idea. A small step in the right direction rather than a giant leap seems much more manageable than what they're doing now.

"Maybe I'll just follow along with your kata. Would that be okay?"

"Yeah, that's fine." Katara floats the tea into their mugs, a small smile on her face, and Zuko finds that he's actually looking forward to the next morning.

They sleep soundly, Zuko waking with the sun and opening his eyes to find a still slumbering Katara just a foot away from him. Her face is relaxed in sleep, dark curls spread around her head like a halo on her bedroll. An errant strand bisects her face, and his hand itches to push it away, to tuck it behind her ear and trail his fingers over her smooth cheek.

"Katara." They had agreed last night that it would be best if they get up together so Zuko could guide her through his kata after they meditate. She doesn't stir, instead taking a deep inhale and licking her lips. His eyes follow the motion, a subtle heat stirring in his gut. "Katara, wake up," he speaks a little louder, and she groans quietly before rolling over. "Come on, you gotta get up." He resorts to laying his hand on her shoulder and shaking her the tiniest bit, to which she groans again. "This was your idea, remember?"

"'s a dumb idea." She throws her arm over her eyes, almost whacking him as he laughs at her.

"You're full of those." The smirk is evident in his voice, and she lifts her arm up just enough to glare at him. She's cute when she's grumpy.

"Shut up." She elbows his ribs, but there's no force behind the gesture. His face is starting to hurt from smiling so much, which is a more and more common phenomenon.

"Come on, sleepy, it's time to get up." Katara grumbles behind him as he rises, twisting his torso and cracking his back a few times before stretching his hands high over his head. He turns around and catches her looking at him; he must still be groggy from his sleep, because he swears that he can see a faint pink coloring her cheeks. "I'll meet you out there. Don't fall back asleep."

Zuko steps outside into the crisp morning air; spring is well underway, the early mornings and late evenings still mostly cool, but immensely refreshing. He sits down in a lotus position, resting his open palms face up on his knees, and closes his eyes to breathe the waking world deep into his lungs. He concentrates on his senses; the thick smell of pine and fresh morning dew, the tickling feeling of the long grass around him shifting with the light breeze. The sounds of Katara exiting their tent and walking groggily over to him grace his ears, her steps slow and dragging slightly as she makes her way towards him. Peeking out of his right eye, he sees her as she sits next to him, mirroring his position.

"Have you ever meditated before?" This is his favorite part of the day, the still morning silence broken only by twittering bird songs and rustling pine needles.

"No." She shifts and settles, turning her head to look at him.

"Alright, I'll guide you through it. Close your eyes and relax your body." His eyes slip closed. "Breath in deep through your nose," they inhale in tandem, "and out through your mouth. Concentrate on your senses; the smells and sounds around you, the weight of your body pressing into the ground." He waits a moment before continuing. "Try to clear your mind. Don't push your thoughts away, just notice them, and let them pass. Focus on your breathing, and just relax."

They lapse into a soft silence, the sun rising slowly as the forest comes to life around them. They meditate for a short while, much shorter than Zuko's usual mediation, before he peels his eyes open.

"How do you feel?" Katara still has her eyes closed, the picture of serenity glowing in the warm light of the sunrise.

"Calm." Her voice is soft and quiet, conjuring a strange feeling of longing inside Zuko's chest.

"Good. Come back to yourself slowly, and when you're ready, we'll start the kata."

His muscles stretch and warm as he rises silently from his seat, rejuvenated and ready for the day ahead. Katara yawns from her place on the ground, his lips curling into a small smile at her persistent tiredness.

"Alright, let's do this," Katara says, and swings her arms over her head, reaching her hands up into the sky. Zuko averts his eyes, trying desperately not to look at the strip of skin that exposes itself with the motion.

They stretch for a few minutes, warming up their muscles before diving into the kata. Zuko leads Katara through the moves one by one, ensuring that she's using the proper form before moving on to prevent injuries. They go through the whole set once before trying to add in their elements; the idea had no doubt been a good one, but it's anything but easy for the both of them. Zuko finds himself stumbling at an embarrassing frequency as he attempts to control his fire while also going through the coordinated motions of his kata. Katara fares no better than he does, and as the minutes wear on, he feels like he's getting the hang of it while Katara trails behind.

"Why can't I get this?" Heavy breaths push from her lungs, a desperate look on her face when she turns to Zuko.

"Maybe you should try making the movements a little more… fluid. Water's all bendy and winding, so maybe if you do that it'll make it easier," he suggests.

She gives him a shrewd look before beginning again, and the improvement is noticeable immediately. Before where she had lost balance, she now transitions smoothly into a new form, successfully keeping her water controlled as she flows through the kata.

The morning passes quickly, and soon they continue on through the forest, their spirits high due to the relative success of their training earlier in the day. It had been tough, but it was the first time that Zuko had felt like he accomplished something valuable in the last month since meeting Katara. They swap stories as they walk, playing silly games with each other when conversation runs dry.

"Okay, I see something…" Katara taps her chin with a delicate finger. "Green."

"Seriously? The whole forest is green!" She laughs at his bewildered expression, an unbidden smile growing on his face.

"I'll give you a hint: it's not the trees or the grass."

"Wow, that really narrows it down," he grumbles. She continues giggling, the sound more beautiful than any bird song. "You're too good to me, Katara, really."

"Shut up and guess." Her elbow collides with his side in a playful gesture.

"I don't know..." his eyes wander over the scene before them as they walk. "Is it that random patch of moss?"

"Moss is the same as grass." Luminous blue eyes roll at his lame attempt.

"No, moss is moss. It's totally different than grass."

Poking fun at her like this fills him with an unfamiliar yet addicting feeling of comfort. The easy teasing and stupid jokes tell of a safe friendship with Katara, something he hasn't felt since the last time he saw Azula. Even so, what he feels with Katara is vastly different. His laughs are punctuated by a tingling in his limbs, his smile imbued with sunshine when she draws it on his face; his affection for her is like sugar coating his tongue, tactile and sweet. It's dangerous, this closeness he feels to Katara, but he pushes the threat to the back of his mind. It's been a long time since he's let himself enjoy something like this, and he welcomes the feeling wholeheartedly.

Xx

The stars twinkle gently, diamonds thrown haphazardly across the indigo sky hanging above them as they go through their kata that night. Zuko pushes flames from his fists and feet, guiding the heat in his chest through his limbs and out into bright bursts of fire. It's a cathartic release, but by the time they call it quits he's utterly exhausted. Both of his shirts lie crumpled on the ground, the heat from his fire adding to the warmth of exerting his body and making him sweat. Cool spring air blows across his chest, and he sighs as the refreshing chill that shivers along his skin.

"I'd call that a success." Katara towers above him from where he sits on the ground, a flick of her wrist ridding her of the glistening sweat that had stuck to her skin.

"Yeah." He marvels at the usefulness of her gift. "I can agree with that."

Try as he might, he knows the images of Katara's skin shining under the stars as she moved her water won't be leaving his mind for some time, if at all. His infatuation for her grows every day, the happiness he finds in her softly glowing eyes and big smile something that he's grown dangerously accustomed to. He has no idea what will happen once this journey is over, but he hopes against all logic that he won't have to part from her. It's a foolish thought, he knows, but a small part of him wishes that he could stay with her, that she'd let him keep working on her farm, or that he could settle down in her village, anything so that he wouldn't have to give up his time with her. Contemplating the dreary life Zuko had been leading before he met her brings nothing but vague sadness and disappointment, his memories of the past a dull grey backdrop for his technicolor days with Katara by his side.

"Can I see the map?" Her question breaks him out of his reverie, and he slides the worn parchment out of his bag and spreads it out before them. "Where are we now?"

"Right around here." He points to a spot in the middle of a small forest. "We're about two weeks out from the next town."

"I think we'll need to stop for supplies. Our rations are starting to run low; you'll probably have to go hunting at least once before we get there." He nods. "I've been thinking that I might be able to freeze some stew if we make one. That way we could store some of it and reheat it the next morning."

"That's smart." He takes a quick inventory of their bags. "We might be able to sell one of these blankets too if you're willing to. It's getting warmer so we won't need all of them, and it'll help lighten the load."

"That's fine. We still have plenty of money, so that's good. Maybe we can get a pillow!" She looks at him with bright eyes, and he chuckles at her smirk.

"We'll be living in the lap of luxury." The smile on his face matches hers as he continues to look at the map. "We'll have to find a way through the mountains." He eyes the symbols for the peaks on the map. "Maybe the people in the next town will be willing to help us. It seems like the town itself is at a higher elevation than we are now, so maybe they can point us in the direction of a trail or something."

"Hopefully we can find someone there who's willing to even talk to us." Their eyes meet, concern abundant behind the glow of her irises. "What's the town called?"

"Yangchen."

"Never heard of it." Katara's lips purse, her brows drawn with worry.

"We'll figure it out." Feeling bold, he lays a hand gently on her shoulder, the lines on her face relaxing with a sigh.

"I hope so."

They continue looking at the map, reading the names and symbols by the light of the gibbous moon. Zuko doesn't know what they'll do if they can't find anyone to help them in Yangchen. They could always pay someone off, but they'd no doubt ask for a hefty sum of coins. Once again he feels that the supposed "blessing" of his gift is more akin to a curse, and wonders not for the first time why he's bothering with this mission at all. But when he looks at Katara, her dark eyebrows pulled down in contemplation, her full bottom lip caught between her teeth, the curve of her back as she hunches over the map, he feels glad to be here no matter the uncertainty.