Katara leaned excitedly over the railing. "Look! We're almost there!"

Zuko stood beside Katara, looking at the green mass of land coming into view. He smiled down at her, but she didn't see it; she was concentrating on the shore.

"Finally." Zuko let out a deep breath. At last, it felt like they were getting something accomplished on their mission...aside from his daily training sessions with Katara. She was getting quite good at hand-to-hand combat. He'd be handing her a sword in no time. "Within a few hours, we should be landing on the shore."

Zuko studied the coastline, a frown creasing his face. It was hard to believe it had been six years since he had last set foot here. The last time he had seen the Western Air Temple, it had been the backdrop to an apparent death spiral for his sister. Of course Azula had ended up saving herself and surviving, as she always seemed to. This temple...a lot of life-changing moments had happened to him here, and seeing it again was almost like going back in time.

Katara looked up at him, admiring the strong set of his jaw and the way the wind blew his hair back from his face, exposing his scar, as well as the form-fitting black outfit he had donned. She tried, and failed, to not ogle the way it hugged his chest and shoulders as a silly smile crossed her face. Katara told herself she was just happy to be here, and she almost managed to convince herself of that...but not quite. She managed to look away and clear the smile from her face. She needed to focus.

Katara cleared her throat, breaking him from his thoughts and her own distraction as well. "Are you ready to find some answers?" she asked.

Zuko met her gaze, his face serious. Then his lip curled into a half-smile as he nodded. "I'm more than ready."

The ship anchored off the coast in the late afternoon. The storm had only delayed them a few hours thanks to Katara's waterbending. Katara and Zuko loaded up into the small coal-powered emergency boat with a small ration of supplies and departed for the shore. She was grateful for the advanced Fire Nation vessel: with its engine they arrived on shore within half an hour of departing.

Once on dry land, they hiked up to the top of the ravine along a scraggy incline. That had used up most of their remaining daylight in doing so, but they pressed on until they came to the river that followed the ravine and would deposit them near the temple; Katara remembered that the waterfall cascaded down the far side of the temple into another river below that went out to the sea.

They would have to make camp for the night along the river's edge. If Zuko had it his way, he would have had them walk all night. He was feeling restless, like there wasn't enough time. Maybe he was just ready to get some answers. But he didn't have it in him to ask Katara to press on; she was dragging her feet by the time they got to the river and he could see that she was quickly burning out by the pinched look on her face.

Zuko chose a spot on the broad, grassy bank of the river for their camp site. It was well protected, with a small grove of ash banana trees backing up to the drop of the ravine on one side and the wide, lazy river on the other.

Together they started setting up camp. It was so familiar that Zuko felt a wave of deja vu wash over him. How many times had they set up camp while they were fugitives in the Fire Nation? The others all had tasks: Sokka and Suki went hunting, Toph and Aang would fetch water and firewood, and somehow he and Katara always ended up setting up the tents and getting dinner going together. There had been plenty of bickering and barbs thrown each other's way back then (well, mostly his way) until he and Katara had gone on what Toph called a life-changing field trip.

"If you want to get a fire going, I'll see if I can catch a fish dinner." Katara knelt down and opened up her pack, which Zuko had shouldered a few hours ago, and pulled out a cook-pot.

Zuko arched his brow quizzically, a smart remark on the tip of his tongue.

"Don't take it personally. Waterbenders have a knack for it." She looked up at him with a smirk. "It seems like a rather fitting division of labor if you ask me. The firebender builds the fire, the waterbender catches the fish."

"If you say so," Zuko murmured, and he headed into the trees to gather some firewood without argument. There was something sound to her logic, and he didn't mind a short respite away from her to sort through some of his thoughts.

Once he had gone, Katara stripped down to her sarashi. The weather was mildly cooler here than in the Fire Nation, but it was still uncomfortably warm walking in her dark clothes. She missed her blue robes, but she understood the practicality of the black tunic and loose pants.

The cool river felt nice against her heated skin as she waded out up to her waist. She relished it for a moment, letting her eyes fall closed. Then Katara held perfectly still, arms braced above the water, as she waited for an unsuspecting fish to come too close.

While she waited, Katara reflected on what had happened between them that morning. She didn't remember falling asleep, but she must have at some point because when she awoke she was comfortably warm, and utterly entwined with Zuko. And she didn't quite know how she felt about it.

Somehow they had ended up laying down on her futon. He had been on his side facing her, and she had been curled up against him. Her head had been tucked into the crook of his neck and she could feel the rhythmic beating of his heart where her hand rested on his chest And, Katara had noted with slight embarrassment, one of her legs was between his knees. He had one arm slung across her waist, the other tucked under his head.

Zuko had already been awake, rising with the sun as he always did. He wasn't looking at her, but over her head. She couldn't understand why he hadn't left when he had woken up...or why he hadn't gone the night before, either. It was obvious by that point that she was warm and had recovered from their foray into the storm. Sure, she'd kind of trapped him against the wall...but he could have left. If he wanted to.

Katara's first instinct had been to pull away, embarrassed, a blush creeping into her cheeks, but she didn't want to be rude...so she had pulled away just enough to look at him.

She had been surprised to find he had stayed, but couldn't bring herself to ask why he hadn't left. Then she realized how calm she felt. Rested. The anxieties of the last few days had just...melted away.

And then it had also occurred to her that she hadn't had a single bad dream all night.

Katara pondered over what—if anything—it could mean. But she was at a loss. And she felt guilty—she and Aang just broke up, what did it say about her being content to cuddle up with Zuko?—but she didn't feel as guilty as she thought she should.

The silver flicker of a fish pulled her from her reverie, and Katara decided it was best to focus on catching their dinner. She could think about what that morning meant later.

Zuko walked through the underbrush, batting away lazy bugs from his face in the muggy air as he went. Sweat dripped down his back and all he could think about was cooling off in the river. He had gone willingly enough to collect firewood, but now he was a little jealous that Katara got to cool off in the river first.

He tried not to think about her back at their campsite. If he knew Katara as well as he thought he did, he assumed she had probably stripped down to her sarashi. He wondered how different she would look now, all grown up...but he pushed that thought from his mind.

He smiled in amusement to himself as he thought of Katara using her bending to catch a fish. It was ingenious, really, and quite practical.

His thoughts drifted back to that morning.

The two of them had slept entangled together the entire night. He had woken up first, rising with the sun's first light. He could feel her gentle breath on the hollow of his throat and the rise and fall of her back as she continued to sleep soundly. He felt the steady beat of her heart against his ribs. He could smell the rain in her hair. She was warm and snug and impossibly close, as if, in her unconscious state, she had to be flush against him. Katara hadn't moved at all while she slept. She seemed to be utterly at ease curled against him.

From his angle, he couldn't look down at her face. But something about this...about them...had something hot stirring in his belly and his heart skipping erratically in his chest. Zuko had closed his eyes and tried not to think about it...and failed.

Something had changed since the last time he saw Katara. He wasn't quite sure what it was, but it was as if he was seeing her, truly seeing her, for the first time.

And she was utterly beautiful. Somewhere in the back of his mind, he had always known that. It was apparent in the way her thick, dark lashes framed her big blue eyes, the small round point of her nose, her wide cheekbones, and her full lips. But Katara was more than just a pretty face; she was smart, strong, compassionate.

Zuko had known all of those things. Of course he did. But the way he thought about those things, about her, was changing. It had started changing the moment she had entered the dining hall at his palace.

He wasn't sure what would happen between Katara and Aang when they returned. Would they get back together? He had tried to assure her that first night on the ship, but he hadn't really meant it, and he hated himself a little bit for it. Katara was clearly torn about the way she felt towards Aang, and while Zuko had been supportive, he didn't really want them to get back together.

Briefly, he entertained the thought of pursuing her...but he quickly pushed those thoughts away. What kind of friend would he be, to her and Aang, if he did? Zuko wasn't even sure how Katara felt about him. Sleeping in his arms one time really didn't mean anything. She had been cold and he was warm. That was all there was to it.

He was getting ahead of himself.

Zuko collected branches and twigs until he was certain there would be enough for the night, an unhappy frown creasing his face. With as hot as it was he didn't expect the night to cool off, but he wanted to make sure they had light. He made his way back to the campsite, carefully concealing his emotions.

On the bank were four dead fish. Zuko looked up and saw Katara floating lazily on the gentle swell, dressed only in her sarashi. Her white, suddenly almost translucent sarashi. His eyes took in her tan skin and smooth curves for just a moment before he looked away, swallowing hard.

Zuko set down the firewood rather loudly so she would realize he'd come back, in case she wanted to get dressed.

But he should have known better. It wasn't like this was the first time he had seen her in her underthings. Clearly he was the only one who felt the change in their dynamic. He tried not to feel disappointed. Unless she wanted him to see her in her sarashi…? He shook the thought from his mind.

As soon as she saw him, she lifted one arm from the water and beckoned him over with a white-toothed grin. "Zuko, you've got to get in the water. It feels amazing!"

He didn't need to be told twice. "Okay."

He stripped off his shirt and boots and waded out. The water was crisp and cool and oh so refreshing against his hot skin. He sucked in a quick breath as the cold water reached his navel, but it felt good all the same.

Zuko held his breath and disappeared beneath the surface. He pushed himself deeper into the river until his hands brushed the rocky bed. He swam for air and broke through the surface. He shook water from his hair.

"Hey, watch it!" Katara warned him playfully as she wiped water droplets from her cheek. She flicked her fingers back at him without bending. "Don't start something you can't finish."

"I wouldn't dare challenge a master waterbender to a splashing contest," Zuko returned with a smirk.

"A wise decision, really." He watched as she paddled a little closer to him, her long legs pushing her through the water with ease. Then she straightened until she was treading water and beamed a happy smile at him. "See, I told you it felt great."

"I can't even remember the last time I went swimming," Zuko remarked. He backstroked lazily down the river, feeling the current's gentle pull on his body.

"You need to relax more, my Lord," Katara teased, pushing a swell of water in his direction. "Don't you know it's important to have fun?"

Her words made him think of Alasie and he flushed. How many times had the water tribe diplomat said the very same thing to him? In his mind he saw Alasie, and he glanced quickly at Katara. I must have a thing for water tribe women. Maybe that was what had attracted him to his diplomat in the first place. Perhaps he had found a familiarity in her blue eyes and dark skin.

Zuko offered her a wry smirk. "Everyone keeps telling me that, yet I always end up having something important to do. You know, like saving the world."

Katara threw her head back and laughed. He smiled as the sound warmed his heart. Maybe she wasn't as broken up over Aang as he thought she would be. Maybe that was a good sign.

After they had their fill of the water, they climbed onto the shore. Katara wrung out her hair and pulled the water from her sarashi. Zuko politely kept his eyes averted as he brought heat to the palms of his hands and watched as the water turned to steam as he dried his trousers.

"That's a neat little trick," Katara commented as she pulled her clothes back on.

Zuko nodded his chin in her direction, eyes still averted as she tugged her tunic on over her head and tied the sash around her slim waist. "So's that. I bet it makes doing laundry a lot easier."

"Are you assuming that my bending is only useful for laundry duty?" She arched a brow at him, hands fisted on her hips. He had opted to leave his shirt off and she had to make a conscious effort to look at his face.

Zuko paled. "Uh, no, of course not. I'm sure you use your bending for lots of useful things."

Katara snickered. "I'm just teasing you, Zuko." She looked down at the pile of sticks he had gathered then back at him, the corner of her mouth tugging up into a smile. "You want to get a fire going or should I bust out the trusty spark rocks?"

"Yes, Princess," Zuko teased her. He arranged them into a small triangle then pointed two fingers at the firewood, igniting it with ease. "That is also a neat little trick."

Katara looked at him, grinning widely. "You know what'll be an even better trick? If you gut and clean the fish for me."

He looked at her, a small smile on his lips. She's happy, he thought. Zuko gave a mock-bow. Then he realized, I'm happy. "Yes, your highness."

Katara looked up at him, her eyes sparkling in the early dusk light. "You better be careful, Zuko. I like the sound of that." Her eyes widened as she registered the double meaning behind her words, but he only smiled, not showing her the way his heart fluttered at the hidden connotation.

Feeling a bit smug, he stood up from the fire and went to their rucksacks to hunt around for a knife. As he passed her, he leaned in close and murmured in her ear, "Nothing wrong with that." Pleased at her startled intake of breath, he knelt by his pack.

Katara felt heat rise to her cheeks and she risked a glance at him over her shoulder. She took in the broad sweep of his shoulders and the tight muscles of his back and turned away Spirits above, why does he have to be shirtless? She shook her head and tried to breathe deeply to calm her hammering heart.

Once he had finished with the fish he gave them to Katara, who then speared them on sharp sticks and propped them over the flames. Soon the pleasant smell of cooking fish filled their campsite and Zuko's stomach rumbled. Katara looked through her bag and produced a few moon peaches and leftover rice from lunch from before they left the ship. When the fish were done cooking she served dinner.

"It smells delicious," Zuko told her sincerely. It had been too long since he had eaten her cooking. He impatiently breathed on his food to cool it off. He was starving.

"Thank you," she murmured, blushing. He watched as she breathed on her food, quelling the steam and lowering the temperature of the food to a bearable degree. She popped a bite into her mouth and smiled contentedly.

"So I just found another useful trick with your waterbending," Zuko drawled as a sheepish grin crossed his face.

Katara looked up at him. "Oh? And what's that?"

"Being able to cool stuff down." He eyed her food, and then looked at his, still hot and steaming. "Would you mind?"

The corner of her mouth quirked up into a smug smirk and she held her hand out for his bowl. "No problem."

Zuko passed his food over to her and watched as she breathed cool air over it. She met his gaze over the lip of the bowl, and they both blushed, looking away for reasons neither of them quite wanted to think about.

After dinner they settled into their respective bedrolls on opposite sides of the fire. Through the orange glow Zuko could see her outline in her bedroll, and could see the dark fan of her hair. He found himself wishing he was sleeping beside her once again.

What are you thinking? Zuko berated himself. That was a one-time thing because she was cold. She just broke up with the Avatar. But Zuko would be lying to himself if he thought that changed anything.

As sleep claimed him, a thought suddenly flitted through his mind: he hadn't had a nightmare while she slept beside him.

Zuko squatted down at one end of the arena, willing his heart to slow down. Adrenaline pumped through his veins and although his face didn't betray him, he was nervous.

He wasn't afraid; he hadn't been lying when he said he would face the old general without fear. That hadn't changed. But this was his first Agni Kai and he knew, even with Uncle Iroh's teachings and that of his firebending master, that he was not the strongest bender. There was a good chance he wouldn't leave this arena with his honor.

He risked a peek at the gathered crowd around him. Agni Kais were a public affair in Capital City, and word of his participation had spread quickly, drawing a large crowd. He recognized a lot of the faces: many of his father's top advisors and military leaders were present. He could see Uncle Iroh and his sister, Azula, sitting near the arena. Behind them, he saw Captain Zhao. His stomach flipped nervously. He got the feeling Zhao didn't like him or his uncle very much.

Zuko couldn't help but notice that his father wasn't present. A wave of disappointment and relief simultaneously washed over him. His dad wasn't here to watch him, even though he had ordered the Agni Kai.

But that meant he wouldn't be there to watch Zuko lose, either. If it happened.

The gong sounded, and there was no more time for thinking. Zuko stood and turned around, the wrap on his shoulders fluttering to the ground. What he saw made his blood run cold.

The person who stood before him was not the old general he had disrespected. It was his own father, the Fire Lord himself.

Zuko bolted upright, a scream behind his lips. His skin was drenched in sweat. He looked over the smoldering fire and saw Katara sleeping soundly in her bedroll. She had rolled over to face him, and seeing her tranquil face soothed him. Zuko ran his hands through his damp hair as he forced himself to take deep breaths. Where did that come from? he asked himself. I haven't dreamed of that in...years.

Unsettled, Zuko silently slipped from his bedroll. Gooseflesh broke across his bare skin.

Now that he was awake, he felt the restless desire to move. Gauging by the moon's position in the night sky, dawn was still over an hour away. He crept over toward his bag and quietly extricated his dao swords before tiptoeing away from camp. He stayed close enough that he could still see the embers of their campfire, but far enough away that he wouldn't wake Katara up.

He puzzled over the dream. Why was he revisiting it now? He hadn't dreamt much of that awful Agni Kai since the Day of Black Sun. It had been a turning point in Zuko's young life. The connotations and effects of his cowardice had followed him for years after, and even sometimes now, his anxieties resurfaced...but he didn't dream about it.

Zuko hated how, despite all of the years between it, the dream could still conjure up the fear, humiliation, and shame that came with it.

He limbered up before unsheathing his swords. They shimmered dangerously under the full moon. Zuko went through the practiced motions, feeling his body respond with ease. He had received lessons from Master Piandao for years since he was a child, until his banishment. And Azula thought I wasn't any good, he thought with a smug smile How wrong she was.

The swordplay stilled his frayed nerves. It felt good to have his blades back in his hands again. Like firebending, the dao swords were an extension of himself. How many years had he spent feeling like two halves of one whole? The difference between himself and his swords was that they had always worked together, whereas he had not been able to for years.

After the Agni Kai against his father, something had broken inside of Zuko, shearing him in two: one half being the person he had once been, and the person he had become after that. The two halves were at war within him for years.

For a long time Zuko believed that the man he had become was the one who needed to win. That part of himself was strong, fearless, and calculating where the old self was reluctant, nervous, and naive. But the new half was also cruel, and bitter, and angry.

In the end, the two halves had come together to create someone entirely new. And while he wasn't perfect, Zuko appreciated who he had become.

Finally calmed, Zuko lowered his swords and turned his face up to the full moon, his mind once again wandering to the waterbender sleeping soundly back at camp. It seemed like she was all he could think about now.

He sheathed his swords and walked quietly back to camp. Katara hadn't stirred at all. Zuko carefully replaced his swords and laid down on top of his bedroll. He tucked one hand behind his head and closed his eyes. But sleep didn't come.

Zuko tried to think of other things. Anything. Like where they would go in the temple once they arrived. He tried to focus on the rooms he had already searched, tried to remember the labyrinthian layout, and wondered if he had missed something during his time there. But he quickly ran out of ideas, and eventually he found himself looking over at Katara as the dawn's first light transformed her skin into a lovely shade of golden brown.

Katara stirred and opened her eyes. She blinked sleepily. Zuko looked away so she wouldn't catch him staring at her.

"How long have you been awake?" Katara mumbled around a yawn. She sat upright and shook out her hair.

"Long enough," Zuko hedged as he sat up.

"Couldn't sleep?"

"I'm ready to get to the Western Air Temple, unlike you, Princess Sleepyhead." He ducked as she chucked her comb at him.

"I rise with the moon and you rise with the sun, remember?" Katara retorted jokingly.

"You can use whatever excuse you want, Katara." He tossed the comb back to her and packed up his bedroll. "Come on. We can eat the rest of the moon peaches on the way."

Author's Note: So after working with my beta and adding A LOT to this chapter, I realized it was 8k words, so I split it in half. So the next chapter was originally part of this chapter...which is why this is 90% fluff and 10% plot.