Chapter 4

A Nice Swim

Disclaimer: Okay…I think I've made it pretty clear in the past three disclaimers that I don't own Avatar: The last Airbender. But no I have to continue doing these damn things because you people don't get the point! You have to increasingly depress me by making me say it repeatedly. DAMN YOU PEOPLE I DON'T OWN AVATAR! I'M NOT DOING THIS FOR MONEY! I'M JUST WRITING FOR FUN!

And now I'm going to go cry in the corner because now I'm very depressed.

Note to self: Get the Paramore Cd…

"KATARA WHAT ARE YOU DOING!" Baldy shouted as he stared at the sight before him, Katara wrapped up in Zuko's arms fast asleep underneath Zuko's blanket.

"What? What's going on?" Katara said as she looked up from Zuko's chest, just as Momo whizzed past her head smacking Aang in the face.

"SHUT UP! I AM SLEEPING!" Grumbled Zuko, as he pulled Katara back down and snuggled with her as if she was a teddy bear.

"WHAT'S GOING ON HERE? WHY DID MOMO JUST CRASH LAND ON AANG'S FACE? Zuko, just because you don't like mornings doesn't mean you get to ruin everyone else's mood," roared the Dragon of the West. He didn't seem fazed at all by Katara and Zuko curled up in each other's arms, he trusted them. His yelling woke up Toph and Sokka though, they didn't seem happy to be up right after the sun had risen. "Now, Zuko, Katara, why are you sharing a mat?"

"Because… I had a nightmare last night and he was still awake so he comforted me." Katara lied through her teeth. Iroh knew better and gave her a look, so she decided to tell something completely true, "Nothing happened we didn't do anything. I thanked him for listening, though it was not that kind of 'thank you'."

Iroh knew that she must be telling the truth on the last part, they wouldn't do anything that unholy with everyone else so near. Zuko piped up at this, "We just found out that we like each other, why in the world would we jump to that?"

Iroh nodded solemnly, that was good enough for him, so it may as well be good enough for everyone else. And before anyone could say anything else, Iroh made it clear this conversation was over by saying, "Now! What shall we have for breakfast, hmm?"

"Zuko, why don't you show him the first form?" Iroh said happily as he sat down next to Katara and Sokka. Zuko stood up, and began the simple form, his power and presence we incredible. Every kick and punch was down perfectly, as if he was able to do this in his sleep. Flames spewed in all directions, grunts and kiais were heard, and when Zuko finished the form everyone clapped respectfully. A light sheen of sweat covered his shirt clad chest so he took it off ((whistles, 'Take it all off!' and cat calls are heard from the readers)) as his bare, tan, muscular chest was seen. Their were scars in disarray over his body, showing that he had been brutally beaten more than once.And then Katara jumped on to Zuko, screwed him like a mad woman, had his children and everyone lived happily ever after! JUST KIDDING!

"Think you can do that?" Zuko asked; Aang looked a bit nervous as he stood up.

"Nephew, why don't you do the form next to Aang, if he needs help you can show him." Zuko looked at Iroh trying to shoot lightning at him with only his eyes. Then he caught Katara's gaze, so he did as he was told. Iroh simply laughed at how Zuko didn't even try to wiggle his way out of this. So he began again, knowing that this was going to be a long morning.

After two hours Aang had perfected the first form. Zuko was amazed, he didn't do it with as much intensity as he had hoped but still, the boy's flames were anything but tiny.

"Good job Avatar…" Zuko said breathlessly, "We should rest now…"

Both Zuko and Aang were drenched in sweat, they smelt, they were tired, hungry and in desperate need of a bath. Zuko walked over to one of the water buckets and dumped it on his head. He shook the loose water out of his hair, "I'm going to go for a swim…"

Aang smelt one of his arm pits and said, "I think I better join you."

"A swim sounds good." Sokka said. Katara looked sadly and hopefully up at Sokka, who didn't seem to get the hint.

"Katara. Would you like to join us?" Aang offered. She nodded, Toph bended the earth beneath Katara and led he to the lake, with the boys following. "You know I could have carried her."

"This is easier and faster then you trying to carry her." Toph said. "Normally I'd make Sokka or Zuko do it but Zuko is to tried and Sokka will most likely whine the entire way."

"I hate my ankles…" Katara muttered as they finally reached the lake, she hated being such a burden. Katara took off her ankle wrappings as everyone else shed some of they're clothes and shoes(except for Toph who wasn't wearing any). Zuko picked Katara up after she had shed her dress, now wearing her blue shorts and undershirt as a bathing suit.

He whispered softly into her ear, "It gives me an excuse to embrace you, so I don't mind." She smiled at Zuko as he walked into the lake with her in his arms. When he was chest deep in the water, he let Katara's legs go, he shifted her body weight to his hip, holding her up with one arm and running his free hand on her thigh. Her arms were around his neck when she kissed his lips softly. Zuko kissed her back before she put her head on his shoulder and let her long dark locks begin to get wet. She kissed the scars on his neck softly as he absently held her closer.

Sokka did a cannonball off a rock and landed next to Katara and Zuko and completely soaked them with cool water. Zuko didn't mind so much that he got wetter than he already was as he minded getting water up his nose and having the romantic moment he was having with Katara get ruined. Katara giggled a bit as Zuko struggled with coughing up the water that was settling in his lungs.

"Umm…" Sokka said trying to be innocent, "Opps?"

Katara bent the water around her brother and turned it into ice, freezing her brother and leaving him there. Sokka began to shiver and his lips turned blue, Serves him right for hurting my Zuko…Wait did I just think my Zuko? Katara seemed lost in her thoughts as her brother struggled with getting free, Aang noticed that it looked like Sokka was going to be stuck in this predicament for awhile, so he bended the water back into it's liquid form.

"Thanks Aang."

"No problem!" Aang said cheerfully as he dove deeper into the water playing with the fishes and frogs. Toph made her way waist deep into the water away from everyone and began washing her body of some of the dirt. Iroh was happily swimming in his own little cavern leaving the teens to have they're fun as he relaxed and washed his body ((great image, huh?))

"So how was everyone's food?" Katara asked as she washed her hands.

"Great."

"It was good."

"Wonderful, Katara."

"YUMMY!" Aang offered as he chomped on a piece of fruit.

"I heard you talking to Katara last night." Sokka and Zuko were the last ones awake; Katara's head was laying on Zuko's lap as she snored softly. Iroh rolled over on his mat trying to find a comfortable spot, the two boys watched him quickly fall back to sleep. Aang was snoring loudly and Toph was sprawled out on her mat as she drooled in her slumber.

"You were ease dropping on us." Zuko spat, clearly and understandably upset. He didn't want everyone to know what happened; hell, he didn't want to know what happened to his beloved mother.

"I couldn't sleep. It's not my fault-I tried to tune you to out…" Sokka looked up at Zuko, "You need to tell Iroh. He has a right to know what happened. She was his sister-in-law, from the way he was speaking of her the other day, she meant a lot to him."

"Drop it! It's not Uncle's burden to bare." He could talk to Katara about it; he just couldn't bring himself to tell Uncle. Stroking the beauty laying in his lap, Zuko spoke again, "I wouldn't know how to tell him either. Why should he know? Why should he know what I saw?"

"Because he cares about you, because he loves you more than your father ever did, because if he had seen that he would have told you." Aang offered. Apparently baldy was actually just pretending to be asleep.

"There are three reasons why." Sokka pointed out.

"He's another," Toph said, apparently Sokka and Zuko didn't exactly have the quite conversation that they thought they were having. "Maybe you won't have so many nightmares if you tell him. And it would make Sugar Queen happy."

"I will tell him…eventually." Zuko looked down at the sleeping girl he held, smiling softly he whispered to her, "Good night, my love..."

Well there's another chapter. If anyone has some suggestions then I would be more than happy to incorporate them into the story.

Ciao for now!