Disclaimer: I do not own Avatar: The Last Airbender or any of it's characters.

Hearing

From across the camp where everyone sat in silence after finishing their meals under the warm night sky, Sokka stared at his sister. She looked up, slightly annoyed as she unrolled her sleeping bag.

"Why are you looking at me like that?"

The brother just shrugged, shaking his head to bring himself back down to earth. In truth his blue eyes had been staring at the same matching pair, and he finally realized something. How had he not seen it before? Of course he had...but it just slipped his mind.

"It's just that...your looking more and more like...m-mom everyday."

As soon as he had said her name, Katara's head jerked up. As did everyone else, she stared at her brother for a moment, until her lower lip quivered a bit and a smile ran across her soft lips. Running over to her brother she wrapped her arms around him and tackled him into a hug.

No one dared to ruin the moment, but instead silently slipped into their tents and sleeping bags. Hours passed and the siblings had long ago joined the others in their slumber. But two were not asleep.

Zuko cracked open his sleepless eyes, only to see Katara sitting and staring into something into her hand. Without hesitation and without any second thoughts he got up and moved over to her. Why did he do it? Only Agni knows why. Something in the pit of his stomach forced his footsteps, and something in his heart blocked out every other thought in his head. The wind brushed against her smooth cheeks.

Her now unsmiling cheeks.

"Katara? Are you okay?"

He sat down in front of her, looking at her with concern. His voice was barely above a whisper, just barely escaping his lips. His amber eyes strained to lock on her blue ones, but they stared at the ground and her dark hand.

Without looking up she opened her closed fist, and inside was the very necklace that was always around her neck. Immediately he understood. He had heard all those words to confirm his thought. Although he never thought of his before, he never did forget it. Never once. It was her mother...

Suddenly, just very suddenly, another thought entered his mind and escaped through his voice.

"You know...y-your mother must have been very...b-beautiful.."

Looking up, she stared at him in disbelief. Zuko turned his head downward, not believing that he of all people just said. that. Katara leaned closer, closing her fist that held the necklace. Blinking her soft blue eyes, she whispered back to him.

"Why do you say that?"

Zuko blushed, unable to control the heat in his face. Stuttering and spilling his words out, he kept his eyes anywhere but her face. Why didn't he ever think before he spoke? Hadn't he learned the hard way before?

"W-well...your brother said, um, you look...like your mom...and...um...y-your very...p-pretty."

Was her hearing correct? Did Zuko say what she just thought she did...?

And without another sound, she leaned closer and gave him a peck on the cheek.

Oh how she loved to hear that boy stutter and blush, especially when it was about her.

a/n

Review!

-karen