Disclaimer: Zuko and Katara, and everything else in their world, belong to some big scary corporation, not me. Oh, what's its name...Flicklation...Nickney...Nickieloodan...?
Katara, contrary to popular belief, was a normal teenage girl. Yes, she was a waterbending master. Yes, she traveled with the Avatar and planned to defeat the Fire Lord and save the world. And yes, believe it or not, she was fifteen. Like any fifteen year old girl, she had recently discovered she had...needs.
Katara knew exactly what was happening – she'd lived in a village of lonely women growing up. She'd heard plenty – more than a young girl probably should have. She knew what her body was doing, and why it was doing it. The theory of it all was simple. But experiencing it all firsthand was completely different.
It had started with a dream.
She was back in the woods, her arms constrained by a coarse stretch of rope. Her body was shaking with fury at the sight of the arrogant firebender standing before her, dangling her mother's necklace just out of her reach. He spoke no words, only smirked at her fury, sneered at her inability to take control of the situation. But when she reached the part of the memory when she was rescued, her subconscious took over.
Dream Zuko ordered his guards away; Katara's dream self fidgeted in apprehension.
A strange expression came over the firebender's face. Suddenly he was right in front of her, his lips at her neck. Her dream self let out a moan as he explored her jaw with his mouth, teasing her, never traveling near where she desired his affections most. Never letting her kiss him back.
"Zuko," her dream self whispered heatedly. Another moan escaped her as her body reacted further towards Zuko's…efforts. Dream Zuko chuckled huskily, breaking away from her for a moment to look her in the eye. Her dream self gasped softly at the intensity of his gaze. It was an expression unlike anything she had seen before, at least on Zuko. It was a look of hunger. Her mother's necklace dropped to the ground, forgotten.
Oh yes...
"Katara!" a voice spoke through the fog in her head, shaking the waterbender from her reverie.
The real Zuko gazed down at her, an amused expression on his face. Katara belatedly noticed that though they had indeed been standing still for quite some time, her breathing was strangled and irregular and her face was warm from her fantasy. She blushed further, causing a small smile from Zuko.
"What were you thinking about?" he asked innocently, unable to extinguish his amusement.
She glared up at him, trying to scrounge together what little dignity she had left after being bound and embarrassed by the firebender. "None of your business, Hothead!"
With her words came a change in his expression. Katara's eyes widened – seeing the expression in real life was much more vivid than in her teenage fantasy.
The waterbender had no time to react before she was pushed roughly against the tree behind her, warm, eager hands pinning her bound wrists above her head.
His being radiated heat; his face was stone. "You are going to listen, Katara. You are here to listen. You have been acting horrible lately; I'm not sure if you know this, but waterbenders project their emotions. We all know exactly how you feel. You're depressed Katara – everyone is concerned." He paused, leaning towards her, hesitant. His eyes searched hers – she tried to look away, uncomfortable, but it was impossible. His amber eyes were magnetic.
He leaned closer, his search complete. Katara shuddered as his lips came into contact with her throat.
Dear Tu and La!, she thought, trying to control her breathing. It was exactly like her dream. She tried desperately to hold back her moan.
He chuckled against her skin, sending shivers up her spine. "Did you not know?" he asked, kissing his way along her jaw, "Yes, waterbenders project their emotions – reverse empaths, if you will. Do you know who the opposite of waterbenders are, Sugar Queen?"
He paused, his warm breath caressing her ear. She nodded hurridly. "Fire," she spoke huskily.
He smiled against her neck, resuming his ministrations. "Firebenders, Katara, yes. We are the opposite of waterbenders…we do the opposite of what you do. We are empaths. We experience the emotions of others close to us…"
Katara was too caught up with the feeling of his lips…AGNI, was that his tongue?...against her to see where he was going with this. Not that she cared, particularly. All her dreams were literally coming true.
"Everyone knows you're depressed, Katara. That much is obvious enough. But only I know why."
"Why?" Katara mumbled nearly incoherently, only aware of how he seemed to be pressing his body closer to hers, as though wanting them to meld together into one being.
"Two words, Katara. Unrequited love."
The waterbending master froze, all feeling drained from her body. Spirits above, he knows.
Zuko sighed as she went limp, arms still pinned to the tree, head lolling down onto her chest. He scooped her up into his arms, a curious expression crossing his face as the moonlight streamed down onto Katara's unconscious figure.
"You're wrong," he whispered sadly.