Here's the next chapter! Enjoy! Disclaimer: I don't own Avatar

The gang had already been at Ember Island for a few days, relaxing on the beach or lounging about the old house. Sokka had successfully immortalized Suki in sand, and had begun sculptures of the others. He fancied himself a budding artist, whose works, such as the sand sculptures and various interpretive paintings, were among the wonders of the world. Toph took pride in sabotaging, or as she called it 'improving' Sokka's masterpieces, and having sand bending competitions with Aang. Katara and Aang spent the majority of their time in the water, surfing and showing off unique water bending moves. Suki was content with staying on the sand, modeling for Sokka's projects or soaking in the warm, pleasant sun.

Meanwhile, with each passing day on the island, Zuko became more and more reclusive. He began to avoid the beach, and instead took long hikes up the mountain, where he would practice his fire bending away from prying eyes. When the others asked him where he had been, he lied and told them that he had been exploring the island. For some reason, he knew that they would disapprove of his relentless practicing and his general withdrawal from human companions.

Katara became suspicious when she stayed behind in the house as the others went down to the beach. She read water bending scrolls and short stories from the extensive supply of books in the house, and napping out in the little balcony attached the house that looked out over the ocean. As it got late, she went to get an early start on dinner, since she still prided herself in taking care of the others. She was toiling away in the kitchen, chopping up some vegetables to add to the soup, when she heard the unmistakable stump of Zuko's feet moving down the hallway.

She peeked around the corner, and saw him retreat into his room, slamming the door. She tiptoed over and eased his door open softly, peering through the crack she had created. Zuko sat on his bed, hunched over with his breath coming out in huffs. Sweat collected on his brow, and he quickly shed his shirt, still panting. Katara frowned and opened the door all the way. He jumped when he saw her standing in the doorway, hands on her hips.

"What do you think you're doing?" she said icily, glaring at him. He swallowed, but met her gaze evenly.

"I was just practicing fire bending. What's the big deal?" he used his discarded shirt to wipe the sweat from his forehead, then reached for the water skein on the table beside him.

"What's the big deal? You're supposed to be relaxing, that's what the big deal is! That's the whole point of this vacation! And you shouldn't overexert yourself, your scar can still give you pain," Katara matched his scowl, pointing at the strange pattern Azula's lightening had left on his stomach. He turned away from her, but as she spoke, he felt a small spasm of pain race up his stomach. She saw his stomach muscles clench, and her eyes narrowed.

"Don't you have somewhere to be? Like surfing with Aang, or something?" His retort had come from nowhere, and he immediately regretted it. Her eyebrows scrunched together and her frown deepened.

"What do you mean? Surfing with Aang?" Her voice betrayed her confusion. She drew closer to where he sat on the bed, but he just scooted farther away, hiding the flaming blush that threatened to creep up his cheeks.

"Forget it," he said hastily, but he was afraid the words came out too hostile. She pursed her lips.

"Fine. Just promise me you'll stop practicing so hard, okay, Zuko?" She didn't receive an answer. She sat down on the bed, even though he shied away from her even more. Despite his reluctance, she still reached out and placed her hand on his shoulder. His skin underneath her fingers was red-hot from his workout.

"Please, Zuko? For me?" He looked back at her, seeing the sincerity in her pure blue eyes. She really cares about me, he thought, incredulity flooding his senses. He nodded once, and then turned away, afraid of what more he might say if he looked into her eyes again. Her hand lingered on his shoulder for a brief moment. Then she released him and stood up. "Come on. Why don't you get cleaned up, and then you can join us for dinner."

His amber eyes followed her as she left the room. Once she had passed through the doorway and down the hall, he pinched the bridge of his nose with his hand and cursed himself. God, he was an idiot. Wasn't this why he was avoiding people? So situations like this wouldn't arise? He revealed too much of himself in that conversation. It made him uncomfortable, that now Katara would see him and judge him by what he had just said.

He took a deep breath and ran his hands down his face. He stood and stretched his stiffened joints, pausing when the pain from his scar made him swallow hard. He shook his head and sighed. He'd have to be more careful from now on.

Dinner was a subdued affair. Sokka was tuckered out from all the activities he had participated in; he was slumped in his chair with glazed look in his eyes. Aang was his usual cheerful self, but found the tense atmosphere oppressive to his normal countenance, and ate his food in silence. The awkward pressure in the room was clearly emanating from Zuko and Katara. The others did not comment on it, but it was tangible all the same.

Zuko's thoughts were consumed with the water bender sitting across from him. At times when he bent over his soup, he could feel her bright eyes boring into the back of his head. But when he glanced back up, she had already turned away. He excused himself early from dinner, intending to take a walk down to the beach in the moonlight. He was only a few steps out the door when he heard footsteps behind him. He didn't turn around to see who was following him, since he had a pretty good idea who it was, and walked down to the beach with a rigidly straight back.

The full moon made the water glow, and the light breeze tossed the white sand around on the beach. He resolutely stared out into the water, as he felt her pause behind him. He decided to speak, breaking the eerie calm the ocean created.

"I'm sorry," He was surprised that the words were not at all hard to get out. He recalled when he had been too proud to apologize to anyone, and he felt a twinge of happiness that he had changed so much for the better.

"For what?" she asked, drawing up beside him and looking at his face. "If anything, I should be apologizing. I overreacted back there... I guess I was just angry that you were avoiding m-, um, I mean us." She hid her blush as the words stumbled out of her mouth. His face didn't show the secret thrill of pleasure he felt when she was about to say 'me'. He gave her a quiet smile.

"It's all right. I guess I'm just not used to be around people I like," he said. She grinned up at him. She reached over and slipped her hand in his. She gave him a squeeze, and his eyebrows rose despite himself. Then she walked slowly up to the beach house, and he was left alone to watch the stars in the night sky.

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