Don't own, don't profit.

A/N: I have a feeling this is going to be longer than I intended. Let me know if that makes you want to throw me out a window.

IlIlIlIlIlIlIlIlIlI

She felt his eyes on her everywhere. She didn't know if it was loathing or guilt or something else that made his eyes spark at her like that, and she didn't have to look, didn't have to meet them to know that they were always there. He offered no clues, but then she really couldn't afford to think about it. There were things to do. Important things. Like firewood, at the moment. And Zuko was not helpful. That wasn't exactly fair, she thought. He was fantastic, if you needed a fire started (which took all of three seconds max, from the asking to completion). It was the things that lead up to and followed the fire starting that he was not so good at. He was much better at sulking, staring, glowering, and stomping around camp with his fists clenched.

He was currently practicing the latter. It was after dark, and he always grew restless after dark as the rest of them settled into a comfortable, sociable rhythm. He was pacing, wearing a familiar groove into the ground. Iroh and Toph were comparing the high society habits of Fire Nation and Earth Kingdom elite, drinking tea and giggling like little girls. At least Toph actually was a little girl, Katara grinned to herself. Aang was already sleeping, curled up into Appa's soft fur, with Momo at his feet. Sokka had pitched his tent and was at that very moment struggling with the the tarp and cursing quite audibly under his breath at his sister; who was apparently to blame for everything from tarps and weather to the price of tea in Ba Sing Se.

Zuko stopped suddenly, having reached some sort of conclusion, gave them all a cursory glance and announced that he needed a walk. He. Needed. A. Walk.

"Be careful, nephew! I heard some platypus bears earlier down by the river!" Iroh called after him, then turned to whisper something to Toph, who burst out laughing.

"Exactly what kind of tea are you drinking?" Katara shot off in their direction, pretending to scold, glad to have the weight of Zuko's eyes off of her.

"Only the best, young waterbender! Only the best." Iroh chuckled. "You should go ask Zuko if he wants to gather some wood before he gets too far away." He said, strangling back a giggle. At this, Toph spat into her tea and flung herself backwards into the soft earth behind her. Obviously they had an inside joke that she was not privy to, but her mood was too light with the full moon to let it bother her.

"I don't know what is so funny, you two, but you are just asking to be separated. Honestly, you're acting like ten year olds!"

"I'm twelve, Katara!" Toph guffawed into the night sky.

"I give up!" She rolled her eyes in mock disdain, aware that only Iroh would get to enjoy that part of her show. "I'm going to gather some wood for the morning fire, and then I'm going to bed. Don't forget to rinse out your tea cups, children."

"We won't, mom!" They chimed in unison and collapsed in a fit of laughter. Peas in a pod, she mused as she shook her head and tromped off into the forest. She wondered if maybe she really should check the tea next time. Although she doubted sincerely that Iroh would be so irresponsible as to give a twelve year old any kind of spirits.

"Some of us are trying to sleep, you know!" She heard Sokka pipe in as she cleared earshot, and laughed softly under her breath.

It didn't take long to gather the firewood, and she decided she had enough time to take advantage of the moon and get in a little waterbending, just a little, just to clear her head. She shrugged off her outer shift and leggings and waded into the river until it hit her just below her knees. She relished in the sensation of the cool water sliding past her legs, the resistance, the gentle push of the flow. She picked up a stream and divided it into half a dozen balls, then more, tossing them around gently, weaving them in and out in an elliptical pattern.

She was focused, but her combat honed senses kicked in as she made out the sound of faint footsteps as they approach. She felt the familiar sensation of eyes focused on only her. There was only one person it could be.

IlIlIlIlIl

Zuko's head was nowhere near where it should have been. He had needed to leave camp, had to, after an hour of listening to his Uncle and Toph carry on. It was almost worse than music nights on the ship! Add to that the maddening tightness in his chest at her presence, and he couldn't stand it. He was too restless. His head was full of thoughts that movement alone couldn't exorcize. He announced his intentions, dismissed Iroh's advice, and then started off. He wandered for awhile at first, then threaded his way through the woods. The moonlight provided more than enough light to see, although he could have found his way to his meditation spot in pitch black. Agni knew he spent enough time there.

He cursed himself silently and strongly as he saw the break in the trees, the water ahead, and her.

There she was, using the full moon to revel fully in her powers. Gracefully, lithely, masterfully, she wound a coil of water from the larger body, forming a large glistening ball that she then separated once, then twice, continuing to double the number of balls until there were too many to count. She began tossing them about rythmically. Juggling, he huffed. But it was spectacular; her control, the look on her face, her face itself. He devoured the sight of her, her hair coming loose from its braid, her legs wide apart in the water, arms winding, every muscle in her body rippling smoothly just beneath her skin like currents. He was breathless, his need hard and aching, constricting his chest, and... his clothing. But he was unable (unwilling?) to tear himself away. An urgent stream of reasoning as to why he should turn and get the hell out of there ran a hasty loop in his head (honor, prudence, respect, his own damned dignity). So far the entire scene had lasted mere seconds. He could still escape. Unluckily for him though, she abruptly stopped, froze the balls of water in midair and dropped them into the river, letting the few dozen little balls of white bobble happily down the river.

"Enjoying the show, Zuko?"

He found himself suddenly frozen to the spot, her voice (mocking, exasperated) just as effective as her bending.