"What are you doing?" Katara asked hesitantly as she went into Kyuri's room. The floor was scattered with clothes and sashes. "It's not time for spring cleaning yet."

Kyuri looked up at Katara, holding a skirt in front of her legs and looking guilty.

"Come on, spill," Katara ordered, going in and perching on the edge of Kyuri's bed, scooting a sash out of the way. "What's going on?"

"Well," Kyuri said slowly and hesitantly. "I… kind of… have a… date."

Katara blinked at her. "I'm sorry. Say that again?"

"I have a date."

"You're serious," Katara said, gaping at Kyuri blankly. Kyuri nodded.

"And I have no idea what I'm doing. Aren't I supposed to dress up? And is this really a date? Katara, I'm horribly confused right now."

"I'm noticing that," Katara said. She grabbed Kyuri's hands and tugged her down next to her. "Start at the beginning. Who is this guy?"

"He works at the tea shop," Kyuri said, biting her lip. "His name is Lee. He's very nice. That's where I was last night. We ended up eating dinner and going to the Firelight Fountain, and we just… talked."

"Sounds romantic," Katara said, nudging Kyuri. "I'm just… surprised. You're not really the one I pictured out of all of us getting a date."

"Same here," Kyuri said, putting her forehead in her palms. "Then today at work he asked if I'd like to do the same thing, and I agreed. He hadn't really planned what we were going to do. I told him I'd handle it."

"So what are you doing?" Katara asked.

"You know that big lake we passed on the train ride into the city? I thought we'd go swimming. I haven't been swimming in ages," Kyuri said, sighing dreamily.

"You really like this guy," Katara said, staring at Kyuri in surprise.

"I do," Kyuri said. "And that's the problem! I'm way out of my comfort zone! If it was an enemy, I could just punch him and move on and be fine."

"Maybe you and Zuko should get together," Katara giggled. "Him you're comfortable with punching."

Kyuri stiffened and gave a weak smile. "Yeah, maybe."

"Okay, so what are your problems?" Katara asked, getting serious. "List them"

"Well, I'm not sure if this is a date. We never really said 'date' and I don't want to be forward and make the night awkward, but I don't want to show up looking sloppy and uncaring."

"Kyuri?"

"Yes?"

"You went to the Firelight Fountain with this boy. It's a date."

"Oh. Oh that's a relief. I got something right."

"Do you want a reward?" Katara said. "I think we've got cookies…" Kyuri gave her a withering look and Katara laughed. "Okay okay, next problem."

"What on earth does one wear on a date?"

Katara took a deep breath. "Okay, how long do we have?"

"I'm meeting him back at the tea shop at sunset."

"So that gives us three hours," Katara said. "And how do you want to look?"

Kyuri blinked. "Nice, I suppose?"

"No, I mean do you want to innocent and sweet, mature, sexy, fun, outgoing, tough?"

Kyuri wrinkled her nose. "I'd like to look like me."

Katara stood up, pulling Kyuri with her and circled her, looking her up and down.

"Katara, I'm mildly uncomfortable with the way you're looking at me," Kyuri said edgily.

"That's good," Katara smiled. "Because you're probably going to be mildly uncomfortable with what's going to happen next."

()()()()()()

Zuko stood outside the tea shop, waiting anxiously and feeling nervous. Putting himself in Kyuri's hands for the evening was a somewhat unnerving thought. He also wondered if he'd read more into this than he should have. He'd dressed up a bit and Iroh had forced his hair flat with copious amounts of water.

"Zuko?"

Zuko turned and felt his breath slam out of him. He'd seen Kyuri in battle armor, in leathers, in Earth Kingdom garb, but he'd never seen her like this.

Her hair was, as always, flying messily around her face, but now there was no face paint, no makeup at all. She was wearing knee-high brown boots, long, dark blue trousers tucked in. She wore a short, sleeveless, lighter blue tunic that hung to her hips with a kimono neck. Around her waist hung a navy sash, draped just so to draw attention to how small it was. He noted with some amusement the dagger sheathes strapped to her thighs. Never unarmed, but she stood there with a basket over her arm, shifting uncomfortably.

Kyuri wasn't comfortable here, she really wasn't. She wasn't comfortable like this, with Zuko just staring at her in surprise. She'd thought she looked nice when she left, and Katara had assured her it was so, but now she wasn't so sure. Did he like what he saw? Or was he about to burst out laughing in her face?

"You look-" Zuko breathed.

"I look?" Kyuri pressed eagerly. Zuko straightened up.

"I think you look really nice," he said formally. Kyuri's face fell slightly.

"Oh," she said softly, glancing up at him. She frowned. "What's wrong with your hair?"

"My uncle," Zuko said by way of explanation. Kyuri nodded in understanding. She raised her hand and pulled, the water coming free of his hair. Zuko reached up and ruffled the short spikes. He couldn't wait for it to get long again so he could wear a top knot. He hated having his hair in his face.

"Much better," Kyuri said, smiling in satisfaction. "Are you ready?"

"So, what are we doing?" Zuko asked as they started walking. They were heading towards the farms that lay on the outskirts of the lower ring. "What's in the basket?"

"There's a lake out there and there's food in the basket," Kyuri said. "I've been wanting to go swimming for a while now. I haven't done that in so long."

"Oh, swimming," Zuko said dully. He'd never really liked swimming. It wasn't the most popular of pastimes in the Fire Nation, for obvious reasons.

"Don't you like swimming?" Kyuri asked worriedly.

"I'm not a big fan of getting wet," Zuko shrugged. "But its fine," he added hastily. "I mean, I'll be with you, so… it should be… good."

"I'm glad you feel that way," Kyuri laughed as they stepped out of the city and into the meadows. Up ahead of them, the lake glimmered under the moonlight. It looked pretty, Zuko admitted, and darkness was falling. He was suddenly electrically aware of Kyuri's arm swinging close to his. When did they get so close? He'd only have to reach a little bit and he'd be holding her hand. But should he? He wanted to, but did she? Okay, he was going to do it…

It was just a little stretch for him, a little gap to be bridged, but it meant everything as his fingers twined around hers. Kyuri inhaled sharply at the warmth that prickled her skin. Zuko experienced a similar sensation, but he also heard her gap.

"We don't have to, I just thought-"

"Its fine," Kyuri breathed. "It's just that… people don't usually… touch me."

"You're not the most inviting person in the world," Zuko said pointedly as they stopped on the end of the dock in the lake. Kyuri smiled slightly.

"That's true. I've gotten better though," she said, almost as if to herself. "I understand more things now than I used to."

"I can tell," Zuko admitted. She looked up at him questioningly. "It's just that you seem more open than you used to. You were… scary sometimes. There was absolutely no expression on your face, not even in your eyes. Even Mai never managed that."

"The Great Expressionless One, as Toph calls her," Kyuri said in amusement.

"Completely true."

"What shall we start with?" Kyuri asked. "Food or swimming?"

"I'm not very hungry."

"Then swimming it is," Kyuri said. She set the basket down and sat on the wood, pulling off her boots. Zuko did the same and straightened up. He turned to look at her only to see she had stripped off her sash and her shirt was now gaping open, revealing a toned stomach and her breast bindings. He gulped.

"Do you intend to swim fully dressed?" Kyuri asked looking up at him with a raised eyebrow as she shucked off her shirt. Zuko did the same and they stood there in their pants. Kyuri walked to the edge of the dock, balancing for a moment. Zuko watched as her muscles coiled and then she arced off the dock gracefully, diving into the water with barely a ripple. She surfaced a second later and shook her hair out of her face.

"Are you afraid of the water, Prince Zuko?" Kyuri asked teasingly as he sat on the edge of the dock, his feet dangling in the water. Zuko scowled at her.

"I'm not afraid of water."

"Then come on in."

Zuko pushed himself off and landed with a splash. He blinked water out of his eyes to see that Kyuri was gone, rippled spreading from where she'd been a moment before. He looked around nervously.

"Hi," said a voice in his ear.

"Ah!"

Kyuri laughed as Zuko flinched violently and whirled in the water.

"Not funny," Zuko said, frowning. This wasn't so bad. Maybe he'd gotten over his dislike of swimming. Or maybe it was more that he liked the way Kyuri's skin looked covered in water droplets. Something told him it was the latter.

"I disagree," Kyuri said. She felt much more comfortable now that she was, literally, in her element. Suddenly she didn't care what she looked like. She just wanted to have fun here with Zuko and enjoy herself. She wanted to cut loose and play around as she and Katara had when they were younger.

"Oh really?" Zuko asked, raising an eyebrow and smirking. "This means war."

"I look forwards to the challenge," Kyuri smirked, and vanished under the water. Zuko suddenly rethought his plan. He'd just declared war on a Waterbender in the middle of a lake. He groaned. He was about to drown, wasn't he?

Kyuri barely surfaced in front of him, only her eyes visible over the water.

"What are you planning?" he asked, looking at the gleam in her eye. Kyuri shot up and a thin stream of water flew out of her mouth, splashing his shoulder before she sank back under the water. "Oh, you're going to pay for that!"

Zuko felt like a child again, innocent and playful, and it was a good feeling. It was a feeling he hadn't had since before his scar was his most identifying feature. He ducked under the water and looked around for Kyuri, but it was dark and she was undetectable.

At least, he was until a pair of warm hands descended on his shoulders and pushed him down. Her feet pressed him down further as she used him as a springboard, shooting out of the water. Zuko surfaced with a gasp to see her floating on her back peacefully. She twisted her head to look at him, biting her tongue deviously.

"You haven't gotten me yet," she pointed out. Zuko lunged at her. She kicked and he received a face full of water as she shot halfway across the lake.

"No fair!" Zuko called out to her as he spat the last of the water out. "No bending!"

"No bending," Kyuri called back in agreement. She swam over to him lazily, doing backstrokes around him. Zuko turned in the water, trying to keep her in his sights. He cupped his hands and raised them, then brought them down hard. Kyuri gasped as water splashed across her face. She giggled and lunged at him, trying to force him under the water. Zuko rotated in her grip and suddenly she was under him, and with a big gasp, she went under. He felt her pull away and swim off, but then he realized he had a problem.

A hand grabbed his pants leg and tugged teasingly. He treaded water, spine stiff, as he received teasing touches along his ankles and legs. Under the water, Kyuri was feeling almost… flirty as she tugged at the damp fabric of his pants and stroked his ankle tauntingly. Maybe it came from the fact that he couldn't see her as she did this, but she suddenly felt confident enough in herself to be a bit of a flirt.

But that little whim passed soon enough and then she seized his ankle and yanked hard. Zuko gulped in a breath of air just before he went under. He glanced around and Kyuri floated up beside him. Her wrist twisted elegantly and suddenly they were floating inside a bubble, completely dry.

"Wow," Zuko said, staring around in surprise. Being underwater without being wet was a novel experience, but it was so dark. He held out his hand, palm up, and cupped a small ball of fire, illuminating the inside of the bubble. Kyuri looked at him and Zuko inhaled in surprise.

If he'd thought she looked like the portrait he'd seen sitting by the Firelight Fountain, it was nothing compared to this. Again she was backed by darkness and water, lit from below by fire, and her eyes were soft. They were focused intently on him, watching his reaction. Her head was cocked to the side, an almost child-like expression of curiosity.

Zuko held out his hand wordlessly, the flames flickering with the movement. Kyuri looked from his face down to his hand. Her fingers twitched and a thin stream of water flowed through the wall of their bubble, curving around her hand into a glove. She stretched out her hand hesitantly. Her fingers brushed his palm. Both of them shuddered, Zuko at feeling the barest brush of cool water on his skin and Kyuri at the tickling heat of the flames.

Kyuri's hand slid fully into his and the flame vanished, the water evaporating into steam. It filled their little bubble, completely cutting off their sight but for the dim shape of each other. Kyuri felt Zuko's grip on her hand tighten and he pulled her towards him slightly. She knew what was coming, it made her heart pound, but she didn't stop, she had no desire too.

It wasn't a perfect first kiss. The steam made it hard to see, meaning Zuko hit Kyuri's chin before he managed to find her mouth and their noses bumped together. Kyuri sighed against his mouth, tilting her head slightly to get a better angle.

Why had she ever thought of avoiding this? This feeling of being cared for and appreciated made her heart pound and, though she cursed herself for sounding cliché even to her own ears, she didn't want it to end. For once she refused to let herself analyze the minute details, and just let herself feel.

It was amazing.

Zuko wasn't sure how he was going to be received when he first made his move. It was odd but despite the fact that they really hadn't spent much time together until recently he felt as though he understood many things about her. He had seen her at her best, completely in her element, fighting for her friends, and at her worst, chained and helpless in a prison, on the brink of a panic attack.

He admitted to himself that he found her to be one of the most interesting people he'd ever met. Probably because she was so different from everyone he'd ever met, but at the same time he could find aspects of people he liked in her. He could see Mai's control, tempered by Ty Lee's caring. He could see his Uncle's logic and philosophizing. He could even see a bit of Azula in her fierceness. He saw his mother's grace in the way she moved, and perhaps that was the thing he found he most liked.

It was all those swirling thoughts that made him offer his hand, and when the bubble was filled with steam, hiding her from his sight and somehow easing his nerves, had made him pull her close and place his mouth on hers. In all honesty he'd expected to be slapped, possibly stabbed, or at the very least hurled out of the bubble. He hadn't expected to feel a delicate, long-fingered hand press against his chest over his heart, to hear her sigh, to feel her press closer.

Water suddenly crashed down, ripping them out of the moment. They both shoved away from each other and paddled for the surface, panting like poodle ponies after a race. They met eyes and they both blushed.

"You made me lose focus," Kyuri said, her stern tone somewhat ruined by her breathlessness.

Zuko smirked, the image of male pride. "I enjoyed it too."

"I didn't mean- ugh!" Kyuri exclaimed, throwing up her hands. Zuko looked at her, suddenly hesitant.

"I wasn't trying to be-"

"No, no, I'm not mad at you," Kyuri said, waving her hands frantically as she spoke and not focusing at all, instead seemingly raging at the air over his shoulder. "I'm fact I'm quite pleased with you. It's just that for the predominant portion of my life I've been very careful about trusting people and caring for them. Then Aang, Katara, and Sokka came along, and later Toph, and I've found myself caring about people. And if that wasn't enough suddenly you're here, and you're kissing me, and… I'm not used to this!" Kyuri finally exclaimed, hands fisting in her hair. "I don't know what I'm doing! I can't promise any of you that I'll be affectionate and loving, or that I'll always say or do the right thing, or that I'll-"

"Calm down," Zuko said, grabbing her biceps. She froze as he once again pulled her closer, tucking her head under his chin and wrapping his arms around her shoulders. Somehow, and outburst like this was almost expected. He knew she loved control and hated losing it. He'd seen her reaction to a moment of pity in the North Pole. He still vividly remembered her lesson, that he should never try and take control from her. But now it seemed that he had, and the very fact that she hadn't lashed out showed precisely how much he had changed.

"I'm not looking for perfection," Zuko said as he held her at arms-length. One of his hands went to his scarred cheek. "I don't really have the right to demand perfection."

"If you think I of all people care about scars I will hit you right now," Kyuri dead-panned. Zuko looked at her.

"I know it's what people notice first about me," he said bluntly.

"It's not what I noticed first."

"Really?" Zuko asked, looking at her skeptically. "Then what did you notice first?"

"How young you were," Kyuri answered honestly. "I found it odd, but it meant that either you were a prodigy who had risen quickly through the ranks of a relative of someone important to have command of a ship. Then I noticed your eyes, and I thought they looked like Yoshio's, your great-grandmother's, and realized you were probably a relative of the royal family, and that was why you were leading. That meant that either you were skilled or got in through favoritism. By the way the men seemed to look to you for orders and not a senior officer I knew they respected you, so likely you were talented. Then I noticed your scar."

"I'm supposed to believe you analyzed all that before noticed that half my face is ruined?" Zuko said, raising his eyebrows.

"Ruined," Kyuri scoffed. "Hardly. Come with me?"

"What?" Zuko asked as she took his hand and pulled him towards the dock.

"Firstly, I'm hungry, and secondly I want to show you something," she said as they clambered up onto the worn wood boards. Kyuri took a stance and shifted her weight, pulling the water from their clothes and hair and flinging it back out into the lake carelessly. She sat down by the basket and pulled out a blanket, spreading it. Inside were some apples and oranges, some cheese, and hunks of bread. Not a feast, by any means, but a decent meal nonetheless.

"I don't think you wanted to show me your apples," Zuko said as he took one and bit into it, casually pulling his shirt over his head. Kyuri shook her head.

"No, but before I show you, I have to ask. Why did you kiss me?"

Zuko blinked at her. "Well, because I wanted to. And because I realized I like you… a lot. And that you're… kind of awesome."

"Awesome is a word I reserve for moments relating to dragons," Kyuri muttered absently. "You must understand, only one other person had been shown this before."

"Who?"

"Katara."

"Do you want to tell me?"

"I want you to understand that our scars come from experiences that make us who we are. They remind us, they do not define us. This seems to be the best way to do so," Kyuri said. She twisted so that she was lying on her left side and placed a hand at her waist band, moving the side of her pants down. Zuko flinched and covered his eyes.

"What are you doing?" he asked, bright red.

"I respect myself more than that," Kyuri snorted. "Now look."

Zuko uncovered his eyes and looked hesitantly down at her waist. He blinked at the thick, purple, ropey scar that curved across the top of her hipbone. It was slightly raised, enough to show that it had been deep and likely bled a lot.

"What happened?" he breathed.

"Remember after you broke me out of prison? When we spoke about Yoshio and how I knew what she looked like?"

"This was what you were talking about when you mentioned blood loss," Zuko realized, still looking at the scar. The more he stared, the worse it looked. The bruised color contrasted oddly with her dark skin, making the scar look diseased.

"Mm, yes," Kyuri said. She stretched out on her side along the blanket, not bothering to cover the scar. "It was when the Fire Nation razed my tribe, searching for Waterbenders. I came into our hut and the first thing I saw was my mother's body. I say body and not corpse because her head was across the room. Next to her was my father with his spear sticking out of his gut, just like the fish he used to hunt. Then I saw the soldier standing over them. I reacted in anger and attacked, throwing dishes at him. He just shoved me into a corner. He told me in vivid, and likely partially invented, detail what it was like to kill my parents, every feeling and moment. Then he turned his sword on me and gave me this," Kyuri said, tracing her fingers along the scar. "He pulled the sword back again and I was so sure I was going to die. I raised my arms to block the blow. Imagine my surprise when there's no blow, and instead this soldier is in front of me, dead, impaled on an icicle. I had no idea I was a bender until then," she said with an emotionless smirk. "It was then that I ran in fear and met Sangilak. You see, this scar reminds me of one of the best and worst times of my life, but it does not define me."

Zuko just stared at her. "You don't talk like someone your age. You sound more like my uncle."

Kyuri chuckled. "I suppose it comes from spending a decade mentally connected to a centuries old dragon. I learned most of my vocabulary from him."

Zuko snorted. "Is there anything you don't do?"

"Sewing has always eluded me."

Zuko chuckled. He found he liked her dry sense of humor, how she could take a perfectly normal, formal sentence and turn it into a joke with just a simple inflection.

"I suspect the circumstances around your scar were equally traumatic or more so," Kyuri said. "I'll not ask you to tell me if you don't want to. I just want you to understand that while I like things orderly, I do not demand perfection. When I spoke earlier I wanted you to be aware that relationships are not things I'm particularly good at and that I require some amount of patience."

"Perfection's overrated," Zuko muttered, leaning forwards. "Do you… have more? I don't really know much about your past."

"Many more," Kyuri chuckled.

She straightened and began to speak, showing him all her scars. She started with the ones on her arms, from various training accidents, then the ones on her legs from falling into a crack in the ice and getting stuck. Then it was Zuko's turn. He displayed a collection of burns from training incidents and a few cuts on his hands from when he learned to use a dao broadsword. By far none compared in size or severity to the burn on his face, but then none of Kyuri's compared to the one on her hip either.

Night was fully on them when Kyuri and Zuko stood, packed away the remains of their dinner, and began the long walk home. They were mostly quiet now. They had talked so much during their meal, about their lives and their hopes for the war. Now there was nothing left to do but enjoy each other's company and the cool night air.

"I had fun," Kyuri said quietly as she left Zuko beside the Firelight Fountain.

"Me too," Zuko agreed with a small nod. He gave her a small smile and she offered one back. "So… I guess I'll see you tomorrow."

"Yes," Kyuri nodded.

"I have to go," Zuko said, though he didn't sound like he really wanted to. "My uncle will be looking for me."

"And Katara will be watching for me," Kyuri said, realizing it was true.

"So, I guess… Goodnight?"

"Goodnight," Kyuri nodded. Zuko nodded back awkwardly and then turned and made to go. Kyuri was seized with a sudden desire. "Zuko?" she called hesitantly. Zuko turned and looked at her. Kyuri lunged at him and for a moment he thought she was going to attack him. Then her lips brushed ever so lightly over his scarred cheekbone, her hand covering his opposite jaw for just a moment before she pulled back, turned, and walked away.