Zutara Month is here once again! So excited to spend a month drawing/writing about a ship so dear to my heart!

Please enjoy!

Zutara Month Day 1: Secret Lovers

The night air blew past her as she swiftly trotted through the grass. Katara's heart was beating out of her chest as her current actions brought back a memory that seemed so long ago. Paint marked her skin and her face. Loose robes hung from her body and the wind she felt whip through them filled her with excitement. She was at that moment the Painted Lady, but she wasn't fulfilling the heroic actions like she did the last time she wore this outfit. Her motives for hiding her identify under the identity of another was more selfish.

Once Katara reached the spot she wanted to be, she took a deep breath. She stood atop a hill that overlooked the Fire Nation's Capital which shimmered with lights that rivaled the moon with their brightness. Katara returned her gaze ahead of her and before her was nothing. She sighed, wondering if he'd ever show. Katara began to worry herself. What if all this would be for nothing? She thought anxiously. When she finally saw a figure quickly making its way towards her, she smiled in relief.

The figure was clad in black, save for the blue demon mask that covered his face. Katara felt excitement bubble in her belly as she ran to him, falling into his arms with unrestrained joy. The two embraced and she could smell his familiar sent. It was unmistakable. Katara pulled away from the masked man, looking into two black holes that were his eyes. "You're a bit late, you know," she told him, a smirk forming on her painted lips.

The masked man, the Blue Spirit, said nothing. He just pulled Katara back to him, reveling in the forbidden act. Oh, but at that moment, it wasn't forbidden. He smiled under his mask as he looked down upon the woman before him. "Don't worry, we have all night," his raspy voice, that belonged to none other than Zuko, was muffled by the mask.

"You must remember the person you are when the sun is up," Katara stated. "The Fire Lord can't run his country with no sleep." She felt a sudden sense of loneliness swell inside of her as she though about having to return to her daily role as the Avatar's wife.

Zuko caressed her face with his gloved hand. "Let's not talk about who we are to the public, to our friends," he leant his forehead against hers. "Who we are now, in secret, is so much better." He lifted his mask slightly, revealing his pale lips. "Because in secret, we can be together, even if it's just for a night."

The two shared a kiss that was so powerful that it seemed that nothing could destroy their love. That nothing could separate them from each other.

But oh, their sweet and forbidden love would come to an end when the sun returned.