AUTHORS NOTE
I have changed the ages of the characters to more "legal" ages, Katara is now 18, which would make everyone else +4 years older as well. I also decided that their travels thus far - from boy in the iceberg till now (western air temple) has taken them about two years. Thanks! Enjoy!
"I'm going to take a bath." Katara said, as she stood up from the circle of her friends. She got a few nods of acknowledgement but was largely unminded by the rest; since the group had grown larger it was easier to pull away without being pressed. She was feeling tense and jumpy and didn't want to sit on the ground anymore listening to the group of rowdy boys and Toph challenge each other in gross games. Katara was looking forward to unwinding, she had taken to ending the evenings floating mindlessly in one of the big stone tubs that filled a section of the temple.
She grabbed her towel and sleep clothes from the room she had claimed in the Western Air Temple and padded down the hall towards the cavernous baths room. She passed by the small room Zuko had been given between hers and Sokka's, briefly wondering if he was sulking in there. The group had agreed that he could stay with them two days ago but no one had seen much of him, which was probably for the better. It was very strange knowing he was there, and would probably take a while until everyone would feel remotely comfortable being around each other. She didn't feel the slightest bit guilty about threatening his life the other day, honestly, she felt pretty smug. She smiled to herself remembering the shocked and scared look on his face as she walked around the divider wall to the entrance of the baths room but stopped short as she rounded the corner.
Zuko was in there. He had his back to her, his naked back, and was sliding into one of the large stone tubs. Her eyes widened as she realized she had just seen Zuko's butt before it sunk into the steaming water. He hadn't heard her over the rushing water that was still filling the tub. She stayed where she was, kind of embarrassed but annoyed that of course he would be here when she wanted to be. He turned off the spigot and sunk back into the water letting out a long sigh, starting to relax and float up when he started and sputtered, obviously hearing Katara clear her throat. He spun around to look at her with wide eyes, sinking low into the water.
"This area is just for me and Toph." Katara said, crossing her arms and trying not to blush. She had almost seen Zuko's… whole naked body! "The boys use the showers further down the hall."
"I… I'm sorry, I didn't know there was another place to wash up." Zuko knew his face was turning pink. He felt extremely uncomfortable and defenseless. He had been trying to stay out of the waterbenders way since he asked to join their cause, and now he found her scowling at him from across the room.
"I haven't had a chance to bathe in days," he tried to apologize. "Were you planning to use the tubs?" He asked stupidly. Of course she was, he thought to himself, why else would she be in here.
"I could uh.. leave?" He said, glancing at his clothes that were in a pile too far away.
Katara's face turned pinker, reminded again that he was naked. "That's okay" she snapped in a tone of voice that told Zuko it was not okay. "Just don't take too long… and don't use my soap."
She stomped off clutching her belongings close to her. Zuko sunk down under the water and blew bubbles exasperated at the situation.
As Katara left the steamy room she knew she was in too much of a huff over the situation but seeing Zuko's face automatically made her feel like he was terrorizing her on purpose. She was more on edge then before and needed to blow off some of this irritated energy. She put her things back in her room and went off to find Haro.
0 - 0 - 0 - 0 - 0 - 0 - 0 - 0 - 0 - 0 - 0 - 0 - 0 - 0 - 0 - 0 - 0 - 0
Haru had been a lifesaver this past week, his solid, comforting energy was just what Katara needed after battling for her life and those she cared about during the eclipse.
Aang was being evasive and had been acting childish since arriving at the Air Temple, zooming around and playing with The Duke and Teo . Katara couldn't blame him for wanting to take a break after their failed attempt to take down the Fire Lord but the way he was acting made her want to chastise him, even though she really didn't want to, so she was trying to put as much natural distance between them as she could. Haru was the perfect escape.
She found him lounging around on an earth bent recliner off to the side of the fire. The rest of the group sounded like they were telling ghost stories, which normally she would love to listen to, but she was feeling jittery and honestly a little disturbed that she couldn't get Zuko's pale buttcheeks out of her head. It definitely softened her image of him, catching him in that vulnerable moment, but she didn't want to feel any sympathy for him. He had been acting like a kicked puppy recently and it irritated her. He had been so crazed and unforgiving the other times she had encountered him, that she didn't know what to do with this apologetic Zuko who apparently has a nice toned ass. Stop it, she thought to herself. He already manipulated you in Ba Sing Se, don't let it happen again.
"Hey Haru, you wanna go for a walk with me?"
Haru looked up and smiled his wide, easy grin. "Definitely. I found a nice spot high in the temple with a great view of the moon, I wanted to show you tonight."
As they got up and walked inside towards the steps Katara could feel Aang's eyes on her back, but she didn't turn around. His big innocent eyes might make her feel guilty, and she didn't want to.
"It's pretty high up there, let me bend us up. Grab tight Katara." Haru said, winking at her. She grabbed his arm as he sent a platform under them rushing up the spiral column.
"Are you okay?" He asked as he led them through the upper floor temple to his new secret spot. "You seem really quiet."
Katara sighed, "Nothing is wrong, I just need to relax... I feel worked up over nothing. Do you think you could help me with that?" she teased him. Haru blushed a little, he was really happy to have a companion like Katara. She had grown up a lot since they first met, still as headstrong as ever but a little more go with the flow, as if she took on more of her element as she mastered it.
"I definitely can." he said as they arrived at an arched entrance to a balcony overlooking the tall cliffs that surrounded the temple. The moon hung fat and heavy against the dark sky. Not full, but prominent. There was a wide bench that they crawled onto and Haru bent a wall behind them so they could rest their backs and face the moon, also giving them extra privacy should anyone come looking for them.
Haru pulled a carved wooden pipe and a cloth wrapped bundle of dried leaves out of his pocket. He had found these in a small meditation room on the first day exploring their new home-away-from-home and had asked Aang if these leaves were what he thought it was. Aang confirmed it was the same relaxing smoke leaf that Haru and his friends used to smoke back in the Earth kingdom, but had frowned indicating that he didn't approve of light drug use, even if the western air monks apparently had. But Katara on the other hand, had seemed very interested and had approached Haru later that evening wanting to try it.
He crumpled some of the dry fragrant leaves and put them in the bowl of the carved pipe, lit it with a match, inhaled and passed it to Katara. He was surprised when she had first asked to smoke with him the other day, it didn't seem like something she would be interested in but later that evening he had understood why. He watched her exhale, tipping her head back, her eyes closed with relief. It was extremely stressful running around with the Avatar. She was the one tasked with teaching him one of the four elements he would need to defeat the Fire Lord and save the world. That was a lot of pressure for a 18 year old girl. Not to mention the fact that she had been running around the world, often sleeping on the ground, being chased by enemies for almost two years. It was no wonder she needed a mental break. She turned to him with her eyes already looking a little heavy and gave him a warm smile.
"I wanted your help to relieve some.. other tension I have." Katara said, getting to the point.
Haru smirked. "I was hoping you would say that."
They had been seeking comfort in each other in ways other than having someone to share a smoke break with. Haru put his large hand on the side of her face and brought her in to kiss him. There was no awkwardness between them in part because there was hardly any of the butterflies one would normally feel for someone they had a crush on.
Haru and Katara liked each other, that was for sure, but their relationship was more calculated and out of necessity than true romantic feelings. He deepened the kiss, putting his other hand at the small of her back and pulling her into his lap.
Katara needed this. Her brain had been pounding with anxiety all day, thinking about the war, and Aang, and the so-called nation traitor that was going to teach him fire bending. The soothing smoke leaf made her forget all of it, if only for a moment. For now, she was focused on herself and what she needed. And right now what she needed was some relief from the deep warm ache low inside herself. She had approached Haru earlier this week after he found the calming drug, at first joining him under the guise that that was all she wanted from him. As the effects of the leaf settled into her body she lost the nerves that were keeping her from telling him her other intentions.
"The night before the invasion, I laid awake and the only thing I could think about was the fact that I could have died a virgin. I had so much else I should have been concerned about but for some reason that's what kept haunting me" she had admitted, looking up at him with big soft eyes, hoping he would understand what she was saying without actually saying it. And he had. He held her in his arms and kissed her head.
"But you didn't die," he had said.
"The war isn't over," she reminded him. "I don't want to die fighting and have regrets that I didn't live my full life."
Haru frowned at this. "Having had sex doesn't mean.." but he knew what she meant. She didn't want to die feeling young and inexperienced. She wanted to go down having known experiences that make one a woman instead of a girl. He held her tight and kissed her dark hair again.
"I'll be that person for you Katara, if that's what you want me to be. But I don't want your first time to be while we are affected by the smoke leaf… let's meet back tomorrow."
And they did, Katara had crept up to a spot they chose late in the night after everyone was asleep and found Haru had thoughtfully brought up one of the sleeping mats, a few pillows, and blankets and was lighting candles to create an intimate ambiance.
Haru was soft and kind and confident in the way he touched her, making sure she felt comfortable and aroused before he entered her. It hadn't felt as euphoric and life altering as she thought it would, but the wonderful pressure of his cock inside her was more satisfying than what she had ever been able to do with her fingers. He had finished quickly, she could tell he was embarrassed when he had to pull out of her quickly and spilled his hot liquid over his grip on his twitching penis.
This would be the second time they sought sexual release in each other's arms. Katara was ready, she hadn't felt entirely satisfied from her first experience and was hoping to get a little more from Haru.
They shifted sideways, Haru holding them up with one arm while Karara slid her hands over his body and down to his pants, feeling his body wake up in pleasure. Her body was also waking up, she was getting warm and wet between her legs at the thought of being needed and wanted. Haru sat up a little and tugged off his shirt. His skin was tanned and his shoulders were broad, muscles rippling and pronounced on his body. Katara eyed him hungrily and swooped in to nibble his neck.
Haru laughed, "Careful there, I wouldn't want any evidence that I have to explain to your brother!"
Katara rolled her eyes but regained some control over herself and took off her own shirt and could tell Haru was having a hard time not doing what he just told her off for. He swooped in and kissed her lips, pushing her down with his weight as he started to peel off her undergarments. They bundled around her thighs forgotten as his fingers brushed lightly over the lips of her pussy. Katara's hips bucked up, aching for his touch. Haru gave her exactly what she wanted, breaking his mouth from hers but keeping his dark brown eyes locked on her blue ones as he stuck a finger in his mouth, wetting it before reaching back down to swirl it between the lips of her warm entrance, making Katara's face get hot as that deep ache in the pit of her body increased. She needed more. She licked her hand and grabbed Haru's cock edging him on. He inhaled sharply at her touch, closing his eyes in ecstasy for a moment.
"What are you going to do to me Haru?" Katara asked, trying to intensify the moment. Something in her longed for a bit of danger, especially now that she felt so in control of the situation. He opened his eyes and looked down at her dangerously. Katara felt a rush of heat between her legs. Haro growled a little, pushing her hand aside as he pulled his pants down, letting his hard length pop out. He grabbed his cock and circled it on her entrance teasing her before sliding in. Katara was a little disappointed that the foreplay didn't last longer, but she wasn't here for romance, she was here to fuck away her frustrations. She lay there, becoming more aware of her back grinding into the hard ground with each rock of Haru's hips and frowned a little. To his credit Haru noticed right away.
"Am I hurting you?" he asked, pausing his strokes.
"A little", she admitted, "Can we... try something else?" He rolled off her, letting her gently guide him till he was now the one laying down on his back. She liked the look of him laying there prone with his member sticking straight up, pulsing and alert. She licked her fingers and rubbed her pussy a little, getting it slick and warm again before guiding herself onto his rigged cock sighing in pleasure, feeling him slide against her soft walls. She glanced over at the pipe laying beside them, grabbed and lit it, exhaling the aromatic smoke slowly as its intoxicating powers slid through her body and brain again. Katara looked down at Haru with deep sultry eyes and felt him twitch inside of her. She rolled her hips in a slow circle, watching his reaction.
"Fucking spirits." Haru groaned, closing his eyes. "You are so good at this."
Katara loved being naturally good at things. She kept experimenting, rubbing this way and that, circling her hips, lifting herself up off him again and again to add some friction. She was having a very pleasurable time, but there was something she couldn't quite get, it felt almost like an itch that you can't reach, begging to be scratched but eluding your fingers, right down deep inside her.
She kept bobbing up and down and grinding herself on Haru, trying to reach the breaking point she desperately wanted when Haru suddenly made a strangled sort of sound, shot up, tipped her off him unceremoniously, and tried to control his cock that was pumping cum out of him rather wildly.
"Katara!" He said breathlessly, "that was insane, I can't believe you did that to me." Chuckling to himself he started tending to himself, cleaning up a little with the hem of his trousers before laying back down with a satisfying sigh. Katara was still where he had tossed her off him feeling irritated and neglected. She didn't know if this was how intercourse was always supposed to end, but if it was, she didn't like it. She didn't feel completely satisfied but then again she wasn't feeling as jittery as before. The deep pulsing inside of her had calmed somewhat but it wasn't gone. She took another hit of the smoke leaf, passed it to Haro and let her mind wander off as she laid down next to him.
Maybe she would take care of her needs herself later.