The next few days the group had settled into a routine, Katara would lead a warm up with Aang, leading him through a meditative water bending session and then pass him off to Zuko. After a fire bending lesson Toph would take over, then lunch, an afternoon of leisure and foraging or hunting, another round of lessons and then dinner.
Katara had been avoiding Zuko as much as possible since their conversation. It had made her lie awake for hours the evening after, her thoughts a never ending jumble of contradicting thoughts. She decided the best way to avoid this was to not be around Zuko at all.
There was enough to keep her mind busy with out him. She fell into a mothering role during the day caring for the large boisterous group, cleaning up after the boys and tending to their ripped pants and bumps and bruises. In times like this she was glad for the distraction, the mindless chores, but she would find herself staring off to the horizon while hanging up the washing to dry, thinking about all the places she had been over the last short years. It had been ages since they had been in one place for so long. She had grown fond of the adventure, the unexpected, that had taken her away from her similarly monotonous life in the South Pole.
In the evenings she could let go of her duties, her role as the caretaker and relax. The last few evenings she had spent with Haru, giggling under the effect of the smoked leaf, sharing stories of fights and adventures before the kissing and pressing and fun began. She liked how temptatious she felt in those moments, focused on her pleasure, navigating her body with Haru's.
Tonight though she still couldn't quite get herself where she wanted and was feeling discouraged and disinterested. She finally let Haru take control and he finished, ending their session with little satisfied moans of pleasure she was envious of.
As she walked the halls to her room Zuko came out of an adjoining hall in front of her headed in the same direction. He turned to look back at the presence he felt behind him and she could see his face twitch when he registered it was her. He must know I've been avoiding him, she thought, and said "Hello" to ease the tension that now built between them.
He nodded in response and continued down the hall before stopping and turned around. She stopped as well, a bit further away then one would call normal.
"I think you should stay and watch Aang and I fire bend tomorrow." Zuko said quickly. "We've been talking about the similarities between the techniques of water bending and I think you may find it informative."
Katara frowned slightly. "I don't think there are a lot of similarities between water and fire." She said fire with a sneer and the venom in her voice surprised her. She wondered why she was being such a bitch.
"But I'll think about it," she finished in a nicer tone.
Zuko gave her a half smile and a turned awkwardly back down the hall. She watched him leave before continuing to her room where she spent a few hours staring at the ceiling thinking about him again against her will.
The next morning after practice with Aang, Katara had all intentions of not attending just to spite Zuko but he must have told Aang he invited her, because Aang began chattering on about the form and technique between different bending and how he was so excited how he could finally teach Katara something and steered her to the open area they use for fire bending.
Katara found a nice perch on a smooth section of the stone carved temple and tried to look nonchalant as Zuko arrived. She decided to give her cuticles a once over with the knife on her hip but after the two boys got through their warm up it was hard to not want to watch. The show really was something to behold. As terrifying as it always was to fight against fire, it really was beautiful. Quickly the surrounding area got hot and the two benders pulled off their tunics to spar in only their breeches.
As she watched Katara couldn't help watch the muscles ripple throughout Zuko's body as he flexed and moved, ducking and twisting, jumping and kicking. His lean figure was coiled with underlying power, lean ropes of muscles twisted under his pale skin. She watched him, her eyes drinking in how his body flowed, how his sweat dripped down his strong chest and glistened on his abs. She became fascinated with his forearms, the same ones she has felt the heat of under her hand just a few days ago. She watched the veins snaking their way down under his skin toward his hands, pulsing with fire and purpose. She watched his hands, down to his fingers delicate and nimble, move amongst the flames he summoned, his fingers beckoned and curled. She felt herself getting warm from a place deep down inside her as she watched him move with prowess and lethal agility. She found herself wondering if his whole body was always warm and hot like his forearm was that day. Katara felt another warm pulse through her body and flushed, her eyes dashing to his inadvertently.
He was looking back at her.
Katara looked away, instead watching Aang now, but couldn't help compare the contrast between his body and Zuko's. Aang was barely more then a child, a gangly teen. She glanced back at Zuko's face, his eyes not on her anymore, but a small smile was playing on his lips and a mischievous glimmer in his eye. Katara felt herself flush again, embarrassed he must have noticed how she couldn't keep her eyes off him.
She decided to walk away then, and didn't look back.
The next morning Zuko and Sokka were gone.
Katara floated in the hot bath, the room filled with floral scented steam. She had turned down Haru's invitation to meet up that evening in favor of some alone time. Their sexual escapades were fun, but she wasn't in the mood to feel Haru's body against hers tonight.
She stared at the ceiling and wondered where Sokka and Zuko were. It had been 4 days since they had left and she didn't know if she should be worried yet. She kind of missed Sokka, they weren't apart often and at first it was nice but his exuberant energy was definitely missed. And while it was nice not having to deal with her complicated feelings about Zuko being a part of the team, now she felt like he was failing his promise to Aang. Already skirting his responsibilities, she scoffed.
She had been watching over Aang as he did his fire bending routines and she did see where they were coming from, some of the flowing steps and arm movements were similar between both water and fire bending, not that she would concede to Zuko on that point.
Her mind floated along like her body, replaying the afternoon session of watching Aang bend, when she slowly realized she wasn't picturing Aang anymore. She was watching Zuko. Watching Zuko pull off his tunic, watching Zuko brushing his arm over his glistening face, watching Zuko pushing his hair back revealing his usually sullen and hidden face lit up in determination. She was picturing his strong lean back, contracting as he thrust his arms out, twisting as he kicked. The spot below her navel in the depths of her body felt a little tug. She felt her body shiver in the hot bath. As a bead of sweat dripped down her own cheek she thought of sweat dripping down the shallow of Zuko's spine, down to the crest of his ass.
She shook herself for a second. Okay, she thought to herself, Zuko is attractive, that's nothing new, you have to get a grip. He is an untrustworthy dickhead and you've already learned your lesson.
The bath chamber glowing by candle light was easy to bring back memories of the time they shared captured in the caves of Ba Sing Sai. She had been so flustered by his presence, how much he had grown since their last run in, how she was scared and tired and cried in front of him. And then he was not who she expected. He was quiet and introspective and broken like she was. Beaten into who he was just like her circumstances did to her. Her instincts to heal took over and then he… even now she didn't like to feel the betrayal. It made her feel dumb and vulnerable, the power he had on her in that moment was embarrassing. Being that close to him was electrifying. it had made her mind tingly. She remembered the way he held her gaze made her feel seen, deep down to her core.
She thought of how she touched his face for the first time in that green cavern and was brought back to the second time she had touched him, his arm hot under her cool fingers. The arm that later she saw bulging with strong muscles and pulsing blood though his veins into his wide hands with elegant experienced fingers…
subconsciously Katara started circling her own fingers, slowing feeling the water all around her begin to pulse and gentle waves formed. The motion of the water flowing against her hot labia felt incredible. She experimented with a few rhythms, enjoying this connection with her body and her element when a slither of water parted though her lips and stroked her clitoris.
Her eyes lolled to the back of her head, her hips buckled up to press herself harder against the swirl of water she was now creating. She moaned and changed the frequency of the water to a pulsing jet angling her hips till she found just the right spot and OHhhh. She gasped and her legs shook, she felt breathless, out of control but she needed to stay in control to keep up this feeling. She was filled with bliss and relief and she was so so close to something she had never reached before. She stuck two fingers inside her self, compelled again her will and her body shuddered and contracted and released the purest euphoric Katara had ever felt.
She gasped for air, her body curled in on its self in the shock of all that pleasure.
She lay in the water staring at the ceiling as her body pulsed in aftershocks.
I'm so fucked
Two days later the two boys arrived in a giant fire nation war ship which really put everyone all on edge until they stuck their head out of the control cockpit window waving.
Katara couldn't believe Sokka brought their dad home. The absence of Katara's mother at that moment was heart wrenchingly obvious and in a twisted way she was glad for the reminder and her resolve tightened against Zuko. He is part of what caused me so much pain, she thought to herself as she hugged her almost complete family for the first time in so long.
Their reunion was short lived.
The morning brought chaos and destruction and loss. Zuko lead his crazy sister to them and her father was ripped away from her again.
She briefly considered not catching him as he fell through the air after his fight with Azula but she knew Aang wouldn't like that. And he still needs a fire bending teacher she thought sullenly to herself.
As they flew on Appa farther and farther away from her father, Katara held back tears and cursed at Zuko in her head.