(A/N)- *cough!* Hello, my apologies, I had promised a more regular update schedule and that... didn't happen.

There were a lot things to clear off my plate. (Mainly Rebels fanfic.)

Anyway, welcome to the first of what I like to call the Interludes. Every five or six chapters or so I will break from the chronological retelling in order to skip ahead and have some shenanigans with established couple genderbent Kataang.

The idea for this one was suggested by ObeliskX. Takes place about three or four years after the series, so Angka is about 16/17 and Katar is 18/19. Enjoy!

Disclaimer: Nope! Not me. Bummer.

Interlude: Water Battle

"Seems a waste to spend such a nice day training," Angka commented lightly, stretching out her arms above her head.

Katar noted that her lean frame was getting rather toned, her long bare arms starting to show a bit of muscle definition. It was intensely distracting, and he had to shake himself before he could reply.

"Maybe, but we're moving back inland tomorrow, and there won't be as convenient a water source." He cracked his knuckles, working out the kinks in his limbs. "Besides," he added with a grin, "I learned some new moves the other day that I want to teach you."

That seemed to satisfy the Avatar, who began wading into the shallow waves on the edge of the beach.

"All right then," she said. She put her hands up and bowed respectfully. "Ready when you are, Sifu Katar."

A thrill shot through him and Katar privately delighted. He always loved it when Angka called him that.

He stepped into the water, following Angka until they were both about knee-deep in the crashing surf. Katar frowned when he noticed Angka wince and wobble from a bad step.

"Are you all right?" he asked.

She reached down into the water and pulled up a spiny-looking blob of a creature, showing it off and grinning.

"Pricklefish. I guess I disturbed him."

She carefully tossed the ball of spikes off behind her.

"There you go little guy," she cooed at it.

"They're not poisonous are they?" Katar asked in concern, suddenly worried.

She just readied herself, swirling a tendril of water up from between her feet and curling it around her arm. "Relax Katar," she chided lightly. "They're harmless. Honestly, what's been up with you lately? You've been on edge ever since we ran into those Fire Nation protesters in Yu Dao."

It had been weighing on him. But he knew she worried when he worried and if he let it fester between them it just spiraled into a mess of tension and anxiety so he brushed it off with an irreverent joke.

"I'm surprised you're not on edge," he said, rolling a ball of water in his hands. "You're the one they almost killed."

"Meh," she shrugged. "They tried their best. And their best was really boring."

Katar's hand drew back and he grinned. "Heads up!"

The orb streaked across the space between them, smacking Angka square in the face and bursting.

She sputtered, coughing up and wiping long wet strands from her eyes.

"Hey, cheap shot!" she complained, laughing.

She sent a barrage of ice spikes at him. He blocked with a thin wave immediately, freezing it in place, then melting it after the icicles pinged off the barrier harmlessly.

Without wasting any motion, he sent the wave back at her, watching her split it in two and part it around her.

They traded shots for a few minutes, him advancing one moment and retreating the next. Angka danced around his attacks with all the grace of an airbender, maddeningly elusive. It made him want to push harder, really unleash the waterbending fury, but he hesitated, reluctant to do anything that might actually hurt her.

After several minutes of easily sliding around his water whips and ice shards, Angka seemed to notice that.

"So I know you said you were gonna teach me some new tricks," she said conversationally, running along a slope of ice that sprang up to block her path. "But so far all I'm seeing is the same old waterbending." She flipped off the slope, hands swinging downwards to melt it back into the ocean before she lightly set foot on a protruding rock. "Wait..." She squinted, her face pinching in suspicion. "Are you holding back on me?"

Katar pushed a wet strand of hair away from his face, averting his eyes. "Maybe a little," he admitted sheepishly.

Angka grinned, standing with her feet apart and her hands on her hips. "C'mon Katar, I beat the Firelord," she said. "You're not gonna hurt me. I can handle whatever you can dish out." Her grin turned impish, teasing. "Or are you just afraid you're gonna get your butt kicked by a girl again?"

The words fanned the flame of competition inside him, turning it into a blaze. His brows flattened seriously over his eyes.

"Oh ho ho, it is on now," he chuckled darkly.

The water behind him frothed ominously.

-ATLA-

Columns of water erupted from the sea, twisting around and spewing in great gushes towards Angka, who squeaked as they inundated her, making her vanish from sight briefly.

A moment later she reappeared, balancing on a tightly-spinning air ball above the maelstrom.

Katar didn't let her have much of a reprieve. The swirling eddies followed her up, tossing her on the air ball like a floating lure.

She shrieked in delight, flailing about to keep her ball together.

The water suddenly dropped back down, returning to its place as Katar released it, and Angka yelped as she was suddenly dumped into the ocean, deeper out than they'd been sparring before.

Turning over a few times in the surf, Angka found the bottom and pushed up, breaking the surface.

She looked around for Katar, growing a bit frantic when she couldn't see him.

He made himself known quickly, though, his arms coming around her midsection as he pulled her back down into the water.

Her squeal was cut off as her head was dunked. Katar used his bending to propel them back to shore, the wave spilling them out onto the wet sand.

They rolled over and over until Katar emerged on top, pinning down her shoulders with a feverish grin, his eyes alight with triumph.

"Gotcha!" he declared.

She giggled. Both of them panted breathlessly for a moment, the excitement and exertion mingling in a heady cocktail within them. Angka could feel sand seeping into her hair, brought by the trickling waves splashing into her, but she didn't mind, Katar was happy, and she was happy to let him have a fair win.

All of a sudden he seemed to realize how close they were. His face blanked, his eyes going wide and a slight blush appearing on his cheeks.

He was absolutely adorable.

"Uh..." he stammered. His eyes glanced down towards their tangled legs, glanced back up to her face, lingering on the bare patches of skin she was showing.

He looked straight at her, his gaze locked with hers, holding there uncertainly.

With an impish grin, she reached up, wrapping both arms around his neck and pulling him down for a kiss.

He melted into her almost instantly, his mouth relaxing and fitting to hers with a practiced ease. His hands drifted up to cup her face, his sand-covered fingers on her skin and tangling in her hair.

She sighed in contentment, clutching him tighter, arms around his shoulders, feeling the warmth of his body against hers. His skin felt—

"Ahem!"

An annoyed little throat-clearing interrupted the moment. Angka and Katar broke apart, Katar quickly scooting off her, out of their compromising position.

Both of them looked up sheepishly at Sokki, who stood above them with hands on her hips and narrowed eyes.

"Am I interrupting something?" she asked flatly.

Angka popped herself off the sand with a casual hop, brushing grains off her front. "Hi Sokki! We were just training!" she said, grinning widely.

"In what, tonguebending?" Sokki muttered, turning aside to start picking up their clothes.

Katar sighed deeply, frustration in the lines of his face. "What do you want, Sokki?" he groaned.

"Oh, Zuka sent me," she answered lightly. "Something about the delegates from Omashu being ready. So we gotta go entertain them or something. I kinda wasn't paying attention."

Katar stubbed his toe into the sand. "Figures," he sighed.

Angka snapped her fingers dejectedly. "Rats," she agreed. Shrugging off her disappointment, she reached to take Katar's hand. "Guess you'll have to show me those new moves sometime else," she teased as she led him towards the path back up to the house. "C'mon, let's go."

She thoroughly enjoyed the scandalized look Sokki shot her as they passed.

(A/N)- Katar is eternal fretting worried husband over Angka, who loves to rile him up and also gross out Sokki with their affections.

Next chapter will cover "Imprisoned"!