Katara watched as Sokka carried Suki through the door into the kitchen. Neither of them noticing that Katara and Zuko were sat there, for Suki had her legs wrapped tightly around Sokka's waist, locking them together, just like their lips. Which might have been more of the reason why they didn't notice they had company. Katara shot Zuko a look as she slowly raised her arms twitching her fingers making the water from the kettle that hung over the fire rise up and flow towards the happy couple, gesturing with her other hand Katara signalled Zuko to head towards the other door to make a quick getaway as she too slowly stood and made her way as well. As soon as she stepped through the door and was out of view she dropped the ball of water that had made it's way until it hung over the happy couple, flashing Zuko a grin she grabbed his hand as they both ran leaving the shouting and screams (screams mostly coming from Sokka) they stopped soon after and as they paused breathing heavily they both glanced down at their hands that were still held entwined, blushing they both dropped their hands from each other like the others was hot, well in Zuko's case his hand was hot, the whole of him was hot, but his hand wasn't that hot.
"Shall we?" Katara asked balling her fists up as she widened her stance
"Yes" Zuko jumped back raising his arms to block the wave of water that Katara sent at him.
Sokka and Suki had dried off by the time Katara and Zuko returned after their sudden sparing match. Both of them a little worse for wear, Katara slightly singed and Zuko slightly damp, he'd dried off mostly on his walk back, there was nothing Katara could do about the burns on her clothes. As they walked through the door Sokka spat out tea he'd been drinking as he saw Katara and the burn that she'd tried hardest to cover, Zuko had shot a ball of fire at her that she'd only just manged to dodged that had burned the front of her tunic and the top half of her bindings. They had paused just long enough while they put it out and made sure that nothing was too wrong before they carried on. Standing up Sokka ran over and tackled Katara to the ground. Leaving everyone else to watch Sokka as his older brotherness took over him
"Katara you are almost at marrying age, you can't just go around bearing parts of you" Sokka snapped as he pulled his tunic over his head and thrust it into Katara's arms.
"Bearing parts of me? I used to train with Aang in my under bindings which showed more of me than this" Katara threw his tunic back at him as she stood up and stormed out of the room making sure to stamp her feet as she climbed the stairs leaving Suki shaking her head at the man she was soon to be marrying before she stood up and followed the annoyed water bender.
"He's just trying to look after you" Suki said as she sat down on the bed as Katara changed her clothes and bindings
"I know but I don't need him to be like that" Katara sighed before wincing as her bindings caught her tribal piercing
"I won't have to get them once I'm married will I?" Suki asked pointing at the carved whale bone that adorned Katara's nipples.
"no you wouldn't have to get them don't worry about it, only the women who've seen the wise woman have them done" Katara smiled as she finished her new bindings
"But you have two of them" Suki frowned
"I'm also a master female water bender, we also bear the bones" Katara pulled the new tunic over her head and fastened the belt around her waist
"And I thought that we were strange for how we look, and we don't pierce anything" Suki crossed her arms over her chest
"Don't worry… but your daughters might have to if Sokka wants to follow that tradition when they see the wise woman" Katara sat next to her friend on the bed
"I don't think Sokka will want his daughters having nipple piercings" Suki laughed "I heard they make it more interesting during sex so that would be a no go for Sokka"
"I wouldn't know" Katara blushed and looked down
"You've not had sex?" Suki gasped
"No, with Sokka around it's hard to believe that I managed to kiss Aang those times" Katara looked at her hands that were clenched on her lap
"that is a good point, what will you do when you meet the one you met in the mirror?" Suki leaned back, she'd been told of the water tribe tradition
"I don't know… I can't even remember what he looks like never mind what I'll do when I meet him" Katara leaned back as well resting her head on the pillow
"I tried to ask the wise woman about him, us, the whole thing, but its like that dream you just woke up from, I don't remember much, sometimes I have dreams about it but after a few hours, I can't remember anything"
"But why would that happen?" Suki scratched her cheek
"Some believe that its so that if you don't meet them then it's less painful, I mean how can you long after someone who you've never met and don't remember"
"That's true I suppose" Standing up Suki made her way to the door before turning to look at Katara "I pray to the spirits that whatever happens you get to be happy though Katara"
When it came to lunch time Sokka spent most of the time glaring at Zuko and kissing Suki, at one point making the rest of them laugh when he was kissing Suki and glaring at the same time, Katara felt the most at ease she had for the last couple of days, the pressure she'd been feeling about becoming 18 made her feel like she was suffocating, she felt like the tribe would judge her for being a master bender, one of the Avatar's teachers no less and being of age but unmarried. Realising that she was sat looking at her hands she looked up and saw Zuko watching her making her smile
"Don't smile at him, don't look at him" Sokka barked glaring once again at Zuko
"What I have to ask your permission now to look at someone?!" Katara snarled, she loved her brother but sometimes he was just being ridiculous, who where they hurting but sharing a look
"When it comes to him yes, I'm telling you he's still no good"
"Sokka, the war is over and Zuko helped us, he's one of the good guys" Aang pointed out but Sokka was having none of it
"That's just what he wants you to think, then he'll poison us with his tea" Sokka pointed at Zuko
"For the love of the spirits, that was once and it's wasn't poison, I just made it wrong" Zuko sighed, how many times would Sokka bring this up
"That reminds me did you ever tell your uncle Iroh?" Toph asked trying to break the tension
"Are you kidding, he didn't speak to me for a week for saying all tea was just leaf juice" Zuko snorted
"I hope he is going to come to the wedding, I've not seen him in ages, I need his wisdom in Pai Sho" Suki leaned forwards hoping to change the topic
"That's just because I win all the time" Sokka smirked
"That's because you cheat" Aang pointed
"I don't cheat, I just play differently to you"
"How's the wedding planning going?" Katara asked, knowing that Sokka could talk about that for hours if you let him
"Let me tell you, did you know" Sokka started and Katara smiled, knowing that her plan had worked
A few days later Aang watched as Katara and Zuko sparred, it was the most relaxed he'd seen the Fire Lord in months, that being said he hadn't seen the Fire Lord for months, and Katara, Katara seemed more relaxed than he'd seen her for awhile, he didn't know when it started, but he knew that they'd drifted apart more than he wanted. He wanted her to be happy but he didn't know how to, Zuko on the other hand seemed to know what to do, Katara was always smiling when she was with him unlike when she was with him, she seemed to be unhappy but trying to hide it. Since they'd broken up she seemed to manage better that he had, not that he knew how to manage anything anymore, once he'd defeated Ozai he thought all his problems would be easy, but everything seemed much harder that it was meant to, he and Katara should be perfect, but he didn't know, something was just wrong, he didn't feel comfortable with her like he used to, the only time he felt truly comfortable was with Toph she could make him laugh again. He hoped that the wedding would help, maybe make Katara fall in love with him again, but it was almost like he knew in his soul that it wouldn't, they wouldn't have the ease of childhood again, he remembered the way that Katara had blushed when Sokka had accused her of smiling at Zuko, he hurt he felt in his chest, the way he wanted to punch Zuko in the face for being the one to make her smile when he wasn't able to anymore. He felt like he was letting people down by not being able to work things with Katara. That his age was an issue, yes he was younger than her, but he was technically older than her too. It didn't seem to make much sense, but in the last couple of months she had become more colder to him, something about becoming 18 made her different, made them different and made it harder for him to get as close to her as they once were. Maybe it was the closeness in age that helped her when it came to Zuko, maybe it was being master benders. Closing his eyes he breathed out and bit his lip, maybe it was the bending opposites that made them closer he thought, maybe they should be the ones together