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It was a large island, with the mountainous remains of an extinct volcano in the middle. Perhaps that explained how either of them could have missed something as big as Zuko's ship... or Appa.
Not that Katara was really thinking about that at the time.
She'd slipped through the bushes, looking for a quiet spot to bathe, and had found a pool that would have been utterly perfect if there wasn't a firebender standing in it, water barely past his knees.
All of the rest of him entirely visible. Entirely. From broad, muscled shoulders to sculpted abdominal muscles to something Katara had never actually seen on anyone who wasn't young enough to need help with the potty.
They yelped in near perfect unison, Katara's hands flying up to cover her face and Zuko's down to cover that. "What are you doing here?" Zuko almost shrieked.
"I was looking for a place to bathe!" She lowered her hands enough to glare at him over her fingertips. He was blushing so hard that his scar actually faded into the brilliant pink of his face, and the blush had crept down as far as his collarbone. "I didn't think... I didn't expect... What are you doing here?"
"We stopped for supplies!" Zuko was glaring. Somehow, it looked a lot less intimidating when he was naked and covering his groin with both hands, still blushing furiously. "Will you turn around?"
"You'll throw fire at me!"
"No I won't!"
Katara bit her lip. When he'd captured her, he'd said something about honour, hadn't he? And he had behaved honourably then... he hadn't tried to touch anything inappropriate while he tied her up, and he hadn't let anyone else touch her either. "Will you give me your word of honour that you won't throw fire at me or try to capture me if I turn around and let you come out?"
He blinked, clearing his throat. "Oh. Uh... yes?"
Her own face as hot as his, Katara turned around. She'd noticed that Zuko was a boy, of course. It was sort of obvious, and if he hadn't been Fire Nation she would have thought he was quite appealing. The scar didn't bother her much - some of the warriors who'd left with dad had ones almost as bad, in different places. And he was handsome, and muscular - oh, she knew that for certain now - and...
There had never been any boys her own age at the South Pole. Only Sokka, who didn't count. Then she'd met two within two years of her age in as many days. And Aang was... well, he was twelve. He was still a kid. So Zuko was really the first boy she'd ever seen. So of course she'd noticed him. How could she not?
She wondered if she would ever close her eyes again without seeing him standing there, startled and an enemy and so handsome she was breathing fast just thinking about it.
"You can.... you can turn around now." Zuko sounded as flustered as she felt - and when she turned around, he was wearing pants and a shirt and a blush that had only cooled a little. His feet were still bare, though. He'd just yanked on enough to cover himself.
Katara swallowed hard, trying not to notice how his clothes were clinging to his damp skin. "All right. So... so are you going to try to capture me now?"
"I promised I wouldn't." He cleared his throat uncomfortably. "Why... why didn't you just run away? It's not as if I would have chased you before I..." He gestured vaguely at his pants.
Katara's blush surged again. "I don't know," she said in a small voice. "Uh... I didn't think of it."
He frowned. "Why not? You're a girl, and... and pretty..." His voice sounded strangled, as if he was having to force the words out. "You should run away if you come across a, a naked enemy. What if I'd broken my word, and... and laid hands on you, or something?"
He thought she was pretty?
Katara swallowed, lifting her eyes to meet his. For a moment, she felt as if there was something tying them together... fragile as a cobweb, fleeting as a glance, but there. He was as aware of her in that way, she realized, as she was of him. They were still enemies. He still wanted Aang, and she still wanted to protect Aang from him. But it was an enmity of circumstance. If he hadn't been Fire Nation, if she hadn't been Water Tribe, if Aang hadn't been between them... she would have liked him. And he would have liked her.
Katara took an involuntary step forward, feeling that phantom tug on her heart, and Zuko did the same. Then he turned his head, breaking eye-contact, and the pull faded. "I said I wouldn't try to capture you, and I won't," he said grimly. "I didn't say anything about the Avatar."
"I know." Katara let her eyes travel slowly down his body, noticing out of the corner of his eye that he was blushing hard again, and let her gaze settle on his bare, pale feet. "But I have shoes on." She did turn and run, then, hearing muffled curses behind her.
They made it off the island, but Katara found her dreams haunted by a pale, muscled body and the way Zuko's eyes had softened, just for a moment, when she took a step towards him.
* * *
"He's my friend," Katara said, looking down at Aang's still body. "I'm perfectly capable of protecting him."
"Not from everything." The husky voice sent a chill right down her spine - and it wasn't entirely fear, she realized with something like horror. She couldn't have missed him!
"Yue, run and get help!" she called, summoning a swirl of water and turning to face Zuko. He looked awful. Bruised and battered, with half-healed cuts on his face, and she faltered for just a second. "What happened to you?"
"My ship blew up." He glanced past her at Aang, his fists coming up in a bending stance. "This is my last chance," he said, almost apologetically. "I have to take him."
"You'll have to go through me." Katara braced herself, focusing her will on the water behind him as well as that between her hands.
"I know." Just for a moment, their eyes met again, and Katara felt that ephemeral tug. But she couldn't trust it, not now, and she threw water at him.
They fought in silence, almost calmly. Zuko might be her enemy, but she didn't want to really hurt him - and she thought he was holding back just a little, too. He wanted to win, but he wasn't going to kill her to do it - and she wasn't going to kill him to stop him.
After he knocked her out at last, Katara woke to find herself laid carefully on the grass, away from the pool. She wanted to hate him for taking Aang - but when it came to it she couldn't bear to leave him in the snow, climbing down and helping Aang to lift him onto Appa. And while they travelled back to the city, she laid her hand on his back, using the snow that had slipped down inside his clothes and the sweat that had gathered on his back to heal the cracked ribs she could feel under his skin. Only the moon turning red distracted her from him.
* * *
Zuko crouched over his uncle's fallen body, eyes burning. This couldn't be happening. He'd run away. Said awful things. And now Uncle was hurt, because of him...
He heard footsteps and turned. "Get away from us!"
Katara stepped forward. "Zuko, I can help."
"LEAVE!" he roared, raising a hand to fling fire.
But he couldn't. Not at her. Her blue eyes caught his again, and he felt that strange pull he had months ago, when she'd caught him bathing. When she hadn't run away. When she'd looked at him as if he wasn't a hideously scarred failure, when she'd blushed and been as flustered as he was, when he'd realised she was as drawn to him as he was to her.
The same feeling he'd felt before they fought at the North Pole. He'd known that she understood, then. She'd known he didn't want to hurt her, and he'd been fairly sure she hadn't wanted to hurt him. He'd felt guilty for taking advantage of that, at the time.
He couldn't throw fire at her again. Not now. Probably not ever.
She caught his raised hand in soft fingers, gazing down at him. "I'm a healer," she said gently. "I can help him."
Zuko swallowed hard. "I... okay." He'd have pushed anyone else away. Anyone. But if she offered to help, he knew she meant it. She'd trusted his honour once. He would trust hers.
He moved aside, letting her kneel beside his uncle. He helped her to fold back the charred robes, exposing a terrible burn.
"What's going on?" he heard the little girl in green ask. "What happened to the old guy?"
"Azula hit him with a fire-blast," the Avatar said seriously.
"Is he okay? He was nice." The little girl sounded oddly forlorn. "He made me tea."
That sounded like him. Zuko lifted his uncle's head onto his lap, supporting it while Katara drew glowing water from her pouch and laid her hands over the burn. He heard his uncle sigh, and bit his lip. "Is he going to be okay?"
She nodded, her eyes distant but her hands moving surely. "It's just a burn. It's deep, but it's so recent that reversing it isn't too hard."
Without meaning to, Zuko lifted a hand to his face. "Will there be a scar?"
"I don't know," Katara said softly, eyes lifting to meet his. "I'll do what I can. But there are worse things than scars, Zuko."
"That's easy for you to say," he said bitterly.
"Yes." Her hands never stopped their gentle weaving over Iroh's chest, eyes holding his. "Believe me, it is. Physical scars aren't so bad, Zuko. It's the ones on your heart and soul that are the worst."
He flinched. It felt as if those soft blue eyes had seen right down inside him, all the misery and resentment that bubbled in him like poison. "Sometimes they're the same thing," he whispered.
"Sometimes." The last of the water melted into Iroh's chest, and he sighed again. Katara rested her hands on her knees, and the way her eyes softened made something tight in Zuko's chest loosen for the first time since he was thirteen. "He'll be okay now. He just needs to sleep - and he'll need a good meal and plenty of fluids when he wakes up."
"Okay." He swallowed hard, feeling shameful tears spring up when Iroh sighed again and started to snore contentedly. "I... thank you, Katara."
She smiled at him. She'd never done that before, and it made her even more beautiful than before. "You know my name?"
He nodded, blushing a little. "I... heard it once. And I remembered."
When she got up, her fingers brushed his shoulder gently. He could still feel that touch long after she and her friends had slipped away.
* * *
"I'm brewing as fast as I can!"
Katara froze in the doorway of the teashop. Zuko. Zuko and his uncle. How could they be here, in Ba Sing Se?
Her first impulse was to run. Tell someone, avert the danger, flee...
But Aang wasn't here. And it had been a long time since she'd really thought Zuko was a threat to her. Taking a deep breath, she let the hostess usher her to a small table.
It only took a few minutes for Zuko to approach the table. "Hi! Can I take your or - " He stopped with a choking noise that was actually kind of cute. "Katara?"
She smiled uncertainly at him. "Hi, Zuko."
"What are you doing here? What..." He looked around, leaning in and lowering his voice. "I knew you were in the city, but what are you doing here?"
"I wanted some tea." He was so flustered. It was... really cute, actually. She remembered the small, happy smile she'd seen him wearing when she'd come in, and she felt suddenly guilty for making him worry. "Really. I had no idea you were here until I came in."
"Oh." He swallowed hard. "So... so what kind of tea would you like?"
"Jasmine, please. And some plain water for Momo." She scratched behind the lemur's large ear.
"I'll... I'll get you some. Just... just stay there." He hurried away, apron flapping.
She stayed, and after only a few minutes he rushed back to her with a tiny teapot with two cups. One was already filled with water, she noticed. "We're a little busy right now," he said apologetically, pouring her tea. "But... will you wait? Just for a little while? I want to talk to you before you... just wait, okay?"
Katara nodded. "I won't leave before we talk," she promised, picking up her teacup. Momo hopped onto the table, picking up his own little cup and sipping the water.
She was just finishing her second small cup when Zuko came back, carrying a plate. "I brought you some almond cookies," he said, shifting nervously. "Can I sit down for a minute?"
"Sure." She waved him to the seat opposite. He put down the plate and - when Momo sniffed it curiously - handed the lemur a cookie. He cleared his throat a couple of times, but he didn't seem to know how to start, so Katara leaned forward and started for him. "Zuko, what are you doing here? How did you even get into Ba Sing Se?"
"Li. It's Li, now. We came in as refugees," Zuko said quietly. "Uncle got a job in the Lower Ring in a teashop. He did so well that some rich guys from the Upper Ring came and offered to back him in opening this teashop. They got us a new apartment and everything."
"So... you're living here?" Katara frowned. "I mean... you're going to stay?"
"We don't have anywhere else to go," Zuko said, his voice bleak. "We're exiles now." He looked over at his uncle, and his face softened. "And Uncle's so happy here," he said, smiling slightly. "I've never seen him this happy. He has his tea, and he's making people happy... and I'm here helping. I think that's everything he's ever wanted."
Katara nodded slowly. "I can understand that," she said, taking a cookie and nibbling it. "I mean, that you want him to be happy. He's your family, and you love him."
"Uh, yeah." Zuko blushed - why did boys always get so embarrassed by things like that? "Look, I'm not... I'm not following the Avatar any more. I've.... moved on, kind of. I can't go back to how things were before I was banished, I know that now." He touched the scar over his eye again. "Uncle is right. I need to build a new life, not keep chasing one that's gone."
Katara had never heard him sound so calm. So sure of himself. And when their eyes met again, the pull was far stronger than it had been. This wasn't the angry boy she'd been unwillingly drawn to despite their enmity. The scowl was gone, and when she reached out to brush her fingers over his, the tangled energy that had always filled him was gone. Now he felt like - like a pool of water, rippled on the surface but at peace underneath it. In time, the ripples would settle too.
It was only when she felt the ripples turn to a sudden swirl that she realized she'd laid her hand on his and that he was blushing furiously. She yanked her hand back, blushing just as hard and grabbing a cookie and nibbling it to cover her confusion. "I'm sorry, I... I understand. I do. And I don't blame you for wanting to start over. So... so will you promise me, on your honour, that you don't mean anyone here any harm? That you really are starting over?"
He swallowed hard, but he nodded. "I promise. On my honour," he said softly. "I wouldn't lie to you."
"I know." She smiled shyly at him. "I won't tell anyone. I should go now, but... don't worry. Your secret is safe with me."
He rose when she did, returning her smile just as shyly. His smile made her chest feel very odd. "Will you, uh... come back? Tea's on the house whenever you do."
"I will." She shouldn't... but she would. "Thank you, Li."
"Thank you, Katara," he murmured as she turned away, and this time there was no fear at all in the shiver that his husky voice sent down her spine.
* * *
Rides-Rough-Currents didn't know what to do.
The bad predators had captured Blue-Smells-Nice, making her fall down and lie still. That was bad. But Rides-Rough-Currents didn't know where to find any of the others! Soft-Paws-Yellow and Blue-Smells-Bad had gone away on Big-Fur-Friend, and Rides-Rough-Currents knew he couldn't catch up with them. Small-Dirt had gone away somewhere too.
He groomed his ears and thought. Until now, Soft-Paws-Yellow and the others had seemed to think Eyemark-Fire-Smell and Old-Leaf-Scent were enemies too. But today Blue-Smells-Nice had gone to their new den - and while she and Eyemark-Fire-Smell had been unsettled, they hadn't fought. They'd even shared tasty food, and Eyemark-Fire-Smell had given Rides-Rough-Currents his own piece, so he couldn't be all that bad.
Soft-Paws-Yellow and Blue-Smells-Bad were both males, Rides-Rough-Currents could tell that much. He wasn't entirely sure about Small-Dirt, who was really too young for it to matter. But Eyemark-Fire-Smell was male too... and Blue-Smells-Nice was female. The group's only female. So maybe they didn't think Eyemark-Fire-Smell was a predator. Maybe they were trying to see him off because he was competing for their female. Certainly he'd been exhibiting signs of mating behaviour that morning, giving her tasty food and trying to distract her from the other males around them.
Mind made up, Rides-Rough-Currents threw himself into the air. Soft-Paws-Yellow had left his female in danger, which meant he didn't deserve her. If Eyemark-Fire-Smell wanted to mate with her, he would rescue her from the predators, it stood to reason. If only Rides-Rough-Currents could get it through his silly human head that she was in danger!
* * *
Zuko really wished he still had his mask.
For a little furry critter, Momo was pretty smart. He'd come to the teashop and thrown enough of a fit that Zuko had figured out fast that Katara was in trouble. And when Zuko got his swords and followed, Momo had led him by a suitably sneaky route to the palace, seeming to know both that they shouldn't be seen and that Zuko wasn't as agile as he was.
But there was only so much he could do. He got Zuko to the palace, but he couldn't get them inside. So Zuko hid his swords under his robe and simply walked up to the small door that he judged was a servant's entrance. "Please excuse me," he said politely to the guard. "The lady waterbender asked me to bring her pet to her here after his grooming." Momo, sitting alertly in his hands, chirped and cocked his head.
"Oh, yes, of course." The guard nodded. "I'll have you escorted to her."
Zuko knew then that something was off - but he didn't think they knew that he knew. So he followed the guard in green, silently preparing himself.
They brought him to Azula, of course. Azula and her friends Mai and Ty Lee, standing around Katara's limp body. Azula laughed when she saw him. "Zuzu," she purred, "you just don't learn, do you?"
But he did learn. Uncle had taught him the technique, his fever had brought him to peace, and seeing Katara's limp body gave him the focus and purpose he'd needed. So while Azula laughed at him, Zuko threw Momo at her face. That startled her, distracted her, and when Momo leaped away from her he hit her with lightning.
Azula was thrown across the room. Ty Lee, who'd been standing beside her, was caught in the flare of electricity too. He hadn't meant for that to happen - he still wasn't focused enough, it seemed.
"Ty Lee!" Mai dropped to her knees beside her, examining her anxiously.
"Is she okay?" Zuko asked. "I didn't mean - "
"She'll be fine." Mai was smoothing Ty Lee's frizzled hair. "Just take the stupid waterbender and go."
He did, relieved to find that Katara's eyes were open and she seemed alert - if strangely limp. "Are you okay?"
"Chi-blocked," she said, slurring a little. "Be fine in a couple hours."
He couldn't cradle her in his arms all the way. As slight as she was, she was too heavy for that. But he was able to get a ride part of the way, and when he put her over his shoulder she giggled. "What?" he asked suspiciously.
"Nothing."
"What? Is there something on my back?"
"No." One of her dangling arms swung against his backside, and he jumped. "Just never saw this side of you before."
Blushing furiously, Zuko adjusted his grip on her knees and slogged towards the new apartment. He didn't know if she meant that he was being nice to her or that she could see his... back view. And he wasn't asking. Ever.
"Nephew, what happened?" Iroh helped lift Katara off Zuko's shoulder, arranging her tenderly on the soft couch he'd insisted on, claiming he was too old to do all his sitting on the ground. "Drugged?"
"She said something about chi-blocking, whatever that means."
"Ohhhh." Iroh nodded. "I know the technique - well, I know of it. I don't know it myself." He smiled down at Katara. "Don't worry. It will wear off."
"I know." She smiled a little. "Thank you."
"It is the least we can do," Iroh said, tucking a pillow under her head. "After what you did for me when I was so badly burned, we are deeply in your debt."
"You're not. I'm a healer." Katara's cheeks pinkened charmingly. "You helped us, even if you didn't mean to... and a healer should always try to help someone who's hurt."
"Even so." Iroh smiled, laying her hands across her stomach instead of letting them dangle limply. "Rest, and focus on the flow of your chi. Zuko and I will not let anyone harm you."
Katara turned her head slightly, her eyes finding Zuko's again. "I know," she said softly, and Zuko felt heat flood his face. Every time. Every time their eyes met he felt it, stronger and stronger. She was like the warmth of a flame in the cold, the kiss of sunlight on chilled skin - she only had to look at him and he knew that she felt what he did, the increasing pull between them that he no longer wanted to resist.
* * *
Momo had slipped away when Katara woke the next morning. She was curled on the soft couch - Zuko had offered her his bed, but she'd pointed out that she was the shortest of the three of them (and the narrowest, though of course she hadn't mentioned that to Iroh) and could quite comfortably sleep on the couch that would be far too short for Zuko.
She slipped out from under the blanket that Iroh had laid over her, padding over to the window. The sun was just barely rising, and she could hear snoring coming from at least one of the bedrooms. That meant, surely, that she had time to wash before starting breakfast. Cooking seemed like the least she could do.
The small bathroom was surprisingly clean, for an apartment inhabited only by men. Katara borrowed someone's comb to straighten her hair, then sniffed herself. Ew. She really needed that wash.
She was stripped down to her underwear, rinsing her dress out in the tub, when the door opened. It hadn't occurred to her to lock it, nobody was ever up at this hour except Aang, who always knocked...
But this wasn't her house. This was Zuko's apartment, and he was standing in the doorway with his eyes wide.
Katara swallowed hard, fighting the urge to yank the dress over herself suds and all. She went swimming in her undergarments all the time. Everything was covered that needed to be, even if her stomach and thighs felt suddenly very exposed. He wasn't fully dressed either, wearing only a pair of loose pants slung low on his hips.
And she'd seen him naked. That wasn't something she could ever forget. (He looked a little different now - he'd lost some of the bulk of muscle, his chest and arms leaner than she remembered.)
So she lifted her chin and refused to hide. "I was just... washing."
"Right." Zuko swallowed hard. His eyes kept slipping downwards then dragging themselves back up to her face. "I'm sorry, I... I didn't think to knock. I'll let you... let you finish. What you were doing."
"Just washing. My clothes. And... me." Katara blushed. "I'll only be a few minutes. I mean, if you don't mind waiting - "
"No! No, I don't mind!" He swallowed again. "That's... I mean, you're our guest. Of course you should feel... feel comfortable."
At least he was having as much trouble speaking as she was. "Thank you. I... I thought maybe I could cook breakfast? It seems like the least I can do, after you rescued me - "
"You don't have to do that. I mean, you might want to, Uncle's cooking isn't very good, but you don't have to..." Zuko cleared his throat, eyes moving down and back up again. "I should... I should go."
"Right." Katara took a deep breath - and then she made the mistake of letting their eyes meet, instead of shifting away from each other as they had been.
The pull was as inexorable as the tide, this time. The first ripples of simple physical attraction had risen, growing stronger with every meeting. He was still Fire Nation, and she was still Water Tribe... but Aang wasn't between them anymore, and that had been the trouble after all. He was flawed, bad-tempered and stubborn and pushy - but he was honourable too, and he could be as gentle and kind as he was angry and stubborn.
And she wanted him, and he wanted her.
They moved forward at the same moment, his arms closing around her waist and hers sliding up around his neck. The kiss was clumsy and shy, but heat thrilled through her veins anyway and she clutched at his silky hair and broad shoulder as they kissed again and again.
When they finally drew apart, they were both panting. Katara smiled up at him and slowly he smiled back - a real smile that lit up his whole face. "Thank you," he said, sounding a little dazed, and then a flush swept over his face. "That sounded stupid. I..."
"I know what you meant." She touched his unscarred cheek, fingers brushing soft skin. "Uhm. I should finish washing. But... but I'll make breakfast for us after that, and we can... talk?"
He captured her hand in his, kissing her fingertips and sending a strange thrill through her. "I'd like that."
By the time Aang and the others, led by Momo, charged into the apartment, Katara was alone. Zuko and Iroh had gone to open the Jasmine Dragon, promising to check on her during the day... and promising to come with her when she left. And Katara was still smiling.
Zuko was hers, and she was his.