Oneshots

The blue spirit and the painted lady (Zutara)

Katara's point of view:

I was tired. So incredibly, insufferably tired of running away from people out to get me. It's been six years since Aang and I broke up and rebonded our friendship, and only two years since I have returned to the little lake village, only to find the conditions worse than when I left.

I confronted the town's people about the case, but they were frightened of me and started attacking me in fear, and they were still chasing me. That was when I stopped in a cave at the lake, dropping at my knees and panting for air. I had run a good twenty miles away from my current predators.

I didn't want this. But unfortunately, it was who I was supposed to be. The painted lady.

I sat down against the cave wall, bending myself some water from the lake to drink. It was in moments like this when I missed riding Appa the most. Moonlight streamed in through the cracks of the cave roof, and the floor was matted with moss.

My ears perked when I heard a small movement. My head snapped to the inside of the cave, and I saw a blue mask glisten under the moonlight. "Who's there?" I demanded in a strong voice I learned to use, standing up to face it. I got into a defensive position, flask full of water at my disposal.

I heard a familiar, rugged voice from the darkness. "My apologies. I didn't mean to frighten you." He said as my breath hitched in my throat. I untensed every defensive muscle and dropped my arms to my sides. "Zuko?" I croaked softly, and ran over to him.

He hardly had any time to respond before I jumped into his arms and engulfed him into a tight embrace. He folded his arms around me and held me tighter. When we parted, his mask was off and hanging down the side of his neck, and I could see his beautiful face clearly.

The burned scar on the left side of his face looked graceful and fitting with the way he aged. His fiery eyes that glistened like gold beneath the moonlight, stared into my sky blue ones.

Since I had last seen him, he had grown quite a bit. His shoulders were broader and his jawline sharpened. If I counted right, he would be twenty one years old now.

It took me a second to realise that he was no longer prince Zuko, the teenage boy trying to regain his honor from his father.

He was a fully grown man, and now the leader of the fire nation. He was Firelord Zuko now.

"What are you doing here? Shouldn't  you be ruling the fire nation right about now?" I asked and tried not to let my knees buckle at the sight of him.

"Uncle Iroh is in charge until I come back. I'm on a quest to find my mother. What about you? I heard you went missing." He replied with his deep and rugged voice.

"I'm on the run. At this point I could do with any other mission than running away from angry town's people." I said and saw Zuko's face twist in confusion.

"Who's chasing- why are they chasing you?" He asked, and started taking off my hat. "I... It's a long story." I said and tried not to blush when his hand stroked my cheek. The same hand explored the side of my face, tucking a strand of hair behind my ear before settling behind my neck.

His head tilted in a curious way, and I found it quite adorable. "You're so beautiful." He said softly, leaving me a blushing mess.

"Katara?"

"Yes Zuko?" I looked up to face his golden eyes, staring straight at me.

"May I... kiss you?"

"Yes, you may."

Slowly, Zuko started to lean in to kiss me. I grew impatient of his pace and met him halfway, planting my lips upon his. Our lips moved together in sync and my hands ended up on either side of his face, upon which he drew back.

"Sorry! I didn't mean to do that." I removed my hands and apologized sheepishly. Zuko smiled and took my hands in his before they could go anywhere, and settled them back on his face. "No, no, it feels... Nice." He put our foreheads together, and I closed my eyes in the process.

His face was warm. He was warm, and it felt wonderful and welcoming. Soon, we melted into each other's arms and sank to the floor, and remained so for a large part of the night, just embracing each other and whispering sweet nothings to each other.

When I woke up the next morning, I felt a warm presence against my back, and it felt slightly alien after waking up in the cold for so long. Warm breath tickled against my neck, and I became aware of an arm slung around my waist.

I maneuvered my body and turned to face him. Him being my new lover. I gently traced my finger along his scar, exploring it's curves and crinkles.

I smiled at his peacefulness. He truly was a beautiful man, and I was glad to be able to call him mine. "I love you." I whispered to him and planted a kiss on his forehead. I just saw a hint of a smile when his grip on my waist tightened and he pulled me closer.

"I love you too."