Change of Heart

Chapter 5

Katara slowly opens her eyes to see a figure hovering over her as she's laying down in a crimson bed. She softly smiles as the figure caresses her cheek with the back of their hand.

She lightly grabs the hand, expecting hands with blue arrows on them. But instead, she sees pale, large hands. She opens her eyes more and sees two amber eyes staring back at her as he leans in to kiss her...

"No!" she opens her eyes to see Toph, Sokka, Suki, and Zuko staring at her with worry. She's hyperventilating and she feels a warm hand touch her shoulder, "Kat, are you okay?" Zuko asks with worry

She can't take her eyes off him since well, that's who she was dreaming about. She liked that he was the only one who called her 'Kat'. It was an inside joke between them that started when one of his first letters when he was writing her name, He ran out of ink before he could finish her name and instead ended with 'Kat'.

"Yeah yeah I'm fine. Bad dream I guess." The bender stuttered. Zuko frowned, "Do you wanna talk about it?"

'Oh hell no!' she yelled mentally, but she didn't say that of course. Instead, she said, "No it's fine don't worry about it."

Before Zuko could answer Aang spoke up from the front of Appa, "We're here!"

The group looked over and saw Ember Island.

"Hey Zuko what are they doing?" Sokka added pointing to the main square.

Zuko looked down and sighed, "Ember Island didn't really like that the war was even a thing, so they're doing a one-year anniversary festival to celebrate the end of the war."

He looked over to Katara and saw her face lit up with a "That's great! Do you guys wanna go today?"

Zuko groaned, "They dance. I hate dancing."

As they were landing at Zuko's family beach house, Aang was confused, "I thought the Fire Nation didn't dance. When we were in the Fire Nation last summer people said they didn't dance."

Zuko jumped down from Appa, "Ember Island have old traditions and never really changed them. We never really talked about Ember Island in so I don't really know."

Katara giggled, "It's funny that you're the fire lord and you don't know if one of your islands dances or not." 

she started throwing their bags down to him, he smiled a little at her remark, "Well not really number one on things I have to know Katara." He smiled when she laughed a little louder.

He saw Aang jump down and expected him to go to Katara first and help her down to the ground, but he went to Toph first and helped her down and went inside with her, completely ignoring the waterbender he claimed as his girlfriend. He shortly glared at Aang while his back was turned when Katara frowned at Aang from Appa.

As Suki was helping Sokka down, he held a hand out for Katara to grab to help her down. She smiled graciously and put her hand in his. 

Accidentally, her foot got caught on the rim of the saddle, causing her to fall forward and down. She yelped as she felt Zuko's warm hand on her waist and gripping her hand. 

She gripped his shoulder as she fell to the ground and he lifted her. Once they came face to face, her dream from earlier resurfaced in her mind; reminding her of their faces being so close together.

She was brought out of her thoughts when she heard Zuko's low voice, "You okay?" 

She tried to laugh out the embarrassment of her thoughts, "Y-Yeah. I'm good. Thanks for catching me."