a/n: I should probably be woring on 'Yours and Mine', but this just came to me so I obviously had to get it out. Inspired by the song 'Into the Night' by Chad Kroeger and Sanatana

Savage Beauty

He didn't know how he ended up here, sitting around a campfire with these strange people and their even stranger customs. One moment he was on his ship, yelling instructions at his men to steer through the wicked storm and the next thing he knew he was waking up to a pair of deep blue eyes.

He didn't understand the language of these dark-skinned people, but saw their interactions. He learned that they were a people who greatly cherished family and love, much different from his own culture.

The blue eyes that he had woken up to belonged to a girl with long chestnut hair and the same dark skin of her tribe. She had a brother and her father was some type of authority seeing as the rest of the tribe showed great admiration and respect every time he spoke.

At first Zuko was frustrated that these people couldn't understand a word he was saying, but they remained kind and gave him food and shelter. Eventually Zuko's curiosity got the better of him and he found himself wanting to learn about these people that were so foreign to him. He had gotten somewhat close to the girl and her brother in the past month or so that he'd been stranded there. He went on walks with the girl, helping her find berries and nuts along with the other women. Other times he went with her brother and other men of the tribe to fish and hunt for food. He liked being useful.

He mostly spent time with the girl and learned a lot about her. He quickly learned that the girl was quite stubborn. She refused to listen to her brother and held her head high even when she knew she was wrong. But she was also very loving, she took care of her family and her tribe. Zuko could tell she was strong and capable, yet still held the fragility of a woman.

One time when he was walking through the forest, he stumbled upon the girl by the river. She was knee deep in the water, stripped of the usual clothing of her tribe and only in her undergarments. Her arms were held above her head and she moved swiftly as the water gracefully followed every flick of her wrist. This type of bending was so different from the quick, rigid firebending of his nation. He stared in awe, hypnotized by this dance of water.

Zuko looked around at all the people around the large fire. He concluded that today was a celebration of some kind since the tribe members were dressed nicer then their usual garb. Some of them had streaks of blue painted on their faces and many of the women wore beads of blue and white in their hair.

Suddenly drums started playing and the people started to clap and stomp along to the rhythm. They were all yelling and shouting words of merriment in their own tongue. Then the ocean eyed girl began to dance.

Zuko was mesmerized.

Her body moved gracefully, yet surely, not a hint of hesitation. It was like the time he caught her waterbending only … different. Her eyes were sparkling in the moonlight and her exotic caramel skin glowed in the dim light of the fire. Her long hair flowed around her as she spun in circles. She was savagely beautiful.

She came over to Zuko and pulled him up by the hand, he was too awestruck to refuse. Before he knew it, he was swaying his hips and twirling her around the fire. The other members cheered and began to join them, but Zuko didn't notice. It was just him and this girl, their bodies pressed together as they swayed to the beat of the drums. The only thing on their minds was each other. Her eyes met his and everything became clear in that instant.

She had fire in her soul and passion in her veins. She burned as bright as the sun and flowed as gently as the river. She was heaven and sin, everything that could break him and everything that could save him. She was everything he needed and everything he wanted.

Gold eyes stared into blue. He forgot where they were. Time was lost as they sang to the wind and danced through the night.