A/N: Upon having recently just finished my Bleach fic, Paying Up I asked my beloved readers if they had any requests. One such wonderful reader kindly asked for more Zutara goodness. I hope this fits the bill. Yes, I have seen the season three trailer and I have pledged to give up on my ship just like the crazy Dramione shippers in the Harry Potter fandom. This ficlit is my answer to that three seconds of absolute agony. (Breaks out Zutara fangirl gear).
Opportunities for Peace
A Zutara One-Shot by BlackVelvetBand
This story is dedicated to genny62890 who requested some more yummy Zutara goodness.
I hope this is tasty enough…
Katara folded her arms over the plush arm of the chaise lounge, resting her chin on top of them with a gentle sigh. She tilted her head faintly to the side, blinking slowly in the darkness of the late night. A soft smile graced her lips as she admired the way the many lights of the Fire Nation's restless capital city still flickered and shone below the Prince's large balcony like a swarm of fireflies.
Katara took a deep breath and let her muscles relax. She was absolutely exhausted. It had been a month to the day since the former Fire Lord had been defeated and Katara's small band had been on the go constantly since. They had barely managed enough time to fit in a decent bath and short nap after the battle before throwing themselves into healing soldiers, coming up with reconstruction plans, and entering peace treaty negotiations with rather trying ambassadors.
For the longest time, Katara had been incredibly grateful for the fullness of her schedule; it had kept her busy brain from dwelling on rather unpleasant thoughts. She was still suffering under a heavy burden of guilt. She felt responsible for the lives lost on that fateful day, the havoc she had been forced to wreak with her water. But the thing that had weighed on her mind the most heavily were the rather deep… feelings she had developed for the soon to be Fire Lord.
She shook her head. He doesn't feel that way about you Katara, she chided herself. You saw him kiss Mai, remember?
Katara bit her lip forcefully as she thought about it. Mai, despite her former association with Princess Azula was everything the Fire Nation nobles could hope for in woman to catch the eye of their ruler. Katara could almost see the greedy looks on their faces as they contemplated the wedding bells. She was positive the same look would not cross their face if Zuko, by some grace of the gods did happen to return her feelings.
Way to go, Katara, she scowled ruefully. Of all your terrible love decisions, this one has to be the worst.
Zuko paused in the doorway which led to his balcony.
The silk and sheer hangings stirred slightly in the breeze. His rooms were dark with the exception of a single candle had been left glowing on the ornate table just inside the entryway. Still, in the misty illumination provided by the multitude of lights still glowing in the city, Zuko could make out the feminine figure sprawled gracefully over his chaise. He wondered if the waterbender, so adept at both fighting and healing, had suddenly developed a gift for reading minds.
Had she known he was thinking about her all day? That her brilliant cobalt eyes, almond-colored skin, and long chocolate hair kept cropping up in his mind, no matter how hard Zuko tried to suppress her image and focus on the peace treaties? That every time someone even mentioned the phrase Water Tribe, he automatically thought of her?
Zuko had rushed to her rooms as soon as he could when it was possible to finally abscond from the endless meetings. He had heard a disturbing rumor that she was planning on leaving him― the city― earlier that day. Yet, it had taken him hours, and when Zuko paused outside her door wilding planning to stop her somehow, he had been informed by the guard (who'd winked at him with a rather knowing look) that Master Katara had gone into his room a little over an hour ago. Zuko had shot the man a quashing glare before entering his quarters.
Katara was dressed in the robes he had commissioned for her; blue accented with the deep ruby of the Fire Nation. Zuko had told himself that it was politically wise to show the public, through the much observed dress of such a beloved hero, that peace had come at last. It had also seemed fitting as she and her (incredibly annoying) brother had been named official ambassadors for the Northern Water Tribe. However, the real reason was that after seeing her bedecked in the color of his people, Zuko had an insane desire to never seen her out of it.
He leaned against the doorframe, staring at Katara as she stared out over the city. The wind rustled her long hair, still pulled halfway back in the small bun. Zuko itched to run his fingers through it, to discover if her skin was a cool as her element, and if it was, to warm it with his own. He wanted to watch her eyes cloud as he kissed her, wanted to ease that elaborate robe she was currently wrinkling off of her slender shoulder…he just wanted.
Zuko was quite frightened to admit that he wanted her more than he had ever wanted his honor back.
Katara shivered slightly causing Zuko to raise an eyebrow.
"Are you cold?" he asked into the silence, smirking when she whirled around, her hand reaching for the cork on her water flask.
"Oh, it's only you, Zuko," she said, the relief evident in her voice. "Don't do that."
"Were you expecting someone else?" he asked, pushing himself off of the doorframe and stepping out onto the balcony. "You are in my quarters."
Katara flopped lazily back onto the chaise. "Yes, I am quite aware that I'm in your quarters. But you could have been…an assassin, thinking I was you," she reasoned quickly.
He only smirked wider, coming to settle against the railing, gazing down at her. "An assassin? With two guards stationed outside the door? I don't think so."
"Shut up, Zuko," she huffed, but he could see the good-natured smile lurking about her lips.
There was a long silence which was filled with nothing but the sounds of the bustling city below and their own gentle breathing as they continued to stare at one another.
"What are you doing here, Katara?" Zuko asked, his brow furrowing slightly as he remembered the rumor from earlier.
"I… came to say goodbye," she replied, looking out over the city once more, determinedly avoiding his gaze.
"You're leaving?" Zuko demanded, moving to stand directly in front of her. "Why? There's plenty of work left to do. I thought you liked it here," he said, wrenching her chin up to meet his gaze. He was trying desperately to maintain his composure.
"I-I do," she stammered, shocked slightly by the intensity of his reaction.
"Then why are you leaving?" he shot at her, raising his good eyebrow.
"Zuko," Katara blinked confusedly while he started pacing, a sure sign that he was upset or frustrated. "I'm not quite sure I understand the problem."
Zuko snorted derisively, steam curling slightly out of his nostrils. "Isn't it obvious?" he snarled. "I don't want you to go. I can give you a better room, new clothes, a lake! Just name it and I can give it to you."
Katara stared at him as he strode back and forth, an impressive shadow that almost seemed to have materialized out of the night.
"I don't need anything else, Zuko," Katara said earnestly, trying not to pay attention as the words except you, floated across her consciousness with alarming clarity. "It's just…there are so many people in this world that need help."
"And you can't help them from your newly elevated position of power as Ambassador of the Water Tribe since you have all of the trust and financial backing of the soon-to-be-named Fire Lord?"
Katara opened her mouth to retort but couldn't quite find the words.
"I can't understand why you're fighting me on this Zuko," she snapped. "It's not as if you'll miss me terribly, curled up with Mai in your large, red bed!"
Zuko stared at her dumbstruck. Did she think he wanted Mai? Had she missed the way the heat flared slightly in every room she walked into because he lost control due to the fact that he was staring at her? Did she miss that he came out to practice with her in the garden every morning or that he had placed her directly on his right side during meals? Had she looked at the clothing he had ordered for her?
"Will you help me take off this armor?" he requested quietly a few minutes later.
Katara nodded slightly, forgetting he could barely see her in the darkness and moved over to him. She didn't want to fight with Zuko on her last night here. If anything, she wanted to take back the last thing she had said, as it was both terribly revealing and embarrassing.
She reached up with slightly trembling hands and began to unfasten the leather straps which held his ceremonial armor in place. She could feel the ripple of the lean muscle under the soft fabric of his shirt and blushed. Breathing in deeply to calm her racing pulse she finally removed the two arm guards, placing them gently on the glass table they usually dined at when Zuko invited her for breakfast. Katara moved to unfasten the straps at his sides, now acutely aware that his amber gaze was following her every movement. She lifted the heavy metal off of his shoulders and placed it beside its fellows on the table.
Katara glanced up and gasped slightly, realizing just how close their faces were. She made to back up but Zuko grabbed the hand she had held in front of her and tugged her closer to his chest.
"Katara…I…" he breathed and then suddenly, he was kissing her.
His lips were hesitant, as if he were worried she would push him away, but he was growing increasingly more demanding. His arms snaked around her back, clutching her to him, pinning her arms against his chest as he invaded her senses. She kissed him back with a wild abandon, scarcely daring to hope while he moved his head slightly, deepening the kiss.
Had Mai felt this when he kissed her?
The moment was broken.
Katara tore her lips from his and stared, panting, into his darkened gaze.
"Sweet Agni," he murmured.
Katara noticed for the first time, and against her will, that the hands on her back were pleasantly warm.
Zuko's lips hovered over hers for a moment as if he was about to kiss her again but she shook her head.
"What about Mai?" she asked confusedly.
"What about her?" Zuko returned absently, his hands dusting over her back.
"You kissed her!" Katara said incredulously. "Was she just some sort of fling?"
Zuko released her abruptly and walked over to lean on the railing of the balcony. Katara made to move next to him, determined to have an answer, but he stopped her. "No, just…stay there," he commanded, causing Katara to freeze in her tracks.
"I had…feelings for Mai when I was a boy, a long time ago. Before I was… banished," Zuko said, breathing deeply. "Those feelings were replaced with my obsessive need to find the Avatar at which time I did not have room for anything else. But Mai… she never let them go.
"That kiss was …nice," he admitted, his face flushing slightly. "It was nothing close to the one we just shared, however. Mai and I were caught up in the moment. We thought were close to dying, she had betrayed her princess, and I had betrayed my entire nation. Though, I have to admit that at the time…I was truly wishing that she was… someone else…" Zuko looked over his shoulder at her meaningfully.
Katara broke his gaze, staring down at her feet. She didn't know what to think, what to feel…
"There has never been a future for Mai and me, Katara," Zuko said softly, coming to stand before her once more. She could tell how difficult this confession was for him. "But there is no future for you and me either, if you leave."
He picked up her hand in both of his, bringing it up to his lips and kissing the tips of the fingers gently.
"Stay with me, at least until the coronation," he whispered, staring into her eyes. He curled the arm he was holding around his neck, aligning her body with his. "If you still don't want to remain after that, then you can still travel the world as my ambassador."
She nodded slightly and Zuko wasted no time in capturing her lips with his once again.
This kiss was more passionate as both let their happiness bleed through their entwined lips. Katara moaned softly as Zuko wrapped his hand in her hair, releasing the gold band which held the bun in place, allowing it to fall to the stone floor of the balcony with a loud clatter.
The lights of the city were nothing compared to the lights exploding behind Katara's closed eyelids.
Zuko lifted her deftly; carrying her over to the lounge she had previously been occupying and pulling her on top of him.
"Zuko," Katara asked minutes later when they finally broke apart for want of oxygen. "How will people react? We won't be very popular, will we?"
"Katara," Zuko replied, running his hand through her rather tangled locks. "Together we helped end a war which lasted over one hundred years," he stated as if she had missed the most obvious point in the world.
Katara giggled slightly. "I suppose that does entitle us a little."
Zuko rolled his eyes. "A little?" he grunted. "I think that should basically let us do whatever the hell we want, short of starting another war, and get away with it."
"Hmmm," Katara said plaintively, "We should also, think of the opportunities for peace." She smiled against his lips before he reached up to mesh their mouths together once more.
Think of the opportunities for peace indeed, Zuko thought much later. Katara lay curled next to him on the chaise; fast asleep, her blue and red robes falling across him.
Zuko removed the necklace from his pocket; a length of the finest scarlet velvet from which dangled a familiar water tribe pendant.
Katara had lost the necklace sometime during the final battle, and had been quite torn up. One of the men helping to clean the battlefield had found it buried beneath a dented helmet and brought it to Zuko.
Zuko had replaced the tattered ribbon and held onto it, praying to Agni that he could give it to Katara with the intent with which such a necklace was fashioned.
She agreed to stay with me until the coronation at least, Zuko thought, observing the sleeping waterbender in his arms. Now, he just had to convince her she wanted a coronation herself.
Smiling one of the first genuine smiles he had produced in years, Zuko tucked the necklace securely back into his pocket, Curling his arm protectively around Katara, he finally allowed himself to slip into dreams of the future.
A/N: My friend Conterra fondly suggested the title We Were Dying, I Swear for this. I laughed my butt of but decided her other suggestion fit the story better. For those of you waiting for the next chapter of Purple Steam, it is on it's way, please don't send me death threats.
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