Beautiful

AN: Written for TheOnceCagedBird on deviantART, because she wrote the most beautiful Zutara fairytale for Opal-Dreams' contest. After a lot of PMs in which I did nothing more but prove my inadequacy to her she finally let me off the hook and told me all I had to do was write some Zutara fluff. So here it is: post-series Zutara in the most fluff I can conjure. Hope you like it; sorry it took so long ^^;

Comments from all will be loved. But... You know how I always say that you can even flame me? This time I respectfully ask for no flames. I have a soft spot for this fic and... Yeah I just don't want it trashed too bad. Hypocritical, yes. Sorry for that. You can still give a bad review. Just no flames. Thanks tons ^^;

Disclaimer: Avatar own I not.

The dark gray sky was an ominous threat that the first rains of the season would be arriving soon. But none of the Fire Nation's inhabitants paid the brooding sky any heed; it had been dark for the past week, and there was still not a drop of water to show for it. They knew that it would take a long time for the sky to finally make good on its threats, and so they bustled along the streets as if the sun was cheerfully shining.

On the outskirts of the Fire Nation capitol, a group of orphans were being entertained in a generous noble's house by a puppet show that Iroh had written and was performing. The little kids shrieked in delight at the moving figures as the older children acted disinterested and watched in awe out of the corners of their eyes. Their orphanage was being renovated that day, and for the first time they were actually looking forward to returning to their rooms.

Toph, Aang, Sokka and Suki were set up in the main house of the orphanage. While Toph and Aang did a little 'remodeling' Suki rushed around cleaning up the mess Sokka and his wild paintbrush were making. And outside, under a tunnel-like structure that the children played in, were Katara and Zuko. They had been tasked with the repainting of the play area, and they had almost thankfully taken the chance to be outside and away from the chaos that was sure to surround Sokka's enthusiasm.

A distant roll of thunder sounded and Katara looked up to the dark sky. She really wished it would rain- she missed her element in this hot place. And after a week of waiting with no results she was getting rather fed up. After staring at the sky for a long while and getting nothing she sighed and glanced behind her. Zuko was still intent on his work, his hand confidently stroking a new coat of paint on the wall behind her. She had to smile at the picture; he looked much more relaxed as he stood in his baggy common clothes and painted.

Her gaze turned to the entire structure that they were supposed to paint. Two parallel walls ran from the back door of the house to about the middle of the garden. Rested on top of the sturdy walls was a roof made up of thick iron and topped with the same moss that grew on the floor. The iron kept the children dry and out of the sun, and the moss made it so that the little tunnel was cool enough even in the heat of summer. It was a practical little structure, she mused to herself as she went back to painting. A little cave especially for the children.

There was the sound of light footsteps right outside the opening, and Katara glanced over out of automatic curiosity. A group of noblewomen were shuffling daintily past, their bright parasols held gracefully above their heads. They caught sight of Katara, and smirks covered their faces. The two at the back even covered their mouths in attempt to hide their giggles.

"Look, it's the Water Tribe girl," one whispered to her friend.

"How odd she is! That skin! It's darker than the mud I use for my face…"

"And she's about as dainty as a door," one sniggered.

"I feel so sorry for those poor ladies who have to make dresses for her… No matter what they do, their work's beauty will always be overshadowed by that…"

Katara felt the flush cover her entire face and neck, and she turned her face away quickly. She could still feel the sniggers and whispers directed at her back, however, and her eyes began to tear up. Gripping the paintbrush tightly in her hand she prayed that the group would walk quicker. A quiet sigh sounded from behind her, and she heard Zuko shift backwards. Suddenly there was the sound of something bursting into flames, and the shrieks of the noblewomen tore through the air.

Katara whirled around in time to see three of them falling over their long dresses as they all tried to leap away from the bush that had unexpectedly caught fire right next to them. Their faces were wide with shock, and some were still shrieking hysterically. As though they were afraid that the entire ground would turn to molten lava, they began to sprint towards the city, all dignity forgotten. A lone parasol drifted past the opening to the tunnel in the wake of their retreat. Both Katara and Zuko burst out laughing at the sight.

"That's one of the things I've never missed about royalty," Zuko said when they quieted down. "Not that I ever got much of it directed at me, but still."

"Did they go easy on you because you were a prince?" she enquired, wiping the tears of mirth from her eyes.

"No, they went easy on me because I was always around Azula. Can you imagine anybody trying to be snobbish to her?"

Zuko raised his eyebrow and Katara had to laugh at his expression and the mental image his words conjured up. Then the laughter disappeared and she sighed ever so slightly.

"Thanks," she murmured, and he smiled slightly at her.

He turned back to his wall, and she tried to do the same. But somehow the words the noblewomen had spoken seemed to stick in her mind. She reached up to paint and caught sight of her chocolate-coloured hand. Slowly she brought her arm to her and she stared at it closely. Then she looked down at herself, and saw how her hips jaunted out and how sturdy her legs were; she had warrior's legs. Lastly she held out her whole arm and saw the contrast between the red material and her dark skin. The feeling of wanting to cry returned in an overwhelming force. No matter what they do, their work's beauty will always be overshadowed by that…

She unconsciously hugged herself. She'd never given much thought to her beauty before. In the South Pole she was the only teenage girl, and all the women had always told her she was pretty. But now that she had seen the world, she wasn't so sure she believed them. Compared to some of the other women she had seen, she was a hideous monster. And in this place, where the epitome of fair Fire Nation beauty lived, it was no wonder her strange looks drew stares.

A quiet sob made its way from her throat and Zuko turned at the sound. His face turned shocked as he saw her tears.

"Katara? Are you…? You're not listening to those girls, are you?"

"No," she sniffled, her voice thick with tears.

"Katara…" He took a step towards her. "Come on. They're just spiteful snobs, you know that. Half of the things they say are just mean malice."

"But they're right, though." The whisper barely reached his ears.

"What are you-?"

"Look at me, Zuko." She spun around to face him, and spread her arms wide so he could take a good look. The tears were dripping unchecked down her cheeks. "They're right. I'm not dainty or fair or pretty. I'm just… here. And all the pretty Fire Nation dresses you've let me have… They just… On me they're…" She had to stop talking as her tears choked her.

Zuko looked utterly bewildered; he was completely out of his element. "Katara… Beauty isn't a set thing. To some you might not be beautiful but to others…" He looked awkwardly at his feet. "Well… You know… There are some who… aren't… prettier than you…?"

She dropped her arms and looked away. "Toph's prettier than me." The words were out of her mouth before she could stop them.

Zuko stared open-mouthed at her. "You think that's why he broke up with you?"

"No." She swallowed hard, wishing her voice were not so small. "I think that's why he chose her over me."

She could not look at him as the confession she had kept in her heart for all that time made itself known. It had been months since she and Aang had broken up, and she was long past feeling anything but happiness when she saw the Avatar and the Earthbender together. But the old hurt over him dumping her remained, and it refused to be closed off.

"He only got together with her three months after you two broke up." Zuko's voice was quiet.

"But they started feeling for each other while Aang and I were still together. And don't try and convince me otherwise; I know you saw it too." Zuko bowed his head, but she did not react. "Aang couldn't take living a lie any longer and so he broke things off with me. But Toph…" A small smile twitched at her lips. "Toph didn't want to hurt me. So she kept rejecting him over and over until she simply couldn't any more." She let out a shaky breath and tipped her head back to try and stop the tears. "I don't blame him," she whispered. "She is beautiful."

"Yes, she is," Zuko agreed rather fondly. "But that isn't the reason Aang chose her. You've seen how right they are together. They fit on the inside; that has nothing to do with appearances." Katara didn't look at him. A part of her knew he was right and she was just being childish, but her heart still ached. Zuko sighed and ran a hand through his hair. "You have to stop these thoughts." His voice was low. "You have to stop thinking about the bad things happening because of your appearance or it will consume you inside. You will just get more and more… angry and hurt and… Soon all you'll want to do is destroy every mirror you can find." There was a note so strange in his voice that it made Katara look at him in surprise. He saw her glance and it was his turn to look away. "That's what happened to me… Right after…"

Involuntarily her eyes flickered to the place he was refusing to touch: his scar. At the sight of the raw red flesh another lump formed in her throat. She couldn't even begin to imagine what it must have felt like to wake up every morning to find that the nightmare from the previous night was still there… Guilt and shame engulfed her as she realized how petty her whining was. She had never thought of Zuko as vulnerable to anything, but now that she looked at it logically she realized that he was only human: of course appearances would matter to him. And from what she knew of him she understood that he would never think of his scar as an asset.

With fresh tears in her eyes she opened her mouth, ready to put all her soul into convincing him that his scar did not make him in the least bit ugly. But the words never left her mouth as he put up a hand to silence her and turned to the opening of the cave. A small, soft smile crossed his face.

"It's raining," he told her.

Katara's attention was diverted to the falling water that was steadily increasing in strength. Her heart swelled as she felt her element around her again, and her hurt and inadequacy were momentarily forgotten. She walked right to the edge of the tunnel and tipped her head back to look at the sky, a huge smile on her face. Zuko came to stand beside her and he stretched his hand out, letting the water cascade down his palm. She looked at his welcoming smile in utter surprise. Seeing her shock, he rolled his eyes.

"Oh, so just because I'm Fire Nation I'm not supposed to like rain? I thought you were the open-minded one."

She giggled at his teasing, and his smile seemed to broaden as the sound of her laugher echoed around them. An idea suddenly hit her, and her smile turned to an eager grin.

"We can do better than just standing here. Come on!"

She grabbed his outstretched hand and pulled him out into the falling rain. He followed, too surprised to refuse her. She pulled him right into the middle of the garden and then let go, beaming at him.

"What are we supposed to be doing?" He was frowning.

"Whatever you want!" she laughed. "Just let go and… feel it!"

She flung her hands up to the heavens and let the rain run down her upturned face. The water seemed to feel how much her heart had missed it and the tempo of the falling drops increased. The Waterbender laughed delightedly and then began to spin around with her eyes shut, feeling her element in untouched ecstasy. When she grew dizzy she began to dance, making up the steps as she went along. She heard Zuko laughing at her actions, and the quiet sound made her heart soar higher. With her feet she pounded a rhythm that correlated with the falling drops and she turned some bending moves into dance steps as she twirled back to her companion.

As she passed a huge bush, a chirping sound by her foot made her stop in surprise. She looked down and pushed her sopping hair away from her eyes, but there was nothing at her feet but mud. She was just about to carry on when the sound came again. Frowning, she leant forward and tried to peer into the bush. Zuko walked so silently she wasn't aware he was next to her until his hand touched her arm. She pulled back as he leant right into the bush. The chirping noise came again, and then Zuko straightened up with his hands cupped around something.

"Turtleduckling," he said, holding his hands up to her.

Tucked safely in his palms was the cutest animal Katara had ever seen in her life. It was fuzzy and yellow and just looked so cuddly and warm… Then it noticed her and let out the cutest little cheep.

"Aaaaw…" She could feel herself melting at the sight. "Look how cute it is!"

"They usually stay in the palace gardens," Zuko grinned at her. "I guess the parents were taking them out for their first rain, though."

"Hi cutey," Katara cooed, gently stroking the little bird on its fuzzy head.

There were more cheeping noises and Katara looked down to find three more turtleducklings all crowding around Zuko's feet. The boldest of the three nibbled his pants affectionately as the other two clambered over his boots.

"They totally adore you!" she gasped.

He shrugged nonchalantly, but there was a smile in his eyes. "I feed them," he explained. "They've learned to trust me."

As have I, Katara thought as she looked back up at him. At that moment she wished harder than she had in her entire life that she could make him understand that his scar meant nothing. Nobody saw it as anything more than just a part of him. It was nothing hideous at all. Actually, sometimes she thought of it as the opposite. And while he still clearly thought it tainted him, she knew differently. It was as if it wasn't there to her anymore, as if she had healed it in Ba Sing Se…

A window crashed open a few meters away. "Hey!" Toph yelled out to them. "I can feel you two slacking off! Stop taking a shower and get back to work!" she hollered.

Both of them laughed a little guiltily, and Zuko placed the turtleduckling back on the ground gently. Then the two of them made their way back under the shelter of the play tunnel. Katara turned around and gave Zuko a superior smirk as she Waterbended herself dry.

"Just another way that proves we are superior," she said tartly.

"Oh, is that so?"

Zuko grinned and then lowered his head before shaking his entire body like a polarbeardog. Water sprayed in all directions, but most of it seemed to land on Katara who shrieked and tried to curl away from the cold droplets.

"Zuko!" she yelled at him, glaring.

He tossed his tussled hair out of his eyes and gave her a cheeky lopsided grin that melted her anger at once. And so, instead of throwing something at him, she just glared some more and bended herself dry again.

"It'll go faster if we work on the same wall," Zuko told her, dragging his paint bowl over to her side.

She didn't object and the two of them began painting in companionable silence. Zuko, being taller than her, reached up to do the top of the wall. As he did, some paint splashed down and landed on her arm.

"Could you paint a little less vigorously? I don't need a new coat, thanks very much."

He grinned apologetically at her then beckoned her over with one finger. "We can make something out of it," he explained.

Hesitantly she gave him her arm when he asked. He turned it gently so the mass of lines was facing him, and then he gently began to ink new ones around them. Katara watched in fascination as the mess of paint molded itself into a turtleduck on a pond.

"You're good," she said in surprise, marveling at the little creature on her arm.

"Only at turtleducks," he corrected. "I've had practice with them."

She admired the drawing a minute longer and then caught hold of his arm. He blinked down at her and she raised her eyebrow.

"I get to draw something on you too; it's only fair."

He complied and she tried not to focus on how muscular his arm had gotten. Instead she gripped her tongue between her teeth and carefully drew a wave on his arm. She finished with a flourish and smiled in pride.

"There! Now you have some Water Tribe on you, and I have some Fire Nation on me."

He smiled softly at that, but as he turned back to his work, Katara's hand stopped him. She had been hit with another idea, and it both thrilled and terrified her at the same time.

"I'm not done yet," she said, forcing her voice to remain calm.

"What? Are you going to draw an entire ocean on my arm?"

She ignored him and dipped her brush back into the paint. Then, slowly so he would not be caught off guard, she lifted the brush to his face. His breath cut off and he instantly stood stock-still. His wide eyes stared at her as she held the brush a few inches away from his cheek. She begged him to trust her with her eyes, and slowly a bit of him relaxed. Then, just as he had once before, he shut his eyes and let her in.

Gently she moved the brush against his scarred cheek, feeling him wince at the strange sensation. She moved closer and with a slightly trembling hand painted a word over the large part of his scar. Untainted. As she worked she made all her care for him flow down her arm and into the word, and she fervently prayed to the spirits that he would know she really meant what she wrote. He needed to understand that he was not marked. He needed to see that he was beautiful.

"There." Her voice shook slightly as she pulled away from him. "All done."

He opened his eyes and looked curiously at her, as though he was waiting for an explanation. But she would not give one and instead just smiled mysteriously and turned away. Hesitantly he raised his hand towards his face, but thought better of it and let his fingers drop. He watched her work with a slight frown on his face, and she patiently let him. Then his fingers gently encased her wrist, and she turned back to him in shock.

"It's my turn." His voice was low. She looked at him blankly and he raised his eyebrow. "I get to draw on your face too. It's only fair," he mimicked her argument.

"But I didn't draw, I wrote," she blurted out.

He shrugged. "Same thing. Hold still."

She obeyed and closed her eyes. The soft tickle of a brush whispered across her face, and she burned to know what he was writing. The sensation disappeared and she opened her eyes with a question on her face. But he refused to answer just as she had, and so she gave up and turned back to the wall. After that they worked in silence, finishing the wall and moving on to the next one. As they worked the rain came and went in sporadic bursts, and the sound was calming to them both. Towards the late afternoon some lighting appeared with yet another return of the rain. Zuko stopped painting and watched the jagged bolts of light with a peculiar expression on his face. Katara tried to see what he did, but all she saw was his element and hers mixing in the sky.

Eventually they were done and, stretching, they packed up their empty bowls and collected the rest of their equipment. Katara stood in the middle of the tunnel and looked slowly at both walls. A pleased smile crossed her face.

"We did a good job," she said brightly.

"Yeah. Let's never do it again."

She laughed and started to head back to the orphanage. She was looking forward to the dinner she knew would be waiting for them at the Fire Nation palace, and she promised herself a long bath before bed. She was at the door when she realized Zuko wasn't following her. She gave him a questioning look over her shoulder. He hesitated for a moment, as if unsure how to phrase what he wanted to say, then gestured to the falling rain.

"We could… always go that way?"

Her blue eyes warmed with appreciation and the warmth his understanding brought. Then, with a childish laugh, she bounded over to him and grabbed his hand again. This time she did not let go when they reached the middle of the garden. This time, he danced with her, twirling her around and catching her before she fell. The rain kissed their skin and the freedom of the moment had Katara laughing almost the whole way back to the palace. They met nobody on the road and she was grateful; seeing Zuko dance freely in the rain was one of the most magical experiences in her life. Her entire body was singing in joy by the time they arrived, breathless and soaking, at the palace gate. The guards were too well-trained to look surprised at their appearance, but Katara could feel their stares on her back. She didn't care.

Reaching the hall she finally let go of Zuko's hand and then headed off to her room to change with the promise of seeing him at dinner. She dried and dressed quickly, her entire body feeling electrified by the presence of her element and the sweetness of the moments that had just passed. As she was heading out, however, a servant hesitantly stopped her.

"Master Katara, you have a…" The girl trailed off and pointed to her cheek.

"Oh!" She had completely forgotten about Zuko's written message on her face. "Thank you."

She returned to her washroom and was about to wash her face when curiosity got the better of her. Freezing some water to the wall to form reflective ice she turned her face sideways and read the word written on her cheek. She froze in utter and complete shock, seeing her blue eyes widen and her shoulders slump in surprise.

She stared at the word, reading it over and over. Then hesitantly, although she was sure it would disappear any second, she reached up and stroked the character. Beautiful. Her heart swelled and warmed as though somebody had lit a fire in her. She knew Zuko meant it with all the love in his heart.