A/N – So, I found myself thinking, and I was like, 'Well, since I can never update any Zutara fanfics, I might as well just write little one-shots with a lot of fluff.' I think it sounded better in my head though. That was a total facepalm. Takes place after "The Ember Island Players" episode. Don't own! Anyway, here you are!

Moonlit Conversation

"I've never felt the lovin' of a man, but it sure felt nice when he was holdin' my hand."

"You know what, I think I'd rather just go to bed, Aang." Katara bit out, her blue eyes flashing in the dying firelight. He, and most of the people in earshot, seemed to shrink back, and she was instantly a little guilty; but she turned away anyway, and stalked out of the campsite. All night, he'd been trying to be all romantic with her, and it was seriously not working for her. Sure, she cared about him, but he was so... him. He was... childish. Katara groaned to herself. "What have I gotten myself into?" She glared at the distant sky, watching the stars glitter coldly for a moment before kicking the sand in front of her. "Ugh!" Why couldn't he see that she didn't want romance?

More than a few times, she'd thought about telling him of her feelings, but that thought vanished when her sympathetic side rammed into her like... well, like Appa. She couldn't do it, not when he was so fragile emotionally. Plopping down onto the beach, she leaned back to stare at the moon, which was just rising. Pushing the distressing thoughts aside, she focused on her bending. She listened to the waves lap softly against the sand, and slowed her breathing. The waves began to lap along with her breathing, and with that, she began to relax. She sighed, opened her eyes, and relaxed a little further. Tonight was a full moon. She could have been there for hours, minutes, maybe even thirty seconds, she didn't know. But it didn't bother her.

"Katara?" She jumped, whipping her head around.

Thinking it was Aang looking for her, she snapped, "I want to be alone, Aang."

"Ah... Actually..." She recognized the voice as soon as she recognized the form. "Oh! Zuko, it's you. Sorry, I thought you were..."

Zuko waved a hand and shook his head. "It's fine. I know." He walked closer to her. "Do you mind if I sit down?"

Katara shook her head, leaning back to look at the ocean. He sat silently, his eyes lingering on her for a moment. She glanced at him, her eyes almost accusing. "I didn't come here to ask you to go back." He held his hands up. "I just wanted to make sure you were alright."

"Oh. Okay." Katara said, her shoulders relaxing. She faltered on her next words. "Thanks. I think."

A smile graced his lips as he tilted his head in her direction. His amber eyes reflected moonlight. "Why are you bothered? I thought you liked him."

Katara grimaced. "Ah... I do like him." She flung her hands out. "But just not... that way." Feeling her cheeks grow hot, she turned her face from Zuko's.

"Why not just tell him then?" He sat up a little, arms on his knees.

"Agh! That's why tonight was so frustrating." Katara blurted out, a little confused at her own willingness to speak with Zuko. "He kept wanting to be near me and—he kissed me, and I just...just blah!" She could feel a lump in her throat, and tears were beginning to sting at her eyes.

Zuko sat quietly for a moment. "So that's why you sat next to me earlier." Katara nodded, not trusting her voice.

She folded her arms around her knees, drawing them close to her chest. "Yeah.."

Zuko glanced back at her. "Hey..." He soothed. Scooting next to her side, he gently rubbed her back, not daring to do anything else. "It's okay." He said softly.

Tears escaped her eyes, and she brought her hands to her face. Her sobs were quiet, but the shuddering of her shoulders showed her frustration. Zuko simply rubbed her back. If she wanted to do anything, it was her choice. After a few moments of her crying, she turned into his shoulder, and he let his arm fall around her. He watched the stars and the moon, and, unconsciously twirled a strand of her long hair around his fingers. "It'll be alright." As the night wore on, Zuko supported her, and murmured comforts to her until she fell silent.

The tide was getting uncomfortably close to his toes. "Katara?"

All he got in response was a sleepy mumble. He snorted.

Sighing, but softly smiling, he hoisted her up gently, cradling her so she wouldn't wake. Her fingers were twined with his clothes. Zuko wandered up the hill from the beach, careful to avoid the others for now. They didn't need to see her like this. And he suspected she wouldn't appreciate it much. So, he took her blanket out of her tent, silently of course, and walked the other way. He glanced down at her often, watching her face. She seemed peaceful; her fingers had curled further, grasping the hems of the fabric.

Through the trees and thick undergrowth, lay a clearing, suffused with silver light. The waves lapped in the distance, creating a soft rhythm in the air. He laid her down softly, then sat next to her.

Minutes passed. Zuko stared out at the sky, eyes searching for something. "At night... I wonder what it would have been like if my father had never been Fire Lord." He paused, seeming to ponder his words. "Then I wonder... Why would anyone want to do what my father has? It seems so barbaric, and I know that hearing it from me... Must be sort of ironic, I guess." He gave a dry, humorless laugh. "I can't help but hold on to some small hope that you won't see me like that anymore." Zuko let his eyes fall on her sleeping form, then returned to the sky. "I've seen the way you still look at me sometimes...Suspicious, angry, even... frightened." He choked the word out as if it disgusted him. "I know that it's not just me that you're afraid of. It's what I come from."

He ran his hands through his hair, distressed. "I wish that I could show you that I'm not that person anymore. Because... Ugh, I can't even focus well anymore, it's tearing me apart inside." He groaned, seeming to force the next words out of himself. "I remember that night in Ba Sing Se. I remember your face, your eyes, and how much I wanted to say okay. I was so close." He let out a shuddering breath. "The look in your eyes later that night when we fought... Right then, even after I'd betrayed Uncle... I knew that from your eyes, what I did was wrong. So god damned wrong."

Katara, laying on the ground, had been awake long enough to hear the whole thing, and she'd decided she couldn't take anymore of it.

"Zuko." Katara murmured as she sat up. He was facing sideways from her, hair falling over his face. She grasped his face in her hands, turning him toward her. Any animosity at all she'd felt whatsoever was gone. She understood. As she gazed at him, she realized how tortured he still was by it. Amber eyes bored into hers, probing for something, anything. His eyes were bright. "I forgive you. I know, I've said it before, but I forgive you." Katara said softly, her eyes meeting his with that inexorable inner strength she possessed. She saw his emotions flicker from fear to hope and back again. "I forgive you." His eyes softened, and with such a heavy sigh that he could have been holding the weight of the world, he let his head fall into the crook of her neck.

His arms came around her waist tightly, holding her close. "Thank you." He said quietly, softly. Her hands held him, gently rubbing his shoulders. She let him stay there for a while, until he calmed down.

They sat together on the blanket, watching the sky. Katara didn't know where they stood now, but she couldn't bring herself to care. She glanced over at him, and when their eyes met, her heart jumped.

Sometimes, the best company is silent.

~ End.