Firefrost

"I hope you realize this is all your fault," Katara snapped.

"How is us getting lost in a freak blizzard my fault?" Zuko asked.

"You were the one who insisted we go outside the village to spar," she replied heatedly, jabbing a finger at him.

"You were the one who wanted to spar in the first place!" he protested. "Besides what was I supposed to say? 'Oh yes, Katara, let's spar in your village where the houses are made of ice and one bad shot could leave a family homeless because of my firebending!' And, you live here! Shouldn't you have noticed the weather?"

"What about you? You travelled the world for years. Surely you can sense when a storm is blowing in!"

Zuko frowned and drew his parka closer. "Let's just go find some shelter."

"We're on the freaking South Pole in the middle of nowhere! Where are we gonna find shelter?!" she shouted.

"Fine! We can make one," the firebender answered, exasperated. Honestly. He shouldn't have put up with this. He was here as a friend. And all Katara had been was antagonistic. He'd thought they were past this. Really. How immature could she get?

"And by me, I take it as I'll make be making it," the waterbender guessed, trying to keep her teeth from chattering.

"Well, you're the waterbender, and we're in the middle of gee, water."

"You know what! Making an igloo using bending is tedious and wow, guess what, I'm worn out from our battle earlier. I would freeze to death before I could make us a decent shelter."

"You know your attitude is really horrible," Zuko growled. "At least I'm trying to come up with a solution, unlike some people I could mention."

"Wonder who that 'some people' refers to," Katara drawled. "Oh wait! It couldn't be me. Because there're so many other humans out here."

Zuko plowed through the snow to her side, angry. "I'm beginning to wish I hadn't come to visit you and your family. You've been nothing but nasty since I landed!" He tried to ignore the snow and wind around them.

"I have not!" the waterbender objected.

"Which is why you demanded I spar with you today."

She sighed and started to move forward again.

"What are you doing?" the Fire Lord asked, moving after her.

"I'm trying to go back."

"We can't even see which direction to go!" he answered, squinting to keep her in sight. "It could just make things worse to keep going. We should just look for someplace to settle down and wait this storm out." He caught up with her, grabbing her shoulder. "You know I'm right."

"I'd rather freeze trying to go somewhere than freeze staying in one place," she retorted.

"You'll die of exposure before you ever reach the village. At least in shelter, we have protection from the wind and snow. I can build us a fire too. Katara, be logical."

She slumped in defeat. "Fine. Let's find a snow bank. We can make a cave in there."

They stumbled through the quickly accumulating snow, Zuko breaking the path for the trailing Katara. They were silent for about fifteen minutes, just walking.

"I'm not mad at you," the waterbender admitted abruptly.

"Huh?"

"I'm not mad at you, Zuko," she repeated. "The reason I've been…less than pleasant is that I'm mad at myself. And you're just a reminder of why I'm mad. And I'm taking my anger out on you."

"Why are you angry? Your life is perfect," Zuko pointed out. But he was reminded of how angry he had been after he returned home. After Ba Sing Se, the unexplainable anger that smoldered inside him. How he had taken it out on everyone he had cared about.

"Because… after traveling the world, I don't want to be tied down. I want to go see more, to explore, to meet new people, to help those people," she explained.

"Why can't you?" the firebender asked.

"Everyone needs me here. They need me as a healer, and Aang… well, Aang likes having a family, a community to come home to. The fact that you're needed by the Fire Nation but you can still find time to escape just rubs in the fact that I'm trapped."

"Escape," Zuko said bitterly. "That's a good way to put it."

"What?"

"I'm running away from everything back at my home. Mai broke up with me when I proposed," he revealed.

"Why?"

He bowed his head. "It's personal," he answered. But in his head, he could still hear the dark girl.

"I love you," he pleaded.

"Do you really?" she asked, her gaze probing.

"Of course. There's no one I'd rather spend my life with."

"I'm not so sure about that," she answered, turning away. "Two years ago, I might have believed that. But now…"

"Why?" He couldn't believe she was doing this.

"Because I…I think you may truly love me. But not as much as you love someone else."

"What?"

"I'm not stupid. I've seen the way you react to Katara's name. You light up at the mention of her. And when she's in trouble, even though you can't help her, you worry about her non-stop.

"I know you have a lot of passion. I saw that when we were at the beach and you exploded. After two years together, I've even seen you show me some. I thought that it was enough until I noticed how much you showed whenever Katara came up. And I realized something. I…I've only scratched the surface."

"That's not true, Mai!" he protested.

"It wouldn't be fair to either of us if I agreed to marry you, Zuko. It's time you stop lying to yourself. You're in love with Katara."

He laughed disbelievingly. "No, I'm not."

"Yes, you are. I'm sorry." Then she left him and the capital.

"I'm sorry," Katara said sincerely.

He nodded and kept moving.

Hours later, the two benders were still looking for a bank suitable for their shelter. Darkness was falling and even with her coat, Katara was struggling to keep warm. Her teeth chattered as the wind blew past her in a freezing gust.

"We're just going to have to make do," Zuko said.

The waterbender nodded, stumbling a little. She shivered and tried to blink away the fog of sleep creeping in.

"Hey, you okay?" he asked. "You're really far behind."

She was so numb. She vaguely knew she was probably starting to suffer from hypothermia, but she was just so tired!

Zuko was in front of her. "Your lips are blue."

She rocked back a little, dizzy with sleep.

"Katara?" He took off a glove and felt her cheek. "We need to start a fire." He put his glove back on. "I'll use my firebending to create a hole. I need you to freeze the water to make the walls."

She couldn't stay upright any longer. The waterbender fell. She felt Zuko catch her.

"Katara!" Zuko shook her desperately. "Come on, you gotta stay awake!"

She was so tired. She tried to tell him that she just needed to rest her eyes a little. She wasn't going to die. She wouldn't freeze. But her lips were too cold, too numb to move.

"You gotta stay with me!" he said.

Her eyes slipped closed and a moment later, he kissed her. Her jaw went slack at the desperate lips on hers, the hands holding her cheeks. But she felt the heat searing through her, from his mouth, from her blood. She just stayed there, his mouth on hers, insistent but growing gentler every moment. She kissed him back a little then. Zuko deepened the kiss, his mouth hotter.

His hands slid down to her hips as he slipped his tongue into her mouth. She leaned into it, welcoming the sensation. He made a noise then and broke away. He was panting, and he laid his face on her shoulder.

"We can't," he said hoarsely.

She nodded slowly as her mind kicked into gear slowly. Silence reigned for a moment before he moved away from her. She felt cold and realized just how warm he was. Like a human furnace.

"Do you… do you feel like sleeping anymore?" he asked, bringing her back to their reality.

"N-no."

"Good. Then let's make some shelter before you zone out again."

He punched a fireball into the snow. Katara concentrated on freezing the water dripping from the edges their newly formed cave. She was a little slower but she finished it. He led her inside then. Zuko went to work making a fire pit and finding something to feed the flames. Then he lit a fire with his bending.

He turned to the waterbender then. "Let's work on warming you up." He removed her boots, then her socks. He examined them with gentle hands.

"How c-c-come you aren't cold?" she asked.

"Breath of fire," he replied. "One of the advantages to being a firebender." He finished his examining her feet apparently.

"Your feet are working on getting frostbite," he whispered.

"I'll be fine," Katara lied.

Zuko leaned over and breathed flames in the air above her feet. They never touched her feet, but she could feel the tingle of warmth, of feeling in them. The waterbender could feel a blush blooming across her face.

"Better?" he asked.

"Uh huh," she mumbled.

"You sure you aren't getting a fever?" the firebender asked, feeling her forehead.

"I'm fine!" she gasped, moving away from his touch.

He gave her an odd look and moved closer. She leaned away from him, blue eyes wide with panic.

"Don't give me that look," he sighed. "I'm not going to kiss you again. I just did that to snap you out of it. But we need to warm you up. The best way to do that is to share body heat."

"I'll be fine!" she answered.

"You are not fine!" he said and yanked her over and into his lap. "Let me help you this one time." His warm breath tickled her ear and moved her hair.

Katara frowned but stayed still. "Only until I'm warm," she clarified. She felt him nod and draw her closer to him.

Two hours later, Katara and Zuko were on opposite sides of their little fire. The snow and wind had finally stopped. It was dark.

"We should get some sleep so we can make good time tomorrow," the waterbender said to break the silence.

"Yeah." He stood and stretched. "We should sleep close to maintain body heat," Zuko said.

"We should, shouldn't we?" she said, dismay clutching at her. Because sleeping next to this man was the last thing her heart needed. Especially after that kiss earlier. She shouldn't have kissed him back. But it had been so different from when Aang kissed her. Much hotter, melting her bones. Zuko's reaction was even more alarming though. As though he had been discovering something unexpected.

"Unless you want to freeze to death," the Fire Lord said with a wry glance.

So reluctantly, Katara lay down next to him. She chose the distance between them carefully. Close enough to hold, but with enough room between that no part of them would actually touch. To say that snuggling was not acceptable.

Then the heat from his body and the fire lulled her to sleep.

Katara awoke, blinking. Where was she? But when she saw the walls of the caves, she remembered. And she also realized that something was across her middle. The waterbender looked down and saw the dark red clothed arm. Her gaze followed it up and over her shoulder to the pleasantly warm hulk behind her. Zuko was still asleep. And he was holding her very, very close.

She did the only thing that registered in her mind. She rolled over to face the firebender and shoved him.

Sadly, he rolled over onto a chunk of her loose hair.

"Oww!" she hissed, moving on top of him to ease the pain. She leaned over to try and free her hair.

"What was that for?" Zuko's annoyed voice asked.

Katara jerked her head upright for a better view, forgetting about her pinned hair. She got a brief glimpse of his pained, ticked face before her hair felt like it was ripped out of her scalp and it jerked her head onto his chest. She wanted to slap him but that would require her lifting her head, which was currently impossible.

"For spooning me!" she snarled.

"Why are you so mad? It saved us from freezing to death!"

She glared at him. "We were doing that without you snuggling me. Now will you get off my hair?"

Zuko huffed. "I can't. You're on top of me."

"Then roll over!"

The Fire Lord rolled his eyes and snaked an arm around her waist before obeying. He rolled to his right, further onto her hair.

"OW!" the waterbender screeched. "Wrong way! And now it's stuck on your coat's buttons."

"Why are you still wearing your hair down anyway?" he complained.

"I liked having it down. It's a pain to braid it," she said.

"Well, if you had, we wouldn't be in this situation."

She didn't answer.

"Sit up," Zuko sighed. She complied, and he went to work trying to untangle her hair.

Katara flushed and waited as his patient fingers worked.

The firebender was having similar issues to hers. Touching her hair was a blissful feeling. It was dark, soft, and satiny smooth. He was having trouble concentrating on the task at hand because of it. He finished and let her hair fall.

"Thanks," she said, standing. "We should get going. Make the most of the time." She crawled out of the cave, using her bending to punch any snow that might hinder her away. She popped out of into the weak sunshine.

Katara stood, looking around at the barren wilderness. She glanced up and saw menacing clouds moving in. It looked like they were in for another storm before the day was out. There was no trace of any other life.

"Any clue where we are?" he asked from behind her.

She jumped at the sound of his voice. How had he sneaked up on her? "Not really," she answered. "You don't happen to have a compass or anything else to navigate do you?"

"Nope."

She sighed. "We're lost then."

"I guess we should just get food and start a signal fire then," Zuko answered, heading off.

"Wait! Where are you going?" She ran after him, panicking.

"To get breakfast and some fuel hopefully."

"I'm coming with you!" she announced. "We'll be able to get more if two of us work."

"Fine," he said tiredly.

The fish was cooking over their fire, and both benders stared at it intently. Katara cleared her throat.

"So. When do you think help will arrive?"

"Depends on whether anyone sees the signal," Zuko replied, jerking his head toward the flaming bonfire outside their cave.

"Do you think they're worried about us?"

"Probably," he answered concisely, poking the fish.

"It's snowing," she announced, glancing outside.

"Hmm. Thought it would."

"Would you stop that?"

"What?" the firebender asked.

"Being so calm!"

"Panicking won't change anything," he answered logically.

She fell silent and remained that way until they went to sleep. He laid down where he had last night after she was curled up.

"Nuh uh," she snapped, sitting up. "Not after last night!"

"We still have to conserve body heat," he answered with an expressive eye roll. "I promise I won't touch you." He held his hands up to demonstrate.

She grumbled and scooted a little further away before going to sleep.

The second night, the Fire Lord woke when she rolled into him. Katara murmured in her sleep and rubbed her head against his chest. And as a rush of heat flooded through him, Zuko knew sleeping near her was a bad idea. Because she was Aang's. Not his. Aang's.

But having her nearby was distracting in every way. The longer he was close to her the more he wanted her to be by him always. But if her attitude was anything to go by, she felt nowhere near the same way.

She's asleep, a voice whispered in his head. She won't remember anything.

Zuko shook his head and edged away from the waterbender. What was he thinking?! He had promised her he wouldn't touch her. He wouldn't. Because he was a good guy. And good guys did not kiss their best friend's girl or anything like that. Unless it was to save her.

The firebender blamed Mai. It was her fault for suggesting he might care for Katara as more than a friend. That was the only reason why he was thinking this way.

But when the waterbender rolled into him again as he started to drift to sleep, the man gave up and stayed where he was. Maybe it wasn't just Mai. It probably had a lot more to do with her taunting blue eyes, her silky brown hair than his ex.

Katara awoke the next day to Zuko. She didn't bother with any of her reaction from yesterday. She looked around and realized with horror that if anything the firebender had moved farther from their original places the night before. Which meant the fact they were this close was her fault.

It was his fault for being so warm! She had just been cold! At least that's what she told herself. Although even if she had been the one to initiate the snuggling, he certainly was the one who was holding her close with one strong arm.

She elbowed him in ribs. "Wake up."

The firebender's air rushed out of him at her attack, and he coughed a little as he opened his eyes. "What was that for?"

"You promised me!" she answered, pointing down at his arm.

Zuko's golden eyes widened, and he removed his offending arm quickly as if she had burned him. "Sorry! I was asleep—and you rolled into me—so I moved again but you followed me! I didn't mean to," he said, honest pain in his eyes.

She stood and stormed out, mad at herself and him. Because evidently she couldn't stay away from him and he couldn't keep his hands off her.

The waterbender returned as the sun set. She didn't say anything to him, and Zuko felt a horrible pain in his heart. It was as bad as when he had first joined the Gaang and she had threatened him, then ignored him.

He silently cooked the fish he had caught then offered them to her. She accepted without a word. The firebender sighed and decided to wait it out. He looked out at the sky and saw the moon rising.

The moon was full and high in the sky when it happened. A joke taken too far, fraying tempers, and suddenly she was bloodbending him. Like she had to that leader of the Southern Raiders. But she moved too fast and flung Zuko into the hard icy wall.

Katara rushed to his side. Asking if he was okay, leaning forward as she released her hold on his blood. She felt him for injuries, her breath tickling his shaggy coal-black hair.

"I'm fine," he whispered hoarsely as she continued to apologize.

She hugged him then. "I'm sorry! I'm so sorry! I didn't mean to!" she said in his ear.

Zuko couldn't breathe, afraid she would realize what she was doing. And he finally admitted to himself that Mai was right. He was in love with the waterbender. It was the reason why he saved her, the reason why he teased her, the reason behind everything he did with her.

She pulled away. He moved faster than he ever had before, catching the back of her head, dragging her lips down to his.

Katara hadn't meant to throw him like that. But if he wanted to show he was all right, he didn't need to kiss her. Her first instinct was to fight it, raising her fist to hit his shoulder. But the fire in her blood from their last kiss was rising. She melted with its heat, leaning into him.

Zuko made a noise in his throat at her reaction and pulled her closer. He gave up trying to resist her, just kissed her. He moved to her neck, enjoying the freedom she was giving him. And he knew he had never been this powerless to his feelings around Mai. He returned to her lips, slipping his tongue into her mouth.

"What the heck are you two doing?!" a familiar voice demanded from the mouth of the cave.

The Fire Lord tore his mouth from Katara's to see the Avatar glaring down at him.

"Aang!" both of them gasped.

"Get away from him!" Aang said, grabbing her arm and yanking her upright. "What the heck were you doing kissing my girlfriend?!"

Zuko considered answering sarcastically just that, kissing Katara. But he figured that would be a bad move.

"Let's go. We'll get to the bottom of this in the village," the airbender said, going outside to mount Appa.

Zuko waited outside Katara's igloo, listening to the muffled raised voices.

"He's my friend—"

"Jealous? That I frenched him when I haven't done that with you—"

"We're going out—"

"That's it! We're over, Aang!" Katara stormed out of the icy house.

Zuko stood as she walked away and followed her. "Katara."

She ignored him, just ran. He didn't miss the tears on her cheeks though. He gritted his teeth, knowing he brought this pain on her. Because he couldn't control himself around her, had crossed a line and been caught red-handed.

"You!"

Zuko turned around to see Aang behind him.

"Aang," the firebender said before the airbender punched him.

"How could you?! You're my friend, one of my best! And you went behind my back and stole my girlfriend!"

"I can explain!" Zuko began but a fireball aimed for his head stopped him.

"You never change, Zuko! Always doing the wrong thing!" Aang swung a flaming kick at the Fire Lord.

The scarred man grabbed his ankle, extinguishing the flames with his own bending. "Hey! I made the right choice more than once!"

"What? Kissing another guy's girl?"

Zuko dodged Aang's attack.

"That was wrong! I shouldn't have, and I'm sorry!"

"Yeah, 'cause that will fix everything!" The Avatar flung a slew of icy darts at his fire mentor.

A wall of water sprung up between the two men. They turned in unison to see Katara. Satisfied that she had both of their attentions, she marched between them.

"Enough!" she faced Aang. "I choose who I go out with, who I kiss. If I choose to kiss Zuko, that's none of your damn business!" She grabbed Zuko's hand and pulled him away from the flabbergasted Aang. "Let's go."

The firebender stumbled after her. "Where are we going?"

"Somewhere, anywhere! So long as it isn't here!"

"What about Aang, your family—mmph!"

Katara's lips on his silenced him. He didn't react at first, much as she hadn't in the blizzard. But shock quickly gave way to feeling. He drew her closer, his hands coming up to cradle her face. He broke away only long enough to breathe, then continued to kiss her, as if to make up for all the times he hadn't.

He kissed her forehead, her nose, her lips, her neck, her chin, everything he could think of. He was so absorbed in kissing her that he almost missed her request.

"Take me with you."

He paused. "What are you saying?"

"Take me with you to the Fire Nation," she repeated.

"As what?" he asked.

"Your fiancée," she answered quietly.

"M-my what?"

"Your fiancée."

He let her go. "Are you asking me to elope with you?"

"And if I was?"

"Then I'd say you just got out of a relationship, no need to rush blindly into a new one."

"So it's okay for you to do that, but not me?"

Zuko pinched the bridge of his nose as he squeezed his eyes shut, which he tended to do when he was frustrated. "It's different."

"How?" she demanded. "How is it different?"

"It just is!"

"How am I supposed to understand you if you don't let me in, Zuko?" she shouted. "How is it different? Did she dump you for another guy?"

"No!"

"Then what? Why did Mai dump you?" she asked, her arms spread wide.

"Because of you!" he exploded. "She dumped me because of you!"

Katara shut up. An awkward silence rushed in to fill the lack of words.

"Because of me?" she finally whispered.

"Mai… Mai turned me down when I proposed. She said she didn't think I loved her. At least not as much as I loved someone else. You." He looked over at Katara, his golden eyes serious. "She was right."

"Zuko."

"Please, just hear me out. She was right. I didn't see it until I came down here. When we got lost in that blizzard, it opened up my eyes. I kept fighting it. Until today. I love you, Katara."

The waterbender sniffled a little. "You should've realized it sooner." Then she was kissing him.

"What do you mean?" he asked, pushing her away a little.

"What I mean is the attraction wasn't entirely one-sided."

"You liked me?"

"Of course, you idiot." Her words had not heat, no bite to them. Just a hint of exasperation. "I don't offer oasis water to anyone, and I certainly don't cry over everyone's body."

"Why didn't you say something?"

"You had Mai. And… I figured that this was the way things were supposed to be. You and Mai, me and Aang, Sokka and Suki."

"Did you like Aang?"

"Of course! But… not as much as I probably should have."

Zuko was quiet for a minute or two. "You shouldn't rush things just because you've figured something out. Go see the world again. And if you still feel the same, I'll be waiting for you."

Katara opened her mouth to protest but he cut her off.

"Go ahead. You need to find yourself."

One Month Later

The weather here in Ba Sing Se is beautiful, Zuko. Crystal clear blue skies, light breezes, and evening rain. I wish you were here to share it with me.

Remind me again why I let you talk me into seeing the world?

That's right. "It's just the way to find yourself after a bad breakup." All right, oh mighty teacher, have I done enough soul-searching yet? Can I come to visit you?

Still mad at you for convincing her to take this trip,

Katara

Zuko chuckled a little at her closing. Apparently patience was not her strongest point. Her lack of it almost made him wonder if she was supposed to be a firebender. She certainly had the temper for it.

"Another letter from Katara?" Ursa asked when she saw the smile on his face as she passed by.

Her son blushed a little. "Maybe."

"What is that? Her tenth this month?" she asked with a grin.

"Twelfth."

"Three a week? I thought she was just a friend."

"She is. A very good friend."

"Sounds more like a special friend," his mother replied with a wink.

"Mother!"

"Fine," Ursa sighed. "I'll leave you alone so you can write your sweetheart a reply."

Zuko muttered something about not being her sweetheart as he got out his own writing supplies. Once his mother was out of sight and hearing, he began.

Katara,

Patience is not your strong suit, is it? I just got your last letter yesterday (and sent the reply as well) and today I get another. It takes time for letters to go through the mail. Are you sure you're not a firebender?

I'm glad to hear Ba Sing Se is nice. How is Uncle? Still brewing tea? Bet he's just thankful I'm not there to brew it with him. Let's just say there's a reason why you saw me waiting tables and not in the kitchen brewing.

And, no, you cannot visit me yet. Not until you say you've found yourself. You have be satisfied with your life before you can even think about marrying me.

Your infinitesimally more patient teacher,

Zuko

He sealed up the scroll and went out to the messenger hawk stable to dispatch it.

One Week Later

Oh so wise and patient Fire Lord,

No, it is not my best quality. That title belongs to my big baby blue eyes, thank you very much. Which are reason number one why I am absolutely positive I am not a firebender. Don't even joke about that. I love my waterbending. And even if you have reformed the Fire Nation, I still don't trust your firebending butts all that much. (You excluded of course. I trust you completely. A girl does that when a guy takes a lightning bolt for her.)

And I can't wait the week it takes for your letters to get here to write you another! Besides, this is much more fun! It's more like a conversation. Multiple threads to follow and almost daily interactions.

Your uncle's tea shop is still thriving and growing. He is an excellent brewer. (Gee, now I made it sound like he's got a still in the basement. Sorry. I'm sure he doesn't. But then…he does spend a lot of his nights and weekends down there…I'll have to investigate now.)

And why would he be glad that you're not brewing the tea?

Your ever curious waterbender peasant,

Katara

P.S. When will you know that I've found myself and I'm ready to come see you? And who said anything about marriage, Mr. Eager Beaver-Wolf?

P.P.S. So you only have a little bit more patience than me? I always thought you had less. After all you snapped more quickly with my brother than I did.

Zuko blushed slightly at her reply to the marriage joke. He calmed down though and got out paper and began to write.

Four days later

Oh Katara of the never failing patience except when it comes to finding herself,

I was joking. I'm not sure I would like you as a firebender. That would mean you wouldn't have those number one ocean blue eyes. And your waterbending's beautiful. You wouldn't be Katara without it. And I resent that stab at the Fire Nation's moral character! We are not going around attacking people anymore! We even are helping repair the air temples! (And thank you. It means a lot after everything I did in Ba Sing Se. By the way, I'd do it again. The leaping in front of the lightning part, not the betraying you in Ba Sing Se part. Well… maybe I would do the betraying you again. Because it helped me realize what was wrong with my life. But if there was another way to do it without the betraying you part, I would do the other way.)

A very confusing and random conversation. It really would be easier if you pared it down to one a week. My mother's starting to get suspicious and won't stop teasing me.

I'm glad to hear. (And Uncle does not drink alcohol. Nor does he have a secret still in his basement. I'll forgive you for implying he makes beer in his basement.)

And let's just leave it at the fact that I'm not very good with tea brewing. It's not where my hidden talent lies.

And no, I don't have more patience than you. Except when it comes to discovering my true self. And even then, it's only a fraction better.

Are you saying you wouldn't want to marry the Fire Lord and have tons of cute little firebender babies?

A very disappointed firebender in charge of a nation,

Zuko

Katara flushed bright red at the thought of bearing the disappointed firebender in charge of a nation's children. She got out a scroll and smoothed it out before beginning her reply.

With every quirky little missive, she fell a little more in love with Zuko. The way he easily returned her jokes and teased her was cute. She couldn't wait for each one, or to reply to them.

Mr. Disappointed Firebender,

You are an incorrigible flirt. I'm not sure whether I'm glad or mad that you are. Glad because that means that I get compliments everyday via letters. Or mad because that means you cold be using these lines on another girl. (And aw! Thank you! And you'd betray me again?!)

I don't wanna pare them down. And why is your mom suspicious?

I checked. Your uncle has no beer or still in his basement.

Where does your hidden talent lie then?

And even though firebender babies are cuter than any other nation's, I'm not ready for marriage yet. I'm enjoying singlehood enough. But thanks for the offer, Fire Lord.

And by the way, the North Pole is freezing!

Miss Single and Proud of it,

Katara

One Week later

The Woman Who is Finally Getting a Hold of Herself,

I'm not a flirt. You were the one who brought up your "big baby blue eyes." I was just trying to make you sound less vain. And no, I don't use these lines on any other girls. (And only so I can become a better person.)

My mother is suspicious because I'm writing letters every day. And smiling and laughing while doing it. She's beginning to think we're more than just friends. Which brings up the question of what we are.

Told you.

My hidden talent? Hm… depends on whom you ask. My uncle would probably say with swordplay. Specifically dual blades. Mai and you would probably say something different though.

Congratulations on your first step toward discovering yourself. Being happy with your current state of being is good. And just as an estimate, when do you think you'll be ready for marriage?

Suck it up.

Impatiently waiting for your reply to this letter,

Zuko

Katara flushed. Was he just joking about the marriage thing? Or was he actually serious? And if he was serious, what was her opinion on it? Mixed. Yes, she did want to get married. And the thought of marrying Zuko was appealing. But did she want to get married right now?

She shrugged and began to write back.

Oh, impatient one,

Are you trying to make me die of embarrassment? I don't even know what to say. That's it. No more flirting through letters! Just conversation! Non-flirty conversation. How's the weather over there?

What are we? Um… We're not really friends are we? We're a little too flirtatious for that. We're not really dating though either. I guess we're flirting. We're thinking about getting together.

You don't mean girls think kissing is your hidden talent, do you? Gah! What am I doing? No flirting! Scratch that. I don't want to know! Swords huh? Cool.

And now I don't like my life again. Because being single and happy means no flirting with you.

Disappointed,

Katara

Four Days Later

Zuko grinned at her closing. She missed him. Or… flirting with him. Which was the same as missing him, right? Great. Now he was analyzing her letters. How desperate could he get.

Katara,

So you're disappointed that you can't flirt with me? If you're so upset over it, forget your self-imposed rule. It's your decision. You do know what it means if you miss me, right?

Zuko

Let's see her response to that.

Three Days Later

Katara blinked after reading his short letter. What happened to the normal page? This one was just… short. And challenging.

What did missing flirting with him mean? She flopped back on her bed. She stared up at the ceiling. It didn't feel right. That's what not flirting with him felt like. She turned over.

You do know what it means if you miss me, right?

It meant… she missed him. She missed talking to him, fighting him, teasing him, and yes, kissing him. Which made it perfectly clear why she was so upset that his letters took so long to come and that his letter was so short this time. She wanted to be talking to him face to face, telling him what her day was like.

And finally, there was her impatience to come back. Hadn't she wanted to see the world? So why was it that now that she had her chance, all she wanted to do was visit Zuko?

Because she... she was in love with him.

Katara loved Zuko. The guy who chased her all around the world, betrayed her, saved her, helped her work through her mother's murder, kissed her, stole her necklace, knocked her out, and told her how to find herself. And what had she found?

That it wasn't the thought of being tied down that bothered her. No. It was with whom and where she was tied down.

The waterbender got up and began to pack quickly. She knew what she had to do.

Zuko looked up slightly as a servant entered the throne room. "Yes?"

"There's someone here to see you, my lord."

"Who is it?"

"Someone with number one baby blue eyes," a familiar voice said as the person stepped in.

Zuko's eyes widened as he took in Katara. In his throne room. Instead of a letter.

"I figured out what I have to do. I did what you asked me to. So I'm here to ask you something," she continued as she approached.

The Fire Lord let the flames dissipate so she could join him up on the platform. "And what's that?"

"Will you let me have a ton of cute little firebender babies with you?" she asked before pressing her lips against his.

"What about being tied down?"

"I don't mind if it's with you."

He kissed her again, and Katara smiled as the familiar fire rushed through her. Thank goodness a certain firebender had kissed her in a blizzard.