HOME | DD

Description
Zutara Week – Tuesday 7/8/08
Prompt #2: Electrifying

“Rain”

Katara felt a shiver slide down her spine and the hairs at her nape stand erect. Nevertheless, she obstinately kept her gaze locked on the countless trees before her, surrounding her, trapping her. No, she would not look behind her. It was enough to feel the way his eyes were boring holes into the back of her skull. She did not need a visual confirmation of the fact. Katara bit down hard on her bottom lip as she bent down to retrieve another piece of dry wood in lightning speed. Her fingers tightened on the bundle of twigs cradled in the crook of her arm until her knuckles whitened and the rugged bark dug painfully into her palm. Ignore him, she told herself almost desperately.

In spite of herself and her words, she could not suppress the temptation. Before she knew it, her eyes had already darted unwittingly toward the figure in red walking calmly behind her, also gathering firewood. He did not break his gaze. Katara quickly turned back to face the front, instantly regretting her glance. Her heart raced inexplicably, and with this realization, she began to feel her cheeks burning. What did he want? Why did she feel so uncomfortable and… vulnerable under his gaze? No, she did not and could not let herself trust him. Hoping her hair—now frustratingly frizzy and twice its normal size in this unbearable humidity—would conceal her discomfort and embarrassment, she marched resolutely forward.

They had not said a word to each other during this entire excursion, and Katara had no intention of breaking this awkward yet welcome silence. Quite frankly, she did not dare to trust herself and what she might say, should she open her mouth.

As if the heavens were spiting her and her fears, Katara would soon realize that avoiding Zuko was not an option today. She should have known from the beginning in the way Aang had insisted that they go to gather wood in the forest together. In any case, the gods were surely scheming against her on that fateful day.

Heavy black clouds seemed to form an impenetrable ceiling above her, and she felt suddenly suffocated as she looked up. She could feel the electricity crackling tensely in the humid air, and the charged atmosphere seemed to force her to be even more on edge. The tension was palpable in this calm before the storm, exacerbated by the uneasiness between her and Zuko. Rain was coming any second now, and amidst all her uncertainty, it was clear that she would rather not be caught in a thunderstorm in the middle of a forest.

Scanning her surroundings, she released a sigh of relief as she spotted a cave on the other side of the river that cut through those endless trees. Once at the banks of the river, she saw that there was a cliff that dropped into those rushing waters tipped with white foam. A shaky bridge was the only way across. Although the gorge was not particularly deep and was relatively narrow, the jagged rocks below warned that a fall could very well be fatal. Tentatively, Katara stepped onto the bridge, and slowly, she made her way across. Once on the other side, she chanced a glance at Zuko. He had followed closely behind and had crossed the bridge with ease, she remarked a little jealously.

Without warning, a fat drop of water fell on her cheek as she watched the former prince of the Fire Nation. Raising her gaze to the skies, she brushed the drop away, only to receive another one. Another fell, then another. It had already begun to rain, and she had not moved yet. Suddenly, a blinding flash illuminated the monochromatic world, and Katara heard a slow cracking sound mingled with the roar of thunder. As if in slow motion, she saw the enormous tree nearby begin to fall, rushing to meet her, to crush her! But she was rooted to the spot, paralyzed by terror.

Then, she was violently shoved aside, and losing her balance, she fell on her side, watching in horror as the tree, its trunk ripped near the base where the lightning had struck, smashed down with a sickening thud. Leaves were flying in all directions. The rain was now falling in earnest. The bridge had been crushed by the tree, and the splinters of its rotting wood beat against the jagged rocks beneath and were carried away by the unyielding current of the river.

At the sight of Zuko sprawled on the ground by the fallen tree, Katara involuntarily released a shriek, and she pulled herself up quickly, rushing to his side.

“Are you all right?” she asked nearly frantically, wiping away wet tendrils of her hair that had clung to her face.

Was his foot caught under the tree?

“I think so,” said Zuko as he attempted to pull himself off the ground. Midway in his efforts, however, he groaned in pain, grabbing his left ankle.

“What’s wrong?” asked Katara quite obviously concerned. She did not even realize that compassion had already enveloped her heart.

She knelt by his side and examined the ankle.

“I think—I think it’s only sprained,” she said, surprised by the relief in her voice. “There’s a cave a few steps away. Come on. I’ll help you up.”

Draping his arm over her shoulders, she helped him stand, and slowly, they made their way toward the cave. In the meanwhile, the rain continued to beat down mercilessly upon them, and the wind sent stinging rain into their eyes. They had not gone a few steps when lightning decided to strike again. Before Katara had even registered what had occurred, Zuko had let go of her, standing on his own through a grimace of pain. The lightning seemed to enter through his fingertips, and with a fluid motion of his other arm, it was shot, crackling angrily, through the fingertips of his other hand and disappeared behind black clouds.

Zuko’s lips widened slightly in a small smile, and it was only then that Katara realized that her mouth was open. She clamped it shut quickly, but Zuko was not paying attention. Just as he was about to collapse, she quickly caught him around the torso. For a moment, she felt intoxicated by his scent and the hard leanness of his body pressed tightly against her. She soon recovered her senses, however, and draping his arm over her shoulders once again, they proceeded to the cave. Sanctuary.

Once inside, Katara immediately bended the water from her waterskin and began to heal his ankle.

“So…” she began tentatively, “where did you learn to redirect lightning?”

“My uncle,” he said simply, his voice soft.

She saw the pain in his golden eyes and decided that now was not the time to pursue this subject further. She nodded in understanding and with what she hoped was a reassuring smile. Everything will be okay.

For what seemed like an eternity, their gazes were locked. Neither teenager dared to move in fear of breaking this rare and sacred connection. Katara knew that this moment was important, but it was indescribable. She simply felt at peace, like she had come to terms with him. Everything else in the world seemed to have fallen away, and they were the only two left in existence. Time seemed to have come to a screeching halt. She felt that it was crucial not to break this connection because they had reached an understanding, an acceptance.

Then, the moment was shattered as both became conscious of the level of intimacy of their exchange. They tore their gazes from each other, but they both knew that what had transpired had changed something between them. Katara returned to healing his ankle, concentrated solely on this single task. Zuko’s mind seemed to wander, and his expression was one of profound sadness. However, as the minutes ticked by to the rhythm of the rain, his gaze gradually, almost unconsciously, returned to Katara. But this time, she was calm and was not in the least disconcerted.

Yet, her stomach was doing somersaults.

They decided to return to the air temple when the storm had ceased. The fallen tree served as a makeshift bridge to cross the river. As the clouds began to clear, the sun shed light and color all around them, and the faintest trace of a rainbow appeared in the vibrant blue sky. When Katara was crossing the river, her foot slid, but a pair of arms wrapped themselves around her waist to steady her. Her stomach again did somersaults as she thanked him with a blush mirrored on his cheeks.

As they walked back to the Western Air Temple in a comfortable silence, Katara realized that she had forgiven him without even being conscious of it. She recognized that trust was blossoming between them, and she felt as though a heavy burden had been lifted from her shoulders. The future looked bright and promising. Aang would defeat the Fire Lord and the world will finally be at peace after a century.

She would have to remember to thank Aang for his persistence and the gods for the rain.

Description
Zutara Week – Tuesday 7/8/08
Prompt #2: Electrifying

“Rain”

Katara felt a shiver slide down her spine and the hairs at her nape stand erect. Nevertheless, she obstinately kept her gaze locked on the countless trees before her, surrounding her, trapping her. No, she would not look behind her. It was enough to feel the way his eyes were boring holes into the back of her skull. She did not need a visual confirmation of the fact. Katara bit down hard on her bottom lip as she bent down to retrieve another piece of dry wood in lightning speed. Her fingers tightened on the bundle of twigs cradled in the crook of her arm until her knuckles whitened and the rugged bark dug painfully into her palm. Ignore him, she told herself almost desperately.

In spite of herself and her words, she could not suppress the temptation. Before she knew it, her eyes had already darted unwittingly toward the figure in red walking calmly behind her, also gathering firewood. He did not break his gaze. Katara quickly turned back to face the front, instantly regretting her glance. Her heart raced inexplicably, and with this realization, she began to feel her cheeks burning. What did he want? Why did she feel so uncomfortable and… vulnerable under his gaze? No, she did not and could not let herself trust him. Hoping her hair—now frustratingly frizzy and twice its normal size in this unbearable humidity—would conceal her discomfort and embarrassment, she marched resolutely forward.

They had not said a word to each other during this entire excursion, and Katara had no intention of breaking this awkward yet welcome silence. Quite frankly, she did not dare to trust herself and what she might say, should she open her mouth.

As if the heavens were spiting her and her fears, Katara would soon realize that avoiding Zuko was not an option today. She should have known from the beginning in the way Aang had insisted that they go to gather wood in the forest together. In any case, the gods were surely scheming against her on that fateful day.

Heavy black clouds seemed to form an impenetrable ceiling above her, and she felt suddenly suffocated as she looked up. She could feel the electricity crackling tensely in the humid air, and the charged atmosphere seemed to force her to be even more on edge. The tension was palpable in this calm before the storm, exacerbated by the uneasiness between her and Zuko. Rain was coming any second now, and amidst all her uncertainty, it was clear that she would rather not be caught in a thunderstorm in the middle of a forest.

Scanning her surroundings, she released a sigh of relief as she spotted a cave on the other side of the river that cut through those endless trees. Once at the banks of the river, she saw that there was a cliff that dropped into those rushing waters tipped with white foam. A shaky bridge was the only way across. Although the gorge was not particularly deep and was relatively narrow, the jagged rocks below warned that a fall could very well be fatal. Tentatively, Katara stepped onto the bridge, and slowly, she made her way across. Once on the other side, she chanced a glance at Zuko. He had followed closely behind and had crossed the bridge with ease, she remarked a little jealously.

Without warning, a fat drop of water fell on her cheek as she watched the former prince of the Fire Nation. Raising her gaze to the skies, she brushed the drop away, only to receive another one. Another fell, then another. It had already begun to rain, and she had not moved yet. Suddenly, a blinding flash illuminated the monochromatic world, and Katara heard a slow cracking sound mingled with the roar of thunder. As if in slow motion, she saw the enormous tree nearby begin to fall, rushing to meet her, to crush her! But she was rooted to the spot, paralyzed by terror.

Then, she was violently shoved aside, and losing her balance, she fell on her side, watching in horror as the tree, its trunk ripped near the base where the lightning had struck, smashed down with a sickening thud. Leaves were flying in all directions. The rain was now falling in earnest. The bridge had been crushed by the tree, and the splinters of its rotting wood beat against the jagged rocks beneath and were carried away by the unyielding current of the river.

At the sight of Zuko sprawled on the ground by the fallen tree, Katara involuntarily released a shriek, and she pulled herself up quickly, rushing to his side.

“Are you all right?” she asked nearly frantically, wiping away wet tendrils of her hair that had clung to her face.

Was his foot caught under the tree?

“I think so,” said Zuko as he attempted to pull himself off the ground. Midway in his efforts, however, he groaned in pain, grabbing his left ankle.

“What’s wrong?” asked Katara quite obviously concerned. She did not even realize that compassion had already enveloped her heart.

She knelt by his side and examined the ankle.

“I think—I think it’s only sprained,” she said, surprised by the relief in her voice. “There’s a cave a few steps away. Come on. I’ll help you up.”

Draping his arm over her shoulders, she helped him stand, and slowly, they made their way toward the cave. In the meanwhile, the rain continued to beat down mercilessly upon them, and the wind sent stinging rain into their eyes. They had not gone a few steps when lightning decided to strike again. Before Katara had even registered what had occurred, Zuko had let go of her, standing on his own through a grimace of pain. The lightning seemed to enter through his fingertips, and with a fluid motion of his other arm, it was shot, crackling angrily, through the fingertips of his other hand and disappeared behind black clouds.

Zuko’s lips widened slightly in a small smile, and it was only then that Katara realized that her mouth was open. She clamped it shut quickly, but Zuko was not paying attention. Just as he was about to collapse, she quickly caught him around the torso. For a moment, she felt intoxicated by his scent and the hard leanness of his body pressed tightly against her. She soon recovered her senses, however, and draping his arm over her shoulders once again, they proceeded to the cave. Sanctuary.

Once inside, Katara immediately bended the water from her waterskin and began to heal his ankle.

“So…” she began tentatively, “where did you learn to redirect lightning?”

“My uncle,” he said simply, his voice soft.

She saw the pain in his golden eyes and decided that now was not the time to pursue this subject further. She nodded in understanding and with what she hoped was a reassuring smile. Everything will be okay.

For what seemed like an eternity, their gazes were locked. Neither teenager dared to move in fear of breaking this rare and sacred connection. Katara knew that this moment was important, but it was indescribable. She simply felt at peace, like she had come to terms with him. Everything else in the world seemed to have fallen away, and they were the only two left in existence. Time seemed to have come to a screeching halt. She felt that it was crucial not to break this connection because they had reached an understanding, an acceptance.

Then, the moment was shattered as both became conscious of the level of intimacy of their exchange. They tore their gazes from each other, but they both knew that what had transpired had changed something between them. Katara returned to healing his ankle, concentrated solely on this single task. Zuko’s mind seemed to wander, and his expression was one of profound sadness. However, as the minutes ticked by to the rhythm of the rain, his gaze gradually, almost unconsciously, returned to Katara. But this time, she was calm and was not in the least disconcerted.

Yet, her stomach was doing somersaults.

They decided to return to the air temple when the storm had ceased. The fallen tree served as a makeshift bridge to cross the river. As the clouds began to clear, the sun shed light and color all around them, and the faintest trace of a rainbow appeared in the vibrant blue sky. When Katara was crossing the river, her foot slid, but a pair of arms wrapped themselves around her waist to steady her. Her stomach again did somersaults as she thanked him with a blush mirrored on his cheeks.

As they walked back to the Western Air Temple in a comfortable silence, Katara realized that she had forgiven him without even being conscious of it. She recognized that trust was blossoming between them, and she felt as though a heavy burden had been lifted from her shoulders. The future looked bright and promising. Aang would defeat the Fire Lord and the world will finally be at peace after a century.

She would have to remember to thank Aang for his persistence and the gods for the rain.