Ninja Zutara - Realize

I'm sorry I did another one, but I just can't help it! These two are just so breathtaking together! July isn't coming quick enough! Bring on the ninja Zutaraness already! Oh well. At least college is over and now I just have to deal with a few more weeks of high school, then I graduate.

Alright, since I loved my last coloring job so much, I decided to do another one like this, and I've found out how much better at looks. The quality is a lot cleaner and I can't even begin to tell you how easy it is. O___o I shouldn't have started doing this earlier...

Plot --

A gentle breeze ran through her brunette hair as she stood still in the cascading moonlight. Her chest heaved as she tried to regain some of the air in her lungs that she lost when her and Zuko had suceeded in losing their pursuers.

"You alright?" came the soft raspy tone of the ex-Prince from behind her.

"Yeah. That was too close though." Katara replied with a slight chuckle as she turned around to look at her traveling companion.

"Yeah..." Zuko reponded with a sweet smile.

Silence soon surrounded them. The soft howling f the wind had long since died down and they now stood close to one another trying to think of something to say to the other. They had been on this mission for about two days now and these moments of silence were becoming all too common. They had no idea if they had nothing to talk about or if they were too shy to say anything.

A few days before they took off, Katara had hugged him. Zuko still felt the lingering feeling of her arms wrapped tightly around his neck as if she'd never let him go. It was so unexpected and strange, but for some unexplained reason, it felt so right.

Katara was also thinking the same thing. She had no idea why she had ran up to him and placed him in such a tight embrace. Just a few weeks prior, she was threatening his very life, but at that moment, she found herself holding him closer than she had ever held anyone else in her life. She still felt shivers up her spine whenever she imagined his strong arms placed firmly around her waist.

He was so different than anyone she ever met before. She didn't much care for the Zuko she once knew, but the redeemed Zuko was another story. He was kind, understanding, and could be a very powerful bender as well as the softest touch.

A clearing of a throat was all it took for Katara to escape from her thoughts.

"Huh?" she asked, hoping he'd repeat anything he might have said in the past few moments.

"I was just wondering if you thought this might be a good place to camp." Zuko repeated.

"Oh, yeah! This is fine." Katara said with a large smile.

Zuko didn't reply. He just smiled at her before he removed the small bag from his shoulder and tossed it onto the ground. After a few minutes of listening to Zuko's feet shuffling on the ground, she heard his voice once again break her thoughts.

"What were you thinking about?" Zuko asked softly as he stood at his full height and he turned to look at her.

"Nothing!" Katara said quickly as she tried to stop the rushing of blood that was flowing to her cheeks.

"Oh... You just looked a little out of it. Never mind." Zuko replied before he turned his attention back to whatever he was doing.

"I was thinking about you." Katara said when Zuko turned his back as she no longer hid the blush on her face.

"What?" Zuko asked before turning to look at her.

"I know, it's stupid, but... I'm sorry I hugged you, I just... I was just happy you were alright, I'm just -- Ugh! Never mind!" Katara stuttered before she threw her hands up in the air and turned away from Zuko's intense golden eyes.

She gasped slightly when she felt Zuko pull her around to look at him. His hands remained on her shoulders as he bent down slightly so he could look straight into her cerelean depths. "You don't have to be sorry... I didn't think it was stupid... I kinda actually thought it was very -- nice..." Zuko said in a soft tone.

Katara's blush intensified before her blush grew even brighter on her tanned cheeks. She closed her eyes before she softly placed her arms around his shoulders as she had done before. Zuko smiled sweetly against her hair before his arms wrapped around her waist.

A few seconds later, they both pulled away but their limbs stayed formly wrapped around one another. The moonlight drapped across their bodies as silence found them once again. Katara was the first to make a move. She lifted onto her toes and slowly begin to move her face closer to Zuko's. Zuko quickly understood her advance and met her halfway in the greatest kiss either of them have ever shared.

--

Sorry it's so long. O___o I just couldn't stop writing. Avatar is going to air again on Nick on Monday, July 14. As always, Zutara Forever!