Intertwined Legends (Zutara)

Epilogue

Zuko may have gotten the head start when he was racing against Katara, but the waterbender definitely had an advantage because of their surroundings. She had let him go when she got to the house first and when the ice that encased him melted, he didn't bother running. She already won. Zuko only began to take off his mask when he got inside his hut.

        Now where's that knot...

        Before his hands were able to get a proper hold on the knotted fabric and untie it himself, he felt a pair of hands with nimble fingers stop him and brush his hands away. He felt Katara's body heat as her body pressed against his in her attempt to undo the fabric from his front, but how she had managed to walk so silently fazed Zuko. Everything was quiet except for the faint sound of children in the main square and the lapping waves against the sturdy wooden poles and he closed his eyes, embracing the white noise.

        Once Katara herself had a firm hold on the knot, she untied it in a matter of seconds; before the mask could fall she removed it with her own hands. With the pressure of the mask off Zuko's face, he opened his amber eyes only to meet a pair of eyes opposite of his, a rich blue that seemed as royal in colour as the ocean itself. Zuko noticed that the makeup was already off of her face and a small smiled played on her features. Her face was still slightly flushed—whether it was from driving away the Fire Nation soldiers or the short race between the two of them, he wasn't sure.

        "What is it?" he asked in a low voice, trying not to disturb the silence as best as he could.

        Katara shrugged. "Nothing, really..."

        The firebender rose his eyebrows in question before watching his mask drop out of Katara's hands and to the floor, wrapping her arms around his neck. She pressed her lips to his and instinctively Zuko's hands went around her waist, stretching the robe's fabric against her torso. He felt her smile through the kiss and pulled away with the same stupid grin. Katara chuckled. "Just that."

        "As...nice as that was," Zuko said, trying to find the right word to use, "I think we should really go and help with the de-mucking, don't you think, Colonial Girl?"

        Katara rolled her eyes. "Do we have to?"

        "Yes."

        "Alright, Lee." Reluctantly, she let go of Zuko and crossed her arms, a smirk playing on her features. "Let's go, then."

        "Don't call me Lee!"

        "Don't call me a colonial girl!"

        On their way out of the hut, the two of them kept throwing retorts and insults towards each other, trying to better the other person.

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Cleaning the river turned out easier than Katara had originally thought. Sokka helped the villagers slip rope nets into the polluted water to take out any large pieces of debris, burning everything once the boat was tied to the dock once more. Zuko took care to tending the fire with his "super fast fire making skills".

        Because of all the smaller pieces of debris, Aang and Toph worked together to separate the dirt and mud from the water while Katara took hold of the clean water until the two of them were done removing the unnecessary waste. They were there until three hours before sunset, spending it by helping—almost nonstop—to bring the lake back to its original glory. Thankfully there were some fish in a small pond about an hour away by boat that weren't contaminated; they were caught and, through the water, brought into the lake to repopulate its underwater-life.