The Art Of Finding Each Other (Zutara)

Golden Eyes Don't Lie

The sounds of laughter and music were slowly dying down on the Earth Kingdom's Royal Palace. A first batch of attendees had already left the great hall where the re-coronation celebration was being held. It wasn't that late, though, and the gang was still there, enjoying the final moments of the party.

And what a night had it been. Zuko stepped onto one of the two balconies that connected with the hall. The sky was completely clear, the starts glittering like crushed glass against the darkness of the nocturnal airspace. Maybe he just needed a minute to himself, away from all the hustle. He leaned his elbows on the railing and closed his eyes for an instant.

He remembered Katara's soft laugh as the two of them were dancing. It had actually surprised him how relaxed he had managed to seem during the whole thing. Of course, he had been internally a lot less than calm. His heart had been furiously racing for the entirety of their dance, as a million things spiraled down his mind. The warmth of her touch had stuck with him for the rest of the night, dictating his every movement. For a couple of minutes everything else besides them had disappeared. And he had loved every second of it. He knew the dance had only happened because of a game, but it still felt like something. Something truly meaningful. Why was he feeling like that? The answer was there, in the back of his mind, waiting to be accepted.

I have accepted it, right? I mean, I know I'm clearly a little confused about the way I feel for Katara. But that doesn't mean I should do anything about it.

There wasn't really much for him to do about those complicated feelings anyways, or at least that was what he believed. There were already too many things to take care of. Still, he wasn't sure how long he would last before going crazy with all those emotions bottling up inside of him. On top of it all, he still hadn't come up with a way of telling the group he was leaving. And he didn't have much time left. The party was already at the verge of ending and he knew they couldn't stay in Ba Sing Se forever. He had to begin his search at one moment or another. There was no point in delaying it even further. He just wished there could be a way for him to figure it all out.

A familiar voice made him open back his eyes and turn around.

"Needed some fresh air, Sparky?" Toph walked up to the railing.

"Maybe. Although, apparently I wasn't the only one." He replied. "What's up?"

She lifted up her shoulders. "We were thinking of heading back to the house in a bit and we weren't sure where you were so I came out looking for you. We're not leaving right now though, so you can stay here with your air for some extra time if you like."

"Thanks, Toph. I think I might just do that."

The girl plummeted down onto the floor, letting out a sigh. "What a night, huh?"

He frowned before sitting down next to her. "It was a pretty good party, I'll give you that. I still can't believe you actually forced me to dance, for Spirits sake. Not your nicest move."

Toph pushed her elbow against his arm. "Oh, come on! Are you seriously going to pretend you didn't enjoy every second of it?"

Disbelief caused Zuko to lift his eyebrows as he felt his cheeks turning bright red. "What? What on earth are you talking about, Toph?" His voice had started to shake despite his best efforts to avoid it.

She simply bursted out in laughter. "You're in too deep, aren't you? I may be blind, but I'm not that blind, Sparky."

His eyes widened as an overwhelming nervousness took over him. "I... I have no idea what you're trying to point out. Whatever it is, drop it. Drop it, now."