"Kat,"

"Kat~"

"Katara,"

The water bender woke up suddenly and felt a hand cover her mouth quickly before she yelled. She grabbed the wrist with a glare but paused seeing Zuko holding his finger up for her to keep quiet.

"What are you doing in my room in the middle of the night?" She hissed as Zuko took his hand back.

"Were you going to bite me?" He asked making a face.

"Yea? Why are you in my room?" Katara groaned sitting up and pushing her hair out of her face.

"I wanna go to the town, you interested?" Zuko opened the window and she saw the moon was still high, it might be even before midnight it seemed.

"What?" Katara rubbed her face trying to comprehend what he was saying.

"I can't sleep, do you want to come into town?" Zuko had on his casual clothes with a small hooded cloak in his hand and tossed her the second one.

"Why are you asking me this? You think I'm going to say yes?" Katara hissed as she caught the cloak.

"Cause you haven't told me no," Zuko smiled at her and jumped out her window.

Katara gasped running to the window and saw him wiping the leafs off him from the bush he landed on and gave his fiancé a thumbs up. Katara blushed a little as she pursed her lips.

She quickly threw on a strapless red dress that was flowy around her knees and grabbed her sandals on with the black cloak. Next thing she knew she was dropping through the window and was caught by strong arms.

"Look who decided to come," Zuko smirked at her and she got to her feet, adjusting her cloak around her shoulders.

"I wanted some fresh air," she hummed.

"Good, follow me," he grabbed her hand and she gasped when he tugged her along.

They ran through the gardens and Zuko let go of Kataras hand as he jump to pull himself up on a brach then jumped again to the top of the wall that surrounded the gardens. Katara looked up the eight foot wall but was surprised seeing a rope drop down to her, she smiled a little as she climbed up the wall with it as Zuko held her steady.

"Do you know where to go?" Katara bit back her smile as she met the prince on top of the wall and he made sure the rope was steady on the other side for them to climb back the other way.

"A little," Zuko shrugged as he slid down the rope.

"I've never been out of the palace I guess, give me a tour," Katara smirked as she landed next to him.

—

Katara gasped in awe at the golden lantern lit city as adults roamed the streets laughing and talking, some intoxicated late in the night.

She walked with Zuko as he seemed calm looking around as people where selling food or little items like jewelry and such. Katara looked  up at him curiously to see his reaction and smiled a little seeing him relaxed and a small grin on his lips.

"Come on, I'll get you some fire flakes, if the fire nations not known for its part in the war then it's definitely our food," Zuko went to a cart happily.

"What's so special about your food? Do you even have money or is it special treatment?" Katara snorted crossing her arms but saw Zuko pull out a small bag of coins to pay with.

"Our spices, it's my favorite part of being home is the spices," Zuko offered her after taking a small handful for himself.

"And the royal family doesn't come down town so no one knows who I am," he shrugged as Katara took two pieces to try. Her eyes immediately watered and started to cough violently.

"It's so spicy!" She wheezed but Zuko was unfazed.

"I mean it has a kick yea?" He didn't understand.

"My mouth literally is on fire," Katara whined waving her hands by her mouth dramatically.

"It's fire flakes, they're not sweet," he chuckled and ate more.

"If You eat more it gets less spicy I guess," he shrugged again and Katara took a few more again but covered her mouth with immediate regret as soon as it touched her tongue.

"You liar! It's so hot!" Katara hit his arm as Zuko covered his mouth to hide his laugh at her reaction.

"You asshole I'm never going to taste again!" She hit his arm again as his shoulders shook.

"I'll buy you a drink.. fire ball?" He offered but got another punch in the arm as he expected.

"Not funny!"

"It's a little funny,"

Zuko went to another cart that was selling drinks and got her a juice to maybe help with the spice she was dramatic over.

"I don't trust you," Katara pushed his hand holding the drink away.

"It's dragon fruit juice, it's not hot I promise," Zuko smiled at her and took a sip to show.

"It's not poison," he offered the golden mug with a bamboo stick as the straw.

Katara sighed not able to handle the spice anymore and took a sip from the straw. Her eyes lit up at the flavor and hummed happily drinking more quickly.

"That's so yummy! Is it like an actual fruit or just a name for it?" She smiled brightly at him and continued to drink more.

"It's a real fruit, it's pinkish with green, but the inside is really good, I like it with mango," Zuko crossed his arms a little with small blush.

"Fire nation really likes it's fruits," Katara teased a little.

"You could say that, I like fruit, I use to order my girlfriend fruit trays all the time," Zuko pursed his lips a little and Katara glanced at him again.

"Mai right? Did you love her?" Katara asked softly.

"I did," he blushed a little more.

"Did You take her on little adventures like this?" She sipped her drink again.

"Ha no, Mai doesn't like leaving her house or mine, she's rich so she wasn't a fan of going somewhere dirty or boring, everything was boring and dull to her," Zuko shrugged a little looking away.

"You don't seem to be the type of person to not want to leave the palace, I mean you went to the North Pole so you like adventure," Katara didn't understand how they dated if they were so opposite.

"We grew up together, she was nice to be around, she's pretty, I don't think she was my soul mate though or anything," Zuko waved her off a little embarrassed.

"Soulmates? You believe that crap?" She laughed a little but stopped seeing he was serious.

"Yea?" He pouted.

"You think that everyone has one special person made just for them? Just one?" Katara blinked in disbelief.

"Uh no I guess not like that, it's just a myth I like to believe, from the dragons," Zuko mumbled as he ate more fire flakes.

"Oh do tell," she snorted interested.

"The dragons use to mate for life when they were around, they'd find themselves a mate that they trust and create an unbreakable bond until death, it's another reason they went instinct actually because they wouldn't find another mate if theirs died so less dragons until they... die," Zuko sighed running a hand through his hair.

"And a lot of people believe in it because the first people that learned from the dragons did the same, the sun warriors culture has been modified but soulmates have always been a thing in the fire nation at least," he couldn't look at her but Katara was actually impressed by the story.

"So your dad refuses to marry again because your mother was his soul mate?" Katara asked gently.

"No, my mom never loved him and he never loved her, she told me she thought she already met her soulmate," he shook his head with a small grin.

"My uncle found his, my cousins mother, that's why he won't marry again, even if he is a flirt," Zuko smiled at her to push away the negative thought of his parents marriage. "She died from child birth, so my uncle loved his son more thinking her soul was attached to their child when he was born,"

"It's just a dumb fire nation thing, forget it," Zuko waved her off again but Katara smiled and sipped her drink again.

"It's a cool belief, I think it's sweet," Katara smiled at him to ease his nerves.