Chapter Text
Zuka was nervous.
She was currently in the kitchen, working with Kato to make lunch for the Gaang.
It also just so happened that the source of her issues was standing about six feet away from her.
Ever since Kato and Zuka went on their “life changing expedition” (as Toph liked to call it), she had begun to notice some… new developments in their relationship.
After helping Kato find his mother’s killer, their previously hostile rivalry had turned into something more akin to friendship.
If she was being honest, she quite enjoyed being around him. She often assisted Kato with many of the chores, and they had begun to spar and train together on a daily basis.
In fact, Kato had unofficially adopted the role of team father, with Zuka taking on the role of team mother. The two of them would often try and get the others to behave, with varying degrees of success.
But recently, she found herself being drawn to him more and more.
First, it was how well they worked as a team. Despite their stark differences, the two of them would flow together seamlessly. When pitted against each other, they were merely equals. But when the two of them were working in sync, they were nearly unstoppable. Although their elements were opposites, they complemented each other in a variety of ways.
She was also amazed at how good of a bender he was. Whilst she had known that he was a prodigy, he had improved by orders of magnitude since their encounter at the North Pole. He had managed to master waterbending in just a couple of months, becoming one of the most powerful benders in the entire world along the way.
But most of all, she was fascinated by his kindness. True to his word, Kato would always help those that needed him. She had heard of his exploits as the Painted Warrior, healing the sick and the elderly, and making sure that the residents of the village of Jang Hui were able to reclaim their village after their old way of life had been destroyed by their own countrymen.
However, even with all of her realizations, Zuka was still wary of Kato.
She didn’t want to ruin their developing relationship, so she made sure to be extra careful around the handsome young man.
Ever since her childhood, the Crown Princess was never a very sociable person. She had spent much of her youth alone, passing her time with her tutors, and occasionally hanging out with Azula and her friends. Not to mention that after she was banished, she had even less time, let alone opportunity to socialize with people her age.
As a result, the shy and reserved young girl had grown into a shy and reserved young woman. Before joining Team Avatar, she had never really had a true friend before. Sure, there was Mai and Ty Lee, but they were loyal to Azula, at least until recently.
And so when Kato had asked her if she could accompany him to the market, the Fire Princess simply gaped at him, stunned by his request.
He quirked an eyebrow at her.
“Are you coming or not? We ran out of meat for Sokka, and I could use a break from all this chopping.”
Zuka could feel the blush rushing to her face as she opened and closed her mouth, before finally stammering out an answer.
“M-me?”
She groaned inwardly. Spirts, was she always so awkward?
He rolled his eyes.
"Of course you! Plus, since we're friends now, we should… do stuff together sometimes right?"
That was true. And that's what friends do for each other right?
She thought for a minute before sighing.
"Alright then, I'll come with you."
Kato shot her a boyish grin before gathering his coin purse.
“Alright then! Let’s go!”
She stared at his retreating form, before finally snapping out of it. Ignoring the way her stomach had fluttered at his smile, she grabbed her cloak before following the blue-eyed boy out the door and onto the road that led toward the heart of the island.
“Friends huh?” she mumbled to no one in particular.
A small smile spread across her face. She thought she could live with that.
That would do.
At least, for now...