Zuko's Last Night of Freedom

Traditions were something Katara held close to her heart. But even Master Waterbenders had their limitations.

It's not fair, Katara thought that as she paced in her room. Boys always got to have all the fun.

Right then, Aang, Sokka, and the groom to be, Zuko, were down the hall in the throne room doing whatever guys did at their bachelor parties.

Katara had begged Aang to let her come along but he had refused, and Sokka had preached that she had no business attending such a secret tradition. Katara would have to stay behind on the last adventure of the Firelord's single life, and it drove her mad with jealousy. It wasn't Zuko's fault, he had known nothing of the surprise party, but Aang and Sokka had talked about nothing else in her presence. Stupid boys. Never in her seventeen years had she been so frustrated. Well, maybe a few times before, but still, it was beyond just.

Before she thought any farther on the subject she decided to act. She was out the door and down the hall, clad in only her night clothes and a dark robe over that. She moved stealthily through the dim light, hearing loud cheering and horn music through a particularly large door. Across from that door she heard soft feminine laughter, so she decided to test that door first, not brave enough to simply barge in and interrupt the guys. She knocked gently and was shocked when two women with very large breasts, wearing hardly anything at all opened the doors and pulled her in.

"You're the new girl right, you're sooo late," the one on the right said as she pulled the robe from Katara's shoulders and clicked her tongue at her night dress. "You forgot your costume as well. You'll have to wear the blue one then."

The taller women proceeded to thrust a tiny thong and bra in her hands. When Katara gave them a puzzled glance, they sighed and pulled the nightdress over her head, leaving her completely bare.

"Who are you?" Katara managed to say as they pulled the cheap lingerie over her form. At least it was blue.

"I'm Kyou," the one dressed in pink stated, she then pointed to the woman who looked exactly like her, only she was dressed in gold. "This is my sister Karei; we are the Fire nation's most prestigious pleasure dancers. Our third is a woman named Joi. She's sick, and I'm guessing you're not her replacement."

"I'm afraid not," Katara said snapping the bra in place. It provided her with much more cleavage than what she was used to.

"That's a shame, we won't get paid unless there are three of us," Karei said, placing a thin veil over Katara's face.

The Waterbender thought a moment. None of the boys would recognize her in her outfit, and that way she would be able to see what was going on, what the big secret was. And pleasure dancers, Katara wrinkled her nose, she not quite sure she approved of such an illicit activity for them to be taking part in.

"I guess it won't hurt," Katara said with a smile, still unsure about her state of undress. She swallowed her hesitance and looked the other two females in the eye. "What do I do?"

It was really too much, the music and the fire whiskey. Sokka had taken things a bit too far for the Firelord's tastes, but Zuko had to admit he was having fun. As the flame jugglers left, the gong rang across the hall once more, signaling the next round of entertainment.

Sokka sat at the edge of his seat in excitement, and then stumbled to the floor, obviously drunk. Hell, in all honesty, all three of the young men were completely sloshed. The poor Avatar was gone after a single glass. Zuko was on his sixth and his vision was beginning to blur. He barely made out the three figures that danced up the hall. The music had started again, and Zuko's eyes were drawn to swaying hips and breasts. He could tell the two women on the sides were slightly older, with more lusty figures and pale Firenation skin. But the one in the middle, she had to be his own age maybe a year or two younger with a very pretty figure, pert breasts and a very tight rear, yes, he noticed that as they danced around seductively, their little outfits leaving little to the imagination. She was also much tanner than the other two. She wasn't as skilled a dancer, but she walked with a certain grace the Firelord could appreciate. His felt his loins stir as she met his eye and approached him slowly. Easing into his lap, she placed a dark hand on his chest and traced seductively, before she turned around completely and leaned against him gyrating her hips over his. Zuko nearly growled in pleasure.

"Congratulations on your engagement," she whispered hotly in his right ear, as she kissed him through the thin gauze that covered her mouth. Zuko turned to find her lips but the woman denied him and faced forward once more. His erection was at full mast by that point and the woman in blue jumped from his lap, clearly startled by his size, he smirked.

It finally struck him what he liked most about the woman, she reminded him so much of Katara, even the soft yelp that had escaped her lips had sounded like the Waterbender. He was suddenly filled with wanting, wishing that it was her standing before him and not some nameless dancer that probably entertained dozens of men a week.

"More whiskey!" Sokka shouted, and Aang fell forward onto the young woman that occupied his lap, obviously having had his fill of alcohol. The watertribesman was whispering into the ear of the pale woman dressed in pink, while the dark woman in blue sauntered back to Zuko's side, practically sitting on him.

A few more drinks wouldn't hurt.

Things had escalated farther than Katara had meant them to. At that very moment the Firelord had her pressed against the wall in his room, planting searing kisses along her neck and breasts, murmuring how much he wanted her.

Clearly there were moral dilemmas that constituted Zuko taking her innocence against the wall, the front most was the fact that he did not know who he was having sex with, another that Katara was supposed to save her maidenhead for her own wedding night. Yet the more he kissed her the more it seemed those reasons didn't really matter.

As her thoughts continued, he ripped the flimsy fabric from her chest then proceeded to do the same for her bottom. He tossed the ruined underwear to the floor and began running his hands along her hips and backside and causing her to shudder in delight. Slowly her hands ran over his shoulders and chest, tugging at fabric wherever she could to reveal at least some part of his pale perfection.

All movement stopped when his warm hands found her breasts, his ragged breath was the only thing that could be heard, as Katara was holding her own. Ever so gently he pinched her erect nipples, moaning at the feel of her. Katara took a ragged breath then, arching her back and giving him even further access to her chest. Taking that as an invitation he bent down and took a dark nipple in his mouth, sucking lightly. He continued to place sloppy kisses over her chest as Katara felt an unfamiliar, but not entirely unpleasant wetness form between her legs. She groaned aloud when his hands trailed downward from her breast and rubbed the growing heat. She whimpered as he gently massaged her curls, her eyes pinched closed and her chin raised as the pressure in her lower stomach built to a level she couldn't describe.

As soon as she thought she could take no more, he was off her, staring at her with heated eyes. Apparently he wasn't as drunk as she thought.

"I'm sorry," he said, through his rough breathing, turned away from her, his need causing the temperature in the room to rise. "You are very beautiful, and I want you very much, but I'm getting married tomorrow and this seems like a bad way to start off a marriage. I've never been unfaithful to her."

Katara was touched by his sentiment, yet slightly annoyed. Could he not have made that decision twenty minutes before, when she still had her clothes on and before he placed that need within her? Slowly she jerked the mask from her face, deciding her rouse was up. Zuko still stood with his eyes closed and his back to her, an apparent attempt to avoid looking at her nakedness. She grabbed a sheet from his bed and wrapped it around her form before standing before him.

"Zuko," she said lightly. At the sound of her voice his eyes opened and he looked down at her in shock.

"Katara…" he said, surprised beyond belief, his shock was soon replaced by annoyance. "What are you doing here?"

"I was curious about your party," she told him lightly.

"Curious," he mumbled, closing his eyes once more; a palm met his face a moment later. "Do you know what almost happened?"

She frowned, "I have some idea."

"And you're okay with that?"

Katara thought a moment, sometime in the past minute his arms had found their way around her thin form, and were now tracing light circles on her back. She gave him a determined glare. "I think I am."

"You think," he said in a mocking tone. His lips bent down to hers so that he was only an inch away.

"We've been doing so well, avoiding temptation," he whispered. "Our wedding is tomorrow, one more night Katara." Even as he told her those things he picked her up and carried her to his bed. His hands gently roaming her form through the sheet. "First kissing in the garden, then trying to seduce me in the library, you make waiting for our wedding night nearly unbearable."

"If I remember correctly, it was you that started the kissing in the garden."

"Details, details…" his words trailed away as his lips found her neck once more. "Are you ready to be the Fire lady, to be my wife?"

"Yes to the second, no to the first," she said looking away. "Your court is very intimidating."

"They will love you as I do," he said simply. "And you have nothing to fear anyways, they are all beneath you." His hands continued to massage her. Katara felt unreasonably warm, and he knew his talented fingers were the cause.

"My brother went a little overboard on your party, don't you think?" she asked wryly.

"Yes, the live band was a little much, but the rest of the entertainment was very satisfactory."

"Really?" she asked him. "All of it?"

The firebender began to sweat slightly. "Umm, yes. I suppose it wasn't any worse than what you did at your bachelorette party."

"Yeah, Toph threw one hell of a tea party. It was wild."

Zuko laughed at her tone. "Sorry."

Katara frowned, but asked her next question out of pure mischief.

"Did you like my dance Firelord?"

"Yes…"Zuko groaned into her neck. "I had no idea you could move like that."

"Do you still desire that dancer now that you know it was me?" she looked into his eyes at that point, serious in that one moment.

"If it is possible, I desire you even more," he said. "I just couldn't carry through with it before, your kiss was so familiar, but I just didn't know it was you. No matter how great my need, I only wanted it to be you that sates me."

He was still just staring at her so intently, so she leaned up and planted a soft kiss on his lips. "That's nice," she pushed his shoulder gently to rise from his bed, but he remained in his place, gently leaning over her. "Zuko, don't you think it's time I go back to my room?"

"No, you can sleep in my arms tonight."

Katara smiled and continued to kiss him lightly, her hands roaming his face, massaging his scar and cheeks. A moment later she curled to her side, pulling his arm about her waist.

"I hope you enjoyed your last night of freedom. After tomorrow you're all mine," she told him huskily, she felt him shiver in expectation.

"It's been a long time since I've been with anyone Katara; I think I'm ready to give up that particular freedom," he smiled into her hair, inhaling her fresh scent. "I love you."

"Goodnight my love," she replied and closed her eyes to sleep. He kissed her one last time before she lost consciousness.

That night her were dreams filled with anticipation and wanting, and of a scarred man that had been ready to give his life for her. He was going to give his life to her the next day, as her husband, and she would do the same by becoming his wife. Forever.

In both their minds, tomorrow couldn't come soon enough.


A/N- Just so you know, Katara is like Clark Kent/Superman, when she's in her costume (aka the flimsy mask that covered half her face) no one can see it's her. I guess what I'm saying is that a little suspension of belief is necesary in this story. Thanks.

This was written partially out of writers block and the rest out of boredom, there's no real point to it, just a snapshot into their life before their fantastic wedding. I figured Aang and Sokka would share the best man duties cause Zuko doesn't have very many guy friends, and Toph would be Katara's Maid of Honor, sorry Suki.

Anyways, this was my first one shot, let me know if you think I should write more like it. And also thanks for reading!

Disclaimer: Avatar the Last Airbender is not my property, this is a work of Fanfiction.