Her lips brushed his briefly, then he backed away and twisted truth. "It's complicated," he told her, and ran.

It wasn't a total lie, he knew. His life had been nothing if not complex. But this part of it wasn't. He had known who he wanted, and he'd known it since the first and last time he dealt with pirates.

He knew those blue eyes by heart, and he knew he wanted the girl they belonged to. He could wait forever.

--

"Right now, I'm just a little confused," she told him gently. It was a lie. She loved this boy like a brother- nothing more, nothing less.

He leaned in and kissed her anyway. She backed away, angry, and fled back through the doors. She wouldn't kiss him. She would wait, loyally, for the boy she really loved. She'd known who he was since the day she was tied to a tree. Not the most romantic of circumstances, but their relationship had improved from there. Now he was the most important part of her life. She could wait forever.

--

She wouldn't have to. Night was falling now.

They told lies and wore the cloak of darkness willingly: it made their meetings unknown to friends and allies sleeping, dreaming obliviously.

She wished they could be more open and for once stop covering their tracks, but he valued her safety and her honor as much as his own- more, perhaps.

They thought back on their lies often, but never regretted them.

There was nothing complicated about the wonderful chills he got when she kissed him, chills no amount of fire could keep at bay.

There was nothing confusing about that warm sense of safety and love she felt when he held her close, an aura no other boy could never create.

--

She was worried. The rest of the group had stayed up uncharacteristically late. She might not make it into the forest at their chosen time.

Katara relaxed again slightly, remembering his words. Zuko would always wait for her, and that was all she needed.

another zutara oneshot. for those of you who don't recognize it, i referred to zuko's date with jin in tales of ba sing se and the kataraxaang kiss from ember island players. the creative juices are really flowing today, and while not all of my ideas are great, i'm putting out every one of them just to see what people think. R&R please!