Title: Cliffhangers
Genre: Challenge fic for the Zutara Insta!Fic challenge at katarazuko
Pairing: Zutara
Warnings: Spoilers for WAT aka 3.12
AN: Big thanks to my beta reader Mel (impishly)
Disclaimer: Avatar the Last Airbender belongs to their respective owners who's names still elude me. No profit was made out of this story.

With every day the heat grew worse and like the constant, climbing sun their bickering grew more intolerable.

All of the Western Air Temple's temporary residents had learned to avoid the pair, except for Aang. However, soon even he showed signs of impatience with them and it had affected his bending. He was working on changing the fire's form when he heard the young woman yelled at his sifu about Sokka and his sword, causing her brother to injure himself. It was nothing serious, and even without Katara's healing properties it wouldn't have scarred him, but it had hit the over-protective string of the young woman. Since every ounce of patience Zuko ever had (if he had any at all) had long disappeared days ago, he simply snapped back at her.

Their voices resonated for a moment before Aang yelled over them to stop, the fire in his hands spreading wildly around him.

Time seemed to have slowed down instantly. Aang's eyes widened at the sight of the fire running towards Katara and it only took half a second for Zuko to understand his fear. The young man ran to her, trying to push back the flames with his own. The air around them exploded as the flames clashed, blowing the couple away and sending them rolling on the ground, and too soon they disappeared over the cliff's side.

The screams had alerted the rest of the gang, and the youngsters found the Avatar kneeling at the edge of the temple, crying his soul out. Sokka was about to ask what was wrong when they heard a yelp and a grunt.

"You just HAD to fight back with fire, didn't you?!?!" The wind carried up Katara's patronizing voice to the group.

"It was the only way to push back the flames in time before you got burned" replied the firebender, impatience dripping all over his tone.

Aang sat back and wiped the tears on his face with a frustrated groan: "They're dangling Roku knows where and they're STILL fighting." He then poked his head over the nothingness and yelled: "I am NOT helping you two get up here. You either work out your differences and work together or stay down there forever!!"

&&&&&&&&&

Several feet below, Zuko was tightening his hold on the vines he had miraculously grabbed while falling. His other hand had a firm and strong grip on Katara's forearm.

"I could have taken them on you know," she said giving him a dirty glare, "Or at worse, I could have healed myself..."

Zuko took a deep breath, trying to push down the need to yell about how she was insane to keep fighting while they had come close to fall into the abyss, and only murmured through gritting teeth: "Or you could have ended up like me..."

The raspy reply was enough to stop any more words from leaving Katara's mouth. She never wanted to be some damsel in distress, but as much as she hated it, Zuko was probably right. She looked up and locked her blue gaze to his amber one. He was frowning slightly but his eyes held a surprising calm for someone dangling over nothing as well as something else, something she couldn't quite decipher. For some reason, she felt her heartbeat raise and she tightened her grip on his forearm. She was about to apologize when the moment was broken by the echo of Aang's frustrated words.

Zuko looked up at the cliff edge over them: "Aw, come on Aang! She's pretty heavy!"

It was Katara's turn to grit her teeth: "I am NOT heavy!" she yelled as she started to try and climb over the former Prince.

"STOP squirming! You'll make us fa..."

The vines creaked a bit and they suddenly fell several feet: the firebender's grip on the plant had somehow slipped during their struggle. He tried to stop their fall by twisting more vines around his wrist and arm, and by using his feet to slow them down. They came to an halt with a soft pop noise followed by Zuko's growl. The young man fought for a moment the blinding pain and the wave of unconsciousness that came with it. His grip on Katara loosened for a moment:

"Don't let go of me!!!! Please…"

The panic in her voice steeled his hand over her arm: "I'll die before letting you down..."

They looked at each other in surprise by the unexpected revelations, and both wondered if it was only meant for this moment.

Zuko pulled Katara up until she could pass an arm around his waist. It was only then she noticed the strange way his other arm was tangled in the vines. She frowned:

"Are you all right?"

He nodded, despite the beads of sweat on his forehead. "You need to climb up the vines to the lower part of the temple. I'll stay until you get up there, in case you slip."

"I can't leave you behind, Zuko..." The way she pronounced his name nearly made him smile.

"I'll be fine. Go..." he said as he hoisted her higher so she could grab on the vine.

It took her less time than she expected to make it back to the temple's ground, and Katara turned around to see Zuko following her not far behind. She helped him up and they both sat down by the edges, breathing hard, the gravity of the situation they had just lived through finally sinking in. Katara turned to Zuko, tears shining in her eyes as she set back his dislocated arm. They looked at each other again, and too afraid to let the sincere caring amber gaze break her defenses, Katara looked away. The tears were threatening to spill as she felt Zuko standing up with a soft sigh. Her hand reached up for his tunic by itself, stopping him in his tracks.

"Th...thank you..." she said in a barely audible voice.

Zuko took her hand, squeezing it before letting it go. "Anytime, Katara."

As he walked away from her, she thought she heard the sound of earth crumpling and wondered if the earthbenders were literally making their way to them. But deep inside, she knew she had just heard her own defensive wall breaking down to pieces.