Notes: This is my response to The Narrator's Enigma Challenge on the Zutara lj community. Basically she gave us some song titles and challenged us to write fics to them. Somehow, I managed to churn out a series of shortfics that all interconnected into a larger story. Go figure.

Turn Around

Katara's world took a sudden change for the bizarre when a hand reached out of a dark alleyway, grabbed her arm, and yanked her into the darkness in order to press her back against one of the walls. It took a full two minutes for Katara to get her bearings, and by that time Zuko had slipped the end that held her braid together off and was combing his hands through her hair. As soon as she recovered from the slight shock of having his body press against hers, she quickly made a move to bring her hands up and defend herself. Sensing her intention, he quickly caught both of her hands in one of his and pressed them over her head while he continued to undo her hairstyle.

She shifted again, ready to bring up a knee in a desperate bid for freedom when he whispered a harsh "don't" against her ear. A shudder coursed down her spine at the feel of his warm breath against the shell of her ear, and she blinked in confusion, for his voice had sounded almost . . . afraid. Stilling the urge to get away, she took a closer look at her surprise captor and realized that his attention wasn't on her at all, but rather was focused on the opening of the alleyway. She could sense his internal tension in the way he was holding himself so still against her, which told her that whatever he was waiting for couldn't be a good thing.

He finished unbraiding her hair and turned his attention back to her, and when he saw that she was no longer trying to get away, he carefully released her hands, ready to catch them again should she be trying to bluff her way out of the situation. But Katara let her hands fall harmlessly to her sides as she gazed at him with puzzled blue eyes.

"What's going on?" she whispered, somehow knowing that keeping her voice down would help her get through whatever it was she needed to get through.

"I don't think she saw you," he said by way of an answer, his attention once again focused on the opening of the alleyway.

"Who?"

"Azula. I don't know how she got into the city, but . . ," here he trailed off, thoughts running through his mind and being reflected in those brilliant gold eyes, eyes that Katara had seen close up on several occasions.

Katara felt her entire body go cold at the memory of the Firebender with the blue flames, but that didn't answer her new question, which was why had Zuko chosen to keep her from being spotted.

"Why did you grab me?" she asked.

"I need to get to Uncle and warn him that Azula is in the city," Zuko answered, and his body stiffened a bit when he heard footsteps start to approach the mouth of the alleyway. "And the last place she would expect to find me, and you, for that matter, is standing right here like this."

So saying, he quickly wrapped his arms around her in a lover's embrace and buried his mouth in the junction where her neck met her shoulder, turning his head so that his lips ran over her necklace strap and up her neck slightly before stopping as he simply breathed in her scent. Katara froze, and then she heard the footstops, too, just when she had thawed enough to think about clobbering him with her water bending. Sucking in a breath, she quickly wrapped her own arms around Zuko's back and leaned her face into his neck, making sure to position herself in such a way that she could watch the street herself. As the footsteps came closer, Zuko's arms tightened against her, and she realized that he couldn't watch what was going on because he had to keep his face hidden in her hair.

Katara's entire body snapped taught as she watched a familiar individual pause at the opening of the alleyway. She didn't realize it, but her hands had clenched against Zuko's back, her fingers digging sharp little points into his muscles. Azula only took enough time to glance at the two "lovers" and their passionate embrace, then gave a slight snort before walking on. The two stayed in each other's arms for several moments longer, waiting to make sure the girl didn't return, before separating.

Zuko gazed at her for a moment, and, though she couldn't understand why, Katara felt her face heat up with a blush. What happened next was completely unexpected.

"Thank you," Zuko said softly, then added, "You should warn your friends that Azula is in town and on the hunt."

Katara nodded her agreement, and Zuko turned and walked away. She watched him carefully look around before he stepped back into the sunlight of the street beyond the alleyway, then she reached back to her hair and began to rebraid it. Her fingers brushed against the spot where he had pressed his mouth as they wove quickly through the dark strands, and she decided that she wasn't going to tell the rest of the group about this little adventure.