Zuko sighed loudly, throwing his head back and looking up at the night sky as he walked at the tail of the group.

The Ember Island Players' account of their group's adventures had everyone in an uncomfortable stir; apart from Sokka and Suki who had their arms snaked about each other's waists. Katara was walking off to the far right, her arms tightly tucked beneath her breasts. Aang was at the head of the group, stomping and occasionally shaking his head in what appeared to be frustrated bewilderment. The streetlamps that flickered above them in the wind were the only external heat that Zuko could latch onto at the moment. He stopped for just a second to stare into the flame that licked and enticed the air around it. Fire was so easy, so simple. He felt it inside of him at all times, like a pressure that massaged him from stress or anxiety; anger, not so much. He watched it dance in the night sky as he thought about how the play had affected him.

He saw much of himself throughout the silly acting troupe's interpretations; parts of himself that he recognized instantly. He knew how silly he sometimes looked when boasting about honor. He had to admit that his sense of humor was not as inclined as other's around him were. And in the cave...well, that was where Zuko became lost. That was the part of him that he hadn't seen before, the part of him that longed for-

"Zuko?"

A soft voice jolted him from his trance. Katara stood before him, dressed in the clothes of his nation. She was clad in a red midriff top that hung to her neck and stomach, exposing her belly button and arms. Her wrists were dressed in gold bangles and her skirt clung to her hips like some parasitic force that needed to be close to her to breathe. The only thing it drew from her...was innocence.

Zuko could admit, internally of course, that the idea of Katara being...attractive... to him was not far-fetched as some of the other's had believed. Their viewing of their time in the cave from the outside, however, had sparked a thought in Zuko's mind that he did not allow to enter until now.

He wanted her. He knew that now. Seeing her here, draped in his color, fueling his fire, he knew he wanted her. He wanted to press her up against the lamp post and ravage her there, for everyone to see. This was the part of him he saw in the play. This was the part that was missing; hidden, for so long, trapped behind anger. This was rage, yes, but of a new sort. Zuko breathed deeply, finding it hard to fill all of his lungs with air. The young girl was looking down at her hands that lay in one another at her stomach, as if holding something invisible. One hand found itself lost, betraying her thoughts, as it crept up to her neck, feeling for a ghost amputation.

Yes, he wanted her, or a part of her...a token, maybe.

"Katara," he peered past her, noticing the other's were not present, "where is everyone?"

"They kept going...You've been standing here for a good ten minutes now." Katara looked up at him and fiddled with her hem of her shirt.

Don't speak unless spoken to. Come on, Katara, this isn't you...Those speeches of hope and friendship are your thing...This cave...That cave...it's all the same...

Scattered thoughts played through Katara's head like a small child who fumbled for the first words he learned, putting sentences together with all verbs or nouns that his parents had just taught him to utter.

Past the red dressings, past the gold bangles, past the loose hair, he could still see her eyes. That pure blue that was clear as the sky, as reckless as the ocean and as smooth as glass.

"Oh, wow. Sorry, I-I didn't realize..." He drifted off for a moment, encompassed in the color of her two shining wells, a flame bouncing slightly in the reflection of the corner of them.

"Zuko..." She started, "Are you okay?"

He didn't answer for a moment, trying to think of what to say. Am I?

Still unsure, he nodded, a piece of his dark hair tousling itself onto his face and tickling at the threads of his eyelashes. He blinked, throwing his hand up to shoo it away.

"We should get back." Katara stated bluntly, turning. She stopped for a moment and Zuko noticed the rise of her shoulders. Finally she stepped forward and continued walking. Her shoulders never fell.

The walk back to the Fire Lord's Summer Home was not inherently long. Zuko followed Katara closely, but not too close. He kept watching her hair as it swept across her back; noticing her skin as it glistened with perspiration in some places, matte as fresh fired clay in others. Her hips danced as she strode forward, swaying back and forth with each press of her foot into the ground.

She was like the flame...She was like fire.

Zuko could feel something welling inside of him; a flame that lay deep down in his abdomen. Something hardened within his heart and...

Lights dotted the courtyard as they walked out into the night. The others, it appeared, had already gone to bed. Katara stretched her hands up into the sky as if trying to reach for a star so she can snatch it.

Zuko noticed something was missing.

"Katara..."

"Hmm?" She turned, suddenly surprised as if she hadn't expected him to be there.

"Can I talk to you...in your room?"

The words stunned her a bit. Why did he want to talk to her in her room? Weren't they talking now? Couldn't they talk here?

Something gnawed at her; a feeling in her stomach that was slowly fluttering into her chest.

"Uh...Sure." She said, without really knowing why.

Katara let herself fall into a half-sit-half-laying position on the bed. Her feet were planted on the floor still but her arms reached back behind her as she rested on her hands.

"You're scared, aren't you?" She said, as if she had talked casually with him every day for her entire life. But there was something behind her tone that she couldn't hide from him. An anxiety that fired within her. She could try to bury it... "Of fighting your sister, and Aang facing your father...It's okay Zuko, I am too..." She couldn't let him see her shake, which was proving to be difficult. She punctuated her sentences with an adjustment of her position each time. By the end of her short ramble, she was now sitting with her legs curled under her, leaning to her left as she looked at the Prince before her.

Zuko was standing still, halfway between her and the closed door...Halfway between her... Between her...

He shook his head violently for a moment, realizing that, as her eyes grew slightly wider, that he was answering her question.

He took a quick, detective look around the room, finally spotting his prize on her bedside table. A ribbon spilled out from under a small read washing cloth. He knew what was under it. The necklace.

It was his totem; his false idol. And if he couldn't take her, here and now, he would need something to get him by...

"No. I mean, yes." He finally spoke. "Katara, I...I realized something today..."

Her eyes grew slightly wider once more, and her lips were pursed. Small, but prominent, her lips were. They were like a target, and he was an arrow from the bow of a skilled marksman...

"Yes...?" She said, leaning forward slightly.

Zuko started to close the gap between them at a snails pace, while his thoughts and her thoughts were going at speeds undefinable.

Katara, no, Katara, wake up! You guys are friends! You just became friends! Friends are the ties that bind us together; that give us the hope that our lives won't be a play on a stage!

Zuko, remember your honor...remember her honor...You cannot let emotion cloud your judgement. Fulfill your duty. Complete the mission...

Zuko could feel his stomach tighten as his lips parted.

Katara could feel the warmth of the Firebender's breathing such a short distance from her own. She watched his eyes, only his eyes. She did not see what happened around her but she had other senses. She could feel his hand put pressure on the bed behind her. She could feel his leg brush against hers as his knee leaned against the soft sheet. She could hear his other hand as it pressed against the bedside table. She could smell him, and he smelled like sweat and wood. She could hear his shifted breathing, and then no breathing...

She could taste him.

It was intoxicating; like holding your breath too long under the water, feeling your lungs about to burst and not even caring. His lips were soft as the pressed against hers. There was a small creaking sound as he shifted his weight to lean over her, never breaking contact with her warm mouth. She turned onto her back, pushing her legs out from under her as he leaned his over her. She could feel his hand beside her head as he pressed further onto her.

The feeling of kissing her was inexplicable. Zuko's tongue danced with excitement in his own mouth, just waiting to explore hers. She tasted sweet, like an ocean of sugar instead of salt. But there was something so earthy about her taste; like she was made of sand- no, of glass. Glass that had been pierced by thunder, ravished by heat...by fire...

Zuko moaned lightly as he felt her hands reach up around his ears, and her arms curled in around his neck. She opened her mouth, lapping her bottom lip against his like an eager puppy. He rose to the occasion and slid his tongue through her opening, lightly gliding over her own. No noise to busy their ears but the sound of each other's pleasure. No sights but the sight of her under him, him above her. No feeling but the feeling of his warmth encompassing them, her bending pressing his moisture into her skin, eliciting sighs and moans from her.

He could feel his need growing beneath his weight and in his embarrassment, she had probably noticed it pressing and brushing against her thigh. She, however, could not hide her own feelings as her cheeks had flushed, her eyes glossed over and her breath was coming in fits and starts between two mouths trapped in a war.

She wanted this.

Zuko had found that through his life, once affections were returned to him, he no longer cradled to feeling and it assisted him greatly in destroying every even decent relationship he has ever had. This was not the case with Katara. Her wanting-no, her longing for him only coaxed a greater need for her.

Zuko reached his hand around her neck and felt for the clasp of her shirt. As if falling, she jolted awake from his memorization.

"Zuko," she parted herself from him, feeling his arm reach around behind his back as if to adjust his hem.

"I know, Katara...Shh," He lulled her for a moment and pressed his lips against hers once more. This kiss was full of heat, full of passion. Finally, he pushed himself off of her.

"Zuko, I-"

"Katara, it's okay. Look," he said, as he stood and walked towards the door, "I know that we haven't liked each other long..."

"We have to keep this hidden." She said, firmly.

"This?" He was confused.

"This." Katara pushed herself off the bed and lunged at him, pressing her lips to his once more and his body fell into the frame of the wall beside the door with a thud. While pushing her tongue in and out of his mouth with fervent passion, she felt around for the doorknob, giggling into his lips slightly when his hands played themselves at her waist.

Katara pulled the door open and promptly herself from the young man in her room. She pushed his shoulder and forced him out of the room, catching a quick glance of him before she shut the door behind him.

Zuko stood dumbfound in the hallway. For a moment, he had no recollection of what had just happened, only a wide smile on his face and a growing tautness of his bottoms. Embarrassed suddenly, he turned and glided quickly down the hallway before throwing himself into his room, the door shut and his body onto his bed.

Yes, it is a night for things to stay out of sight... He slid the small blue necklace under his pillow, out of sight. He kept his hand on it as he turned, pushing his legs under the blankets and sighing loudly.

For now, it has to stay hidden...

AN Okay guys, so this was my first real shot of a drabble/one shot for Zutara. I want to know how I am doing. I promise more is coming for No Remedy For Memory very very soon! (As in hopefully tomorrow). I have never participated in a "Zutara" month before so please, comment and let me know how I am doing.

SECONDLY: I want to apologize on behalf of me, myself and I for this being late! I know! One day in and I am already mucking things up! Anyways I promise there will be some lemony goodness (hopefully in Day Two!)

Thanks for doing the do that you do and leaving the comments and following and whatnot. 3