a/n: Hi! This is just a piece I wrote for Zutara Week; I plan on doing every day. The prompt was "Calor" (the Spanish word for "heat"). I hope I did well, and I imagine the theme is very obvious. Enjoy!

Katara hated him.

She hated the fact that he chased them, unrelenting, for so long, and hated even more that when he decided to "change his ways", he was welcomed into the group so easily. She hated the nation he came from, because all they did was take, take, take, destroy everything in their path, and apologize for none of it. And she hated even more that he now turned his back on that very same nation, the one he was in line to rule, suddenly so self-righteous. Insult after injury, again and again. And then there was the firebending. Oh, how she hated the firebending. The polar opposite of soothing water, fire consumed, selfish, insatiable. It burned forests, towns, lives to the ground and left survivors permanently scarred. How could anyone proudly wield such destructive force? Aang had always been enamored by it's raw power, ever since he got a taste with Jeong Jeong, but Katara absolutely despised firebending.

And even worse, she hated how good Zuko looked while doing it.

She hadn't much paid attention to it, back when he was still using his fire as a weapon against their group. Admiration was so close to fear, in that they both required respect and acknowledgement of power; she easily mistook the feeling in her gut for pure terror, and no more, when their lives were on the line. But now that he was Aang's teacher, Katara was able to experience his bending without the fear of danger getting in the way.

And what a sight that was.

She couldn't help but notice the way his muscles tensed under his skin with every well-practiced move. Or how the firelight reflected off his pale skin, making him almost glow. And she certainly couldn't ignore the intensity in his eyes, eyes that smoldered nearly as hot as the flames. It was as if he was made, purely, of fire, from the tips of his toes to the top of his head. Would his skin be just as hot? she wondered. Would his touch leave scorch marks?

She shook her head, as if to shake the thoughts out. Who cared about Zuko's skin? She didn't plan on touching him anytime soon, for starters. Secondly, he was just a guy. Not a creature made of flames, but a bender, just like her. Her interest in his bending stemmed from curiosity, she rationalized. Wasn't it only normal to want to understand such a fierce element? The raw power bursting from Zuko's hands was palpable in the air around her. It always seemed hot these days, but when Zuko and Aang sparred, the atmosphere felt charged, like every inch of the air was thick with energy. It filled Katara's lungs, made her skin sticky with sweat and her clothes cling to her in blush-worthy ways.

It's only natural curiosity, she assured herself again. Nothing more. Ands she still hated him. Yep, definitely hate. What other word could she use to describe the heat that ran through her body when they spoke?

Zuko didn't know when the lines began to blur, only that he was hopelessly lost now.

When he and Aang finished sparring, he came up to the one of the shadier parts of Western Air Temple. This part had become sort of a common area for the group. Once there, he found Sokka napping and Toph leaning against a stone pillar. Her eyes were closed but the swing of the foot she had propped up on her knee eliminated the thought that she was asleep as well.

"Hey, Sparky. Where's Twinkletoes?"

"He said he had to meditate."

"Pfft." The earthbender shifted her position so that she was lying on her back, staring at the ceiling with unseeing eyes. "He can have fun with that, out in the sun. I'm gonna stay here and relax."

Zuko nodded. Though he had just spent a good three hours training with Aang, he still felt amped full of energy. He stood there a moment, unsure what to do, when he heard it. Faint but aggressive splashing sounds were coming from the opposite direction he had just come from. Was that Katara? He decided to go over and see what she was doing, ignoring the part of him that pointedly asked Why?

The young waterbender was practicing her bending with water from a nearby fountain. He cringed, almost feeling sorry for the stone pillar she was unleashing her bending upon. What had her so worked up?

"Hey," he called, still standing a safe distance away. She stopped bending a moment, but that was the only indication to show she heard him. He continued awkwardly, taking a step closer. "What'd that pillar ever do to you?"

"I'm just practicing," she said, crouching back into her favorite bending stance. "Don't want to get rusty in my down time." The water rose once more, but this time slowly. It weaved throughout the air in one continuous stream, like a ribbon dancing in the wind.

Don't do it, Zuko… "Need a sparring partner?"

She let the water fall unceremoniously back into the fountain and turned to look at him, blue eyes wide. "What?" Did she have to look so incredulous? "I-I mean-" She jumped to cover herself. "Didn't you just finish with Aang? Aren't you tired?"

He shrugged noncommittally. "I've still got energy to burn. And it looks like you do too. I just thought… well, you're a pretty good fighter. Good enough to challenge me, even in the middle of the day like this. And we always seemed evenly matched before." Yeah, great idea, Zuko. Bring up all those times you fought with her back when you were the "bad guy".

The truth was, he wasn't really sure why he was offering to be her sparring partner. He liked Katara as much as any one else in the group, but he knew the feeling was not mutual. She still didn't trust him because of what he did back in Ba Sing Se. And really, he didn't blame her. He knew he couldn't force her trust, so why was he here pestering her and trying to practice together?

Oh, he knew why, but no way was he putting it into words. He wasn't even sure he could.

Katara's voice brought him back from his reverie. "Alright," she sighed. "I suppose I could use a real partner again. Ever since Aang began training with fire, he hasn't had much time to practice with me. My worst opponent in weeks has been a particularly unpleasant boulder." She laughed. "Want to do it now?"

"It's as good a time as ever." He dropped into a crouched position, not as low as Katara's. She always seemed to bend, weave, and flow, as agile as her element. He preferred a much sturdier stance. Suddenly feeling confident, he flashed a cocky grin. "Sure you're ready for this?" A cold slap of water was his response.

And so it began. At first, they stayed relatively far away from each other, but with each move they inched closer. Zuko was careful not to actually hit Katara, seeing as a little touch of fire did a lot more harm than that of water, but she didn't really need the help. Just like when they fought for real, she was able to expertly avoid each of his blasts, and counter with her own. He could feel himself growing more aggressive- finally, a real fight. Aang had been using strictly fire to practice, so Zuko had found himself sorely missing any real challenge in the past few weeks. But it wasn't that way with Katara- she was a waterbending master, and kept him on his toes. One false move and he'd probably end up surrounded by ice crystals restraining his body.

Before he knew it, they were face to face, mere inches apart as they fought. Yes, this was the answer he didn't want to admit, even to himself. Katara drove him crazy half the time, creating a kind of heated anger that seemed reserved solely for her. But somewhere along the line, not even he was sure when, a very different kind of heat found it's way into his body when she was near. Being a firebender, he was in no way uncomfortable with a little warmth, but this- this was different. This kind of fire nestled itself into his stomach and rioted there, making him feel restless and hyper-aware whenever she was around. It pervaded his brain and melted his thoughts until they were one gooey, jumbled mess; it was a wonder his words didn't stick in his throat on the way out whenever he tried to speak to her. This fire left waves of heat rolling through his body whenever they were near- was this normal? He had never felt this way before, like he was standing in the middle of a heat wave, the air so thick he felt it in his lungs. And all because of the little water tribe girl with eyes the color of the ocean.

Fire made contact with water, and an angry hiss filled the air as steam rose.

He stepped back, trying to return to his familiar stance, comfortably sturdy, but where solid land should have been, a thin layer of water rested. The back of his heel caught on it, and he was going down.

Katara's eyes were widening; she probably knew she had won this particular match. Not today, waterbender. If he was going down, so was she. He grasped the strap of her shirt and pulled; they tumbled to the ground, rolling so that Zuko was on top.

Zuko let out a labored breath. Katara was staring at him with wide eyes, pinned on the ground beneath him. This probably isn't how she's used to fighting, he thought, laughing internally. He wasn't used to it either. Did sparring always include so much physical contact, and he was only just now noticing it?

He forcibly kept his eyes from wandering down, but he knew what Katara was wearing, or more to the point, not wearing. She had forgone her usual clothes lately and, in an attempt to beat the heat, donned more traditional fire nation clothing; today it was a midriff top and skirt slit all the way up the side. He was hyper-aware of how close they were; the thin layer of his shirt was the only thing separating him from her bare skin. And Agni knows he tried, really tried, not to notice her bare legs, bent on either side of him so that they brushed against his hips.

Oh, there was that heat again, shivering through his body and making his breath come harder. He couldn't deny any longer what it meant, what it was. Despite how hot the day was, he found himself wanting to be as close to Katara as possible. What was happening to him?!

Katara's cerulean eyes full of emotion, but one he couldn't read. What was she thinking? Could she tell how his mind was racing, his chest pounding, his skin aching? And all because they had finally touched. The slow simmer that had been building within him for weeks was finally coming to a boil; he could feel himself spilling over. Oh, how she made him burn. Him, the firebender, smoldering at the hands of a waterbender. The irony.

Yes, there had originally been a difference between the angered heat and the other one, but the lines were becoming blurred, and Zuko was becoming blurred along with them.

a/n: Whew! That's done. I definitely procrastinated with this one, which I hope isn't too obvious in the writing. It's been a long time since I've written Zutara, so I kind of had to get back in the groove. Sorry if this part was slow; it's just the intro. I'm actually really glad Zutara week came along, because I haven't written in ages. This finally forced me to get out of my funk. I guess what I'm trying to say is: I know it's not very good, but I hope it's not too bad. See you next time!

(P.S.- Yes I am still writing Searching for You, my other Zutara fanfic. I know it's been forever. Please don't kill me!)