Originally written for the 4000 page-view mark on deviantART...on July seventh. xD I know, I fail.

Technically, the title is supposed to be Angelic...Or Not, but fanfiction won't let me write the ellipses. :P

I own nothing! Zuko, Katara, Appa, Aang, Ember Island, cat-owls, and anything else recognizable belong to Mike/Bryan/Nickelodeon/Viacom!


"Katara? Hello? Snap out of it," Zuko said, waving a hand in front of said girl's distant eyes. Her stare was directed at him, and frankly, she was starting to scare him.

The heat of the fire stroked crimson swatches across her cheeks, but the chill of the late summer night nibbled at her toes and the back of her neck. The warriors were camped out in a remote area of Ember Island, out of the way of civilization and safe from the destructive members of the royal family. The Fire Lord's abandoned summer house in a hidden alcove near the beach was currently occupied by the war heroes…minus two of them.

Security came with a price. The nearest market was a mere couple of hours away on Appa, but, seeing as a ten-ton giant flying bison would attract unneeded attention to the Avatar, it was a day-long trek through the humid forests of Ember Island. The firebender and the waterbender were chosen to go to the market: Zuko, because he knew the area and could spot an unfair price, and Katara, because she cooked and knew what was necessary to buy.

Thus, Katara found herself sitting cross-legged on the opposite side of the fire with Zuko and the dreadfully annoying cricket-cicadas for company. They were returning from the market, laden with fresh produce, cured meats, two sacks of rice, and even some candied plums that she managed to afford. Night daunted them now, and they were somewhere in the forest, in a little clearing no more than two arm spans wide.

Katara couldn't decide if her situation was a positive or a negative one. Positive, it was a simplistic camp, with only two blankets, two pillows, and a fire, and she could see the tiny pinpoint stars through the trees. Negative, she had to spend the night listening to awful cricket-cicadas and an entire day of walking with their supplies loomed ahead of her. Uncertain, she was alone with Zuko.

She had been the last to trust him, but that small formality didn't stop him from trying to win her heart: a stolen kiss after a practice battle had quickly sealed the deal in those impulsive, erratic moments. Now, she could hardly keep her hands off him-damn teenage hormones-and he always welcomed her with nips and kisses.

"Katara?" Zuko's voice brought her back to reality, snapping out of her maybe-not-so-pure daydreams of the firebender.

"What?"

"It looks like you want to kill me. Again," he informed her warily.

"Huh? Oh. No, I'm past that point in this relationship." She focused her eyes on his face instead of just staring blankly at him. Then, as angelically as she could, she said, "There are a few other things I'd like to do to you, though."

The blood rushed to Zuko's face, his porcelain skin a dusty red from his hairline and down his neck. He ducked his head, concealing the amber of his eyes in shadows before looking back up. "And what would those be?" he asked in the same innocent tone she used.

"Hmm," she breathed, rocking forward until her palms touched the ground and she was on her knees. "I want play with your hair, or hold you and never let go." She crawled toward him painstakingly slow, continuing. "I want to taste all of you," she drawled, "and kiss you until you can't breathe."

Zuko bit his lip as if to restrain the growl that was trembling deep in his throat and threatening to weave through his mouth. His fingers dug into the solidly pack earth below him as she slunk closer to him and kissed the shell of his bad ear. Katara smirked as she watched his shoulders tense. Her next words came in broken, winded phrases. "I want…to make…you scream."

The screech of an agitated cat-owl shattered the heavy silence that had befallen on the benders' compact camp. It was just a waiting game now, to see who couldn't take the tight energy any longer and who would snap first. Zuko swallowed hard, and right then, Katara knew she would win.

Not more than half a minute later, Zuko muttered something that sounded vaguely similar to fuck that and his hands found her waist, his mouth clashing with hers, their bodies soon undistinguishable from each other's.

Maybe the positives outweighed the negatives, after all.

~Fin~


"She had been the last to trust him, but that small formality didn't stop him from trying to win her heart…" Or her body. Same thing, really. |D

I think I've been reading too much of jennibare's work lately… That would explain why it has dirtier hints at the end. Yeah, I'll just blame it on another lovely Zutara writer. xD (Lol, love you, jennibare!)

Review, please?
Tchao, Zutarians.
-Erika-
xoxo