Once Katara was inside her tent it started to rain once more.

How odd, Zuko thought. He sat, miserable, in the rain until the fire started to die down. Once it finally did he got up to go to his tent, and stopped and thought for a moment. Maybe he should go try to apologize again? To see if there was anything he could do?

Yes, that's what he should do. He turned around and headed for Katara's tent, which was directly across from his and some ten feet away. He stopped when he reached it, should he just go in? It wasn't like he could knock or anything. He should let her know that he was there, though.

"Katara?" he asked. No answer, "Katara, could I come in?"

He waiter, but still no answer. She must be really mad at him, mad enough to be given the silent treatment instead of being scolded.

The young prince was absolutely chivalrous, of course he had listened to his mother at that young age.

"If a girl does not want you there," Ursa had said holding him on her lap, "then you should not be there. Only if you feel that you love her should you violate that. Okay, Zuko?"

He squirmed down off of her lap and bowed to her, "Okay, Mom!"

He smiled slightly, then said to Katara, "I'm sorry that I burned you. I didn't mean to do it, I was just lost in my thoughts, and I guess I got really angry. Sometimes I can't control my fire when I'm lost in my own world like that. Not that I'm trying to make excuses or anything, but -" a hand shot out, grabbed Zuko's shirt, and attempted to pull him into the tent.

"It's okay, I know you didn't mean to," she said and kissed him on the cheek to show that she really did forgive him. "It's just, I was a little overly mad because I found out I can't heal myself. Well, I can, but it doesn't work nearly as well," she explained.

He nodded, "May I see the burn?" he asked. She nodded her consent and held her hand out. Zuko examined it, the burn was limited to the left side of her left hand. It wasn't nearly as bad as he thought it might be. He was very careful not to touch the actual burn, he knew how he felt about his own scar. He didn't want anybody near it, so he knew she wouldn't want him touching a fresh burn. Made by him, no less.

While Zuko inspected her hand Katara was quiet, and took the opportunity to think. Specifically, she took the opportunity to wonder about what he had thought about that led to him burning her. Ever since he had joined the group he seemed so cautious not to do anything wrong.

Zuko had to will himself to drop her pretty, but now scarred, hand. What was coming over him? Once he did finally relinquish it she accidentally placed it on his knee for a moment. This caused another silence, though more awkward than the previous.

"Zuko?" she said evenly.

"Hm?" he asked.

"What were you thinking about that caused your fists to burn like that?" she asked.

He blushed, glad that the only light was still the fire some feet away. "It's personal," he conceded.

"Oh, come on. I told you what I was thinking of!" Katara exclaimed.

He debated telling her what he really had been thinking of. He hadn't ever told anybody, not even Mai. Nobody could tell so he didn't ever have to tell anyone. Maybe he wanted to tell someone, just for the sake of getting it out there.

Zuko looked and Katara, her face was full of concern and confusion, and her big blue eyes were wide with interest.

"I was thinking about the whore my father bought for me," he said all at once, words blurring into one another.

"What?" she exclaimed. Zuko knew she had heard him correctly when her eyes just about popped out of her head. He almost smiled, just her expression made telling her worth it.

"It's true. When I burned you I was thinking how sick it was that my first time was with a whore, and how'd I'd never get that back," he said.

She thought about this for a minute. "Was it…bad?" she asked Zuko tentatively. Katara didn't know much about sex, except for babies were made that way and it could be good or bad.

He blushed furiously, and even in this light Katara could see it. "Sorry, I guess that's personal…" she trailed off.

"Yeah," he said, his voice hardening, "it is."

"Sorry," Katara apologized again.

"It's fine," he said with an odd finality.

They sat in silence for a long time, not knowing what else to say. They both studied one another secretly. Zuko admiring how the soft warm firelight hit her face. Katara just now noticing that he didn't have a shirt on.

Wow, Katara thought, those muscles…Aang certainly doesn't have those…Years of fire bending must make them.

Zuko snapped out of it first, realizing she was staring at him. Not only was she staring at him, but she was staring at his bare chest. This sparked something in Zuko, and although he didn't know what it was yet, it would burn hotter everyday until the day he died. He eyes slightly widened at the tiny spark. He wanted to kiss her.

Unsure of what he was doing, and completely unaware of whatever it was that he felt towards this particular water bender, he leaned over to kiss her.

Katara was just enough entranced that she didn't notice him leaning in at first. When she did finally notice it, she did not think to stop him. Her mind raced faster than she could decipher it. Eventually she pulled out one single thought from among many:

What does one kiss matter?

Katara closed the gap, and their lips touched for the first

time. Katara had closed her eyes, but Zuko wasn't nearly that trusting. When he pulled back her eyes were still closed.

"Katara?" he whispered.

She opened her eyes, "Yeah, Zuko?" she whispered back.

Zuko quickly switched to sitting cross legged and answered, "Come here." He held his arms out for her and settled her on his lap. Katara instinctively wrapped her legs around him and she leaned down so their lips would meet for a second time.

The kiss started off slowly, questioningly, but immediately deepened when Zuko tilted his head sideways. He wrapped his arms around her in an attempt to bring her closer to him. Her hands trailed down to his stomach, where she now knew was hottest. It made sense to her now, it was his very core of being.

Katara felt the slight growth of something underneath her. She broke the kiss for much needed air and fidgeted. Zuko hissed and sucked air in. He knew that she had no idea what she was doing.

Maybe I should educate her, he thought at once. He smirked at his own though. Katara raised her eyebrows at him, but he didn't answer. Instead he raised her up a bit, uncrossed his legs, untangled her legs, and laid her down on the tent floor. Katara looked scared with Zuko just looming over her.

Katara also didn't know what she was feeling. She felt like she was on fire, and in the oddest of places. But the one thing that was confusing her most, was that she felt she was going to wet herself.

The most logical thing she could do at this point was ask Zuko. And so she did.

Just as he had positioned himself on top of her she asked, "Zuko? Why do I feel like this?" He froze where he was.

Zuko had no idea she was that naïve. She was fifteen! How could she not even know what she was feeling as he kissed her?

"What are you feeling?" he asked.

Katara blushed hard, she almost reconsidered. But she needed to know. "I feel hot in…weird places and…" she almost left off the second part, but rushed it out anyway, "and I feel like I'm going to wet myself, but not really!"

Zuko smirked, "You find me attractive and you like what I'm going to do to you."

She took not time in asking her next question, "What are you going to do to me?" she squeaked.

Zuko's voice lowered, "That would ruin the surprise."

Katara looked nervous as hell, and Zuko felt bad. "Katara, listen to me. We do not have to do anything. When you want to stop just tell me, alright?" he waited to go on until she nodded. "Do you want to stop?" he asked her.

She thought about this. Though Zuko was getting impatient, he knew that he must wait for her decision. Suddenly her mouth opened and Zuko snapped to attention, "I don't want to go any further," Katara reasoned, and Zuko's pants got looser. She continued, "But, I don't want to stop." She smiled mischievously at the glow in his amber eyes.

I don't have to stop! Zuko mentally yelled in glorious happiness.

Zuko lay over her again, having their bodies touching but him supporting his weight with his elbow. Katara wrapped her arms around him, not knowing quite what else to do. He kissed her, and this time it was a long, smoldering kiss.

Katara lay there as Zuko called all of the shots. She was enjoying herself, but was too timid in this new situation to do much else. Zuko thought it was hilarious that the most powerful water bender he knew could be so unsure of herself in this situation. Between kisses Katara stifled a yawn, and Zuko stopped.

"We should probably sleep," he said and got off of her.

"I guess. We do have things to do tomorrow…" Katara said.

"Yes, we have to fly back to where Sokka, Toph, and Aang are," he said. Katara's heart skipped a beat when he mentioned the Avatar's name, but let it go for now. She would deal with the consequences of this night later. For now she still wanted Zuko around.

Katara watched him start to get up to leave to his own tent, but she grabbed his hand, and pulled him back down. "Stay here," she said, "just for tonight?"

"Why?" Zuko asked with surprise.

She told the truth, "Because this is the last time I'll do this with you. I told you earlier, I love Aang. I plan on marrying him one day."

Zuko was extremely confused, "So since you plan on marrying Aang one day," as he said this he felt a stab of jealousy. Wait, jealousy? He continued, "you want me to sleep in your tent?" Zuko refrained from using the term 'sleep with you'. Even though Katara probably wouldn't even know what it meant. Hadn't she ever heard Sokka and Suki?

"Well, kind of," Katara offered, "I just mean that as soon as we go back I'm not doing this again."

Zuko's heart beat faster. First he found out she was with the Avatar, and now he finds out that this is only a one time thing. "So this didn't mean anything?" he yelled and stood up, ready to leave.

Katara could only blink in surprise. He was right, of course. What had she done? "I don't know," Katara choked out, tears spilling over.

Zuko gave an angry growl, she was crying again. He couldn't just leave her alone in here to cry. He sighed and sat down again. "I'm sorry for yelling, Katara."

Tears still rolled down her face, she shook her head, "Go away. You did this! You kissed me and look where we are now!" she yelled at the fire prince. When Zuko hesitated and finally stood up, shocked, Katara pushed him out of the tent angrily.

Katara cried, what had she done? She had allowed herself to think that one kiss with Zuko wouldn't hurt anything. But it had turned into more than just one kiss! What if Aang found out? What would he think? I love Aang! Why was I even looking at Zuko's bare chest? I've seen it before when he was training Aang!

Maybe it was just hormones or something. Maybe when she was up close it was different than just watching them spar and train. And he had thought it meant something? What did that even mean?

Wait, Katara thought, that couldn't mean that he…

Katara refused to finish the thought, but somewhere inside her she knew the thought that she hadn't dare to finish.