"Do you know what happened to her?"

Katara was prying open her vial of Spirit Oasis water and glancing up at Zuko.

"Actually, no. She just sort of…fainted and never woke up."

Katara gently placed a hand on Ursa's forehead and then frowned. Of course her forehead would be hot. She placed her hand on Ursa's neck in search of a pulse; there was one, but it was much too faint. Katara gasped.

That's not good.

"What's wrong?" asked Zuko, like he'd read Katara's mind.

She hesitated, trying to find the right way to say her next words. "She's slipping."

His good eye widened. "What do you mean?"

"Her bridge between unconsciousness and death is narrowing."

She heard him stop breathing. He had that horrible lump in his throat, and if he was going to cry, he certainly wouldn't let Katara see it. He turned away from her. He felt a gentle touch on his shoulder.

Katara managed to give him a small smile. "Don't worry. Everything's going to be fine."

Zuko didn't say anything.

"You should leave. Do something to take your mind off of this." She felt weirdly awkward touching him for some reason. Zuko didn't seem to think anything of it, so she shrugged her feelings off.

Shaking his head, Zuko left the room, leaving Katara to heal his mother.

That's a lot of trust to put into me.

She took a deep breath and bended the water so that it encased her hands like mittens. She then placed one hand of Ursa's forehead, resting the other one on her chest. Katara was shocked by the sheer amount of negative energy that surrounded Ursa's chakra.

Oh, Spirits, no. Internal injuries?

The last time she'd tried to heal internal injuries, she hadn't succeeded. But then again, it's been three years, and her abilities had matured quite well. She shuddered as she remembered her attempts to heal Jet. He had told her to go, that he would be fine. But he was lying. And now, because of her, he was gone.

She remembered hating Jet with an intense, icy passion. Even after all of her hate had been hurled at him—literally, at times—he had saved her life.

She remembered having that same icy animosity for Prince Zuko. The scene of him nonchalantly taunting her with her mother's necklace while she was tied to a tree flashed before her eyes. She distinctly recalled his actions in Ba Sing Se: he'd spilled his heart out to her almost completely, only to betray her immediately thereafter.

With a smile, she remembered that it was Zuko who led her to Yon Rha, the man who had mercilessly taken her mother away from her. He'd helped her find closure and achieve inner peace.

With a grimace she remembered the day of his Agni Kai with Azula. Her rapidly deteriorating composure could have easily led to her defeat, if only she wasn't so vicious in her attack. After Zuko had coaxed her to strike him with lightning, she had been about to do just that, until she noticed the wide-eyed Katara standing vulnerably not too far behind him. Instead of aiming at Zuko and risking having it redirected right back at her, she thrust the bolt towards Katara.

And Zuko had dived in front of her to save her.

She had to save him. She just had to. The sight of him writhing in the aftershocks of pain was unbearable. She'd knelt over him, willing her chi to fix him, to keep him from leaving her. She'd run her hands across his chest, inevitably healing him. She had felt the heat rising to her cheeks; luckily for her, Zuko hadn't noticed. Much to her dismay, however, he'd sat up as soon as he felt that the wound was healed, denying her the ability to explore him further. She knew that she shouldn't have been thinking such thoughts—what with the circumstances of the situation and everything—but she couldn't help herself. He was just so…perfect, almost, with his pale skin, his muscular arms, his rigid abs….

Stop. Right now. He has a girlfriend. And besides, he doesn't think of you that way. Just focus on healing Lady Ursa.

And that was exactly what she did. For the next several hours she sat in the exact same position, determined to do whatever it took to heal Ursa. It was to be a sincere thank you to Zuko, as well as an apology. She'd been an absolute bitch, and she knew it. There was no excuse.

Time passed, and eventually, the young Waterbender felt her energy extremely depleted. She hadn't eaten anything at all for the entire day, but she didn't care. She didn't give the slightest damn.

As she was retreating from the infirmary to the comfort of the room she shared with Toph and Suki, she heard the familiar sounds of a certain frustrated Fire Lord. Ever so slowly, she inched towards the source of his voice.

The door to his room was wide open, but he had his lights turned off. Katara didn't mind. He looked absolutely perfect with just the gentle glow of the moonlight and the fire he bended so skillfully illuminating his room. She found that she was biting her lips as she watched him bend. The fierce look of determination on his face seemed to emphasize the sparkle in his amber eyes. The hard set of his jaw added to his overall masculinity. And, of course, his bare midriff had Katara seriously doubting some of her moral values.

She didn't know how long she'd been standing there, but she finally came to her senses when she was forced to stifle a yawn of pure fatigue. Turning to continue to her room, she noticed that a guard—no, two guards—were silently watching her every move. It was, of course, their duty to protect the Fire Lord. However, when they noticed the pink tinge of her cheeks and how she was biting her lip, they realized her innocence. She was simply spying because of attraction.

When one of the guards grinned at her, Katara shyly smiled back and retreated, walking briskly, looking forward to the luxury of her bed.

She was so tired that she simply collapsed onto the bed, unable to hold back her aching need to sleep any longer. Just before she drifted off, she was laying on her back, staring up on the ceiling.

I have a crush on the Fire Lord.

She smiled, finally giving in.

She slept deeply that night.