Warning: Romance alert! A romantic scene! Don't worry though, it stays within the rating.

What Are We?

Zuko did not show his usual affection towards Katara for the next few weeks. Not with Aang and Sokka around. Which was constantly. Although, Sokka and Aang had to first prove to Zuko that they were not Ceres in disguise. It was simple. He just asked them each to tell him what their first encounter was. He did feel guilty at being angered when the passed. It meant that he had less time with Katara.

"What's wrong?" Katara asked as she crawled into the bed. Zuko had been silent and barely touched her.

". . . . I prefer your brother and the Avatar off my ship." Raising an eyebrow, Katara asked him why. ". . . . I doubt they would accept my display of affection towards you." Katara giggled as she wrapped her arms around Zuko's waist. The male teenager had had his back turned to her but now he shifted to face her and wrap his arms around her.

"So wait till we're alone." Zuko nuzzled her neck, causing Katara to smile.

". . . . that's rare." He held her close to him, refusing to let her go. The time they had to show their affection towards each other was few and far between. Aang had learned most of the basics for Earthbending but he was still having trouble on some. The waterbending had been easier because he had already known a few of the basics and advanced techniques when he finally made it to the North Pole.

"Well-" A knock on the door alerted the two. Reluctantly, Zuko let go of Katara and got out of the bed. Katara sighed and wrapped the blankets closer around her as Zuko opened the door.

"Sir! Admiral Brenda wishes to speak with you and Ms. Katara." Zuko nodded, dismissing the soldier as he closed the door. Sighing, Zuko stepped over to his closet and opened it. Scanning over it quickly he pulled out two robes. Throwing one to Katara, the angry prince pulled on his robe and a pair of boots.

- - - - -

". . . . where are we going?" Zhao turned around to see Ceres as she walked up behind him. She was wearing a black Chinese styled dress with red roses on it. The ancient demon was fanning herself with a delicate lace fan. Her hair was pulled up into a bun and locks of hair hung in front of her ears. The short black gloves that only covered her hands were made from a fine silk. Zhao smirked and looked ahead.

"I know a way to kill two birds with one stone, Lady Lilith." Ceres lifted an eyebrow.

"I have no need to kill two birds."

- - - - - -

Zuko practically threw open the door as he entered. Right now he and Katara were on the Phantom Flame. Commander Raymond had told the prince that his aunt wanted to meet the two in her room for some reason. Following his quietly, Katara entered the room. The room was decorated in red and gold, the bed was a king size with red silk sheets trimmed in gold. A large mahogany vanity sat in the corner. A changing screen with a waterfall scene was off to the side and two two large doors were close to each other. On the wall was a mural of a dragon. However, none of this caught Zuko's attention. What caught the young prince's attention was a plater of strawberries surrounding a bowl of melted chocolate on a small table in the middle with pillows surrounding the table and the fact that a few candles were lit. A creaking noise alerted the prince to the heavy metal door being closed. Spinning around, he saw his aunt and uncle waving at him as they closed the door. Sprinting towards the door, Zuko grasped the hand only to hear a click. The door was locked.

"Opps!" He heard his aunt's voice from outside the door. "It appears I lost the key to my door! Why, it must be somewhere on this ship! Iroh, let us look for the key!" He could have sworn her heard his uncle snickering.

"Of course sister dear! But that might take a few hours! Good thing Zuko and Katara have food!"

"Brenda! Iroh! You unlock this door right now!" Zuko yelled.

"Of course Prince Zuko!" Brenda shouted back to him. "But first we must find the key! Also, a word of advice! IF YOU DO ANYTHING THAT MAKES ME HAVE TO CHANGE MY SHEETS THEN WE'LL KILL YOU!" There was silence after that. Zuko pressed his ear to the door and listened to the sound of fading footsteps. He growled and spun around to face Katara.

"What were they thinking!" He demanded. Katara was fighting back a laugh as she stood there. "What's so funny!"

"I think this is there way of giving us more time alone." She managed to get out before she burst out laughing. Zuko, with a frown, covered the distance between the two and yanked her forward, into his arms. Katara immediately stopped her laughing and looked up at Zuko, surprised

"We'll that's one way to get you to shut up." He smirked causing Katara to glare at him before she pulled away, out of his arms. She crossed her arms and turned her back to him, causing Zuko to frown.

"Well, now I think I'll just ignore you for the rest of the night." Zuko sent her a wry glare before he renewed his smirk. True, he did not appreciate his relatives meddling but they did present him with an opportunity to have a romantic moment with Katara, alone. That was the most important part. Alone. Making this an opportunity that he did not intend to waste. Katara barely had time to react when he grabbed her from behind and lifted her up in his arms bridal style. She wrapped her arms around Zuko's neck in surprise as Zuko walked over to the pillows. The young prince was never this bold. He was always shy about their relationship, as hard as that would seem. He was careful to show his affections when they were appropriate and only when she wanted them. Zuko quickly sat down and positioned Katara so she was sitting in between his legs. The young waterbender was about to twist around to face him when he whispered into her ear.

"Do you really want to do anything that might get me . . . . excited?" She froze as a blush covered her cheeks. Nope, definitely never this bold with anything towards her. Pulling her back so she rested against his chest, Zuko reached forward and took a strawberry. He dipped it in chocolate and brought it up to Katara's lips. "Eat." He whispered in her ear, causing Katara to shiver before she obeyed him. Zuko guided her hand and made her dip a strawberry into the chocolate and bring it up to his mouth. When he ate the berry, his lips brushed against her fingers, causing her to shiver once more. "I thought you didn't want to get me excited." Katara turned her head to face him as he guided her hand back to the food. She was about to respond when she gasped. Zuko had dipped her fingertips into the chocolate itself. He guided her hand to him and licked the chocolate off of her hand, causing Katara to fight back a moan. He had especially never done anything that bold.

"Y-your aunt said-" Zuko cut her arm as he positioned her to face him while pushing her back.

"I know what she said. And I won't take it that far. I won't come close. My virginity is something I am saving for my wedding night, as I am sure you are." Zuko laid Katara down and crawled on top of her. He kissed her, once more being more bold with his actions that he usually was. Katara gasped in the kiss as he pulled her up against him suddenly, using one hand to wrap around her waist and the other to hold him up so as not to crush her, giving the chance for Zuko's tongue to dart in and play with her own tongue. Katara's eyes slowly closed as Zuko explored her mouth. She whimpered when he pulled away from the kiss, causing Zuko to smirk once more. However, she only moaned when Zuko kissed her neck and gently sucked on her skin.

- - - - -

"I swear to the Fire Gods Iroh, if they-" Iroh waved off Brenda's concerns. Currently the two were sipping tea in the mess hall of the Phantom Flame.

"They won't." He looked up at her as she sent him a doubtful look. "Lady Leila and I taught Prince Zuko better than that. He has more respect for women, especially Katara, than to take one before marriage." Brenda sighed and nodded.

"I suppose you're right. But I still will kill him if I have to change my sheets." Iroh nodded in agreement.

"As will I." The two sat in silence for a few minutes as they sipped their tea. Finally, Brenda broke the silence.

"What if her brother and the Avatar come looking for them?"

". . . . crap."

- - - - -

Aang smiled as a rock floated above his palm. He still needed a lot more practice. With the waterbending he had more time to practice because of the amount of time Appa took to make it to the North Pole.

"Aang, have you seen Katara?" The young avatar looked over to see Sokka enter the room they shared on Prince Zuko's ship.

"Why do you want to know?" Katara's older brother rolled his eyes as he crossed his arms.

"I just want to spend some time with my sister."

"I think I heard that Zuko's aunt needed them." If Zuko and Katara needed to see Brenda at this hour, then it was more than likely that they were on the Phantom Flame. While Sokka did not like to cross over the ships using the plank, he would still do it if it meant more time with his sister. He had barely seen her at all because of Ceres. But now that Aang had decided to come and visit Katara he could spend more time with the waterbender. Sure, he would have to spend time with that prince of scum, but he didn't care. It was worth it if it meant catching up with his sister. Sokka turned to leave, intent on carrying out his search for his sister. However, Aang's voice stopped him. "I think we should give those two some alone time." The water tribe warrior turned and looked at the avatar, surprised.

"What are you talking about Aang?" The airbender smiled knowingly.

"Honestly, I think they're together." Sokka nodded slowly, looking at Aang as if he forgot the whole reason Zuko was on their side.

"Yeah. Because of Ceres Zuko has to stay with her almost every second of the day." This caused the airbending monk to sigh and shake his head.

"No, that's not what I meant. I meant I think they like each other."

"No way. Katara would never be friends with some firebender! Especially not the dirty fire prince!" Aang felt like hitting his head against the wall.

"No, I think they're like boyfriend and girlfriend!" Aang nearly shouted.

"What! No way!" Sokka shook his head vigorously. "He still has our mother's necklace! If they were seeing each other or if he had a heart, he would have given it back to Katara!" Aang sighed while Sokka ranted. Sokka did make a good point, but there was one flaw with the argument, one which Aang had only recently learned from Brenda.

"He's been fixing the strap." Sokka was busy ranting and almost missed the avatar's soft voice. But he didn't.

". . . . how do you know that?"

"His aunt, Admiral Brenda, told me." Sokka raised a skeptical eyebrow.

"Why would she tell you?" Aang scratched the back of his head nervously.

"Well, I sorta walked in while she was looking at the necklace. When I asked where she got that and what she was doing with that, she just said Zuko asked her to check to make sure his work alright." Sokka cracked a grin.

"You're telling me that Mr. Mightier-than-thou sews?" He laughed. "And here I thought he was a warrior!" The young man from the water tribe began to laugh pretty hard. Aang couldn't help but laugh too.

- - - - -

Katara's head rested in Zuko's lap as he fed her chocolate covered strawberries.

"What are these, anyways?" Zuko blinked, surprised.

"Strawberries. You've never had them?" Katara would have shaken her head but with a small blush she remembered what Zuko had said earlier.

"No. I know about a few berries but not that many. I am from the South Pole, remember?" Zuko smiled before leaning down and capturing a kiss from Katara. She smiled at his bold action as he pulled her up and held her close. However, an urgent knocking interrupted their kiss. Zuko pulled away from Katara with a dangerous glint in his eyes.

"WHAT!" He roared, his anger evident.

"Don't you take that tone with me!" His aunt yelled back. Zuko sighed while Katara fought back a giggle as the fire prince released her and stood. There was a soft click and the door swung open. "It appears that we found the key quickly!" Zuko's uncle stood beside his aunt and waved at the two.

"I am surprised that we found it so quickly. It looks like Brenda had it all along." The young price stared suspiciously at the two and raised an eyebrow.

"I'm not surprised. I know you two had set this up. What surprises me is the fact that you only gave us about thirty minutes." Iroh sent a small glare to Brenda as she looked around the room.

"Would have been more if Brenda wasn't so paranoid." Iroh grumbled, low enough for the Prince not to hear as he was watching Brenda look over the room to see that everything was alright.

"What are you looking for, aunt?" Brenda snapped her head over in the direction of Zuko.

"Nothing Prince Zuko." She smiled happily. She stood by the door.

"What?" Katara asked as Brenda silently waited. The woman smirked.

"Well, I was just waiting for everyone to leave so I can sleep. But if you three really are interested in watching me changing into my-" Iroh, the poor man who was foolish enough to stand in the doorway, was near run over by Zuko and Katara as the two sprinted out of the room and down the hall. Iroh turned and glared at Brenda.

"You could have just asked them to leave, not give them a scare like that." Brenda raised an eyebrow.

"I'm not that scary looking." Iroh actually rolled his eyes this time before he left her, closing the door behind him. Brenda smirked as she unclasped her cape and set aside the sword she wore. She tugged the small bit of string that held he braid together out of her hair and let it fall free. Brenda looked up at the ceiling, curious. "I wonder when he'll give back the necklace."

- - - - -

Ceres rapped the fan impatiently on her palm. She glared at Zhao form the corner of her eye as he walked up to her while she stood at the railing.

"It's the middle of the night and yet you still wander the ship. Why?" The admiral returned her glare with his own edge to it.

"I could ask you the same question."

"As the comet draws closer I grow stronger. The stronger I get the less I have to worry about my body breaking down on me." Zhao nodded. He supposed that that did make sense. ". . . . these sayings . . . . 'kill two birds with one stone' . . . . 'there's more than one way to skin a cat' . . . . are they always so strange?" This caused Zhao to burst out laughing. The ancient demon glared at him while he did this. "I do not find anything funny." Zhao calmed down before he answered her.

"Those are sayings that are common. Often they do not refer to whatever it is you are talking about. But the meaning is what is important." Ceres nodded before staring up at the sky.

"How do you intend to get me close enough to kill the lord bird." Zhao smirked as he responded.

"Don't worry about that. Just make sure that you don't waste any time when the moment occurs. Take him out without any hesitation." Now it was the demonic creature's turned to smirk.

"You make it sound like I will hesitate. You've forgot all the stories they told about Ceres, it appears." Zhao glanced at the noble woman impostor.

"How do you know they still tell stories about Ceres?" A wicked grin worked its way onto her face.

"I am no fool. Besides," Ceres tapped her dagger necklace. "I have my ways."

- - - - -

"Zuko?"

"Hmm?" At the moment the two teenagers where lying in bed with Zuko holding Katara as he tried to fall asleep.

"What are we?" Zuko didn't even bother to open his eyes when he answered.

"We're two benders trying to sleep." He mumbled as he pulled her closer.

". . . no, I mean; what are we to each other."

". . . . . what?" Zuko opened his eyes, confused. Why did she want to talk about this right now?

". . . . I'll have to tell my brother and Aang sometime. And I think Aang's already figured it out. Every time he looks at us, he has this knowing smile!" Zuko groaned and let go of Katara, rolling over to signal that he didn't want to talk. Katara however frowned before a small smirk emerged on her face. "Fine. I guess we aren't anything. So we shouldn't kiss."

". . . . damn." Zuko hissed before sitting up in bed. He lit a candle before he groggily pulled a drawer open at his desk.

"What are you doing?" Zuko returned to the bed and pressed something into Katara's hand before he crawled under the covers and blew out the candle. However, Katara was able to catch a glimpse of it before Zuko blew out he candle. Tears welled up in her eyes as she stared down at the necklace in the dark.

"Zuko?"

"Sorry it took so long to get it back to you. I had to fix the strap." Zuko mumbled as he pulled her close to him. He really wanted to sleep. Couldn't she tell? He was tired from the long day.

"You . . . sew?" Zuko cracked one eye open. Why was it that whenever she had something big to tell him she had to wait till he was half asleep.

"As a soldier, I must be able to maintain my armor and uniform. So, yes, I know how to sew." Katara smiled as she clutched the necklace close to her, over her heart.

"Thank you Zuko." He only grunted in reply, once more signaling that he did not want to talk anymore. However, she still needed him to answer her question. ". . . . but . . . what are we?" Zuko sighed and pulled the covers around him up, closer to his chin.

". . . . I guess . . . . boyfriend and girlfriend."

". . . . thank you." She hugged him from behind, making Zuko twist around so he faced her as eh wrapped his arms around her waist.

- - - - -

Yay! Zuko and Katara had alone time. I bet you guys liked it. Plus, Sokka and Aang are here! I hope you guys like the romantic scene! Blushes I'm kinda shy about writing those kinda things. I hope I did okay. Well, review and tell me what you thought.