A/N: Yes, I've finally updated! I hope to have the next update sooner for you guys! Uhm… just to let you know… this might be a bit fluffy… hehe, but read on anyway please! Thank you!

Chapter 3

"Zuko… wait… don't go… don't leave me… Zuko…"

Katara sat up with a jolt. She looked around and saw that Aang and Sokka were still sleeping. The morning had barely began, as she could still see the darkness of the night. She wrapped herself in her arms and began to think of what she had just dreamt. Why in the world did she want Zuko to stay? Katara shook her head; it must have been a nightmare, and Zuko was… probably the only one there… to uh… protect her! That's right! That's what it must have been. She found herself assured by this thought, and so she stood up. Her eyes were wide awake, so going back to sleep was not an option.

She stretched her arms out and looked all around her. The forest was so beautiful at night, especially right before the sun came up. Something began to itch her around her neck, so she put her hands up to it and scratched it, naturally.

And then she felt it, her mother's necklace. As her fingers stroked it, she began to smile. All of the memories she had with her mother as a child. She was such a loving and brave woman… who was killed by the fire nation. Suddenly the happiness that filled her heart began to grow into hatred. Zuko.

She turned around immediately and looked into the forest intently. She could have sworn she heard something rustling in between the leaves. After a few moments, and nothing seeming to move, Katara relaxed. Why did she automatically think that it was Zuko? Besides, it could have been some kind of small creature up for a snack or something. Or it could have been Zuko.

She hit her forehead with her hand for thinking so much about a stupid fire prince; a fire prince that she was now constantly thinking of.

..:-:..

Zuko woke up abruptly. He looked outside and saw that it was still dark outside. Since he couldn't go back to sleep, he stood up yawning and scratched his back. Zuko sighed. There was nothing exciting to do anymore. The avatar proved himself to be worthier than he imagined a little kid to be. And that girl Katara, she was so full of fire and life. The fire prince chuckled to himself at the thought of her being a fire bender. He could picture it now, she would be standing right next to him in beautiful fire nation robes; king and queen of the fire nation. Whoa, wait a minute, did he seriously just think that? This was worse than he thought. Ever since he laid eyes on her, he had gotten weaker and weaker. His quest for the avatar was diminishing and he would never regain his honor.

Zuko put his hand up to his cheek. He pulled it away almost immediately, and found himself forgetting about that girl even quicker than he thought he could. Furiously he walked out of his room and up to the deck. Looking at the land, only one thought filled his mind.

He was going to capture the avatar once and for all.

..:-:..

Looking back at the campsite where Aang and Sokka were still sleeping, she decided that a little walk wouldn't take so long. Besides, she needed some exercise; flying on Appa all the time did no good. So she began to walk into the forest, just like she had last time. Only at that moment, she wasn't thinking about gathering food. Instead she was remembering the touch of Zuko's hands on her neck. Shivers ran through Katara's body as a gentle breeze flew right by her. Katara opened her eyes with a jolt and looked everywhere around her. She looked to her left, right and straight in front of her. Nothing stirred even the slightest bit.

So she moved along. Deeper and deeper into the forest she went, the slightest trace of the sun not seen yet. But wherever she looked, she saw the same thing, Zuko's steady and calm face. It kept coming into her head, and she couldn't get it out. Finally, when she was as far away from the campsite as she had been, Zuko's face appeared again. But this time, the face was filled with rage and anger.

She had enough.

"Get out of my head! I said get out!"

And she swung her arm so that she could punch the face she saw in front of her. Katara's face however, displayed the utmost shock, as her arm was stopped by Zuko's hand. They stood there like that for who knew how long. Katara just stood frozen, her mouth gaping at Zuko. Zuko on the other hand, seemed wickedly amused.

Finally he let go of her fist.

"So, I'm stuck in your head, am I?"

Katara grimaced. This was the real Zuko, not an imaginary one that she kept seeing. For some reason, her heart began to beat faster.

"No… no you're not! I was talking about something else, if you want to know so badly!"

"Oh. Well, that's right. Why would someone like me be in your head at this time of the night? Besides, you aren't worthy enough of that. Now if you excuse me, I'll be on my way now."

He brushed right by her, but he didn't want to. Why was this girl popping up wherever he went? Why was she always in his head? Enough of that, he had to go capture the avatar, and then all of his worries would be solved.

Or not.

"I'm not worthy enough? Not worthy enough? How dare you even say that? I think you mean that you aren't worthy enough to be even talking to me!" Katara exclaimed with a smirk.

Wait. Why had she said that? She sounded so stupid! She even sounded like… Zuko himself.

Zuko turned around and he too was smirking at her. He walked right back to her and his face was a few inches from hers.

"Oh really? And what makes you so sure of that?"

"Well… for one, I'm a proud water bender, and not a snotty fire prince, who doesn't care about anyone but himself!"

"That's interesting, because see, I thought snotty fire princes are actual royalty, they aren't poor and weak peasants like you!"

Hah. That was it. Zuko had outsmarted her. His glee lasted only a second, because Katara's eyes began to burn. They burned with the utmost fury he had ever seen in anyone before. He regretted saying what he had said.

"How… how dare you," Katara said darkly and quietly, so much that Zuko began to wonder what was happening.

"You think… that you know everything… well you know nothing. I am not a weak peasant! I am a proud water bender, and nothing you can say or do can change that!"

Katara was still locked into his gaze. So much that he didn't see what was happening all around him. The morning dew from the forest was now hovering in the air, ready to be aimed at him.

"You call yourself a prince. You are in fact the lesser of us, Zuko. You are nothing but a worthless fire nation scum!"

That was it. The gaze broke, and everything came to him all at once. His fists began to glow with fire, while all of the water in the air came to circulate around Katara's fists.

"You know nothing…" said Zuko darkly.

"I'd like to see you prove that," Katara replied with a confident smirk.

And everything happened almost simultaneously. Both Zuko and Katara pushed their arms forward, and blasts of water and fire shot out of their hands. The blasts somehow equaled the other's strength and so not one of them was able to penetrate the other. Each of them pushed forward, until finally, they were so close that their hands touched. And nothing could have been more amazing that the site that beheld them. Both Katara and Zuko stood still, as the water and fire merged together to form a cool blue fire. It surrounded them both like a shield and it surrounded them with no way out.

When Katara and Zuko finished gazing at the marvelous bending that they had both created, they looked down at their hands and then back at each other. Their eyes met, and instantly everything around them changed.

..:-:..

Katara stood gaping at what was seen before her eyes. She was in a room surrounded by fire benders. But why weren't they attacking her? Then she saw it, Zuko. Zuko and what looked like some really powerful fire bender.

"Father please! I don't want to fight you!"

It was Zuko's father! But… no… no she couldn't look. She covered her ears and closed her eyes as Zuko screamed in agony.

---

The cold harsh snow surrounded Zuko. It seemed as if he was in a water tribe village, because there were water benders everywhere. And then he saw it, Katara and a group of fire benders. They were holding her back while they dragged an older version of Katara away.

"Mommy! Mommy don't go!"

"It's alright sweetie! I'll be back, just listen to the nice men."

Katara's mother was taken behind an igloo and then Zuko saw a blaze of fire rise and then die from behind it. The men holding Katara back let go of her, and the she ran to find her mother. Zuko followed, and then as he saw what had happened, and saw the little girl's eyes bulge, he felt sickened.

"Mommy? You aren't coming back… are you?"

Katara stood there with silent tears streaming down her cheeks. Zuko couldn't take it anymore. The silence of the breeze was worse than any type of sound he had ever heard in his life.

..:-:..

And as quickly as it had come, it was gone. Katara and Zuko were both looking back into each other's eyes. The new knowledge that they had both gained during those few moments filled their minds. The shield of blue fire spread gentle warmth through their bodies and nothing could stop them. Katara saw the young hurt boy in Zuko's eyes, and Zuko couldn't help but see the lost little girl in Katara's eyes. Their hands were still holding onto each other and now their faces were an inch apart. Slowly their hands separated, and Katara found herself wrapping her arms around Zuko's neck. Zuko automatically slipped his arms around Katara's waist.

And bit by bit their eyes closed, and everything in them pushed the other forward. Each one could feel the other's breath on their mouths. Zuko's lips brushed Katara's, and the sensation each felt was unimaginable. That feeling which Katara had decided to ignore, now blossomed as she kissed Zuko more passionately every second that had passed. Zuko let all of his emotions come out. He didn't hide himself from her. Instead he let his kiss tell Katara how much he needed her. And she knew. She knew from Zuko's every single touch that he cared about her.

The more heated the two got, the more the engulfing fire raged. But soon, when Katara and Zuko began to just lightly kiss each other, the fire diminished, and disappeared all together. Each of them opened their eyes and stared into each other's souls and the feelings each held inside of them. They were still in each other's arms. Neither of them wanted to let go, because maybe this unbelievable dream would end. And so when they heard the first creatures awakening from the night, they knew it wasn't a dream, and that it in fact happened.

"Katara… I'm sorry," said Zuko barely as loud as a whisper.

She looked into those golden eyes of his, and knew he meant it.

"I know… I'm sorry too."

Katara touched his scar gently and caressed her hand over it. Zuko didn't wince, but instead he looked at her for comfort. She kissed his scar lightly, and Zuko closed his eyes. He could feel the scar within his heart disappearing into nothing. When he could no longer feel Katara's lips on his cheek, he opened his eyes and saw her smiling at him. That smile spread warmth throughout his entire body. Even though he was a fire bender, he always felt cold inside. But that wasn't the case anymore. And Zuko knew what he to do.

Zuko looked at her with that calm face of his and he reached his hands to her neck. Katara felt that spark of heat that she had felt before, but this time it was more real to her. She closed her eyes, and felt his hand rest upon her cheek, and she let her head sink into his hand as Zuko caressed her face. Zuko leaned in and gently kissed her on the lips, and then wrapped his arms around her, and pulled her close into his chest. Katara wrapped her arms around Zuko's warm body, and let herself fall into his presence. All of her past worries and sorrows escaped through her heart, and into it she felt a new growing tenderness appear.

After what seemed like an eternity, they pulled apart and they looked out through the trees to see the first rays of sunshine appear. Katara smiled at him, and he did the same. Zuko kissed her gently, and then held her hand.

"I have to go, and so do you."

Katara's smile turned into sadness. She didn't realize that she had fallen for the enemy. She couldn't just take Zuko to Aang and Sokka and say, hey you guys, guess what? I love Zuko!

He kissed her again, and all of those thoughts disappeared. She didn't want Zuko to ever leave her.

"Zuko, don't go…"

She hugged him tightly, and he smiled.

"Don't worry Katara, I'll see you soon."

She looked at his smile and knew that he meant it. So she smiled and stood watching him gracefully run out of sight.

..:-:..

Iroh had just woken up and he was now scratching his back. Groggily he stood up and went out of his room.

"HI UNCLE!"

Iroh stopped immediately and his eyes bulged.

"Zuko! What on earth are you doing out of bed already? And why did you have to wake me up like that?"

Zuko ignored him and he just walked right by, and into his room. He shut the door very loudly and Iroh flinched. He scratched his head as Zuko's actions began to further puzzle him.

..:-:..

"Everyone, get up!"

Aang and Sokka opened their eyes slowly and Sokka began to yawn widely.

"Whhaa? Kataraaa… What are you waking us up so early for? It's barely morning!"

"Well, aren't you a happy camper! How about you Aang? Aang?"

He had awakened, and then he plopped right back down and was snoring. Katara chuckled happily, while Sokka eyed her closely.

"Why are you in such a happy mood?"

"What?" she said innocently, "can't a girl be happy sometimes?"

He watched her stride cheerfully to the tents. Sokka shook his head. Girls.

A/N: So, any thoughts? I'd love it if you could fill me in on them! Lol Thanks so much for reading! It's really appreciated! Have a great day! And don't forget to smile!

EDIT! I changed the last part with Zuko in it… I didn't like the way Zuko was acting… and I changed my mind about what's gonna happen, so I had to change it! Hope you guys don't mind lol New chappie up soon! (up to a week, or if a miracle happens, tomorrow)