A/N: I would like to say that I'm so very sorry that I haven't gotten this up until now… I just became so overwhelmed with school and I didn't have the time to write it. But now I have, and so here it is! I'm not going to make any promises as to when the next chapter will be up. Hopefully by the end of the week!

Enjoy! It's the longest chapter I have ever written for a fan fiction!

Chapter 7

The fire roared in all directions, but it didn't matter. Katara ran towards it desperately, knowing it could be a decision between life and death. She reached the very middle, and saw Zuko kneeling there in pain. Katara picked him up and kissed him. He smiled at her and embraced her warmly.

'Thank you Katara for saving me… never leave my side again, promise?'

She was about to answer with a 'yes', when she was pulled away.

'Mom! What are you doing? I need to be with Zuko!'

'You can't. He's dangerous, he can hurt you.'

She saw his eyes calling out to her, and hot tears fell from her eyes.

'No he won't… he will never hurt me…'

Katara woke up feeling like she died. It was all so sad; it wasn't a nightmare anymore, it was like someone was killing her slowly, forcing her to be without the person she… loved? She shook her head in response to her thoughts. So what if she and Zuko kissed? That didn't mean she loved him… or that he loved her. All she knew was that he liked her enough to kiss her, and she the same. Her reoccurring dreams kept haunting her thoughts in the back of her mind, but that's where they stayed. She looked outside and saw the sun high in the sky. It must have been already past breakfast, but that was all right. Katara yawned and got herself ready.

When she stepped outside of her room, she was greeted by a shocking surprise.

"Zuko! What are you doing here?"

He smiled, pulled her in close, and gave her a kiss. Zuko was somewhere not on earth, because he felt like he was on top of it. Every second with this girl, woman really, made him feel so good. Her kiss awakened each nerve in his body, and his heart filled up with this kind of emotion, but he didn't know how to explain it. When their lips parted, he could tell she felt the same thing, he could see it in her eyes.

"Good morning Katara."

She giggled slightly and smiled.

"Good morning Zuko. So, what are you doing here?"

"I already thought I answered that question," he responded slyly.

Katara hit him on the shoulder playfully again, and he picked her up by her waist and flung her on his shoulder. She couldn't help but laugh.

"Zuko! Zuko… stop… it!"

He smiled and put her down.

"Do you just have to twirl me around every time you see me?"

"Of course."

They smiled and were about to hug each other, when a guard passed by Katara's room. Zuko chuckled.

"That reminds me why I came here."

Katara glanced at him and curled her lip.

"Oh really? Why then, if what you just displayed wasn't the reason why you came?"

"It was, but there's another reason too," he became more serious, and so did she, "your father wanted to talk to the both of us. That is, after I am to escort you to eat breakfast."

She nodded, and they made their way down to the room where she always ate breakfast with her family. It was empty of course and some servants were clearing the table. They bowed to Katara and Zuko, and then they brought in a plate of food for her highness. Katara ate quickly, but not without the usual interruption from Zuko. The one where he threw a grape or two at her, and she would throw it back. Finally she was finished, and then they stood up when Nasu entered. Their fun and games were over.

"Sit down please," he sighed and continued, "as we all know, there is a concern about what happened last night. Would someone like to explain to me what exactly happened?"

Zuko closed his eyes solemnly, and then sighed.

"I was taken from my cell last night by those guards you have arrested. Then they took me into another room, far away from everyone else, as you know. They started to… kick, and punch me…"

Katara had to close her eyes to keep the tears from falling down her cheeks. Nasu realized this and held up a hand to signal for Zuko to stop with the details.

"Do you have any idea why they did what they did?"

"They thought I was from the fire nation."

"Yes… yes, that's what I heard."

Katara's eyes popped out, but when she saw Zuko's narrow glance, she calmed down. She shouldn't blow this for the both of them. He had a plan.

"I agreed, only because they began to… whip me. I couldn't take the pain anymore."

Nasu nodded his head; obviously he had heard this story from someone else.

"In my knowledge, I am aware that they then proceeded to ask you if you were a fire bender. How come you didn't agree to that as well?"

Katara was hearing this for the first time and she couldn't believe it. Yue must have been behind it; it was all too coincidental for it not to be her.

"Sir, I didn't agree to it because I didn't want to loose all of my honor."

"But yet, you said before you didn't want to endure the pain."

"Yes, at that point, I thought it was the right thing to do. But then I realized that it wasn't right of me to admit to something that would be a lie. Even if it would mean punishment by whipping."

Nasu seemed surprised by his answer. This man was very honorable indeed, and he hadn't threatened anyone with his presence. Katara seemed perfectly fine when she was along side him. The guards would be exiled for treason to their tribe.

"I see your point young man. I am very shocked though to find out that the guards say it was all their doing. They say, that no one instructed them to do that horrible deed."

Zuko wanted with every fiber in his being to tell Katara's father that Yue had ordered the men to do it. But he held his tongue back; he didn't want to be on Nasu's bad side.

"Father, I would like to ask you something."

"Yes?"

"Well, Zuko said yesterday that he would provide his services to our tribe. I was thinking, could he be my personal guard?"

The question shocked both of them, but Zuko was perfectly happy she had asked. Nasu, on the other hand, was skeptical.

"Katara, since when did you need a person guard?"

"Since four of our most esteemed men committed treason."

Nasu sighed and looked over at Zuko. He stood up and bowed.

"Sir, I would be honored to offer my services to your daughter. I will make sure that nothing happens to her."

Nasu believed him. Zuko had won him over as well.

"All right. I believe Katara has a point once again, and I believe you Zuko, are a fine person to do the job. I will now leave you two. Katara, remember your duties, and don't go too far from the palace."

Nasu was about to stand up, when they each heard the gong resound.

"My, is it all ready time for lunch? I guess I will just sit back down then."

He smiled to them both.

"Father, may we go get freshened up? We will be right back."

"All right. Be quick."

They walked out of the room, and Zuko grabbed her to the side.

"Zuko, what's wrong?"

"Katara, I'm not sure if I should have told him."

"Told him what? That you are a fire bender? No way. You would be gone for good!"

"Shh! No not that… There was someone else who was involved yesterday."

Katara's eyes narrowed. She knew it.

"It was Yue! Wasn't it?"

Zuko nodded his head gravely, but she realized why he hadn't said anything. She put her hand on Zuko's shoulder, and gave him a small kiss on his cheek.

"Zuko, you did the right thing. You are very brave and unselfish."

He smiled softly, and then they walked back into the room. In a few minutes, the rest of the family joined. Zuko was about to leave, when Nasu raised a hand to stop him.

"No Zuko, come and eat with us. I insist."

He bowed, and sat down next to Katara. Zuko saw that Yue looked horrible, she was petrified and her skin seemed whiter than usual. Whenever he glanced in her direction, she looked away ashamed. Obviously, she had felt remorse for her actions. But she still made the guards do it in the first place, and that wasn't something so easily forgiven. At the end of the meal, Zuko helped Katara stand up and she smiled. Yue saw this and felt something in her heart ache. Why did she feel so sad to see them so happy?

..:-:..

"Come on Zuko! I want to show you the whole city, now that we don't have those stupid guards lurking around after us!"

She grabbed his hand and they made their way to a canal. There was a small narrow boat waiting with a water bender at its end. Katara climbed in, and Zuko looked her hesitantly.

"Uh, Katara, are you sure about this? Everyone will see us."

"So? Come on Zuko! It will be fun!"

He stepped into the boat, and it rocked a bit. Katara laughed and grabbed Zuko to balance him. They both sat down, opposite each other while the water bender began to flow the water beneath them. Zuko looked around excitedly as the people came out of their homes and walked onto the bridges to wave at the two of them. Zuko didn't know it, but this was one of her duties, to go and greet the people of the tribe. On their way back to the palace, the people had gone back inside their homes to do their daily chores and things like that. But suddenly, out of nowhere, a snowball landed on Zuko's head.

"What was that?"

Katara laughed, and then covered her mouth. With her other hand, she pointed shyly to his head, and when he touched it, his eyes popped out. He growled, and quickly wiped the snow away. Then he started to look everywhere to see what rascal it had been. After tirelessly searching and seeing no one, he turned back to see Katara smirking.

"So, it was you! I should have known…"

She gave him a stern look. He quickly corrected himself.

"I should have known you sent me that present!"

He smiled and they both laughed quietly. It was so wonderful just being with the other, and life was just peachy keen like that, wasn't it?

..:-:..

Yue made her way down to the prisons to find only one guard down there, and to find him sleeping on the job. She snapped her fingers in his face and then he woke up with a start, scrambled to his feet, and bowed apologetically.

"I'm so sorry Princess. What can I do for you?"

She sighed impatiently.

"I'm just here to see Zuko like I always am! Can you please open the…"

"Sorry, but Zuko is no longer here."

"What? Then where is he?"

"Didn't you hear? Chief Nasu has pardoned him, and assigned him the job of being Princess Katara's personal guard. I believe you will be receiving one shortly as well…"

Her jaw dropped and her insides flew around like she had eaten some kind of spicy pepper.

"You must be kidding! There is no way…"

"I am not joking your highness. It is true. As for Zuko, he and Princess Katara could be anywhere in the city. I have no idea where they could be."

Yue stormed up the stairs at lightening speed. Somehow, she felt a tear run down her cheek. She wiped it away furiously, and then practically ran out of the palace. She would find them both. There was no way Zuko was going to be with Katara.

..:-:..

Zuko got out of the boat, and gave Katara his hand. She accepted it, and then stepped off of it as well with his help. They thanked the water bender for the ride, and he bowed in respect. Zuko and Katara walked relatively close to one another, but they made sure it didn't look too close, otherwise, someone would find out about them, and tell Nasu. Katara showed him the inner city, where all of the little shops and markets were. Zuko looked at everything curiously and Katara practically had to drag him away from all of the displays. One market interested Zuko especially, and Katara couldn't get him away without buying something.

"That looks good! What is it?"

"Oh that! It's stewed sea prunes! Are you sure you want to try it?"

He clung to his stomach and winced.

"Yeah, I'm starving!"

"Even though we ate not long ago?"

Zuko chuckled and nodded. Katara rolled her eyes, but smiled at the man selling the food.

"Hello, I would like to get some stewed sea prunes for my friend please!"

"Anything you would want your highness," he took a bowl and handed it to Zuko, "here you are. Enjoy!"

Zuko looked at the bowl hungrily and began to gulp down the soup. After a few bites, his eyes widened, and Zuko had to choke the soup out. Katara laughed, as did the man. Zuko however looked not amused at all.

"I think we will take some of that sparkling water please."

The man handed a bottle to each of them, but Zuko reluctantly gave it back.

"Sparkling water? What, is it going to explode in my face or something?"

Katara spewed out the water she was drinking, and it sprayed out onto Zuko. She burst out laughing and then Zuko joined in at the irony. He took the bottle back from the man, after wiping away his wet face. The water felt so refreshing and energizing.

"Wow, this is the best water ever! Where did you get it from? I've never tasted anything like it!"

"It's the water tribe's specialty! It can only be found right here."

"Oh…"

"Thank you so much!"

Katara thanked him and he waved back. Zuko didn't realize she left, so he ran up to her.

"Why did you just leave me?"

"Well I'm sorry Zuko, but I thought my guard would be the first to notice me leaving."

She joked and he rolled his head around and stretched.

"You know what Katara? I feel really good from that drink. You want to practice bend…"

Katara put a hand over his mouth and looked at him with her wide eyes.

"Zuko! Watch what you are saying! What's wrong with you? Do you just want to give it all away?"

Her hand fell from his mouth, and she stepped away. He looked away ashamed, but then he saw her look at him with a sparkle in her eyes, a sparkle of adventure.

"Come on Zuko. What are you waiting for?"

They walked on and on, until Katara found the spot. Rarely anyone came by there so it would be safe to practice their bending. Zuko smiled as Katara began to wave her arms around gracefully. Zuko controlled his breathing, and pushed fire out of his hands up into the air. Suddenly, Zuko's fire was put out, and steam hovered in the air. Zuko turned around to see Katara smirking, standing in a fighting stance.

"So how do you think you will do against a water bender Zuko?"

"I don't know, but I'll try you… just for fun."

They both grinned at each other, and then the fight began. Katara gracefully moved her arms in a circle, then in a counter clockwise direction, and finally pushed the water behind her towards Zuko. He dodged it with a fiery flame of fire.

"Is that all you got Katara?"

She smirked.

"Oh, you've seen nothing yet Zuko."

He waited until she made a move first. She smiled the whole time as her hands worked their magic, sending balls of ice hurtling at Zuko from every direction. He twisted and turned, punched as many of the balls of ice with his fire as was possible. Then suddenly, he smirked and stood still. Katara wondered what he was doing, and her senses awakened inside of her. What if he would really try to hurt her?

The answer came right away. Zuko inhaled and then let out a blaze of fire from his mouth. Katara's eyes widened as the fire turned upwards and began to hover above them. On Zuko's face was a smirk so wicked, that she thought she froze on the spot. Her thoughts raced, and one thing kept ringing through her mind. 'Katara, fire is not beautiful. It will hurt you!' She gasped as Zuko motioned his hands in a circling motion. The fire was now going right towards her. Weren't they just practicing? He wouldn't dream of hurting her, right?

For some reason she couldn't move her body. No muscle was moving during those fearful moments. Why was she so scared stiff? All she saw was Zuko's smirk. This wasn't the least bit funny. The fire was roaring towards her swiftly and right when it was about to hit her, she picked up her arms, flung them around her head, and a shield of water shot up to encase her. When Katara opened her eyes, she saw Zuko standing right in front of her, still smirking. Behind him was the fire, rotating endlessly. It was behind her too. The fire was circling around them, dangerously close, and within mere seconds, Katara's shield of ice evaporated. This wasn't funny anymore. Katara found her strength again, and shot a stream of water at the circling fire. She smiled as steam erupted, but the smile disappeared when the circle just enclosed itself again, this time closer to them.

Zuko now put his arm around Katara's waist and pulled her in strongly. Her eyes widened with fright. There was no way out of this, and the fire was coming nearer and nearer by the second. Beads of sweat prickled down both Katara's and Zuko's faces. He leaned in close to her, and she trembled as she felt his hot breath against her neck.

"Why are you so scared? I thought you were tougher than that."

His voice was barely a whisper and it was so sinister that she flinched. He wrapped his other arm around her, and now he held onto her with all of his strength. She felt his hands crawl up her back, messaging her. Without knowing it, she was becoming calmer. The burning fire wasn't important anymore, Katara completely forgot about it. Instead she closed her eyes and wrapped her arms around Zuko's neck. She lost herself in his comforting touch. As the fire crept even closer, Katara's heart began to beat wildly, her thoughts swam into a pool, and all she could do was think about the person standing there with her.

"Katara… take a risk… take a chance… we can get out of this…"

She wanted to shiver, but she grabbed his back and pulled herself into him. Her breath was short and fast, and his began to do the same. Zuko squeezed her gently and gave her a nudge.

"Zuko… I can't… I'm scared!"

"Yes you can… on the count of three, make us go up."

Her eyes shut close as the embers sparked at her. She wanted so badly to be out of this trap. Even with Zuko there, nothing was going to help them. He had created something that was uncontrollable.

"How? I can't…"

He spoke firmly this time. Zuko realized that they needed to act quickly.

"Yes you can. Katara you have to!"

She gulped and buried her hands into his shoulders. His arms were still holding onto her protectively, but the blazing heat of the fire was weakening Katara.

"One…"

How on earth was she supposed to get them to go up?

"Two…"

There was nothing she could do.

"Three!"

Just as the fire was about to wrap around the couple, Katara and Zuko sprang upwards on a circular platform. The whole time, Katara concentrated and didn't let go of Zuko. The fire spun around the ice, and it quickly began to melt, causing steam to rise and melt away the rest of the pillar. Katara and Zuko plummeted to the ground, where there was only a little pile of snow. She still clutched her hands onto his parka as if she were still in danger. Suddenly Zuko laughed.

Anger boiled in Katara, and she let go of him immediately. She sat up next to him. Zuko was clutching his side and his laughter sent a ring through her ears.

"How could you do that?" she yelled furiously.

Zuko calmed down and smiled up at her.

"Wasn't that exciting?"

She stared at him with wide eyes. Exciting? Just barely escaping massive burns, almost dying… Katara cracked a smile. He had in fact tested her ability to concentrate; he wasn't trying to hurt her. And now that she thought about it, the whole experience was in fact the most thrilling thing she had to go through possibly in her entire life. She was on the edge of her fear, and he had helped her through it all. She let out a joyous laugh and he smiled. Her eyes caught his, and she leaned into him. Her gaze focused in on his soft smile, and then up towards his golden eyes. She caressed his face with her hand and he closed his eyes.

"Katara… you are simply amazing…"

She kissed his neck softly, and he inhaled sharply.

"You are so talented…"

She kissed his cheek.

"You are so beautiful…"

She kissed his forehead.

"You are like no one else… that I've ever met…"

Now, she stared at him and his face had turned serious. Zuko picked up his head, and pulled hers into his. Their lips touched and this time, Katara let herself free. She kissed him with so much passion that her breath started to form little puffs of steam. Zuko was amazed at her display of affection and he began to melt the snow around him. He started to kiss her neck slowly, going upwards, and Katara let out a soft moan and clung onto him even tighter. Zuko kissed her again, and this time he let out all of his feelings for her. All of this was so exhilarating to Katara, she didn't know what was happening to her, but it felt wonderful.

Suddenly a gong resounded and Katara pulled away from him. He sat up and sighed.

"I have to go Zuko. Oh wait… we have to go."

She smiled at him as he stood up next to her. He looked at his surroundings and smiled softly.

"Do we really have to go? This place is so incredible, especially when you're here."

He brought her in close and hissed into her ear with his tongue. She squirmed and laughed.

"Pleeeasssee Kattarraaa… letssss stayyy herreeee…"

She laughed and pushed him away but he caught one of her arms.

"No Zuko… we have to go. Right now! Okay, I'll make a deal. We can come back after dinner. Sounds good?"

He let go of Katara's arm, but she thought about it, and decided to run back to him. She wrapped her arms around him, and gave him another long, sinful kiss. When she pulled away, Zuko gasped for air, and watched as she skipped along the room. His eyes looked at her with longing. Why did they have to leave? He loved this side of Katara so much… wait, did he just say loved? Zuko shook his head. How could he possibly love a person he barely knew? Well… he had gotten to know her for the past few days…

Yue heard the gong ring and sighed. She had to go to dinner now, where she would have to see Zuko with Katara again. Her bodyguard immediately came up to her to be her escort, but he wasn't the least bit attractive. He was old and had a messy beard. He even smelled like rotten eggs. She rolled her eyes as they began to make their way down to dinner.

Zuko began to walk up to Katara. She was still walking around, waiting for him to get her. When did she become so carefree? It didn't matter. He was about to walk up to her, because she stopped under a huge canopy of snow. For some reason, he couldn't take his eyes off of it. It looked like… it was dripping, but still… Zuko's expression went ghostly while Katara just simply laughed.

"What's wrong Zuko? Got something frozen in your pants?"

Katara clutched her side while she howled with laughter. Zuko wasn't laughing though. At any moment that canopy of snow was going to fall down on top of her and kill her by the impact. It was huge and Zuko couldn't help but think about the worst thing that could happen.

"Katara! Get out from there!"

"What? Zuko you've gone mad! What's wrong with this?"

She looked up and saw the snow dripping. Unfortunately, she couldn't make anything out of it like Zuko had. Suddenly, a figure popped in the doorway. Zuko's stomach completely dropped down. It was Yue.

"What are you two…"

"Katara! I said, get out of there!"

She seemed angry and so she crossed her arms and pouted.

"I'm not going! No one has to make me go anywhere! Zuko, why don't you come here? It's really nice and all, in the shade…"

She heard a creak from up above and her face went rigid. Zuko looked over at Yue, and then back to Katara. He became solemn; he knew what he had to do. Katara looked panicked and she knew she couldn't use her water bending, or else Yue would tell on her. Then she saw Zuko; Katara gasped as he stepped forward and shot fire at the falling canopy. His fire barely missed Katara, but because it was so close, it evaporated all of the snow that was about to fall on top of her. Katara's heart raced and she caught her breath as she looked at the pile of snow around her on her sides. She gulped. The pile was as tall as she was.

Zuko ran to Katara and she hugged him tightly, trying to hold back the tears and to be strong. Yue just went completely white and her eyes popped out, her mouth wide open. Zuko caressed Katara in his arms and she saw him whisper something, and she whispered something back. Then Katara nodded, and Zuko helped her over the pile of snow, this time evaporating most of the snow around them.

As they approached the door where Yue stood, their expressions turned solemn.

"You! I… I… You! But… no!"

Katara stood there annoyed.

"Yue, do you know that you're making no sense whatsoever?"

At this, Yue brought herself out of the state of shock she was in.

"You, Katara, have been fooled by this… this fire bender! He tried to kill you! And you stand there hugging him?"

Of course, deep down inside, Yue wished she were the one hugging Zuko. But that was just because Katara had him, and she didn't. Zuko approached Yue with open arms, and she leaned away near her… bodyguard. Zuko gasped as the bodyguard snarled at him, and immediately took his hands around his back. Katara ran to Zuko, but he looked at her and shook his head. Tears ran from her eyes, down her cheek, as she heard what Yue said next.

"Tell my father that he in fact is a fire bender, and that he tried to kill my dear sister. Have him killed."

As the guard took Zuko away, Katara stood in front of Yue, biting her lip while the tears flowed.

"Oh Katara, don't be sad! I'm doing you a favor! You will thank me one day; that man is nothing but a stinky, horrible, low life, fire nation scum!"

Katara's eyes popped out enraged. Yue closed her eyes and smirked, but that expression was wiped off of her face with a blow from Katara's hand. Katara now stood there smirking while wiping away the tears, as Yue held her reddened cheek with her hands.

"How… how… how dare you! Slap your own…"

Too late, Katara was already running down the hall after Zuko.

..:-:..

Of course she had been right; Katara followed her instincts right into the Great Room. Everyone was gathered there again, and she gasped when she saw Zuko kneeling before her father. The next thing she heard made her heart stop.

"I hereby sentence you to immediate execution! Men!"

Zuko bit back his tears. He didn't want this to happen… who would? He braced himself for what was to come of him… and then he heard his angel come to his rescue.

"Father! Father, stop!"

Katara ran through the crowd of people all the way up to Zuko. She put her arms around him protectively and Nasu raised his eyebrow curiously. She checked with Zuko to see if he was okay and he nodded.

"Katara… what is the meaning of this? Why are you protecting him? He tried to kill you!"

"No father!" she stood up now, "he didn't! A large canopy of snow was about to fall down on me, and he shot the fire at it, not me! Father, Zuko saved me! If anything you should be thanking him, not sentencing him to death!"

Nasu looked a bit shocked to find out that a fire bender saved his daughter. But nonetheless, he was still from the fire nation, and he lied about it. He was a liar, a traitor and a spy.

"I'm sorry Katara, but even though I do thank him for saving your life, he still lied to us all, to you as well! I can't have someone like him, a person from the fire nation, live among us! Therefore the sentencing still stands!"

Katara gasped and her eyes began to water. Her voice was barely a whisper.

"No… no… you can't… father… please!"

Nasu pushed Katara out of the way, but she clung to his side.

"Father, you can't kill him! Look! Even now he isn't doing anything, when he could surely just use his bending to get out of the ropes! Zuko respects you father, and he won't hurt anyone! Not you… not me… not anyone! Father… you can't do this!"

Nasu held up a hand to the men, who were ready to throw the spears into Zuko's back. He faced Katara, wiped away her tears, and sighed. He gave her a weak smile, but it was worn out from all of the close calls and such. Katara looked up at her father expectantly.

"Katara, I do see your point," he then faced Zuko, "young man, you indeed have not tried to escape. Why is that?"

Zuko looked up from the ground soberly.

"Sir, I do not believe in violence. Yes, I am from the fire nation, but I lied about it so that you wouldn't kill me right then. I wanted the chance to prove my alliance with you. I do not condone what my uncle has done in anyway…"

Nasu looked at him seriously. Katara gasped knowing what Zuko was saying.

"Your uncle… who is your uncle?"

"My uncle is… the fire lord."

Gasps came from every corner of the room, and Nasu stumbled back a bit.

"This is an outrage!"

"He must die!"

"I can't believe we were so fooled!"

Everyone's chit chattering was deafening and Nasu couldn't handle it anymore.

"Quiet!"

His voice echoed in the room and the silence came over the people.

"I will not have any of this from any of you! This man has just admitted that he is fire nation royalty, in front of the water tribe's members, knowing perfectly well how each of you would react! I find this to be the bravest thing he has done while he has spent his time here. I know that I would probably not have had the courage to do what he has done. For this, and because of his promise to ally himself with us, I set him free."

Many people gasped as the chains were taken off of his arms and legs. Zuko stood up, and Nasu shook his hand.

"I'm very glad you have chosen to be on our side."

"I am very thankful sir for you giving me my life. I am forever grateful to you."

Nasu nodded, and then motioned for Katara to come over to them. She did so with radiance and happiness inside of her, although she made sure not to show it so much.

"I want you to continue to protect my daughter. I see that you have been very capable of that up until now, and I'm sure you will be able to do this still."

"Yes sir. I will make sure she is safe."

"Oh, Katara. Will you come with me? Zuko… you can wait for her outside my door."

Once again, she was led into her father's secret room leading from the Great Room. Inside, she was very surprised to see someone familiar. He walked up to her, took her hand, and kissed it.

"Hello Katara. It is very nice to see you again."

She gave him a weak smile and nodded.

"Likewise Haan."

He stood next to her while Nasu sat down in his chair. Her father smiled at her broadly and Katara got a sickening feeling in her stomach.

"Katara, I… well, we have some very good news for you. Go ahead Haan."

She turned towards him and he smirked at her. Oh how charming he was. She wanted to throw up right then and there. Haan took something out from his pocket and she looked at his hand worriedly. When she saw the black ribbon and blue pendant, everything in her collapsed. Her knees gave away, and Haan had to catch her in his arms. He seemed pleased to have done that. Haan helped her stand up and then he offered her the necklace.

"Katara, I would be honored if you would become my wife."

She looked at her father and he smiled sweetly. Katara looked back at Haan, and while holding back all of the tears, she nodded her head and gave him a fake smile. She slightly cringed as he tied the necklace around her neck. Then Haan kissed her cheek and those disgusting shivers went up and down her spine. She pulled away, and Nasu laughed.

"My Katara, you are sixteen now! There is no shame in showing your feelings!"

At once she thought about Zuko. He was standing outside the door, and he didn't even know what just happened. Sadness crept into her heart.

"Father… Haan, may I please be excused? I'm awfully tired."

They nodded and she left the room. Zuko saw her and immediately his face lit up. He grabbed her and squeezed her so hard she felt like she was going to pop.

"Katara! Oh Katara… you saved me! You saved me again…"

He gave her a long adoring kiss, and she pulled away gasping for air. He smiled brilliantly, and she couldn't help but smile back. Thankfully, everyone in the Great Room had left. She felt so nice to be in Zuko's arms. His embrace was so different than Haan's; her happiness disappeared once again. They began to walk to her room, and Zuko couldn't help but smile the whole time.

"Katara, you have such a way with words! I don't think anyone could have saved me besides you!"

Yue turned the corner and the three of them stopped dead in their tracks. Hearing this, Yue's jaw dropped.

"What? You saved him? He's supposed to be dead!"

Katara walked up to her and slapped her again.

"Yue, you are a selfish brat! You have no heart and you are cruel!"

Zuko looked shocked at Katara's words, but he agreed whole-heartedly. Yue's cheeks burned crimson and she ran away. Zuko put an arm around Katara and she smiled.

"That was really great Katara."

"Yeah, it felt really nice to finally get back at her for all the things she has done to me."

They were now in front of her room and they stood in front of one another. Zuko wanted to lean in and give her another kiss, but she turned her head to the right, and he only gave her a kiss on the cheek. He looked confused, and then he noticed the necklace.

"Katara… what exactly did you talk about with your father?"

She felt the tears stinging her eyes. Yue was hiding around the corner, and she was leaning in on every word. Katara's words were choked up in her throat, and Zuko realized she wasn't feeling well. He put her arms around her to comfort her, but she pushed him away.

"Katara! What is wrong with you?"

"Zuko! You see this necklace?"

She began to sob and she started to furiously wipe away her tears.

"It means that I am betrothed!"

Zuko stepped back in shock and everything inside of him sank to the ground. Katara saw this, and immediately ran to him, flung her arms around his neck, and sobbed lightly into his chest.

"I'm sorry Zuko…"

He pushed her away slightly and he tried his best to smile.

"Don't be sorry Katara. I'm happy for you. Really, I am."

Her tears faded away, and she stopped sobbing. Yue snickered and her heart rose up in her chest. How perfect this was! She didn't even have to do anything; they were separated! Gleefully, she ran away to find Sokka.

"Zuko… are you okay?"

She was in the doorway to her room now, and the doors were open. Zuko forcefully nodded his head and smiled weakly.

"Of course, I'm fine."

He stepped towards her, and was going to give her a kiss, but realized he couldn't. So instead, he just kissed her lightly on the cheek and stepped back. As the doors closed, Katara put a hand to her face on the spot where she felt his lips graze her skin. New tears emerged and she sank down to the floor. What had happened to her? Why was she so empty inside now? So what if she wasn't able to kiss Zuko… or to be with him so often as before…

She breathed in painfully and clung to her heart.

"Because I love him…"

..:-:..

Zuko slammed the door to his room. He walked in and punched the walls, the doors and anything that wouldn't break if he did. Then he sat down on the bed and then laid down on it. He stared up at the ceiling, reliving that day. He had been so happy to be with her… she was amazing, and beautiful. Her touch made him feel like he was in nirvana. And now, she had a fiancé. It hurt him so much inside, like someone ripped out his heart. Why was he so hung up on her? She was just a girl… there were millions of girls out there. What was he doing thinking about only one of them? Well for one, he adored her. She was amazing, beautiful… wait, he already realized that. Then why did he think it? He closed his eyes and sighed.

"Because I love her…"

A/N: Yes, Katara and Haan… so very sad, I know! It kills my heart to break them apart… but Monika always has a backup plan lol Please review, I know you probably don't want to or something like that… but it really does help me to know if you like it or not… and I worked very hard to make it enjoyable, so please do tell me! I appreciate everyone who has reviewed so far! You guys are the best!

Have a great day!

-Monika-