A/N: Ok guys, keep in mind that this is a Zutara fan fic. Hence if some scenes tries not to give anything away don't seem realistic remember it is a fan fic and, well, I don't want to spoil it I just want to say that I know this stuff probably wouldn't happen in the real show but would you rather me take a whole fan fiction to try to explain how the fall in love and all that or get to the good stuff? So please don't flame me for making it exciting (I hope)

By the way, I don't remember if Zhao is still an Admiral or if he's something else so for my story he's an Admiral.

Chapter Thirteen

Perhaps it was a build-up of all the stress she had been through in the past few weeks or maybe it was the fact that being around Zuko simply drove her up the wall. All Katara knew was that one second Zuko was holding the necklace in his hand and the next he was on the floor as she tackled him. When she thought back on it she realized that it was a pretty good jump on her part seeing that she was halfway across the room and he was outside the doorway. Anger makes a person do crazy things.

"You heartless, spineless, coward!" she shrieked, ignoring her injured wrist and everything else around her except the fact that she wanted to punch his face in. This was the last straw. Deal or no deal, she was going to hurt him. Zuko was stunned for a moment but quickly recovered. He rolled over, trying to get the insane water bender off of him but was shocked to feel a punch connect with his face.

Katara felt satisfaction as she landed a punch squarely in Zuko's face. She had wanted to do that for awhile. He grabbed her hand and yanked it, sending her toppling off of him onto the cold metal floor. She retaliated by kneeing him in the stomach. He cried out in anger and pressed his arm against her throat, trying to cut off her air supply, but Katara was too quick. She rolled before he could get his balance back fully and slammed into him, knocking him to the ground once more. Soon they were rolling around in the floor, punching and kicking what ever they could reach. Just when Katara thought she might actually beat him, though, she made a hasty decision that she realized right away would cost her.

After a punch missed her shoulder, she raised her bad hand without thinking to try to knock Zuko off balance again. He grabbed her hand and the pain was enough to make her drop her guard for a split second. It was all he needed. He caught her under her shoulder and slammed her into the wall. Katara's felt the breath being knocked out of her. She gasped for air, unable to think of anyway to break free. Before she could come up with a plan he had spun her around and jerked her back against him, his arm pinning her there. She started to push away but froze as something glinted in front of her. Zuko was holding a knife.

"What are you going to do now?" he hissed in her ear. "Just because I'm a firebender doesn't mean I don't carry weapons. And trust me, if I slit your throat it would be extremely painful." His voice was so menacing that Katara felt frozen. The cold blade was pressed against her throat and she was at a complete loss for words. Things had seemed to spin out of control so fast.

She simply stood frozen, to shocked and exhausted to do anything. She could feel the rise and fall of Zuko's chest against her back as he tried to catch his breath.

Finally he relaxed his grip just enough to lower the knife and put it away. "You are foolish and you have no idea who you're dealing with. I was training before you were even old enough to think about war. The one thing that Fire Nation soldiers are taught is to be the best and to never lose a fight. And I believe that my record still stands." Katara still said nothing. It was the strangest thing ever but she was starting to get that odd feeling that happened around Zuko that made her want to stay with him. It was crazy but when he was so close she couldn't help but think about it.

He let go suddenly, pushing her back into her room and slamming the door behind him after he had followed her through.

"Tell me what you know." He said suddenly, staring at her as she sat on the bed where she had landed when he shoved her.

"Wh-what?" she asked in confusion.

"What do you know about me? You said something about my life being in danger, or hinted at it rather." He replied, the anger still apparent in his voice.

"General Gonju told Admiral Zhao what he knows and they're planning to frame you for stealing something from the Fire Nation so Zhao can kill you in a battle to get it back." Katara said in one breath. She was tired of keeping secrets, and though she would never admit it to herself, she didn't want Zuko to be killed.

He stared at her in surprise, not sure what to say. "You're bluffing." He said finally.

"Why would I lie about something like that? What would I gain from it?"

"General Gonju would never sell me out! He may threaten me about it but he's to spineless to actually go through with it! I can tell."

"Then you're a bad judge of character." Katara answered crossly.

"Well you don't seem so good of one yourself seeing as you keep hanging around me."

Katara felt her cheeks flushed. "Believe me, if I had a choice I would be anywhere but here."

"Oh really?" That stupid smirk was back.

"Yes really!" Katara said in frustration. She stood up so that she was standing face to face with Zuko. "You are one of the most loathsome, foul, revolting people I've ever met and- would you stop smirking at me!" Katara was really getting aggravated.

"Oh I am, am I?" Zuko asked her. "Well you're not so perfect yourself. There's a lot of things about you that I could point out that aren't so great."

Neither of them had realized how close they were getting to each other until suddenly Katara felt something brush against her hand. They both glanced down at the same time and she realized that the back of his hand was touching hers. She felt her face turn red in embarrassment and she looked back up at him. She expected him to move away and make some snide remark but to her surprise he didn't. In fact he wasn't saying anything at all. He was simply staring at her. Her mind flashed back to that night on the ship when he had discovered who she was. He had had ever intention of fighting her and they had ended up kissing.

Involuntarily she found herself staring at lips, thinking about that night. Stop it Katara! She told herself but it was no use. She glanced up and their eyes met, both wondering if the other was thinking the same thing.

Suddenly he grabbed her, she tensed her body instinctively, thinking he was going to attack her again but to her complete and total shock he pulled her against his warm body and their lips met in a passionate kiss. Katara felt all the breath leave her body and she was sure she was going to float away. Complete and utter bliss rushed through her giving her a high she had never experienced before. Before she knew it she was pressing back against him and their kiss deepened. He felt so perfect against her she never wanted it to end.

Hesitantly he let his hand slide gently across her face, brushing her hair back. Katara's eyes closed and she felt a single tear slide down her cheek as she thought about how perfect this night was turning out to be.

At least, it would have been if the door had not flown open at that moment and they had spun around to see none other than Admiral Zhao himself standing in the doorway.

Katara and Zuko simply stared at him, both in complete shock. Zhao was wearing the biggest smirk Katara had ever seen and he glanced at Zuko's hand, which was on Katara's waist, and back up at them, his eyebrows raised.

"Well, well, why am I not surprised?" he said, his smirk getting even wider, if that was possible.

Zuko reacted first. He pulled his hand away from Katara and turned to face Zhao, no sign at all of embarrassment evident on his face. He looked as if he was simply talking to someone who was lost and asking for directions instead of a first-class Admiral who probably had a warrant to arrest him by now.

"What do you want?" Zuko asked in an icy calm voice.

"Oh I'm just checking up on those of lesser rank than myself. I happen to have a tip off that you are carrying a stolen artifact from the Fire Nation and I'm afraid I will have to take it by force if you do not hand it over."

"Fine. Take it." Zuko answered, his expression never changing.

The smirk slipped slightly as what Zuko had just said sunk it. "What?" Admiral Zhao demanded in surprise.

"I said take it. Go ahead." Zuko gestured around the room. "Take it……if you can find it. Otherwise you have no proof that I ever had it."

Katara involuntarily took a step backwards as Zhao's face flushed in anger. He was a lot more terrifying up close.

"Give. Me. The. Artifact." Zhao said in a dangerously quite voice, his anger growing with ever word.

"Find it for yourself. You have no business on my ship and I'm not going to give you something that you can't prove I even have or not."

"Then I will take it by force!" Zhao shouted, his fists erupting into flames.

Zuko immediately jumped back into a fighting stance, raising his also flaming fists to prepare for battle. But he was not prepared for what Zhao was about to do.

Without warning Zhao sprang, but to Katara and Zuko's surprise it was not to attack Zuko. Before either one realized what was happening, Zhao had grabbed Katara and had his arm wrapped around her throat so that she couldn't escape. Katara gasped in surprise and tried to wriggle out of his grip but was unsuccessful. She couldn't even use some of the moves she had learned when she had trained with Zuko because they required two hands and do to her hurt wrist she only had one.

"Give me the artifact!" Zhao screamed. Zuko froze, staring from him to Katara. He had no idea what to do; he could see no way out of the situation. Slowly he lowered his fists, the flames extinguishing themselves, and reached into his pocket. He drew out a small sculpture that looked to Katara to be a dragon with three heads. It was rusted but not badly and it shone slightly in the pale light of the room. He hesitated, looking once more at Zhao and his captive, and then slowly held the sculpture out for Zhao to take.

"No! Don't give it to him!" Katara screamed but Zuko ignored her.

Zhao grinned and reached out with his free hand to take it. Zuko pulled it back suddenly. "The girl first." He said. "I'm not giving it to you until you let her go."

Zhao laughed, it wasn't a pleasant sound. "Fine." Zuko held the sculpture out again, carefully watching Zhao's every movement. Zhao reached for the sculpture. Suddenly he grabbed it, pushing Katara away from his at the same time. She landed on the bed with a muffled thump. As soon as he released Katara Zuko jumped at him, no doubt to try and take the artifact back but as soon as the artifact was in Zhao's hand he turned and left, slamming and locking the door in Zuko's face.

Cursing, Zuko kicked the door but it didn't work. It was firmly locked and already they could hear Zhao's footsteps above their heads as he departed from the ship, having gotten what he had come for.