Blueeyeddevil06, thank you for being my beta!


The following day Zuko was up early and went to meditate outside. When he got to his favorite place to meditate, he found Akal was already there.

He chuckled, "Maybe I should tell Katara that my guess is that you're half Fire Nation since you get up so early. Although, if you're half water and half fire, no wonder you hide your parentage. I can't imagine it was easy for your parents."

"It's…complicated. Do you think Katara would trust me if she found out I was part of Fire Nation? I know she trusts you, but that's different."

"How?"

Akal rolled his eyes, "She's attracted to you. Didn't you notice?" He knew he was probably pushing too hard, but he wanted them to fall in love. He didn't like seeing them apart.

Zuko blushed and scratched the back of his head. "Um... You saw Aang. He thinks he's dating Katara. It's... complicated. To use your favorite word."

"Being the Avatar doesn't give him rights to her! She's not a prize to be claimed!" Akal stood up and huffed out. "I can't believe you would-"

"-You can't tell!" Zuko said, cutting him off.

Akal sat down and looked at him, "Tell what?"

Zuko looked around and then whispered, "We're dating in secret. I kissed her last night. Neither of us could sleep, and we ran into each other. We came to an understanding... We're keeping it a secret from Aang. He needs to concentrate on the coming battle."

Akal looked at him and smiled, "I promise I won't tell him and screw this up for you. Wow." He was so happy. His parents were together and on their way to falling in love.

"She's… She's amazing. I can't believe she likes me. I would have hated that play if it weren't for the fact that-"

"-That she held your hand during it? Don't worry, only Toph and I know. I saw you, and Toph would have seen it with her feet."

Zuko groaned, "I didn't think of her being able to see us!"

"Toph and I talked. We both agree on the fact that you and Katara belong together."

"You do?"

Akal smiled at Zuko, "Don't worry, I'll make sure to hang out with Aang a lot. It will give you time with Katara."

"Thanks."

"Trust me. It's not a problem."

Fifteen minutes later, Aang joined Zuko in meditation, and they practiced firebending. Zuko was pleased with Aang's progress.

That night, Zuko walked the shoreline again, but this time he was planning to meet Katara. He found her at the spot they declared their feelings for each other the previous day.

As soon as he saw her, he went up to her and kissed her. "I've wanted to do that all day, Katara."

She smiled up at him and said, "So have I. It was fun watching you work on firebending with Aang. I like looking at you with your shirt off."

He smirked. After all, he had been hoping she was watching. He then brushed her cheek with the back of his hand. "I don't suppose you'd practice waterbending topless."

She burst out laughing, "Nice try, Zuko." She then poked him in the ribs playfully, "You wish."

"You're right. I do wish."

He then wrapped his arms around her and kissed the top of her head. "I'm so happy. It's a weird feeling. I haven't been happy since before my mother left."

She embraced him too and laid her head on his chest. "I'm happy too. It's nice to have this in the midst of the battle. To have something to smile about."

He placed his hand on her cheek, tilted her mouth to his, and kissed her passionately. His other hand drifted down, and he grabbed her ass and squeezed. She moaned into him, and he felt like electricity was racing through his veins. He was delighted to not only have her affection but also for her to desire him.

The following day, he woke up early to meditate. He knew he'd need extra time before working with Aang on firebending. To him, it felt like he had Katara in his veins. It was a struggle to put her out of his mind and firebend. A struggle that he was more than happy to have. After all, she was his girlfriend now.

After two hours of practicing with firebending, Aang went in search of Katara. He knew before he and Zuko practiced some more that he needed to talk to her about that play. It was still upsetting him.

"Katara, can we talk?"

She nodded and faced Aang. She knew she'd have to eventually, and she wasn't one to run from a confrontation. "Of course."

"Did you really mean what you said during the play?"

She looked at him, confused, "What are you talking about?"

"On stage, when you said I was just like a ... brother to you, and you didn't have feelings for me," he reminded her.

She sighed out, "I didn't say that. An actor said that."

"But it's true, isn't it? We kissed at the Invasion, and I thought we were gonna be together. But we're not."

She hesitated. The purpose of dating Zuko secretly was to spare Aang's feelings and not distract him from the mission. Obviously, that wasn't working. "Aang... " She sighed out in frustration. She didn't want to lie to him, but what should she say? "We're not together. Correct."

"But do you just see me like a brother? I-"

"-Please understand, we're in the middle of a war, and we have other things to worry about. Is this the right time to talk about this?" She kept repeating, please no, please no, in her head.

Aang pressed on. He leaned in and tried to kiss her. She pulled back and shook her head, "Don't. We can't…."

Aang's shoulders fell, and he said, "Why can't I kiss you, Katara?"

Dammit! She screamed in her head. He was not going to let it go. Crap. "Yes, Aang, I see you like a brother. Sorry. I really don't want to hurt you."

She then walked away and surprised herself by looking for Akal. He seemed to be the only one who wouldn't press her for answers right now, and she wanted peace.

When she found him, he was alone. "Can we talk?"

"Of course, Katara."

"Why do you say my name like that?"

"Like what?"

"Like you're forcing yourself to use it. I don't know. Never mind. I'm not going to force you. It doesn't feel good."

"What happened?" He looked at her in concern. Then added, "If you want to tell me."

"Aang. He wants to date me, and I'm…."

"You have feelings for Zuko."

She looked at him in shock. "What? How do you know?"

"I told Zuko you two should date. He admitted that you were. I won't say anything. I get why you want to keep it quiet."

She sighed, "Great, now you and Toph know about my feelings for Zuko. No way are we going to be able to spare Aang's feelings at all."

He shrugged, "I don't know. I'm pretty good at keeping a secret, and so is Toph."

She smirked at him as she pretended to glare, "I've noticed you're good with secrets."

"So your secret is safe with me," he countered. "I promise I won't do anything to jeopardize your relationship with Zuko." He meant that with all his heart.

Katara nodded, "Thanks."

The following day, when they all gathered, they discovered that Aang had disappeared entirely.