Zuko emerged on the ship's deck to see the Avatar's giant sky bison stomping around and slamming soldiers out of the way as they frantically tried to subdue him.

"Give us Katara and no one else needs to get hurt!" Aang shouted, trying to reason with Zuko's men as they fended off his airbending attacks and blasted him with return fire.

One of Appa's huge legs lashed out, smashing a nearby soldier and flinging him into the deck's railing.

"Except him." Sokka said.

Appa hit another soldier with his tail, sending the man overboard.

"Annnd him. Okay, you guys should really just leave the bison alone." Standing close to Appa, Sokka looked smug when the soldiers backed away, giving the animal a wide berth.

"Avatar." Zuko strode confidently toward them. Around him, the battle came to a tenuous pause. "I agree, no one else needs to get hurt. Give yourself up and I'll… release Katara." He faltered, hit by a strange reluctance. He shook it off—the whole point of taking Katara captive was to capture the Avatar instead, after all.

Sokka held his boomerang at the ready. "As if we trust you. You better not have hurt my sister, or—"

"Or what?" Zuko scoffed. "Have you forgotten how easily I defeated you before?"

"You haven't defeated me." Aang said.

"Because you keep running away like a scared little boy. If you had the guts to face me, then we'd see."

Aang exchanged a meaningful look with Sokka, who returned the look with a barely perceptible nod.

Aang said, "I'm not giving myself up."

"Then I'm not giving you Katara." Zuko assumed a battle stance and the soldiers around him tensed. "And if you're not going to surrender then I'll just have to take you myself."

Zuko thrust out his hand, ending the conversation with a burst of fire that was soon followed by attacks from the rest of his soldiers. Aang deftly danced out of the way, flying into the air on his glider and bombarding the firebenders with gusts that took them off their feet.

In the commotion, Sokka disappeared into the interior of the ship.

O – O – O – O – O – O

Minutes had passed and Katara was still sitting dazed on the bed.

Holy shit, what did I just do?

She heard the telltale metal scraping noise that meant the bolt on the outside of her door was being opened.

She felt a flutter in her stomach. It must be Zuko coming back. Her skin still felt on fire from his touch, her brain fuzzy. Before her conscious mind could weigh in, she found herself hoping they could pick up where they left off.

The door opened. It was Sokka.

Katara blinked.

"Katara!" Sokka cried, dashing into the room and pulling her into a relieved hug. "Katara, what's wrong? Are you okay? What did they do to you?"

She shook her head to clear her mind. Not Zuko… Sokka. Sokka! Sokka and Aang are here! Finally!

"I—I'm okay, Sokka. It's so good to see you!" Coming back to the present, Katara returned the hug fiercely.

"Come on, we're getting out of here." Sokka grabbed her hand and led her from the room. All along the hallway, the doors stood open where Sokka had methodically checked every room as he went, before finding hers. Luckily, Aang's diversion was working, drawing all the soldiers away. Their path was clear.

When they reached the deck, Aang and Appa were still fighting with Zuko and the Fire Nation soldiers. Iroh had joined them, sticking close to Zuko's side.

Noticing Katara and Sokka appear from the ship's depths, Aang flew around so Zuko would turn his back and give them a chance to sneak over to Appa unopposed. When Katara saw Zuko, she was struck by an onslaught of mixed feelings—the memory of him kissing her mere moments ago juxtaposed with him now, angry and attacking Aang—but she didn't have time to sort them out at the moment.

They were halfway to Appa when one of the Fire Nation soldiers spotted them.

"Hey! Stop!"

Zuko whirled around. "Katara!" Don't go.

Katara froze. As Zuko looked at her, the anger disappeared from his face, replaced by a flicker of dismay. Sokka tugged on Katara's arm, urging her to keep moving.

"I thought it was me you were after!" Aang called out.

Right, Zuko thought. He couldn't afford to let himself get distracted. Too much was at stake. He tried to put the waterbender out of his thoughts and focus on what was important.

He hurled a fireball at Aang, which flew so close to the airbender that it would have singed his hair, if he had any.

Meanwhile, soldiers closed in on Sokka and Katara. The moon was out, and with skill borne of necessity, Katara was able to pull a thick strand of water from the ocean and push some of the soldiers away.

"Appa!" Sokka shouted. Appa snorted and charged toward them. The remaining soldiers either dove out of the way or were knocked aside in his path.

Sokka leapt onto Appa's back and held out his hand to Katara, pulling her up after him.

"Aang! Let's go!" Sokka yelled as he threw his boomerang at a soldier who had just finished sending a fireball at Appa. "Yip yip!"

Aang wove and dodged in a sky full of flames, gliding back to land on Appa as the bison rose into the air.

When they were high above the ship, out of range of firebending attacks, Katara looked down to see Zuko staring up at them, watching them go. She was surprised to feel a small pang of loss.

O – O – O – O – O – O

I kissed Zuko. I kissed ZUKO.

The cold wind whipped around Katara as she lay curled up on Appa's back, unable to sleep. She was still reeling with everything that had happened, so quickly, from the moment Zuko had entered her room. It seemed like one moment she was underneath the fire prince, feeling lit aflame herself, and the next she was taking Sokka's hand as he pulled her up onto Appa's back.

The instant they were away, Aang and Sokka had, of course, pelted her with apologies and questions. They wanted to know whether she'd been hurt and how she'd been treated. She assured them she was fine—although nothing could be farther from how she felt in that moment.

What the hell came over me back there?

The boys had continued talking, explaining the spirit trouble they'd run into and how Aang had been the only person who could have helped the villagers—something about another angry nature spirit. Katara was only half-listening as they chattered, her thoughts far away and spinning hopelessly.

What would Sokka say if he found out what she'd been doing, even as they arrived to rescue her? And what she'd wanted to do. What she would have done, if she hadn't been interrupted. And worse, how would Aang feel? She knew he had a huge crush on her, though so far she'd found herself unable to reciprocate. She could almost see the confused, hurt expression on his puppy-dog face.

Now, she lay awake to the sounds of their snores, unable to stop thinking about Zuko. She began to think about how the night would have gone if Aang and Sokka hadn't shown up when they did. She could almost still feel Zuko's impossibly hot hands on her body, hungrily exploring every inch of her as she pressed herself into him.

She shivered.

He is our enemy, she told herself firmly. He is surly and terrible and always chasing us. His intentions are bad. He is Fire Nation royalty. Clearly, she was just experiencing a physical impulse, a simple unavoidable reaction to his inconveniently handsome face and flawless body. She would just need to purge herself of this troublesome attraction.

But deep down, she knew it would not be so easy. As she finally drifted to sleep, it wasn't lust that filled her mind, but the image of Zuko looking across the pai sho board at her, the shadow of a smile across his features as she teased him.

O – O – O – O – O – O

Zuko paced in his quarters, unbearably frustrated. His plan to bait the Avatar to him had worked, but the infuriating airbender had gotten away, again.

Oddly, though, this was not the thing that bothered him the most. No, it was the waterbender. The unexpectedly playful… annoyingly stubborn… unreasonably beautiful… and maddeningly irresistible waterbender.

The way she had kissed him. No one had ever kissed him like that.

And now she was gone.

He paced his room again. In the heat of the moment, he had thought she had wanted him. But that couldn't possibly be—she hated him. She hated the Fire Nation and everything he stood for. She would never want someone like him. His chest constricted as doubts swirled around his heart.

Was he remembering the night right? Or had he just thought, when he shoved her against her wall, that she had kissed him first? She had been his captive, after all. What choice did she have? What if she hadn't been willing? What if she was afraid of what he'd do to her if she said no?

Zuko buried his head in his hands. He would never forgive himself if he had forced her.

He went over the memory again. From what he could recall, she had been just as enthusiastic as he was. But was that right? Could he be sure? Had she really responded with such feeling… or was that just what he wanted to believe?

He thought of the way she recoiled from him when he'd almost kissed her on the ship's deck.

What had he just done?

~~~S1 E10: Jet to S1 E15: Bato of the Water Tribe~~~

Katara had adventures with Aang and Sokka over the next few weeks, but she still wasn't able to purge Zuko from her thoughts. She felt like she was always looking over her shoulder for him. To be fair, they all did that, knowing he was after them—but she was ashamed that a tiny part of her actually wanted him to appear. She wondered what would happen when he did. How would she feel? How would he feel? Nothing between them had really changed, they were still on opposite sides.

At the same time, she felt like everything had changed. She knew now what his face looked like with all the hard lines smoothed out, a smile playing at the corners of his lips. That he'd rather kiss a girl than punch a man. That he'd lost his mother too, and it pained him. That his body pressed against hers ignited her unlike anything she'd ever experienced.

And quite possibly would never experience again.

Shortly after leaving Zuko's ship, they had run into a group of so-called freedom fighters and Katara threw herself at their charismatic leader, Jet. She was convinced that she just needed someone, an attractive someone, to help her forget about Zuko and the craving he'd let loose within her. But it was no use. Getting physical with Jet was… nice… but it was nothing like Zuko. No. With Zuko, she'd felt undone with just the brush of his finger along her lip. And when he'd had her against the wall, it had been like the firebender had lit an inferno within her—and she wouldn't be satisfied until she could stand in the middle of the sun.

After her disappointing encounter with Jet, she wondered if she would ever feel that way again. And then, she felt even worse when Jet turned out to be a terrible person who wanted to murder civilians. Something must be seriously wrong with her taste in men.

Katara didn't have long to wait before her path crossed Zuko's again. Riding on the back of a shirshu—a frightening creature she had never seen before that could track anyone by smell alone—he cornered her and Sokka. As she had feared, her emotions betrayed her when, for a brief moment, she actually felt happy to see him again.

But he was as cold and implacable as ever. Especially when the bounty hunter referred to her as his "girlfriend." His expression became unreadable and he refused to look her in the eye. He seemed determined to pretend that nothing had ever happened as he doggedly ignored the comment—and Katara—and focused only on the Avatar.

Katara felt a twinge of hurt. Maybe he hadn't felt the same overpowering magnetism between them. Or maybe he did, but that was just how it always was for him? He was the fire prince. Perhaps incendiary passion was simply in his blood. And as royalty, he probably had as many women as he wanted; she was nothing special.

She had been right. Nothing had changed. Except she'd somehow been stupid enough to get herself infatuated with her enemy.

~~~S1 E19-20: The Siege of the North~~~

Their next meeting was at the Northern Water Tribe as Katara protected Aang while he ventured into the spirit world to seek help against the Fire Nation fleet. Since they'd last run into each other, Katara's bending had grown much more powerful under Master Pakku's tutelage. She'd also grown angrier with the fire prince, and though she'd never admit it, with herself.

This time, she matched him blow for blow, water against fire, as he tried to abduct Aang. The Zuko she knew from her time in captivity was nowhere to be seen. In fact, he seemed even meaner than before, like he was determined to antagonize her completely. He mocked her and her bending abilities. He insulted her, flinging the word "peasant" at her like a dirty epithet. After everything she'd shared with him, it hit her like a slap across the face.

But just when her anger was at its peak and she was convinced he'd never felt anything for her, she made a crucial mistake, leaving herself wide open for attack. He had the opportunity for a perfect shot—a direct hit—but his blast went wide at the last second, missing her entirely.

Given his usual precision, it couldn't possibly have been an accident.

Katara didn't stop to think about it, using the advantage to encase him in a cascade of ice against the side of the cave.

Unfortunately, her win lasted only moments, as the sun came over the horizon and fueled Zuko's firebending, allowing him to defeat her and abscond with Aang. Katara was knocked unconscious against a wooden post by his parting shot.

She wasn't awake to see him stop and gently check her pulse and the back of her head, making sure she wasn't too seriously injured before scooping up the Avatar and disappearing into the snowstorm.

~~~Book 2 Begins~~~

Katara didn't see Zuko again for a long time after the North Pole. She tried to bury her hurt at his biting comments, and the way he acted like nothing had even happened.

During all of her exploits with Aang and Sokka, she managed to all but drive the firebender from her thoughts. And when she did think of him, it was only to remind herself that she hated him.

Except when she'd half-wake in the middle of the night, the remnants of a dream of hot hands and insistent lips flushing her with yearning, making her kick off her blankets before she drifted back to sleep.

Nothing remained of the dreams by morning, leaving her confused as to why she was always waking up out of her sleeping bag and cold.

~~~S2 E8: The Chase~~~

He looked so different the next time she saw him. His shaved head and ponytail were gone, replaced by short black hair growing in and covering his head. He was wearing Earth Kingdom greens and he looked skinnier than she remembered.

But the change in his appearance was nothing compared to the difference in his actions. He and his uncle Iroh actually fought alongside Katara, Aang, Sokka, and Toph against his crazy sister, Azula. Katara couldn't believe it. She'd seen the wanted posters, of course, but she assumed he'd still be out to catch the Avatar and win back his place in the Fire Nation.

Could it be that he had switched sides? She didn't dare think it.

Before she could find out anything, Azula struck down Iroh and escaped. In his rage and grief, Zuko shot fire above their heads and screamed at them to leave, so they did.

Katara hoped Iroh was okay; he had always been kind to her. And regarding Zuko, she was more bewildered than ever. She told herself it didn't matter, that anything that might have been between them had been snuffed out the moment she left his ship. They had been enemies and if they weren't enemies anymore, then that must mean they were simply nothing. Acquaintances, at best, who may or may not be on the same side depending on the day.

Enemies, acquaintances, or… something else… she wished he'd let her help him. At least to heal Iroh.

~~~S2 E11: The Desert~~~

Katara stumbled through the never-ending expanse of sand, wearily compelling herself to put one foot in front of the other, just one more time.

And one more time.

And one more time.

Her mind became hazy from the heat and she wondered how much father she could go until she collapsed.

The sandstorm. They'd escaped from Wan Shi Tong's library only to find that sandbenders had bison-napped Appa. Aang was devastated. They'd set out immediately to find him but before they had gone far, the winds picked up. There'd been a wild sandstorm. Katara suspected it was the work of the sandbenders, trying to throw them off the trail.

She had barely been able to see her own hand in front her face as the wind whirled sand around them and whipped her eyes and skin, a thousand tiny stings. She heard the others shouting through the storm and tried to go to them so they could all grab hands and stay together. But even as she followed the sound of their voices, they seemed to be getting further away. Her only consolation was that it had sounded like they had all made it to each other.

When the storm finally cleared, she'd been completely alone. She'd never known desolation such as she felt, standing in the middle of a now-calm desert, surrounded by empty dunes on every side, utterly forsaken. It seemed nothing at all lived in the desert. That wasn't surprising—what could survive here in this inhospitable wasteland?

She started walking immediately, knowing that it was only a matter of time until she succumbed to thirst or exposure. Whichever managed to get her first.

She had to find a village. Or shelter. Or water. She hoped she was going the right way, but it was impossible to truly know when everything looked the same in every direction. Refusing to cry—she needed to keep the moisture—she stubbornly plodded on.

As the sun began to sink, she lay down exhausted, silently thanking the spirits when the temperature finally relented. But she didn't allow herself to rest for long. She knew her only chance was to travel at night when it was cool. She could rest during the day. She hoped she would find even just a small patch of shade by morning before the merciless heat sapped the rest of her strength.

Morning came, and with it, no shade. She trudged onward.

I'm getting out of this desert. She repeated to herself as she willed her legs to keep moving. It became a marching mantra as her heat-addled mind repeated it over and over again with every step.

She took careful sips from her waterskin, knowing it would have to be rationed if she was going to make it through the desert alive. She worried about the others—they hadn't been carrying much water. She tried to keep faith that they had figured out a solution. They would make it, she had to believe that. She would be reunited with them just as soon as she found her way out. Aang had probably found some desert animal for them to ride, and they were all waiting for her at the next village right now.

That must be it…

Katara stumbled, then crumpled onto the sand. Her throat was parched. Her entire body ached. Nausea tingled in her throat. She couldn't throw up now. She had to take another drink.

Only a few drops were left. She guzzled them eagerly.

Wrenching herself upright, she tried desperately to bend any water out of the air around her. The return was only a few meagre droplets—the air was too dry. And it took such great effort to do any bending in her current state, she wasn't sure how much longer she'd be able to keep it up.

I'm getting out of this desert. I'm getting out of this desert. I'm getting out of this desert.

She lay down for a rest, taking off the outermost layer of her clothing and using it to shade her face from the sun.

When she woke, she didn't feel rested at all. She tried again to pull water from air. She managed to get even less than before, but it would have to be enough.

Two days passed much the same, the only difference being her waning strength. Finally, on the eve of the third night, she thought she could see a spattering of rooftops on the horizon.

She didn't get her hopes up. She could barely see straight anymore, and she had thought she'd seen things before—villages, an oasis, Appa—only to have them melt away as soon as she approached. Surely this too was nothing more than a mirage.

Still, she slogged toward it.

O – O – O – O – O – O

A fight broke out in the tavern of the desert town, as the two powerful earthbender bounty hunters who had recognized Zuko and Iroh from their wanted posters fought with the greedy townsfolk for the right to capture them.

Sizing up Iroh as the greater threat, the earthbenders had acted quickly to encase him in a box of earth.

Zuko fought ferociously. Uncle's contact, by the looks of him just a simple old man who lived in the desert, grabbed Zuko's arm, trying to urge him out the door.

"I am not leaving without Uncle." Zuko spat, wrenching his arm away and sending another fire blast toward the bounty hunters.

"Nephew," came Uncle's voice, muffled from within the center of the makeshift rock prison, "Do not worry about me. I still have a few tricks up my sleeve."

"What are you talking about?"

"Go, now. I will meet up with you again in Ba Sing Se."

"I'm not leaving you!" Zuko dodged the onslaught of rocks as the earthbenders endeavored to entrap him the same way as Uncle.

"Please, nephew. Do it for me."

"Argh!" Zuko growled in frustration, shooting another wave of fire all around him. Before relenting and allowing the old man to lead him out of the building, he said, "Ba Sing Se, then. I will find you, Uncle."

He spent the next two days hiding in a storage room. The old man brought him food and water and told him to keep his head down. The entire village was in an uproar, searching for the fugitive and speculating about what they would do with the reward money.

On the first day, the bounty hunter that had stayed behind checked the storage room, clearly not expecting to find anything. He missed Zuko in his cursory search while Zuko hid in a large pot, beneath a rose-fern.

When the bounty hunter gave up and left the village to catch up with his companion, the old man brought Zuko an outfit with a hood to hide his face, along with supplies for the road.

"Why are you helping me?" Zuko demanded.

"Let's just say I am an old friend of your uncle's. Safe journey." The old man left.

Zuko waited until the middle of the night to leave the storage room. Flitting from shadow to shadow, he reached the outskirts of the village in short order. He adjusted the pack on his shoulders, preparing for a long night of walking, when he saw a humanoid shape in the distance. Whoever they were, they were coming from the direction of the desert and stumbling badly.

Whatever. He thought. Not my problem.

Turning his back, he took a few steps in the direction he needed to go to reach Ba Sing Se. Then, he stopped, glancing over his shoulder at the shape again.

As he watched, whoever it was collapsed into the sand. It was obvious the person was not going to make it on their own. Zuko groaned and turned around, covering the distance to the figure in quick strides. He would just get them to the old man, and be on his way.

As he drew close, he furrowed his brow to see the figure was clothed in Water Tribe attire.

It can't be.

Zuko flipped the person over, eliciting a weak moan.

It was Katara.