"Why?" Zuko frowned. Katara blinked at him then smiled. She repositioned her legs so that she was leaning on her side. She looked down at the bed and ran her finger tips over the hem of her gown, She pulled the fabric down a little over her legs as she looked back up at him.

"I just want your company." She looked up at him and smiled. Zuko fought from his frown deepening. There was something in her eyes that he had never seen before. Katara looked back to the floor and shrugged her shoulders. "Like we used to." She said and looked up at him with innocent eyes.

Zuko's face softened. He didn't realized that he wasn't the only one missing the 'used to's. He looked back out the door and looked either way. He stepped back inside the room and quietly shut the door. He stared at the door as thoughts poured into his mind. Things were so different now. They weren't fighting to survive. There was no one out to kill them or worse. They were safe. They didn't have to be close together to keep the elements from getting to them. The comfort that they had needed from one another could be gained through different sources now. There was no playing a part, or having to pretend. He closed his eyes. There was new things now. At the moment, the tension hung in the air making it hard to breathe. He didn't want what he thought was coming. He didn't want to delve into the world of purely sexual pleasure. He wanted to lover her the right way. He wanted to love her whether she choose to give him her body or not. He wanted to feel the fire inside his heart coursing through his veins, not a fire from his groin.

He vanished the thoughts from his mind. She hadn't tried anything before when they had ample time. She hadn't been a sexual person. He was just being perverted. That had to be it. He was just a nasty old man.

"Zuko? Are you going to stare at the door all night?" A shiver ran down his back as her voice seemed to roll over him. He turned and looked at her, half worried that his face was gonna shown a look a fear. Katara was leaning on her elbow. The night shirt she was wearing fell down loosely around her shoulder. He walked over and pulled the covers back. She smiled at him and laid down on her pillow curling up as she watched him in the darkness. Zuko felt a sense of calmness wash over him as he realized the foolishness of his thoughts. He laid down and pulled the covers up over them both. He watched her as she closed her eyes. He watched her for a while after the serenity of sleep over took her. He smiled and rolled over onto his side and closed his eyes. He drifted slowly into sleep, but before he reached that deep point, he was jerked back to alertness.

Katara's body was pressed against his. The soft fabric against his back didn't help to hide that every contour of her body was touching his. Her hand ran lightly up over his shoulder. Zuko froze as his eyes grew wider. She gently ran her finger tips down his arm. A shiver over took him as she gently pressed her lips against his shoulder. She brought her hand under his arm and traced the shaped muscles around his navel. Her hand skimmed the rim of his pants, and his breath caught in his chest. Her fingers started to make their way in a dangerous path.

He jumped straight up falling out of the bed, the blankets wrapping around his legs as he tried to kick them off. Katara sat up with wide eyes and looked at him. He cussed as he fought the blankets. He growled and finally ripped them and pulled his legs out. He stumbled away from the bed and stood up looking at her.

She looked at him, with a hunger in her eyes that could have put any starving man to shame. He shook his head and started for the door. She called out for him, but he didn't turn around. Something was off, and he wasn't about to do something he knew he would regret.

Zuko blinked his eyes as the sun shown in through the window. He sat up in a jerk and looked around him. He was in his own room. He brought his knees up and rested his elbows on them. He rubbed his face and shook his head. Was it possible all of the events were a dream? He fell back against the pillow and cursed himself. He was a nasty old man. That was it right there. He was a perverted sex crazed maniac that had no business being around women. He laughed at himself and sat up. He pulled on his clothes and walked out of his door. The place was quiet. Sokka and Aang had to leave early, and Toph had insisted on joining them. To much mush in the air, she had said.

He walked out onto the balcony. And just as he expected, Katara was leaning on the rail waiting for him. He walked over to her with a smile on his face, but it dissolved when his eyes met hers. The hunger he had thought he dreamed up was still there. Katara smiled and shook her head.

"Zuko, about last night..." Zuko brought his hand up and shook his head.

"Not a word about it." He walked over and touched her shoulder. "We have a lot of nothing to do today. Let's not waste it." Katara smiled. They walked down the stairs and started towards the merchant that sold some of the most exotic fruits, they had ever seen.

Zuko looked across the small table as he sipped his tea. Katara bit into a small red berry and closed her eyes.

"Hmmm." She giggled and looked at him. She held it across the table, offering him a bite. He cocked his eyebrow and leaned over to take a bite, but before he got to it she pulled it further away. He frowned and sat back in his chair and looked at her. She giggled again as she held it back to him. He again reached for it, only to have it teasingly pulled away. He frowned. Again she giggled. She held it out to him again, but this time he grabbed her wrist and took the berry out of her hand. He popped it his mouth and looked at her. She grinned and looked at him out from under her eyelashes.

"You're no fun." Zuko fought back a shiver. Her voice was entirely too alive. It was too soft and too caressing. Katara's smile disappeared as she watched discomfort take over his face. "Zuko?" Zuko looked at her for a moment then laughed.

"I got a seed seed stuck in my teeth. It's better now." He lied. They stood up after paying the small merchant. They walked down through the many shops, looking but not really looking at much of anything. Then they came to the fountain. Katara walked over and ran her hand along the water. She sat down and watched as he walked over to join her. He sat down next to her and watched the ripples in the water. Katara moved over closer to him and set her head on his shoulder.

"Zuko...?"

"Hmm?" She moved over closer to him.

"Do you know what the best thing about water is?" Zuko frowned. He thought for a moment. This was a test. She had told him this before hadn't she? She was seeing if he listened. Fuck. He couldn't remember.

"No...what?" She laughed low and turned her face so that her nose brushed his neck. She gently kissed his neck. She looked up at him with a smile.

"When it touches fire, it steams." She said in a low voice. She nuzzled back into his neck and bit down gently. He jerked away and stood up. He shoved his hands into his pockets and started walking off. He slowed down his breath and tried to pace his heart beat. She had to be able to smell or taste the hormones seeping out of him. She had to. That was all there was to it. She could sense the tension building up in him and the perversion inside his mind. He wound paths around the city. He had lost track of how many turns he took and how far away from Katara he had gotten. It didn't matter right then. He had to get away from her. If he didn't something very bad was going to happen very fast, and neither one of them, or any force in the universe he could think of would be able to stop it.

"Dammit..."