A/N: ah, another chapter! And put up rather quickly, too. Well, not as quickly as the last ones. Hmm…how much longer will this last? I have no idea…I think my fast writing is because of the weekend. Unfortunately, school does tend to interfere…I shake my fist at the school people…But! Tomorrow is a holiday!

Disclaimer: I do not own Avatar: The Last Airbender. sniffle.

Chapter Seven

Was it all a dream? Katara say up and pushed back her fall of hair. She frowned. Her dream had been so odd, so…vivid. Sighing, she turned her body to get out of bed. That was when she noticed the tea-laden tray on the small table beside her cot.

A smile crossed her face. Despite her confused feelings towards Zuko, Katara really rather liked Uncle Iroh. He was nice and funny at times. Her face fell into a frown. She couldn't understand how Uncle Iroh would still be helping Zuko, especially after the young firebender betrayed him. Still…if Sokka ever betrayed her, she would still love him, still try and convince him to come back onto her side.

Katara snorted as she picked dup a cup of the steaming tea. Sokka would never betray her. He was fiercely protective of her. Maybe too protective. Suddenly, a wave of sadness washed through her. She lowered her head and cried, her hair hiding her face. She missed them, her friends. And they weren't coming. Aang had promised her he'd go on without her. A tear fell into her tea, and Katara's body began to shake. She was all alone.

"But you aren't." A face appeared in her mind, so real that Katara lifted her hand to touch the scalded scar on his face. But the vision vanished and Katara was left by herself. Again. "Zuko… Why can't I stop thinking about you?" She began to cry even harder, confused beyond all reason. She should hate him for what he did, for what he was trying to do, but she couldn't. Not when he had danced with her.

She stilled, remembering how he had looked in her dream, how his eyes had narrowed in concentration, how she had only been able to see two small lines of gold. She remembered the feel of his fire surrounding her, weaving through her bended water. They had moved perfectly in synch, as if they had carefully planned out every move. More tears fell and she shook her head. But it was just a dream. It couldn't have happened and he couldn't feel the same way about her.

"But how do I feel?" Katara asked herself. "I'm so confused."

After a moment, Katara perked up a bit. At least there was someone to talk to. Placing her tea back on the tray, Katara left her room and walked down the corridor, determined not to run away from her problems.

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Zuko woke with the vision of his dream still dancing around him. He sat up and stretched, smiling in anticipation of seeing Katara. Abruptly, he stilled. "What?"

A smug voice in his head answered him. "You know it wasn't just a dream."

He scowled. "Of course it was. She would never…I would never…"

"It was real."

"No."

Growling, Zuko got out of his bed, ignoring the tray of food beside him. He needed to meditate. Sitting cross-legged on the floor, he began, only to stop when Katara's face popped up in his mind. Growling again, he pushed the image away and tried to concentrate on his meditation. But it was impossible. After last night…after the dream last night, he couldn't stop thinking about her. "Katara." He huffed out a breath, disgusted with himself. Even her name sounded beautiful to him.

Shaking his head, he stood. It was pointless to continue trying to meditate. He couldn't help but remember the way Katara had danced, the way her lovely hair had whirled around her, how her sapphire eyes had glowed with silver and gold, lighted by moon and fire. She was stunning. It was no wonder she and the Avatar…

The thought stopped him cold, sent angry fire coursing through him. He didn't understand why the thought of Katara and the Avatar made him so angry.

"You're jealous."

"I'm not."

"You are."

"I…maybe just a little, but only because anyone would be."

"And you regularly follow the crowd."

Another growl came from him and Zuko stalked from his room, determined to talk to Katara. He wasn't going to let this go on anymore. Last night had been just a dream. Katara would never be able to trust him, not really. Oh, she would a little, but not enough. Not enough to give him her heart.

"Not that I want it or anything," he hastily added.

That still didn't stop the sly voice in his head from retorting, "But you do need it."

"Shut up." He opened Katara's door and then stood there in disbelief. She wasn't there!

"Where could she have gone? We're in the middle of the ocean."

It was then that a saint shout came from above deck. "Land ho!" Zuko groaned and ran towards the stairs leading above deck. But he paused when he heard someone giggling. A girl giggling. Breathing a sigh of relief—that his chance at joining the Avatar hadn't run away—Zuko opened the door to his uncle's room.

And there she was, her face turned slightly towards the door. She was laughing, her sapphire eyes sparkling in amusement. Zuko felt a tug at his heart and he looked instead at his uncle.

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Katara stopped laughing as she caught sight of Zuko in the doorway. She nearly groaned in annoyance. She had come to speak with Uncle Iroh about the young firebender and she hadn't even gotten around to it yet. Now, speaking of the devil, he was there, with a glare on his face that could've killed her if looks could do such a thing.

"Nephew! It is so good of you to join us. Miss Katara and I were just discussing the many teas we've come across," Iroh said, standing. "Please, sit."

Zuko stayed where he was. "We've reached land," he said abruptly.

A surge of happiness welled up in Katara and she jumped up, grinning. She and Iroh exchanged looks of pleasure at the news and both turned breathlessly towards Zuko. "Is there a marketplace?"

Zuko was so blinded by Katara's brilliant smile that he couldn't think for a moment. But then he remembered how to talk. "How should I know?" he growled. With that, he left the room. But not before he caught the disappointed looks on Katara's and his Uncle's faces.

"He should check these things before he decides to land on some random island," Katara grumbled. "And I bet there isn't a marketplace, either. Just to spite us."

Iroh was in wholehearted agreement. It was a very sad thing when you landed on an island without a market. "Maybe one will be there?" he asked. But he knew there wouldn't be. All the surrounding islands were small, uninhabited. The chances of a marketplace were very slim.

"Shouldn't we be out looking for Katara?" Sokka demanded angrily. "She could be anywhere. In trouble. She needs us!"

Aang sighed wearily as he stood and wiped the sleep from his eyes. "You said it yourself, Sokka; she could be anywhere. And, as much as I want to keep looking for her, it's nearly impossible. We'd have to search the entire ocean."

Toph stepped out of her earthen tent and walked over to the two boys. "But, if we were to search the surrounding islands, it would be much easier.

"What?" The two boys turned and looked at her in surprise.

Shaking her head, Toph said, "Look. This Zuko guy didn't take her just for her company, right? He must have another motive. It's not like he's going to run forever. Jeez. I swear; boys are so dumb." She turned around, only to stand where she was, arms crossed over her chest. "Will someone help me?" she muttered angrily.

Aang blushed wildly and helped her up onto Appa. Sokka clambered up behind them. "All right," the warrior said, motioning wildly with his hands. "We'll start with the closest island first and then work our way through them. They have to be on one of them, right?"

Toph leaned in Aang's general direction. "Thought that up all by himself, too. Amazing, isn't it?" Aang laughed.

"Hey!" Sokka yelled indignantly. Toph and Aang laughed all the harder. Sometimes it was good to escape from all the worry. But it was still there, between them. After a moment their laughter faded into an uncomfortable silence. They missed Katara.

"Ty Lee. How good to see you. You didn't turn back too soon, I hope?"

Ty Lee smiled up at Azula. "Nope. Zuko kidnapped one of the Avatar's friends."

"And the Avatar?"

"He followed Zuko."

A slow smirk worked its way onto Azula's face. "Good." She laughed. "And to think, I'm killing three birds with one stone."

Mai frowned. "Three? I thought the Avatar had four friends."

"The Avatar's little friends don't count. No. What matters is that we catch the Avatar and teach ZuZu a lesson. His friends are unimportant."

Ty Lee bounced on the balls of her feet. "Except for that Waterbender, right? I mean, she did escape you, Azula. You must want to catch her, too."

Azula scowled. "That little peasant is nothing. She got lucky. But I assure you, it won't happen again." Her smirk reappeared. "When ZuZu hands us the Avatar, I'll tell him exactly how Father feels about him. He'll understand, too. After all, my brother is a weakling. And weaklings don't deserve the respect of those who are obviously so much stronger. Oh, believe me. After this is over, we won't have to deal with my poor older brother ever again."

Zuko watched silently as Katara bounded off the sloop, diving right into the water. He twitched, as if he were moving to save her, but then her head appeared above the water. He stared as her slim body rose further into the air, held up by a swirling column of water. It suddenly occurred to him that she was a very, very powerful bender.

He shook his head as memories of his dream drifted into his mind. She looked just as lovely, laughing as water encased her lower half. Letting out a huff of air, Zuko left the ship and stood in the sand, watching as the crew placed their things beside him. When everything was done, Zuko told them they could go. If all went according to plan, they wouldn't need a ship. They would be flying with the Avatar.

Glancing back at the water, he noticed that Katara was swimming back to shore. Her blue eyes sparkled and danced. Zuko turned away. Why did he felt his way?

A hand touched his shoulder and Zuko looked at his uncle. "You've made the right choice, Nephew."

Zuko sighed and watched Katara walk onto the beach. It seemed he had.

A/N: Yeeeeee! I know it's a bit cliché to have them stuck together on an island, but Uncle Iroh is there, if you'll remember. He'll monitor the teens…and maybe instigate a few moments alone. After all, he wants to see Zutara as much as the rest of us. Please review.