AN: Yea! Over one hundred reviews. /Spazes out/ Ahem, I hope nobody saw that. It's March 17th! New episodes! I thought I'd get this up before the showing tonight. I'm so psyched! Anyways, I hope you enjoy.

Disclaimer: By now you should realize that I don't own this show. But, someday, my plans of world domination will come to fruition and then, I will. You have been warned. /Men in white coats come to take the author away/

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Katara ran the rest of the way to the beach. She stood there, looking up and down the sand for Zuko. He emerged from the shadows behind her. "You're late."

She sketched him a mock bow. "I beg your pardon, your highness. We peasants have been known to lose track of time." He rolled his eyes and walked towards her.

She ignored him and took up her normal seat on the beach, waiting for him to join her before continuing. "I talked to Aang."

He raised a brow. "The Avatar? What did he decide?"

"He didn't decide anything yet."

He turned to her abruptly. "We don't have time to waste fooling around."

She glared back. "It's a lot for him to take in. Especially considering our history."

He shrugged. "I suppose you may have a point."

"I'm glad your highness approves." He growled and turned to her.

"I'm getting tired of your sarcasm and attitude." Her voice rose in shock and anger.

"My attitude! What about yours? You come in here and think you can start ordering everyone around. We were fine before you showed up." She got to her feet and stared angrily down at him.

He rose as well, instinct not letting him remain in the vulnerable position. "I'm not trying to order anyone around. All I'm trying to do is keep everything on track. We don't have time for you to get distracted."

She clenched her fists. "I don't get distracted!" She was practically breathing fire, herself, as they stood toe to toe. She forced her hands open and stepped back, breathing heavily. "We're definitely gonna have to work on this."

He narrowed his eyes. "Well, you shouldn't be so touchy."

She poked him in his chest; his armorless chest. She blinked, momentarily distracted by the feel, before resuming her train of thought. "Well, you shouldn't be so hot headed." She held up a hand to prevent further comments. "That's enough of this. This is definitely a distraction we don't need."

His reply was a surly, "Fine". Silence descended and she struggled to find something to say, not entirely comfortable with his eyes on her. Not afraid, just not comfortable.

She turned to fully face him, just as he did the same. He was close, closer then she thought, and she jumped back slightly in surprise. Her foot caught on a stone and she began to fall backwards. Zuko's quick reflexes prevented her fall.

He wasn't gentle, he wasn't thinking of anything but catching her. He grabbed her arms and pulled her roughly to his chest. They stood there, in the moonlight, closer then they had ever been. Their hearts still pounding from before. Then they noticed their positions.

And, yet, they stayed as they were. It felt right. She moved closer, placing her palms on his chest, sliding them around his neck. His hands slid down her arms to rest firmly on her hips. Eyes drifted down to lips, tracing their shape, before returning to the other's eyes, one thought on both their minds. I wonder what they feel like, what they taste like?

He pulled her closer, lowering his head to meet hers as she tilted it up. They stopped, a mere inch between them, the other's breath tickling their lips, to see if the other would protest. When no sound of complaint was made, they closed their eyes and moved to close the small distance between them.

But their lips never met.

"Katara!" The couple sprang apart as a wall of earth erupted from the ground between them. Katara spun to see Ishi running down the beach. "Are you alright? I saw a Fire Nation boat and heard shouting, so I came as fast as I could. Is that the prince?"

"Yes but…" Zuko broke through the wall. He was angry at being attacked and embarrassed at being caught in such a situation. Not a good combination. His hands blazed with fire as he approached them.

Ishi dropped into a stance. "Run up to get Aang. I'll hold him off."

Without waiting for an answer, she sent a wave of earth at the prince. He dodged her easily. She smirked when he made no move to attack. "What's the matter, little boy? Afraid of fighting a woman?"

Her insults had the desired effect, he charged her. Rock after rock flew up to meet the fire he sent her way. He dodged the boulders she sent hurtling towards him. They matched each other, strike for strike, until Katara called out. "Would you two idiots stop!"

Zuko stopped his assault but Ishi was too deep in the fight. She sent a large rock hurtling towards him. Katara didn't think she just acted. She stepped in front of Zuko and brought up a shield of ice. But, where water will stop fire, it has a much harder time stopping earth. Ishi tried to pull back but it was too late. The rock smashed through the shield and slammed into Katara, sending her flying.

A few minutes later, she opened her eyes to see Zuko peering down at her. "Are you alright?"

She lied still a few seconds, taking stock of her aches and pains. Her chest hurt from the impact but not as badly as she expected. Other then that, nothing actually hurt. "I'll be fine. Where's Ishi?"

"I'm right here and I'm sorry." With Zuko's help, Katara sat up and looked over to her friend, smiling in forgiveness. Ishi pinned her with her gaze. "But I think you have some explaining to do." Ishi took note of how Zuko supported her, how Katara leaned against him. With complete trust in the other. Probably unconsciously done on their parts. "Wasn't he the one you were training like crazy to beat?"

Heat touched Katara's cheeks as Zuko looked down at her. "I didn't have to train that hard." She mumbled. She pushed herself into a sitting position, wincing slightly in pain. "Sit down and relax. This might take a while."

O.o.o.o.o.O

Ishi looked slightly confused. "Let me get this straight. You're with him." Katara flushed. "He's decided to help us defeat the Fire Lord, yes." Ishi cocked an eyebrow. Girl talk later. "Does Aang know?" Katara nodded. "And he's okay with it?"

Katara thought about how to form her response. "I've talked with him about it today, but he hasn't made a decision yet." She looked her friend in the eye. "It's a lot for him to think about."

Ishi was quiet for a moment. "What about Sokka?"

Katara grimaced. "I have no idea. He knows we'll need to find a Fire Master soon but I don't think he's actually realized that means dealing with firebenders." The present firebender snorted disdainfully.

Katara sent him a death glare. Only she was allowed to make fun of Sokka. That was a sibling's privilege. "It's not like your people have made things easy for us. Plus, after Zhao's little trick and Yue's… Never mind. It's just not going to be easy to convince him to go along with this."

Ishi smiled. "Sokka's smart. Or at least, he's not completely thick headed. He'll come around." She stood and walked over to where Zuko stood behind Katara. She looked him up and down, taking his measure. She decided she liked what she saw. He'll do.

She held out her hand which he, slowly, took. "If you've earned Katara's respect, you have mine. It will be an honor to fight alongside you." She turned to Katara, giving her a wink hidden from him. "I'll talk to you later." With that, she headed towards the house.

Leaving them on the beach. Alone in the moonlight. Katara smiled as she stood next to him. "I think she likes you. Which is good because you wouldn't want her as an enemy." Another snort was his only reply. "You know, we really need to work on your people skills."

"Humph. What for?" She shook her head. "You're part of a team now." She smiled up at him. "You're not alone anymore." He looked down into her face and felt those feelings wash over him again; peace and an urge to close the distance between them.

And, now that he could think about it, it scared him. "I don't need your sympathy, peasant." She narrowed her eyes in anger. Good. At least he knew how to deal with her anger.

"What I was offering was friendship. But I suppose that's something you wouldn't understand. I'll be back tomorrow with Aang's answer. If you could stand to have us join you, that is."

She made her way home, leaving him in the dark.

O.o.o.o.o.O

Katara had just sat down in her room when she heard a knock at her door. Ishi leaned against the frame looking half concerned and half mischievous. "May I come in?" Katara stepped aside to let her pass. Ishi sat on the edge of the bed and looked at Katara. "So, what's with you and the prince?"

"I don't know what you're talking about." Katara moved to the foot of the bed to go through the trunk there. There wasn't much in it. It wasn't like she had many belonging but, at the moment, it was the most interesting thing in the world.

"Oh come on! I'm not blind. I saw you two. I might have been too worried at the time to think about it but that doesn't mean I didn't realize what you were doing. You were in his arms, you were almost kissing. And, afterwards, the way you leaned into him, the way he held you. Plus the fact that you jumped in front of a boulder to save him. There's gotta be something there."

"It was nothing. I almost fell and he caught me. Nothing more. He's an ally now, so of course I would save him. And I was tired and sore so I had no choice but to lean on him. Happy now?" She slammed the lid of the trunk shut and walked to the window.

Ishi's voice went from teasing to serious. "I know there's more to it then that. There was perfect trust between you two. And I saw how you looked at him. If you're worried about me telling anyone don't be. I give you my word I won't."

Katara sighed and joined her on the bed. "I don't know what to think. One minute, we're fighting, the next he's looking at me like he'd devour me whole. First I'd like to smack him, then I want nothing more then to kiss him. And, when I finally think we can be friends, he pushes me away." She let out a groan and dropped her head into her hands. "It was easier before. At least then I knew what to do, what to feel. Now I'm just confused and I hate it."

Ishi laughed. "Don't worry. I bet he's just as confused as you are. Probably more so. Men tend to be idiots when it comes to emotions. Just give both of you time to figure out what's going on. And, if he's taking too long, I'll beat him up for you."

Katara smiled, a small one, and leaned over to give her friend a hug. "Thank you."

Ishi walked to the door. Before she left, however, she couldn't resist on last tease. "Nice choice, by the way. Very cute." She shut the door just in time to avoid the pillow being chucked at her head.

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AN: Has anyone ever seen Witch Hunter Robin? It's an awesome series. Somewhat dark but really good. You could always go and read the couple of things I wrote to get a feel for it. /coughShamelessPlugcough/ See what you people have done to me. I'm now a review whore! I'm addicted. That said…please review!