A/N: Sorry for not making Katara's medical condition more clear. :p I would label what happened to Katara as severe dehydration. It can cause delirium and unconsciousness. So thankyou for bringing that up, Sakarya.

Also, thankyou for all my wonderful reviews and to everyone who followed or even just glanced, I love you guys. I hope you have happy holidays and eat a lot of food!

"All the things that you said,

Well you seem to forget,

Dance around in my head every night.

And there's a battle within

That I'll never win

Cause it's me that I'm up against,

It's my heart versus common sense.

Can I give you up?"

- Miley Cyrus

I jolt awake. Sitting up too fast, I get a head rush and have to lie back down. Dim morning light is seeping in through the window, making Zuko and his furniture glow an orange color.

Oh, shit.

I spring up once more, remembering where I am and what's happened. Zuko is lying on his back, with one arm across his forehead and the other outstretched in my direction. Even sleeping, he wears a scowl on his face. But the fact that he's sleeping manages to put me in a wonderful mood.

I down the cup of water on Zuko's bedside table. It was intended for me anyway.

I rise cautiously from the bed and slink over to Zuko's window to have a look outside. The boat isn't rocking the way it normally does. I have to stand on my tip-toes to see out the circular window, but it appears as if the ship has made port somewhere.

Damn, I wonder where Appa is. I must have slept through the entire night and not including however long I was in the dreadful heater for, it's been hours since he dropped me onboard. I'm sure that I've frightened him. Oh no, he must be so worried. I hope that he followed the ship to wherever we are. Although I can't go calling for him in broad daylight. That'll bring too much attention to us and I don't even know where we are. We could be attacked in seconds if someone sees Appa. I'll have to get as far from port as I can before I use the bison whistle. But I'm not leaving without Garjan's meteor.

I turn back to Zuko, content to see that he's still sound asleep.

I slip back over to his bed, stepping around to his side. With extreme caution, I lift what little of the blanket is still covering him and gently pull it away. I allow myself a moment to breathe deeply before I slowly reach into Zuko's pocket. My fingers graze the top of the rock and I carefully inch it toward me. Mid way, Zuko groans and shifts, turning toward me. I feel my heart all but stop in my chest and I hold my breath tightly for a long moment. Zuko remains asleep, but if he opens his eyes he'll be looking straight at me. I don't know if I should be flattered that I distracted him enough to forget to better secure the meteor, or insulted that he thought that he didn't need to.

With gentle haste, I tear the meteor from Zuko's pocket. I wrap my hands so tightly around it that my knuckles go white. The light from the window is creeping further across the floor, signaling the rising of the sun. I need to get out of here now.

But I can't leave yet. I glance down to find that I'm wearing only my under clothes. I certainly can't leave the ship looking like this. That would attract more attention than Appa would.

Alright, perhaps that's an exaggeration. But I need clothes.

My eyes immediately flick over to the dresser to my left. I take small, careful steps toward it. Before reaching for a handle, I peer back over my shoulder to make sure that Zuko is still sleeping. I'll need to be quick about all of this. He never stays asleep long once the sun has come up.

The robes that I pull out of Zuko's dresser are much too big for me, but it beats traipsing around half naked. Using one of his belts, I bunch the robes up around my waist and secure them tightly in place. Atleast now they aren't too long. Tripping would not help my moving quickly cause.

I drop the meteor into my oversized pocket and all but sprint for the door. I spare a parting glance at Zuko before slipping out the door. I'll have to remember to thank him for last night sometime.

I have never moved so quietly in all my life. With the doom of the heater hanging over me, I refuse to get caught by any of Zuko's men again. What is he going to tell them about me, anyway? How is he going to explain my disappearance to that General guy? And what will either of us do if the General decides to tell the Fire Lord about the incident?

I gulp and push the thought out of my mind.

It's a good thing that we've made port. Although getting off the ship would be easier if we were still at sea, I wouldn't have anywhere to go if Appa isn't around.

I am one hundred percent positive that there are men on deck right now. And definitely men to guard the ramp that allows exit from the boat. There's no way I'll be escaping the ship that way. But there has to be somewhere else for me to go.

My eyes land on the windows that line the walls of the boat. I rush over to them and peer down. There's no way that I could jump out from this high up. But if I can get down to the lowest deck, it will be a substantially shorter drop. That's probably my only option right now to avoid any chance of being caught. But I don't think I can afford to use my bending. That General Yao guy already suspects me of being a water bender, there's no need for me to go and confirm it for him. A scared little girl wandering aboard poses no threat, but a water bender breaking in to take the ship down certainly does. He'd have me detained and shipped over to the Fire Lord in no time, thinking I'd probably have accomplices and wanting to know about them. And then the Fire Lord would obviously recognize me and Zuko and I… we would be so dead. So, so dead. Looks like getting off this ship is going to have to be waterless.

Twenty-five feet. Atleast. That's how far I'm gonna have to jump. I've been standing on the ledge of this La forsaken boat for the past few minutes, just trying to convince myself to jump down. I'm at the lowest jumping point that I could possibly get to and I'll be headed straight for solid ground when I finally decide to do it. I wish I didn't have such a fear of heights. I can guarantee that Zuko is awake now and planning how he's gonna catch me this time. Atleast he has no way of knowing whether I'm still on his ship or not. But the longer I stand here waiting, the worse this will all turn out.

Too bad the Blue Spirit isn't waiting below to catch me this time. I'm on my own.

I can hear voices overhead on the top of the ship. In front of me is about half a mile of land that leads to a thick forest. I just have to make it there, call for Appa, and then all of this will be over.

So jump, Katara. Jump.

La, I must be insane.

I suck in a gulp of air and hold it before pressing off of the metal ship and jumping forward. At times like these, it'd be really nice to be an air bender.

The ground approaches faster than I have time to prepare and I land at an awkward angle. An intense pain shoots up my legs and back down before settling around my ankles. I fall back on my butt and clutch my knees to my chest, muttering swears and breathing heavily. So far, this plan is not going very well. Maybe the next time that Zuko tells me to do something, I'll actually listen. But maybe not.

After a few moments of deep breaths, the pain in my ankles recedes into a steady throbbing. Standing proves difficult and I limp my way over to the ocean shoreline, a few dozen feet from my landing spot. Salt water takes a lot longer to heal wounds than fresh water does, but it's all I have right now. And I'm not about to complain.

The water comes up to lap at my aching ankles and I take a seat in the wet sand. I peel off my boots, wincing with pain, and then remove my socks in a similar manner. My ankles are already swelling. When the ocean water touches my bare skin, I feel a moment of relief. I make sure to canvas the surrounding area before bending a water glove around my hand. I don't need any witnesses.

After a few minutes of healing, the swelling in my ankles has barely gone down. I'm just so exhausted and being as dehydrated as I was last night isn't helping my abilities. This is going to take way too long and time is something that I never seem to have enough of these days.

I let out a frustrated sigh and turn my head to the left in an exaggerated motion. A movement from the mid-level deck of the ship catches my eye. I squint hard as I try to focus on the figure who appears to be staring down at me. If it's a guard, hopefully he'll assume that I'm just a random villager. There has to be a town nearby, somewhere for the ship to get fuel.

But my luck must have run out. Because it is most definitely Zuko looking down at me right now. I can't make out his facial expression, but I'm sure that it isn't a happy one. After a moment, he disappears from my view.

Shit.

In a frenzy, I rush to put my boots back on and scramble to my feet. My ankles protest immediately and I nearly lose my balance from the onslaught of pain. I didn't have nearly enough time to heal myself. But I can't worry about that now. I need to get a head start running from Zuko.

I make a break for it towards the forest.

After my initial burst of energy for fear of Zuko getting the meteor, and subsequently the Fire Lord, I finally stop running long enough to catch my breath. I have no idea how far I've run; I probably should have been paying more attention. But it felt like a long time, long enough for it to be safe for me to call for Appa.

I reach into the front of Zuko's robes for Aang's bison whistle… but it's not there. I clutch at my neck, but all that I can feel is my mother's necklace. In a panic, I search all throughout Zuko's robes; in every pocket and possible place that it could have gotten stuck. But it's definitely gone. Probably in the heater or Zuko's room or somewhere on the ship's floor. Great. Well that's just freaking great.

I turn around in a slow circle and all I see are endless rows of trees. Maybe I should head back towards the ocean…but then I could run right into Zuko. Spirits, why didn't I check to make sure that I had the whistle? Why! And why did I run without paying better attention to where I was going? Damn it. I blame Zuko.

I suppose my only hope is to follow the ocean line diagonally and hope that I come across a town, preferably not the one that Zuko's ship made port at. I'd hate to run into General Yao. That would be frightfully time consuming. Thankfully I can always tell which direction the ocean is in. Somehow I just know. So if I walk parallel to it, I may be able to avoid Zuko and still make it out of here with the meteor in my possession. I hope.

It's the best plan I have. I just hope that my ankles will make it as far as I need to go. They're really killing me. Not to mention that the weariness I'd been feeling yesterday is starting to come back on. I could really use some water. The last thing I need is to re-dehydrate. Especially when I'm stuck out here in the middle of the forest. That would not be good. When will I learn to think things through?

The sound of a twig snapping startles me into an attack position. There's no way Zuko could have caught up with me already. There's no way. He was still on the ship when I started running. Were my ankles slowing me down that much? No. It can't be. I must have heard an animal. Either way, I need to move quickly.

Well, turning back now would be a waste and possibly dangerous. So I'll stick to my "find a town" plan and follow the ocean.

Each passing minute makes my ankles hurt more, even just walking. I really did a number on them when I jumped. See, I always knew that my fear of heights wasn't irrational. I finally get over it and look what happens. My ankles are sprained. I'll be sure to let Aang know about this, the next time that he teases me for refusing to jump off of snow banks with him. The dangers of heights. I knew it.

I haven't covered enough ground yet for me to be stopping to rest, but I can't resist. I'm so thirsty. Although I know that I did the right thing by escaping when I did. Otherwise I never would have been able to get the meteor. Zuko would have made sure of that. He probably would have snuck me off the ship and sent me on my merry way, completely empty-handed. Without my water sling, there wouldn't have been much I could do about that anyway. However he chose to get me off board would have involved me pretending to not be me, so waterbending the ocean would've been out of the question. The things I do for that stupid prince, honestly.

Maybe he would have told the General that he'd killed me or something. Does Zuko even kill people? I remember the guards on the ground outside of Pohuai Stronghold. At the time, I had thought they were dead. But that doesn't really seem like Zuko's style. I mean, if he killed everyone he encountered, then they wouldn't be able to remember how he'd beaten and escaped them. There would be no one to gossip about the elusive "Blue Spirit." And I'm sure Zuko just loves hearing people talk about him.

So I guess killing is a bit excessive. I'm sure Zuko would have just told the General that I was a harmless little village girl and that he had me escorted off the premises.

Oh, who cares? None of that matters now. What if and Zuko are two thoughts that I try to keep out of my head at all times. Even more so when it's both thoughts together. A recipe for trouble.

Another branch snaps behind me. My hands come in front of my face, clenched into fists. I stay still and silent for a few minutes, just staring out into the trees. Nothing changes, nothing moves. It's just an animal, I tell myself again. But the uneasy feeling in my chest is telling me otherwise. There's no way that it's just a coincidence that braches are snapping and no animals are appearing afterwards. The Blue Spirit would never step on a twig while in pursuit of someone, not even on accident. I'm sure of that. But…Zuko would. Zuko would make little noises and then hide, turning this into just another game. He would want to watch me worrying and thinking that I'm paranoid, only to turn up when I least expect it.

With my breath heaving, I turn and sprint full force away from him.

The pain is very palpable this time. My ankles protest every time my feet hit the ground and I have to mentally fight off the urge to cry out. I'm probably making enough noise as it is, despite my best efforts to remain on the contrary.

All too soon my sprint has turned into a ragged, limping jog. I fight to keep pushing myself forward, but it doesn't seem like an option anymore. I'll have to hide. But where? The sun is out and there's nothing to conceal myself behind except for trees, which Zuko will be sure to check behind all of. And I definitely couldn't hope to climb into one of these trees right now. The pain in my ankles is too intense and my palms are slick with sweat.

I can feel Zuko drawing in and planning his attack. I don't stand a chance. Atleast when I'm not running I can move somewhat quietly. Although not much can be said or done for my heavy breathing.

Something grazes my arm and I start to panic, before realizing that it was just a strand of my own hair. Calm down, Katara. This is exactly what Zuko wants; to watch you get all worked up. Get a grip. I try to take deep breaths to calm myself, but to little avail. I move through the trees, focusing on remaining as stealthy as possible.

My ankles are threatening to give out. It's another twenty minutes before I finally have no choice but to stop. I haven't heard or seen anything in the time passed, so hopefully Zuko lost sight of me. Hopefully. I lean a hand against a tree trunk and struggle to catch my breath. I really need water right now. My head is starting to hurt. Oh La, this is not good. I need to lie down.

Then I hear something that makes the hairs on the back of my neck stand up, my heart start hammering against my chest.

Laughter. It was soft, but it was there.

I bet he wants me to think that I'm imagining things. But I'm certainly not.

A few long, painfully silent moments pass before hot breath tickles my shoulder. My back stiffens and my teeth clench.

"Hey." Zuko whispers.

I start to run again, blind with panic, and only make it thirty feet before my foot gets tangled in a creeper and I go crashing to the ground. My left ankle is yanked the wrong way and I bite down on my fist to keep from screaming. Maybe it wasn't broken before, but it is now. Silent tears stream down my face from the pain.

Zuko's smug laughter taunts me. I slam my fist angrily against the ground. Well, atleast I'll be able to get a few good punches in.

Zuko appears above me, his lips curled into the smallest of smirks. He leans down and untangles my foot, bringing on a whole new round of pain. My left ankle just feels wrong, just wrong and broken. My whole body is feeling weak now, too, and I just want to curl up into a ball and sleep.

But Zuko has other plans, as usual. He lifts me up into his arms so quickly and forcefully that I forget to try and fight him off.

But instead of throwing me over his shoulder or slapping rope around my wrists, he sits me down against a tree. He bends down in front of me, making my pulse quicken. He takes my left heel in his hand and I squeak at the unexpected pain. He pulls my boot off and his fingers press all around my ankle uncomfortably. For a moment, I start to calm down. Until he takes a firm grasp of my heel, yanks my foot forward and then twists it to the right. I scream so loudly that my head starts to pound. More hot tears spill out onto my cheeks. Spirits, this is so embarrassing.

I know he was just re-breaking the bone so that it'll heal properly, but La, I would have liked a warning atleast. Spirits, my head hurts.

Zuko sets my foot down gently and his eyes meet mine. He glances at the tears on my cheek and his face softens into an expression I've never seen before. My head falls back against the tree behind me and I sigh in defeat. I'd really like to get this over with so that I can sleep. Let's hurry this along, Zuko.

If it weren't for my pride, I would probably ask if he has any water. And I doubt he does anyway. He never does. Oh La, I need to sleep.

I was expecting Zuko to take the meteor, but I wasn't expecting him to lean forward and kiss me. I'm too stunned at first to react, so I just sit slumped up against the tree while his lips press into mine. But soon his tongue is asking for entrance at my lips and they part to grant it to him. His tongue slides against mine and the ache in the pit of my stomach makes me respond and kiss him back.

Zuko reaches up and cups my face in his hands, wiping away my tears with his thumbs. His fingers are tough against my skin and I realize that I'd forgotten about the dull pain in my ankles. I find myself leaning into him, pulling him closer to me, kissing him deeply. He leans down and brushes his lips against my neck, giving me goosebumps once more. My fingers travel up Zuko's back, over his shoulder blades, and come to rest grasping the hair at the nape of his neck.

Though closed, my eyes feel heavy with drowsiness. But I want to stay awake for this. I need to stay awake for this.

Zuko undoes his belt around my waist and his hands slip under my tank top to caress my ribcage. I clutch tightly to his shoulders and lean up to kiss him again. When his fingers brush underneath my chest bindings, I sigh into our kiss. My head is spinning for so many reasons.

Zuko tries his best to be gentle when he shifts us away from the tree so that I'm lying on my back. He hovers above me and presses hot, open-mouthed kisses along the expanse of my neck. His right leg slides between mine and his knee presses up against my center.

I inhale sharply and let the breath out in a small moan. Zuko slips a hand beneath my neck and pulls me up slightly to meet him in a forceful kiss. His fingers tangle in my hair as his tongue swipes across my lower lip. His knee presses against me again and I thrust my hips against him in response. The pressure is nice, but it's starting to seem like not enough. I want more. And I almost say so, before deciding better of it.

Our mouths and bodies mold together. Every kiss makes me want another. I can't stop, even though I keep telling myself that this isn't right. This isn't right. It just isn't right. It will never be right.