Author's Note: New Zutara story! Rated M for mature content, soon to become obvious in the following chapter. This is chapter one of three, just to tide you guys over til I start my next story.
Read and review! It'll make me a happy camper!
I don't own ATLA. Sadly.
3 Night

She was breathing hard, her chest caving with every breath she let out. Tied to the tree, her necklace gone, unable to move… She felt helpless…and exposed. She did not like to feel that way, and she typically never felt that way.
Not to mention she was at his mercy.
Helpless.

He had a wicked grin on his face. It made him look older. Cruel. Like his father. Part of him loathed himself for that.
But that was only a small part.
The rest of him loved this.

A bead of sweat trickled from her forehead down her cheek. It was humid, and her blood was humming as if electricity was crawling through her veins. A storm was brewing. A strong one. And she could feel it.
But she couldn't bend.
He still could.

He felt a burst of strong, flickering energy through his body every time the lightning flashed. He couldn't even see the storm clouds yet. This storm was going to be rough.
He felt alive.
She couldn't even bend.

She knew wandering away from Aang and Sokka and Toph was a terrible idea. But she had just needed time to herself so bad. She should have known how stupid it was, though.
Look where it got her.
Here. With him.

He could tell she was nervous. He could tell she was disgusted. The look she shot him, with those sapphire eyes, threw her disgust at him with poison pointed arrows. If looks could kill… But she was so pretty.
He nearly forgot whyh he captured her.
Why did he capture her?

She had to ask. "Why do you have me here?" She spat it. Her voice was pure venom. She wanted loose. Her blood was boiling.
Would he let her go?
She wondered what he was going to do.

The truth is, Zuko was bored. And the Water Peasant was always so much fun. He wasn't sure why. Zuko plus emotion? That never happened.
He had to wonder.
What emotions would he feel?

"I said why?" Katara demanded, raising her voice. She knew she had a hard-to-ignore voice. But she still doubted he would answer. And hoped even more that he would.
Secretly, she was afraid.
Zuko scared her.

"Because I wanted to." Zuko replied. It was kind of true. He stepped forward, and she didn't flinch as he expected her to. He reached out and smoothed a chocolate curl from her face.
She was pretty.
She was his enemy.

She felt the heat rising to her cheeks, knew the rosy red was tinting her mocha skin. Shuddered at the look the Fire Prince was giving her. She curled her lip in disgust. "That's not an answer." She hissed. The thunder rumbled in the distance as the storm moved in. Zuko smirked and kept his molten gaze on Katara. Her skin prickled.
She should be scared.
He was her enemy.