Hehe. Okay...I have many a plan for this one. I hope you like this sorta different style, not much different, but I wanted to shake up my writing style a little. I think I did, I'm not sure though. OKAY! First of all. THIS WILL HAVE ADULT SITUATIONS!!!!! There will be awkwardness! This will have some nudity!!!!

Okay there. Now if there wasn't enough warning here. Each chapter will be tagged with appropriate warnings.

Katara took a deep breath and looked out over the balcony. It had only been a week since that spirit had a hold on her. They were still in Ba Sing Sei because Aang and Sokka wanted desperately to have an audience with the king. They hadn't got the chance though. Sokka was still weary about having Zuko around, though she couldn't really blame him. Zuko wasn't making it easy either. It seemed that they had more fun fighting with each other then anything else.

Toph and Zuko were another set all together. They were both stubborn and hard headed. And they were always right.

Katara turned around as she heard Zuko walk up behind her. Even though they loved each other, it hadn't been said out loud, and there was no physical contact between them that wasn't needed.

He leaned on the rail beside her and looked at her with his soft honey colored eyes.

"Hi." Katara smiled and shook her head at him.

"Hi? Is that all you know how to say?" Zuko's frown was quick to replace his smile. He nodded as he looked out over the city looking out at the horizon.

"It's getting late. I'm going to turn in. Aang said something about having an audience with the King." He turned to look at her with a coy smirk. She frowned as she looked at him.

"What is that look?" Zuko's smirk deepened.

"I thought we could walk around. After all we'll be alone." Katara sighed. He wasn't being sexual or perverted. He was being honest. Since they had found the gang, Sokka hadn't let them out of his sight, much less time alone.

"I have just wanted to talk..." Zuko grinned. He liked the fact that she was happy with her friends, and now she didn't have the distraction of worrying about them, but he found himself missing the comradery they had built when it was just the two of them. Then there was the strong emotional bound they knitted while Nivian was in their care. He looked away as he shook his head. He missed being able to hug her when she was missing her family. He missed that gentle touch to his shoulder that she would give when she could see he was worried. Just that touch, just the warmth and comfort that they had built.

Now everything was monitored, watched and awkward. He couldn't even stand next to her for long before her brother would either step between them or pull her away. Zuko frowned. There hadn't been anything that should make her brother worried. They were frie...frien...

"Shit." Zuko cussed out loud before he realized it. Katara looked at him with a hard face.

"What?" He looked at her and shook his head.

"Just thinking." Katara nodded. She turned as her brother cleared his throat. Zuko turned and looked over his shoulder. Hmm Right on time. Katara rolled her eyes.

"Yeah yeah. I'm coming." Sokka walked his sister back to her room. Zuko had pitched in the money he had gotten back from his room so that they could rent out a small home for the week. It had turned out after the King was aware of the Avatar's presence they were moved to a more private and larger lodge. Each of them had their own room. And Sokka wouldn't have had it any other way.

Katara sat down on the bed and blew out her candle. She laid back and looked out the large window. The sky was vast over the city. Millions of stars danced and twinkled in the sky, casting light over the city with the help of the moon. It's small shadowed portion had always peaked her interest. Mysterious. Always a dark side of the moon regardless whether it was full, waning, or waxing.

She rolled over onto her side and curled her arm up under her pillow. She took a deep breath and let it out as a frown took over her face. She closed her eyes as a laugh filled her ears. She snapped her eyes open and sat up. She looked around the dark room at nothing. No one was there. She was alone. The darkness enveloped her, and a cool breeze from the windowed billowed the curtains. It rolled across her skin, delving into her core. A shiver over took her and she walked over to the large window. She pulled the shutters closed, and shut the curtains.

She turned around and froze as a figure was standing across the room in front of the door looking at her. Her heart leapt and began to beat violently in her chest as her breath caught against her throat.

She let out the breath and looked over at Zuko with wide eyes. He was looking at her with the same expression. When she felt like she could walk without her legs giving out from her, she walked over to him.

"What's wrong?" He stared at her with wide eyes. He shook his head and brought his mind back to his body.

"Didn't you hear that?" Katara sighed and shook her head. She looked up at him with a smile.

"My window was open. It was the wind blowing through." The rigidity in his shoulders relaxed and he nodded. Katara hugged her arms around herself and shook her head. She looked over him. He must have truly been startled. Even though his room was next to her's, if he came to check on her he made sure to grab a robe so that nothing could be accused. This time he stood in front of her bare chested in his night pants. When they had traveled together, in the rare times that they had a room, it wasn't a rare sight for him to be like that. She looked into his eyes and smiled deeper.

"It's cold. Go back to bed before Sokka skins you. You are half naked after all." Zuko nodded and turned walking through the door. He turned and looked back at her.

"Are you going to be okay?" Katara frowned and tossed a pillow at the door. He caught it and flung it back at her.

"That answers my question." He shut the door and she heard his soft footfalls leave the hall. She sighed and pulled the covers back on her bed. She slipped under them and pulled them up over her shoulder, tight around her. She smiled into her pillow as her breathes deepened. She fell into the dark velvet that sleep had allowed recently. The nightmares from before had been washed away. Against all of her fear, nightmares of the demon queen hadn't worked into her mind.

Aang said that it was because she was blocking the memories. He couldn't. He did have nightmares. He told her in vivid detail of the things Kuoidio had done. Katara shook her head. The things that the spirit had done to her physical body and her spirit embodiment, we no match to the tricks that she had rolled onto Katara's mind. False memories were implanted, sensations that she had never known haunted her. Not to mention the feelings that had started to rise in her stomach.

She frowned in her sleep as she rolled over onto her other side. A scar had appeared on her stomach a few days after Kuoidio's grip on her had been shattered. It was in the shape of lips, almost like a kiss. But she couldn't force her self to tell anyone. To tell someone would mean that she had to show them.

A breeze blew over her exposed shoulder. The chill rode down her arm over her chest. It wrapped around her waist and coursed down to her toes. A low seductive laughter rose up in the night. Bright orange eyes appeared in her dream. Laughing at her. Mocking her. Then suddenly they dove into her.

With a jolt, Katara's eyes snapped open. Her breath was labored as she realized she was sitting up in the bed. Her door flung open violently as the three men spilled into the room, all in fighting stances. They all looked around the room and then to Katara. Her eyes were wide as she shut her mouth she didn't remember opening. Sokka ran over to her and shook her by the shoulders. She was staring out into the darkness over the room, looking at nothing, but focused on something.

"Katara?" Sokka ask. She didn't answer as he shook her gently. He shook her a little harder. "Katara!?" She still didn't seem to even hear him. He frowned and popped her on the cheek.

"KATARA!" She snapped her eyes to look at him without blinking. She turned her head to straighten her eyes. Her body relaxed as she acknowledged her brother.

"Sorry. I had a night mare." Sokka shook his head as Aang walked over.

"We thought you were being attacked or something." Zuko nodded from the door way.

"By the way you screamed, you would have thought you were dying." Zuko said staring at her. Aang laughed as he turned to look at Zuko.

"It did kinda sound like a moose-lion scream, didn't it." Zuko nodded as a chuckle over took him. Sokka laughed too and slapped his sister on the back.

"Are you gonna be okay?" Katara frowned and pulled her blankets up.

"I'm fine. Now if you jokers have had your fun, I need to get back to sleep." Sokka laughed as he walked out the door. Aang followed him, laughing just as hard.

Zuko's frown melted as he watched Sokka disappear into his room. He turned and looked back at Katara. He crossed his arms over his chest and leaned against the door frame.

"Are you really alright?" Katara looked at him, and he could have sworn he saw something move behind her eyes, even from the distance he was away. She took a deep breath and let it out slowly.

"Yeah. I'll be okay." Zuko nodded and turned around to walk out. Katara frowned and looked after him.

"Zuko?" He stopped and turned to look at her. "Stay in here with me tonight."