Nothing Is Easier - ZUTARA

This one-shot is dedicated to xLittleRobinx whose "The Flame Within" story gave me this idea. In her story, Aang is dead and Katara is sent to kill Zuko because her family suspects that he is the murderer and that he is planning another war. So this little snippet that I wrote is based on that in some respects. Mostly, I wrote this because that sexy Troy scene kept playing over and over in my head, only Achilles and Briseis were replaced with Zuko and Katara. So in this one-shot that I wrote, Aang is dead, Katara suspects that Zuko is the murderer, and she's out to kill him for it.

ENJOY!!! Oh, and REVIEW PLEASE!!!

NOTHING IS EASIER -Zutara/Troy Crossover-
Written by Katie Jo aka AVidZktjo

Story Summary: Inspired by "The Flame Within" written by xLittleRobinx, this one-shot takes the sexy scene between Achilles & Briseis in the movie TROY and flips it into the perspective of Zuko & Katara. Just more of that dark, intriguing romance we Zutarians love!!!

Slipping undetected out of the hidden passageway that led into the master bedroom, the assassin moved with knife in hand towards her intended target. As she neared the bed, her eyes locked onto the face of the man who had murdered her dearest friend. The anger and hatred she felt could not be suppressed and tears of malice began to roll down her cheeks. How could he have done such a thing? But as she stood looking down upon the sleeping prince, all her thoughts of vengeance were suddenly vanquished as her gaze fixed on his peaceful face.

There were no signs of murder in him. He looked the same as he had always looked. She had been sure that he was a changed man and he even looked the part. But was it all a lie? Was it all a scheme to draw her to him? Either way she knew it had worked for her heart screamed at her to drop the dagger from her hand while her mind retaliated in equal force. She loved this man. She could no longer deny it. And yet the memory of a love that had been lost pushed her closer to retribution. Which was she to choose? Slaughter the man who had killed her dear friend or sacrifice that cherished memory and let him live? It was a decision she did not wish to make but one she had no choice but to face.

Unexpectedly the serene man stirred in his sleep and shifted his body so he lay upon his back. In his new position, her eyes had a difficult time obeying her command. Her gaze freely roamed over his bare chest, sending a shiver of admiration and longing through her veins. She couldn't believe her own reaction to him. It wasn't like she hadn't seen him like this several times before. But here in the midst of shadows and secrets, it suddenly became something more. He was no longer the teenager who had trained with her or the friend who had fought along beside her. He was a full-grown man, no longer a prince but a king, a king that had more rule over her heart than she herself possessed.

Her grip on the dagger abruptly tightened at that thought, and she forced her mind to return to the task at hand. It no longer mattered what he meant to her or what future they could have had together. All that mattered was justice and she was not leaving without it. In one swift noiseless movement, she crawled onto the bed and swung her leg over his body, straddling his waist. He did not stir at the added weight but remained as still and silent as the night.

Before she moved in for the kill, she looked down upon him one last time through eyes that held an undaunted love. Her heart would never forgive her for this action but it had to be done. As she lowered the knife to his throat and the cold steel made contact with his heated flesh, a single tear slipped from her eye and fell upon his cheek. His eyes immediately flew open and she unwillingly stared into them. Now she would never be able to complete her mission for his eyes looked upon her with the same love that her heart was trying desperately to proclaim.

"Do it."

His words stopped her cold. What was he saying? He wanted her to kill him? Why? "You wish to die?"

"I wish for my suffering to end."

"And what suffering is that?"

Taking hold of her arms, the man pulled her closer to him. The dagger remained locked onto his throat and her hands were unmoved in the motion. "I could not save him."

"Save him?" she asked, her eyes widening at the revelation.

"I could not save him," the man repeated as his eyes bored into her soul. The pause seemed indefinite but his next words quickly awoke her from the haze. "From myself."

In a whisper, his assassin replied, "Then you did kill him."

"Yes."

The dagger at his throat dug deeper in to his jugular as fresh tears began to form in her eyes. "But why?"

"Because I had no other choice."

"You always have a choice."

His eyes softened in sorrow as he replied, "Not this time."

Hours seemed to pass between them before he spoke those pleading first words again. "Do it," he said with a shake to her shoulders.

Her grip on the knife became painful but the empty ache in her chest could not compare to it. He had openly admitted to being the murderer of her dear friend and yet she still could not bring herself to cut him through. As much as she willed her mind to do it, her heart cried out in protest and its echoing roar would not be silenced. Though this man was her friend's killer, she loved him. And nothing, not even death itself, could vanquish it. "You'll kill again, won't you?" her lips spoke the words but her thoughts were far from them.

"It is in my nature. That is why you must stop me." He shook her shoulders once more as he pulled her even closer to his face. "Do it. Do it now," he fervently pleaded with her. "Nothing is easier."

But she couldn't. She had entered that room with vengeance as her mission but now revenge was the furthest thing from her mind. Instead it had been replaced with a love that would not be suppressed. She would never forget her dear friend who had passed on, but she could not deny the feelings of her heart even for a fading memory. And it was upon seeing the defeat in her eyes that the pleading man became her passion infused lover.

In one fluid movement he flipped her around so he lay on top of her. The knife remained at his throat as his lips slowly moved closer to claim hers. And as soon as the contact was made, her grip on the dagger loosened. With each motion of his tongue in her mouth, her hold on the dagger grew less and less painful until it fell from her outstretched fingers and clattered on the tiled floor. His lips held her captive and there was no fighting it now. She moved her arms around his neck and pulled him closer.

If it weren't for the thrilling shudder that raced through her, she would not have noticed his hands pushing up her nightgown or the searing warmth of his fingers as they caressed her thighs. But she did notice. And a heartbeat later she experienced an entirely new sensation that connected them as one. Any thought of protesting escaped her mind as his lips, his hands, and his entire body moved to please her. She could not fight it. But even if she could have, she knew she would never have wanted to. For she loved him. And he loved her. Everything else fell to the wayside, bursting into flames in the same way that her body did in response to her passionate lover.