I love the Avatar series, and have watched it several times, but there were always two things in season two that I really wished had been resolved. One is the ostrich horse Zuko stole, and the other one is Zuko's relationship with the Earth Kingdom family that took him in while he was on his own. That last one especially killed me every time, and I wanted so bad for that to receive some closure. Sadly, it never did. So, I decided to write a fanfic.

WARNING: Some Zutara shipping. Because I love them. ~Tales Recorder

"Not here either…"

Zuko muttered to himself as he sat buried in Fire Nation records. He wasn't quite sure how long he'd been working, but the characters on the page were fuzzy and his head was throbbing. Someone knocked on the door and he sighed, shoving some of the papers aside.

"Come in."

With a soft sound the door slid open and in walked Katara. A tired smile spread across his face when he saw her – she was a welcome sight. She'd chosen to pull her hair back in a loose braid that day, and she was wearing Fire Nation clothes. Her notably Water Tribe necklace peaked out above the neckline of her dark cloak, drawing attention to her neck and then up to her eyes which matched the blue of the pendant. Those eyes that were normally clear like the water she wielded were now clouded with concern as the torchlight flickered in them.

"Katara." Zuko stood to greet her.

The waterbender came further in and gave him a warm hug which he gladly returned.

"What are you doing here?" he asked, pulling back.

"That's what I came to ask you. Everyone was saying that you'd locked yourself away for the past several days, and that you wouldn't say what you were working on. I was worried that maybe something had happened."

Katara moved to the desk, glancing over all the piles of paper. "What are all of these?"

"They're military records from the end of the war," Zuko replied.

"So what's so important that you've buried yourself in them and barely eat?"

"The Fire Nation's taken a lot of prisoners over the years, and now that the war is over and my father is no longer Fire Lord, I want to see to it that they all get released and sent back home."

"Okay," Katara said slowly. "But there's more to it than that."

Another sigh escaped the young firebender as he sank back into his chair.

"While my uncle and I were in the Earth Kingdom, there was a point where we had a bit of a falling out… I didn't want to listen to him so I left. I wound up staying at a village with a kid named Lee and his family. While I was there, they got news that Lee's older brother had been captured."

"And you want to find him and send him home," Katara concluded.

"Yeah. We didn't part on very good terms because they found out who I was, but they still took me in without asking any questions. I want to repay them for that."

"What was the brother's name?"

"Sensu."

Katara started going through the untouched stacks of records to the left.

"Katara, you don't have to help," Zuko interjected. "It was a dumb idea anyway. If I make sure that all of our war prisoners are released, then he'll get home. I'm Fire Lord now. I shouldn't be letting myself get distracted like this."

"You aren't being distracted," Katara chided. "It's important to build relationships with the people, especially people from the other nations. Releasing the war prisoners is a good way to do that, but in this case you can do more than that and I think you should."

"Still, that doesn't mean you need to worry about it."

"Zuko, I want to help. Besides, you're exhausted. I wish you had said something, I would have come sooner."

Instead of replying, Zuko stifled a tired groan and rubbed the bridge of his nose. The headache was getting worse. With a frown, Katara looked up from the scroll in her hand to study him.

"You should get some sleep," she advised. "I'll stay here."

"Now what kind of host would I be if I abandoned my guest to work so I could take a nap? Uncle Iroh would have something to say about that."

"Your uncle would agree with me." Katara set the scroll down so she could help Zuko out of his chair and guide him toward the door. "The Fire Nation finally has a decent Fire Lord, so you should try not to keel over with a fever. Besides, with everything we've been through, you don't have to play host with me. Rest up, and then you can keep searching."

"I'm only a decent Fire Lord?"

Katara blushed slightly.

"You haven't been Fire Lord very long," she defended, "so it would be presumptuous to call you 'great Fire Lord' or something like that just yet."

"So you think I'll become a great Fire Lord," he pressed, enjoying teasing her.

Katara's blush deepened. "Well… I don't want to inflate your ego or anything… but I think you're going to be a fine Fire Lord… maybe one of the greatest. We'll see. None of which will matter if you work yourself into an early grave, so go sleep."

Zuko was chuckling as Katara pushed him out the door of his own study. Once across the threshold, he gave up resisting and retired to his chambers while she went back inside. Back in his room, he took off his outer garments and laid them across a chair. In just his tunic and linen pants he felt much more comfortable. A moment later he sank into his bed, breathing already falling into the slow rhythm of sleep.

Drawing in a deep breath, Zuko rolled over, opting to enjoy the comfort of his bed a little longer as he came gradually awake. But he remembered Katara at work in the study and forced himself to go ahead and sit up. He threw off his covers then stopped short, startled to see Katara slumped down in a chair near the bed, asleep.

Once the initial surprise passed, Zuko crossed to her and shook her shoulder.

"What are you doing here?" he asked as she straightened.

"I found Sensu," she replied a tad groggily. "Your records need to be organized."

"Katara."

She handed him a scroll which he unrolled.

"I came to tell you, but you didn't hear me when I knocked," she continued. "So I came in. I was going to wake you up, but you looked so peaceful, and since you'd only been asleep a few hours I decided to wait."

"This is great, thank you Katara."

"You're planning on taking him home yourself, aren't you?"

"Huh?"

Katara looked up at the Fire Lord. "Zuko, if you want this to mean something, then personally ensure that he gets home. It will give you a chance to try and talk to his family. If nothing else, you'll get to see the reunion."

"I'm not sure if that's such a good idea…"

"It will be good for all of you," Katara insisted. "Tell you what, I'll go with you."

Zuko looked at the expression on the girl's face. "You really want me to do this, don't you."

"I think you need to."

Zuko stared at the scroll in his hands which listed several prisoners captured on the frontlines and where they had been sent. One of the names on the list was Sensu – Lee's older brother. Zuko thought of how much the boy had admired Sensu, and the worry that had come with his capture.

"Alright, I'll go. But I need to get some things ready."

Katara broke into a smile. "If it won't take long, then we can leave today. It's still early in the morning."

"Will you meet me in the stable in an hour?"

"Sure," Katara agreed.

After Katara left, Zuko opened up the chest at the foot of his bed. He took out folded sets of clothes and a few books, setting them aside. Below them was a pearl-handled dagger in a black sheath. He swaddled the dagger in one of his sashes then put the rest of his things back, except one set of clothes, and closed the chest.

Changing into a fresh tunic, the Fire Lord pulled on the clothes from the chest. It was nostalgic, once again wearing the clothes from the admittedly short time he spent traveling with the Avatar's group. Then he removed the crown from his head and set it on his nightstand.

Out in the stables, he dropped a small pack on the ground and walked over to an ostrich horse which was off on its own. Zuko patted its head and lead it out.

"Hey, I guess it's been a while. I wasn't sure if you'd still be around after everything that's happened, but here you are. And now I think it's time for you to go home."

"I never knew you were such an animal lover."

Zuko jumped a bit when Katara spoke from right behind him. He spun around to face her.

"Katara!"

"You said to meet here in an hour, and here I am." She looked at the ostrich horse. "So does this guy make good conversation?"

Slightly embarrassed, Zuko shook his head. "No. But I'm adding another stop to our trip. I hope you don't mind."

Katara shook her head, "It's fine by me, but where are we going?"

Zuko's head drooped as he replied, "This ostrich horse belongs to a mother and daughter in the Earth Kingdom who treated my uncle and fed us both. I stole it when we left."

"I see. Then we've got some ground to cover," Katara remarked. "We should get going."

Two other ostrich horses were already waiting for them and they mounted and set out.

"I kind of thought you'd be upset," Zuko said as they left. "At least a little bit."

"About the ostrich horse?"

Zuko nodded.

"I stole a waterbending scroll, remember? I don't have much of a right to preach on the subject."

"At least you stole it from a band of pirates."

"Zuko, you did a lot of bad stuff in the past. I seem to remember frequent attempts to capture Aang. I've forgiven you for all that, so it would be stupid of me to get mad about an ostrich horse. Besides, you're taking it back. It doesn't change what you did, but it's better than never doing anything about it."

Zuko smiled as he looked at his companion. "Thanks Katara. That means a lot to me."

Since the end of the war, Zuko hadn't been able to travel much aside from official business and the trip through the fire nation was relaxing. Especially with Katara. They kept up a good conversation often enough, but when things became quiet it wasn't awkward.

Their first destination was the home of the girl named Song and her mother. When they arrived, Zuko was nervous and it took some encouragement from Katara to get him to the door. After a moment he knocked firmly.

Presently, the door slid open. Song was standing in it, and the moment she saw Zuko her eyes grew a little wider.

"Lee…" she whispered.

Zuko could see the mixed feelings of hurt, sadness and betrayal on her face.

"Zuko," he blundered. "Me, I mean, I'm- that's my name. Not Lee, I-"

Katara placed a hand on his arm to stop him. With a warm smile she turned to Song.

"What he's trying to say," she explained, "is that his name isn't really Lee. It's Zuko. Can we come in? He has some things he'd like to say."

"Yeah," Zuko nodded, agreeing. "But before that, I brought back your ostrich horse." He gestured back to the gate where the three animals they had brought were waiting.

Surprised, Song looked back and forth a couple times between Zuko and the ostrich horses. Then she stepped back, opening the door further. Zuko and Katara thanked her as they went inside.

"Song, who is it?" a woman asked, coming into the front room of the house. Song's mother stopped short when she saw Zuko.

"I came to apologize," Zuko told them. "When my uncle and I came here, we lied about our names. My name is Zuko, and my uncle's name is Iroh. At the time we were fugitives of the Fire Nation. You helped us out when we were in trouble, but I didn't return that kindness at all. Please, if you're going to be mad at anyone, be mad at me. My uncle tried to stop me, but I didn't listen."

"You seem less angry than when you were last here," the mother commented.

"Huh?"

"The last time you were here you had this angry expression all the time. But that's changed."

"Yeah, well, a lot has happened since then."

"Would you like some dinner?"

Again the mother caught him off guard. "Umm…"

"We're having roast duck tonight," she continued. "I seem to recall you enjoyed that last time, especially your uncle. Eat with us, and you can tell us the rest of your story. How does that sound?"

"The sounds wonderful," Katara interjected.

The knot in Zuko's stomach was starting to loosen as they sat down to eat. The food was delicious, and throughout the meal Zuko, with occasional help from Katara, told Song and her mother his story.

"You've been through quite a lot," the mother said when the story was finished. "I must admit, we were hurt when we found the ostrich horse gone. But I'm glad you eventually found your way. And you've found yourself a lovely girlfriend."

Zuko chuckled to himself, but didn't contradict the statement. And, he noticed, neither did Katara.

Song and her mother insisted that the two of them spend the night there, so they did and after an early breakfast the next morning, they prepared to leave.

"Please feel free to come visit again," Song said as she guided the ostrich horse inside the gate. "If you have a chance."

"We will," Katara promised.

"And extend the invitation to your uncle," the mother added.

Zuko smiled, "I'll do that."

The next destination was one of the Fire Nation prisons located in the Earth Kingdom. It was only a few days from their first stop.

"These prisons are going to have to be removed," Katara commented as they approached the prison gates.

"I know, and I'm working on it," Zuko assured. "But it's going to take time. The war only ended a few months ago."

"What do you want?" One of the prison guards demanded to know as they reached the gates.

Zuko rode ahead of Katara to speak with the guard. "I am Fire Lord Zuko. You should have received orders from me a few days ago. I'm here for prisoner 47632, Sensu."

"You're telling me you're the Fire Lord?" the guard asked skeptically, studying the young firebender's clothes.

"We did have orders to prepare prisoner 47632 for release," the other guard interjected.

The first guard studied Zuko a bit longer. Suddenly the gates opened and the prison warden emerged.

"Fire Lord Zuko, I suspected that was you that the lookout spotted," the man remarked. "I must confess, though, that I had expected you to come with a larger group."

"I prefer to be less conspicuous," Zuko replied.

The warden let the subject drop, gesturing toward the gates. "If you will follow me, the prisoner is being brought from his cell as we speak."

Dismounting, Zuko and Katara proceeded inside. As they passed, the guards bowed deep. A pair of soldier was coming from the other side of the courtyard, escorting a young man. He was tall and broad shouldered with a square jaw that was covered with a partial beard. Black, slightly unkempt hair brushed the tips of his ears. He reminded Zuko very much of his father, though not as strongly built.

"So what does the Fire Lord want with a plain old prisoner like me?" he asked, his tone somewhat harsh, but also cautiously curious.

"You're Sensu, right?" Zuko asked, wanting to be absolutely sure.

"Yeah, that's me."

"You have a younger brother name Lee?"

"Yes."

"I'm here to take you home."

It was clear from the expression on Sensu's face that of all the scenarios that had cross his mind, this was not one of them. After the initial surprise he started laughing.

"What kind of joke is this? You expect me to believe that?"

"Yeah, actually, I do."

"Well I don't. Whatever you're planning, find someone else to trick because I'm not falling for it."

"No," Zuko replied, starting to get angry. "I spent days looking for you, I'm trying to help, and I'm not leaving-"

"Okay, that's enough, you two," Katara interjected, jumping in between them when things started heating up. Placing a hand on Zuko's forearm, she turned to the prisoner. "Listen, Sensu, I know it might sound hard to believe, but we are here to help you. Zuko's different from the firebenders you fought, and he's different from his father. Your family helped him out once, and he's trying to return the favor. I promise this is no trick. We really are here to take you home."

Sensu took a moment to study the two. "You're not Fire Nation."

Shaking her head, Katara replied, "No, I'm from the Southern Water Tribe."

"And you're with him?"

"Yes, because I trust him. If not for him, the Avatar would never have been able to stop Ozai."

Another minute passed, with Sensu processing everything. Finally, he relaxed.

"Alright, you're girlfriend convinced me," he relented.

Zuko relaxed somewhat as well, and nodded, not knowing what else to say. Then he turned to the warden. "He'll need different clothes and an ostrich horse."

With a nod and short verbal acknowledgment, the man went to arrange for the things Zuko requested. A short time later, Sensu was dressed in a spare tunic and pair of pants, holding the reins of his ostrich horse as he stood in the gateway of the prison.

"Are you coming?" Zuko asked at last.

"Yeah, it just feels good to be free."

"You must be ready to go home," Katara said.

"More than ready," Sensu agreed. Quickly he mounted and they headed for their final destination.

The first few days after Sensu joined them were a bit uncomfortable for Zuko, as he had no idea what to say to the young man or how to act around him. Thankfully, Katara was not burdened by such troubles. She struck up a conversation with him early on, asking about his childhood, his time in prison, and anything else that came to mind. Katara pulled Zuko into the discussions whenever she could. But it wasn't until she told the story of how she and the rest of the gang snuck into a party to see the Earth King that the ice really started to melt. That story reminded Zuko of a disastrous dinner party when he was ten and by the time he finished explaining how it came to pass that half the guests were wearing costumes and there was a legion of turtle ducks roaming the palace, they had tears streaming down their faces.

After that, their journey was quite enjoyable right up until they caught sight of the village. The shift was palpable as Sensu grew excited and nervous, the latter sentiment being one that Zuko shared. As they arrived, the soldiers were chasing a cabbage seller out of town. He called some parting insult over his shoulder, however attention was quickly shifting away from him as people started to notice the travelers.

"Isn't that Sensu?"

"I think it is! I almost didn't recognize him, he's grown up since he left."

"That's definitely Sensu. I wasn't sure he'd ever come home. His father had no luck finding him when he went to the frontlines."

"Who's that with him?"

"Wait, he looks familiar too."

"That's that Fire Nation prince who was here before! Remember?"

"Yeah, he beat up the soldiers! Definitely don't know the girl, though."

Some of the villagers were excited to see one of their own returning, but no one knew quite what to make of the manner of his homecoming. So they contained their joy and simply watched with a handful of people calling out to him. When they came upon the farm, they were received much more warmly as all the animals serenaded them. Zuko smiled as he thought of what Lee had said when he first was there. 'No one can ever sneak up on us.'

Presently, the door to the house opened as someone came to investigate the cause of all the racket. It was Sensu's mother.

"Mom!" he called the moment he saw her face, breaking into a run.

The woman's face was disbelieving for a moment, then she broke into a radiant smile and hurried to meet her eldest son. Shortly thereafter her husband appeared, followed by Lee. By the time Zuko and Katara caught up, the four were laughing, crying, and exchanging delighted greetings.

"It's you!" Lee exclaimed when at last he noticed Zuko. His tone said he didn't know quite how to react.

"That's right, I almost forgot you had already met," Sensu said.

"We've met," his father assured. "So what does the Fire Lord want with a plain old farmer like me?"

Sensu laughed, "That's exactly what I said when he showed up at the prison!"

"At the prison?"

"Yeah. He came to find me and personally escorted me home."

"Why would you do that?" Lee asked, confused. "You're Fire Nation! You people are the ones who took him away in the first place."

"I'm not who you think I am," Zuko replied. "I wanted to try and get you to understand that, and to repay you for helping me out."

"After everything the Fire Nation's done, why should we trust you?" the father demanded.

"I know what you've gone through, believe me," Katara interjected. "Fire Nation soldiers killed my mother. Zuko himself tried on numerous occasions to capture the Avatar. But he isn't like that anymore. He helped rescue my father and bring closure to my mother's death. He was also crucial to ending the war."

"Please," Zuko requested, "hear me out.

"Maybe we should go inside and talk about this?" Sensu suggested.

His mother turned to her husband, "What do you think, honey?"

"He did stand up to those bully soldiers last time. Are you okay with it?"

The woman nodded, "He found Sensu."

After their brief consultation, the father gestured for them all to come inside. As they headed for the house, Zuko felt a tug on his arm. He looked down to see Lee holding his sleeve.

"Thanks for bringing my brother home," he said, then trotted after the older boy.

Katara helped the boys' mother fix dinner as once again a lot of stories from the end of the war were told. Gradually the family opened up to Zuko, with Lee being the quickest to accept his return. After dinner, the three younger boys disappeared while Katara talked at length with the husband and wife. After some time they went looking for the rest of their company and found them out in the field, the oldest two showing Lee various fighting techniques. Except that a debate was heating up between Zuko and Sensu over the merits of certain moves, with each physically demonstrating their points. These demonstrations soon became an all-out fight, though Zuko refrained from firebending. Eventually they wore themselves out and fell down in the field, still continuing the argument but with far less gusto as Katara walked over.

"Is it safe to approach?" she teased.

"I would've thought you'd intervene," Zuko replied, out of breath.

"I thought about it, but you kind of looked like you were enjoying yourself."

"That was so cool!" Lee gushed, looking down at his brother and Zuko in awe.

Sensu gave a tired laugh, "Sorry, Lee. I was going to show you a few more things, but I don't have the energy anymore. How about tomorrow, okay?"

"Okay! Hey, Zuko, how long are you staying?"

"Not long. I've already been away from the palace for quite a while. I need to get back."

"Oh, I see."

Silently, Katara nudged Zuko with the toe of her shoe.

"Although I suppose I could afford to wait one more day," he amended.

Lee's face lit up. "Really!? Alright!"

"There's no point rushing off after you've come all this way," Sensu agreed.

"Hey, before you go, do you think you could teach me some more stuff with the dual swords?" Lee requested.

"Sure."

A very enthusiastic Lee went bounding away to tell his mother and father as Sensu rolled onto his stomach to watch him go.

"He's a good kid," Zuko commented, sitting up.

"He is. I wasn't sure if I'd get to train him or tease him anymore. I didn't even know if I'd recognize him the next time I saw him. Thank you so much for this."

"You really ought to thank Katara," Zuko advised. "If it weren't for her, I don't think I would actually have carried through with my plan. You would have had to wait until the prisons were shut down and all the war prisoners released, which could take some time to organize."

The Earth Kingdom boy turned to the waterbender, "Then thank you."

Katara smiled, "It was nothing. Sometimes Zuko just needs a little encouragement, that's all."

"It sounds like you're a good influence on him."

"I try."

"She is," Zuko agreed.

Two days later, Zuko and Katara were packed and ready to go, but they had bonded with the family so it was a bittersweet parting.

"Will you come back to visit?" Lee asked.

Lee's mother placed a hand on the boy's shoulder. "Sweetie, he's the Fire Lord. He won't be able to visit all the time."

As the boy grew sad, Zuko knelt beside him, holding out the sash bundle he had brought from the palace. "Here, I still want you to have this."

Puzzled, Lee un-wrapped the cloth. His expression changed when he saw what was inside it.

"This is the knife you gave me before," he said, amazed. Then he grinned his big toothy grin. "Thanks. I'll practice with it a lot!"

"Why not visit the palace some time?" Katara interjected suddenly. "Zuko may not always have time to spare for traveling, but he can't easily escape playing host if you come visit him."

"Can we?" Lee asked eagerly, looking to his mother who gave a helpless shrug and motioned to Zuko. Lee turned to the Fire Lord. "Can we?"

Hurriedly, Zuko covered his own surprise as he answered, "That should be fine."

"Just send word in advance," Katara continued. "We'll both be there. You can even meet the rest of our friends."

"Alright!" Lee fist-pumped the air in excitement.

Once they had said all their goodbyes and were on their way, Zuko settled into an easy pace beside Katara.

"What did you do that for?" he asked.

"Do what?"

"Invite them to the palace."

"The way you were acting, you boys looked like brothers. I think it will be good for you to have them around. If nothing else, it will help you loosen up some. Besides, both Sensu and Lee really enjoyed having you around, too."

Zuko chuckled, "You're starting to act like you're my wife."

With a smile Katara replied, "I suppose I am."

Thank you for reading, I hoped you enjoyed my little fanfic. I want to thank my friend Sarah for previewing it, and giving me a few pointers that strengthened the story, as well as encouraging me that I had the characterization down. Thank you so much!