A.N. 4-27-07 - This was previously Chapter 5 of Faith in the Enemy. It's relatively unchanged. If you're new to this story, you might want to read "The Other Waterbender: Faith in the Enemy" first, though it shouldn't be entirely necessary. This story moves forward to after the defeat of Ozai. Kat and Zuko have not seen each other in almost 2 years (which is my best guestimate for how long the show seems to take, since there aren't any seasons to really nail it down). Enjoy, and please please review!
Chapter 1: Refugees and Old Friends
The Day of Black Sun has come and gone. The Avatar successfully defeated Fire Lord Ozai. While that act alone would have made the day a victory, it was hard to celebrate. While the Fire Lord's death was a necessity, it didn't make Aang feel any better about having to kill him. And when the dust cleared and the sun returned, Azula sat on the Fire Nation throne.
The war was not over.
Three Weeks Later, in the South Pole
"I think it's a Fire Nation ship, Sir."
"What?!" Kai snatched the eye glass from the young boy and scanned the horizon. In the monocolor white landscape of the South Pole, their pale blue water tribe clothes were easy to see. In the distance, against the dark blue of the ocean, the black ship was almost indistinguishable. "It can't be…" The ship was a smaller class than the normal Fire Nation battle cruiser, but the outline was unmistakable as was the faint red mark of flame on its bow.
"Keep an eye on it; let me know the instant anything changes," Kai commanded, handing the eye glass back to the young boy. Shaking his head, he quickly headed down the snow stairs from the watch tower.
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Kai's navy blue eyes shimmered with concern. The South Pole had doubled in size in the past year, but it was not ready to withstand a Fire Nation attack. The once-small village had grown into a town, and it might one day become a city like the North Pole at the rate it was going.
It had been almost two years since Kai and the others had arrived in the South Pole, without Kat. Their help was welcomed, especially with the absence of the two oldest teenagers of the tribe – Katara and Sokka. They had helped rebuild the tiny wall, including Sokka's watch tower.
When two boats full of Northern Water tribe members arrived, the tiny village suddenly burst with life. The small team of benders – about 14 in all including Kat, Kai, and Tashu – worked to build homes of snow and ice, and to expand the walls that protected the growing town. Most importantly however, the built a port. Docks of thick ice had room for half a dozen ships. Kai and Kat had returned to the Southern Earth Kingdom, and convinced several merchants to begin trading with the South Pole once more.
So the town grew, and the war went on. When Ba Sing Se fell, several southern Earth Kingdom families moved in. Adjusting to the frigid temperatures of the South Pole wasn't easy, but they no longer felt safe in the Earth Kingdom.
Unfortunately, Kai and Saki found no living relatives in the South Pole. They did send word to their mother in the Earth Kingdom that they had arrived, and within a few months, she too returned to the South Pole. Tashu and Lei were luckier; their grandmother still lived, and was thrilled to discover that she had grandchildren.
Kat did find some distant cousins on her mother's side in the South Pole, and she was glad to find some family in the very least. She found it odd however, that no one seemed to remember her father. Most of the elders did not even seem to have ever heard of him.
It took Kai twenty minutes to walk from the front wall over looking the port to the very opposite side of the sprawling town.
Kats held her arms out in front of her, palms facing a massive cube of ice, her back to the approaching Kai. She raised her arms, in unison, from waist level, to shoulder height, and the block lifted from the ground. Carefully guiding it, Kat maneuvered the snow block into position on top of a growing stack of identical cubes. They were building storage houses along the back of town. With the increase in people, they were worried about the coming winter.
The block settled gently into place and Kat returned to her basic stance. A second bender shoved another block into place as he finished shaping it. To their right, one finished storage bunker was complete, this second one was coming along; its 10foot arch was beginning to take shape. It would run a good 50 feet in length by the time they were done. Then they would dig out the inside to give it more depth, and insulate it into the hard packed snow of the ground.
Kat prepared to move the next block, holding out her arms and sliding her legs a bit farther apart. She shrieked when she felt hands on her waist suddenly.
"Katsumi there's something you should see," he purred her name teasingly. She twisted around in his hands. Kai was grinning wickedly; he had considered surprising her while she was bending one of the blocks, but knew that would have made her slap him.
"Can't it wait? I want to get this one finished by sunset." Kat brushed a few loose strands of her dark mahogany hair behind her ear. Her braid had gotten loose over the course of the morning.
"No, it can't." Kai sighed. Kat was always working. It didn't matter if there was a lull, she would make more work to do. Building new houses, or the storage buildings, reinforcing the wall, fixing the port, preserving fish and seal and other meats, she could always find something that needed doing. Ever since she had showed up at the South Pole, a good 2 months after they had left her on Zuko's ship, Kat had thrown herself into her work. She had given them a brief summary of her time as a prisoner, but refused to elaborate. Eventually, her friends left her alone about it.
"All-riiiiight." With a melodramatic sigh, Kat turned back to her fellow bender. "We'll have to finish this tomorrow." He nodded. Kat turned back to Kai. "Let's go see what's so important." She sounded annoyed at having to stop work for the day, but she didn't care that much. Kai had a habit of interrupting her in order to get her opinion on things. He was the oldest of the teenaged boys, and has assumed a certain leadership role through his work organizing the rebuilding. He relied heavily on Kat's opinion though.
Grabbing Kat's hand, Kai led the way back across town. No one had been surprised when their friendship had progressed into something more. Many had wondered what took them so long. They had always been close, and it seemed to be a natural progression as they grew older.
On the wall, Kai handed her the monocular. "Look, over there," he pointed off into the distance.
Kat tried to follow where he was pointing. "What am I even looking for?" She grumbled a bit. It was windy on the wall, and Kat had no cloak, just her normal pale blue outer robes.
"Just keep scanning, you'll see it."
She swept the eye glass back and forth for a minute, in the area Kai had pointed. "No!" She suddenly gasped in shocked disbelief. "That is NOT what I think it is." She lowered the eye glass and glared at Kai. "Tell me that is NOT a Fire Nation ship!"
"If it looks like one and moves like one…"
"Kai why on earth didn't you tell me?!" She lifted the glass to her eye again and relocated the ship.
"Because it seems to be approaching slowly. And it's alone. So far, it doesn't seem to be a - "
"Uh, Kai?"
"What?"
"It just started raising a white flag." Kat passed him the eye glass. "Look."
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Even dulled with age, the black metal of the Fire Nation ship still shone in the sunlight. It dwarfed even the largest of the trading vessels docked in the small icy port. The deck buzzed with tension and movement.
Kat and a second female bender raised their arms, and a stairwell of snow and ice shot up from the dock to the ship's deck.
Kai was first to step onto the ship's deck, Kat second. She hung back, her hazel eyes taking in the ship's deck and the crew in their black and red armor. Had it really been almost 2 years?
The ship's captain bowed deeply before Kai, Kat, and Tashu. "I am Jee, ex-Lieutenant of the Fire Nation Navy. We have come to see asylum."
She could hear the gasps from both boys, as well as a handful of water tribe citizens down below on the pier. "Lieutenant Jee? Do you have the whole crew?" Kat suddenly asked as she stepped forwards.
"Almost the entire crew Miss Katsumi. We lost a few men at the Siege of the North." Jee was visibly saddened to share the news.
"You were at the Siege of the North?" Her gold-flecked eyes went wide. What was Zuko doing there?
"Whoa, wait." Kat held up his hands, glancing at Tashu, who shared the same confused look he did. "How do you know Kat? Why are you an ex-lieutenant? And why are you seeking asylum?" The questions came tumbling out quickly.
"We were the crew and guards of Prince Zuko, until Admiral Zhao recruited all able bodied soldiers for the Siege of the North." Jee sighed with regret. "This is not the same ship, the Prince's was destroyed, but it is a similar class."
Kat's brows furrowed with myriad questions, but she didn't voice them. "There is a lot to discuss, and I'd like to know what news you bring, Jee. But I think it best we move to someplace more private."
Jee nodded. "I have 22 men on board, with their families. It's been cramped."
"Understood. We'll make room for them as fast as possible."
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The flames of the fireplace were ending their dance, only a few orange and yellow flames dared to spark upwards; the rest had settled into dark red embers. Kat stared at them and toyed with her necklace. She had pulled it free of her robes, a thin chain of gold on which a single dark red ruby hung. Its surface was smooth, and she rubbed her fingers over it.
My Uncle says jewelry always makes things better with girls. I will miss winning our sparring matches. Farewell. – Zuko.
It had been buried, wrapped in a piece of parchment, in the bottom of the bag Iroh insisted she take. She remembered word for word the brief awkward phrasing of the note; it was so Zuko. Kat wasn't sure if Iroh had known it was there, but she figured he must have. It was easy to hide under the multiple layers of clothing that were mandatory in the South Pole, so she wore it every day.
The fire snapped and popped in its death throws. The room was growing steadily darker as the flames shrank back. Shadows danced across the walls of her small, barren, house. Kat didn't need much; she was almost always out in town, doing something. Kai and Saki always insisted she eat with them and their mother. Kai had asked her to stay with them, but she had insisted she preferred having her own place.
She was somewhat disappointed in the South Pole. Granted, she hadn't expected much, but Kat had hoped to find some relatives, and someplace she belonged. The southern Earth Kingdom was where they grew up, but it hadn't been home. They were water benders, and they didn't belong there. Yet here she was in the South Pole, surrounded by her own element, and Kat sill didn't feel at home. She worked hard, hoping if she put her heart into rebuilding and growing the town it would help, but it didn't.
Her thoughts frequently found their way back to Zuko and Iroh. She heard rumors and stories of what had happened after she had parted ways from them, but nothing was certain. Most tales upset her, the rest just made her wonder. She tried not to psychoanalyze either of the royal duo from her brief time with them, but she couldn't help it.
Kat stared into the flames; the faint specks of gold in her eyes shimmered as she did. Lieutenant Jee – well, ex-lieutenant – had said that Zuko was in the Southern Earth Kingdom, somewhere. It was only speculative, but Jee was fairly certain it was the truth.
It was all only rumors, but Jee and most of his men believed that Zuko was the reason Azula did not fight along side the Fire Lord on the Day of Black Sun. Jee had recounted the most widely believed story: that Zuko had fought Azula in an Agni Kai, and left her with a scar of her own the day before the eclipse. Even beating his prodigy of a sister was not enough to raise his father's opinion of him. Ozai had declared that the throne would still pass to Azula after him. There were many variations in the rumors about what happened next, but the main story line was simple: one way or another, Zuko made sure Azula could not help Ozai during the eclipse and then left the Fire Nation.
Azula had instituted a draft on the already over-stretched Fire nation populace. It had been the last straw for many, and rebellions were cropping up across the islands according to Jee. All in all Jee's ship had carried 77 people in its tight quarters. It had been risky, but they had succeeded. While the North Pole was surrounded by a growing fleet of Fire Nation ships preparing for battle, the South Pole was quiet. Few in the Fire Nation realized how much it had grown in the past two years.
Even the fire nation citizens were tired of war. The sentiment permeated the ship's crew. They were battle wary and had lost hope. This was their last chance to find someplace peaceful to live.
Although Kai was uncertain about letting Fire Nation citizens into their small village, he agreed to let them stay. They were traitors to the Fire Nation now; this would be their new home. The Earth Kingdom was no longer safe.
Without fear of Ba Sing Se, Azula could focus the might of the Fire Nation on the last remaining bastion of opposition: The North Pole. When it was stomped out, everything else would be clean up work. Kat had never known Azula. What she knew was from the stories of the soldiers. But she knew enough to realize that Azula would not stop until she had succeeded where her father, grandfather, and great grandfather had failed.
The fire popped twice, and died. The room fell into darkness, only the faintest bit of moonlight reaching in through the window. Kat tucked her necklace back under her robes and made her decision: there was only one person who could end the war and he was in the southern earth kingdom.
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The sky was lightening, even though the sun was still half an hour from gracing the horizon with its presence. It was still late summer, and the nights were long in the southern hemisphere.
Kat knew the merchants liked to leave with the sunrise, and give themselves as much travel time during the day as possible. They had to pass through the isles that once belonged to the southern air nomads, and many a ship's crew swore the area was haunted.
She also knew one of the merchants was intending to leave this morning. He had mentioned it the previous evening while the village was gathered to welcome their new fire nation members as friends.
With her pack slung over her shoulder, Kat moved silently, straight towards the dock. The village was still sleeping for the most part, and by the time anyone noticed she was gone it would be far too late.
"Where do you think you're going?" Kai stepped out from behind a building and grabbed Kat's shoulder as she walked by. He spoke with a soft seriousness.
Kat caught her breath in a small gasp. At first she was surprised, but she quickly grew angry and defensive, twisting her shoulder out from under his hand. "I'm going North."
Kai sighed. He had suspected she would try something; he knew her too well. When Jee and his men shared stories of the war and the events over the past two years, Kat had grown pensive and attentive. He'd seen that look on her face before: she was planning something.
Kat had always refused to talk about her time as a prisoner, and it bothered Kai. "Why? You're needed here Kat."
No I'm not, she thought. "I have to find him Kai."
That damn prince, it always comes back to him, Kai scowled. "It's been two years Kat! You heard Jee – he is the reason Ba Sing Se flies a Fire Nation flag!"
"You don't know that!" Kat's voice rose before she wrestled it down under control again. "It's rumors; no one knows that for sure. Even if he did, he's left the Fire Nation now."
"Or he was run off! Kat listen to yourself! You don't even know him. He betrayed his uncle, and stood beside the rest of his tyrant lineage, what good would finding him do?"
"He's the only one that can end this war Kai, and you know it. Ozai is dead and yet it continues. It won't end until someone is on that throne that is tired of war."
"And how do you know he's tired of war?! He's as evil as the rest of that accursed family!" Kai hissed angrily. His own level of anger at her stubborn defiance surprised him. Tendrils of jealousy crept their way into his thoughts. Kat had never rebuffed his advances, and he knew she cared deeply about him, but there was always something holding her back. The whispers of jealousy suggested that it was someone that held Kat back, not something. Now Kai was wondering if this was the answer he had sought.
"No he's not!" She shot back vehemently, "he's not."
"How do you know?!" There just wasn't any getting through to her.
"Because he saved me from being raped by that bastard Zhao. That's how." She hissed with defensive anger.
Kai froze up; his lips parted but no words came from them. Suddenly a lot more things made sense in light of her revelation. "Kat…" his voice became soft and he reached for her shoulder again to draw her to him. "Why didn't you ever say anything before?"
"Because there's nothing to say," Kat clammed back up quickly. She wasn't about to have this discussion and miss her chance to leave. "Nothing happened because he rescued me. You may not believe that a fire nation prince could have a heart, but I do. I've seen it. And I've seen the faith his Uncle had in him. He's a good person beneath it all Kai. I refuse to believe otherwise." She took a deep breath, trying to calm down again even as she spoke quickly. "This war has two outcomes now: The Fire Nation breaks through the North Pole, and we all fall under their control or Zuko gets that throne and ends it. There are no more lines of defense between them and us."
"Then I'll come with you."
"No," she snapped quickly. "You're needed here. They need your leadership with the rest of the men still gone. They'll need you to keep peace while Jee and his men assimilate."
"And they need you too Kat," Kai was almost begging. His navy eyes glinted with concern for her, and the future. "How can you just leave?"
"I…I have to…I really do. I know in my heart this is the right thing to do," she sighed and looked away. The pain that danced in his features was making her lose her nerve. "Don't make this any harder than it has to be, please." It was her turn to beg softly.
Kai was quiet for a moment. His hand idly rubbed her shoulder in a pathetic gesture of comfort. "Alright, go." He pulled her to him and kissed her hard. "But be careful, and come back to me." The sun was beginning to peek over the horizon, its first rays casting them into shadows against the building's side. "Go on, or you'll miss the ship."
Biting her lip, Kat nodded. She felt like she should say something, but nothing seemed appropriate. With a sad attempt at a reassuring smile Kat murmured "I'll be fine," and sprinted over to the pier.
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Despite having been ashore for just over two weeks, they hadn't gotten anywhere. The problem was they weren't specifically going anywhere. They had no destination. The only point of moving was to avoid spending too long in one spot and risking discovery.
Things had been relatively calm. Of course, calmness usually came before a storm, and it was making Zuko nervous. They'd barely seen any Fire nation troops in their travels across the southern Earth Kingdom, and it seemed unusual. Had he stayed in the Fire Nation past the eclipse, he would have known that troops were being recalled left and right in order to launch a truly massive attack on the North Pole.
The calmness had finally broken hours earlier.
The last town had a large marketplace, perfect for restocking on food and assorted supplies. It was bustling with people and vendors right from the port to the heart of the town. Increased trade with the southern Water Tribe had greatly benefited the small village in the previous year, and it showed.
Zuko couldn't help but think how much Iroh would have loved it.
Someone was following him though. He caught movement in his peripheral vision from time to time, yet looking back there was nothing unusual in the busy market. At first, the prince wrote it off to nerves. But it continued as he shopped.
Zuko had quietly instructed his companion to stay behind him, to wait several minutes to leave the town after he had. It had been easy to do: in town they always shopped apart, lest anyone use one to recognize the other. A simple brushing against her shoulder and a few quiet words explained the situation.
Now, an hour away from town, Zuko was at the end of his nerves. There were no noticeable footprints heard from behind him. It was still late summer and the path was clear of debris that would make travel noisy. Worst still, it was unkempt and rarely traveled, which meant it was spotted with grass that muted footsteps. He would have to wait until his companion made her move. He was confident she would know when it was safe to act.
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It was definitely Zuko. Kat had gotten lucky, really lucky. Following the gossip and moving quickly, she had barely slept since stepping ashore. Spotting him in the marketplace had been a complete accident.
At first, she wasn't entirely sure it was him. The black pony tail was gone, and shaggy tussled locks partly obscured his scar. The golden eyes were unmistakable though. Kat didn't dare say anything in the marketplace, where too many people would over hear. She followed as close as she dared, and as quietly as possible.
The day was only midway through, but the tall trees along the path blocked the sunlight. It was warm, but not uncomfortable. Kat found it to be refreshing from the cold of the South Pole. It reminded her of childhood summers spent climbing trees and dashing through the undergrowth.
She had waited long enough. She'd seen no one on the path in the entire hour they'd been walking. Quickening her pace, Kat stopped lurking along the shadowed sides and headed right for Zuko.
She barely felt the sharp jabs in the back and side of her neck and base of her spine before the world went dark.
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The rustle of movement behind him made Zuko spin around and dash back the way he'd come.
On the ground was a crumpled figure. Her backpack had slid free of her shoulder and was lying against her side; she wore black pants and a green and yellow earth kingdom tunic, with a water pouch slung across her chest. Her loose braid of mahogany hair had fallen across her face, hiding it.
Ty Lee stood over her, a grin on her face and her hands on her hips. Although she no longer wore the bright pink puffy clothes she had always favored, she retained her cheerful demeanor. Like Zuko, she wore simple earth kingdom peasant clothing, a green shirt she had knotted on the side to keep it snug, and loose brown pants. She laughed loudly. "That was too easy!"
Zuko knelt beside his stalker and brushed her hair from her face.
"Kat?!"
