H'ok, so here's deh erth...

Yeah, I'm back. Be skurred.

My brain refused to work on my novels so here I am writing Avatar fanfiction to appease me and my God complex. :D

Hope you enjoy!

PS. This is not Zutara, whatever you may think.

Zuko shivered violently despite the large fire blazing in the hearth of his cabin. He had forgotten just how cold it was in the North Pole. How many years had passed since he was there last? Twelve? Thirteen, maybe? He was not sure of the exact number, but he knew that it was fairly great.

He had been the Fire Lord for a little over a decade. Not yet seventeen when he took the throne. It was one of the reasons his name would be remembered for centuries to come. The youngest Fire Lord and one of the Children of the Revolution.

That was what they referred to those who usurped Ozai, Zuko's father, as. The Children of the Revolution, and though they were many, the most famous of those Children was the Avatar Aang and those who aided him. Toph, Sokka, Suki, and Katara. Zuko smiled at the memory of the last time he had seen his friends. He had seen only Katara, Aang, and Mai since that day in the Jasmine Dragon. It was not until then that he realized how much he truly missed them.

Especially Katara. The Waterbender held a special place in his heart. When he had first met her, the Firebender could barely tolerate her. But with time and threats and battles, he had grown quite fond of her. She had been a soothing presence in his life after the war and made him think of his mother. And just like his mother, he would have died in an instance to save her and his closest friend, Aang.

He wondered idly if Aang would be in the North Pole as well. They wrote to one another a good deal and so far as Zuko knew, Aang was somewhere in the Earth Kingdom, rebuilding a village.

Katara though was still in the North Pole. After the old master left for the South Pole, Katara had taken his place as one of the greatest Waterbenders of the world. She was the Water Mistress of the North and trained many at the same time she was still learning herself.

A knock at the door interrupted Zuko's thoughts.

"Sire?" came the muffled voice from the other side of the door.

"Yes?" Zuko replied.

"My lord, we are preparing to weigh anchor. We've arrived."

"Make sure the blue banners are flown."

"They are."

Good. The last thing Zuko needed was to have a lot of pissed off Waterbenders attacking the ship carrying the Fire Lord and the Firebenders protecting him against the assault. It would put a bit of a damper on his visit, he imagined.

Climbing from the cushion he had been sitting on, Zuko went to his closet and pulled out the thick, fur trimmed red rein-cat-skin coat he'd had specially made for the trip to the North. He shrugged it on quickly over his simple red silk and leather attire and left his cabins. The soldier who had delivered him the news of their arrival followed after him at a respectful distance.

The ship was anchored a short distance from the great wall that protected the city. Zuko and only three of his guards loaded up into a rowboat and headed for land. The closer they grew to the great ice wall, the better the Fire Lord could make out the shape crowning it.

It was a person, dressed in thick, fur trimmed garments much like he and his men wore. The hood of the "greeter's" cloak was drawn to begin with, but once the small boat was twenty or so yards from the wall, the hood was pushed back.

Zuko grinned to himself. Her hair fell in loose, dark waves about her face and her arms wear crossed about her chest. Even at a distance, Zuko knew exactly who had met them at the gate.

"Fire Nation," Katara spoke, her voice steady and commanding. "What business brings you to the North Pole?"

For all the time that had passed, Waterbenders, more so than the rest of the world, wes still mistrustful of the Firebenders and with cause Zuko could not hold against them.

"Business from the Fire Lord," Zuko shouted back from where he sat in the back of his small boat. "We visit in peace, Mistress. I swear to you."

"And who are you to swear such a thing?"

"The Fire Lord Zuko, Mistress."

The boat lurched suddenly as the water beneath them churned and forced the small vessel forward. The wall had split down the middle, forming a small opening for them to enter. In moments the Firebenders were inside the city and the wall was closed again.

Zuko had no sooner stepped from the rowboat and onto solid ground than he staggered backwards from the force of an embrace.

"Zuko!" Katara cried happily. Her hold on him with vice-like. "I had no idea you were coming here."

Zuko laughed under his breath and returned her hug. "Surprise."

"Are you here to see the Chief?" She released him and stepped back, though her hands still rested on his upper arms.

"No, I actually came to see you, Katara."

Katara beamed delightedly. "Then come with me to my house. Your guards too. I had just finished a stew when the villagers began to panic about the warship approaching us."

"Sorry about that," he replied sheepishly. "I would have taken the royal ship, but I'm not sure how well it would have fared with all the ice."

"Oh, don't worry about it. They're just all still skittish about your father's reign. You understand"

Zuko could feel his heart ache in his chest for all the people his father had harmed. Though he had once been as much an enemy of the world as his family had been, Zuko had been the lucky one. He'd had his uncle Iroh, Katara, Aang and his mother to teach him was compassion was.

Katara led him down the streets quickly. They were both quiet. Only their footsteps and the swish of Katara's skirts filled the silence. It took only a few minutes for them to reach the place the Waterbender resided in.

It was a nice house, set away from the ice palace of the North Pole Chief and the rest of the village, but not by a great distance. There were two stories to it though overall it was not very large. Zuko liked it. It made him think of Mai. She would have loved to live in a place such as this.

"Your home is lovely," he commented as he crossed over the threshold, Katara still clutching his hand.

She smiled warmly. "Thank you. Aang built it for me."

"Is he here?"

"No," she replied wistfully. "I'm afraid you just missed him. He came to visit for a fortnight before going back to Li Suing to make sure things are still okay there."

Zuko was disappointed at the news. He had not seen the Avatar in close to six months.

"Is Mai not with you?" Katara asked as she hung her thick coat on a peg by the door.

Zuko mimicked her actions. "No. She's at the Capital with Uncle, overseeing things while I'm away."

Katara's brow furrowed, but she said nothing as she stepped into another room. Zuko took a few steps farther into the foyer and looked about the Waterbender's home. It was simple and crowded with trinkets and furs, pictures and scrolls. He honestly liked it and made a note in his mind to create a retreat like this when he returned home.

"Are you hungry, Zuko?" It made Zuko smile that she did not use his title as so many did. "I've got turtle-seal and snow pea stew ready."

Zuko turned and looked at his guards who were lingering by the door of the house, unsure of what they should do.

"You men can return to the ship if you like," he said in a hushed tone. "I'm in no danger here."

"Don't send them off, Zuko," the young woman chided as she reappeared suddenly.

The Fire Lord jumped a bit. He had not realized she had returned to their company.

'There's enough stew for everyone."

Zuko smiled at his friend's kindness. She would make a wonderful mother one day. Nodding to his men, Zuko watched them remove their coats and gradually relax before moving into the wide sitting room with the low table in its center that Katara directed them to. The Fire Lord took the head seat before his men sat crowded at the other end of the table. It was their way of giving the pair as much privacy as possible.

In moments, the dark-haired young woman had a bowl of stew in front of each of the men and a fresh loaf of bread in the center of the table. She took a seat at Zuko's right and brushed the long waves of her hair over her shoulder.

"So when did you and Mai split?" she asked casually as she cut off the end of the loaf of bread.

Zuko nearly choked on his stew. That was unexpected.

"Did Aang tell you?"

"He didn't have to." Katara shrugged. "Mai would never have let you come here by yourself to see me."

She had a point. One of Mai's biggest peeves was the Waterbender that she had tolerated for Zuko's sake alone. She had never believed that Katara and Zuko were friends and had never been anything more.

"For about six years."

Katara's eyes widened. "That long?"

"It's been seven since I last saw you." There was a hint of sadness in his voice when he said that.

"Time flies," she murmured, taking another bite of the stew.

They ate in silence for several moments, unsure of what to say.

"What brings you to the North Pole then, Zuko? Unannounced, might I add. It can't be just to visit."

Zuko half-grimaced. Katara had grown incredibly perceptive over the years. Though she had been keen on emotions in their younger days, she seemed to be able to see straight through his friendly-visit, perfectly-at-ease façade.

"I haven't heard from Aang in quite some time," he explained.

"And you hoped he was here?"

"I did."

"Will you go to the Earth Kingdom now that you know he's there?" Katara's head tilted a bit when she asked him. Rather like a cat, he noted.

Zuko hesitated. He had not thought that far ahead. "Probably. I need to speak with him. Urgently."

Katara's dark, ocean-colored eyes studied the Fire Lord intently.

"What could be so urgent?" she asked, her voice a bit firmer than before.

Zuko inhaled deeply and set his spoon to rest on the edge of his bowl. It was hard for him to say, but it was why he had sought out the Avatar instead of writing to him.

Exhaling slowly, the Fire Lord's amber eyes lifted to meet the Waterbender's gaze. All at once he became the unsure boy Katara had once known.

"Azula escaped. She's out there somewhere and I have no idea what she's planning."