Zuko couldn't believe his father! He was so... Agh! He flung his arms up in frustration. Maybe his dad hadn't been the best ruler, but what right did that give him to send his wife – Zuko's mother! – to that place! Ozai knew far too well that fire bending was not only prohibited, it didn't work there. Just how the Solar Eclipse prohibits and restrains all fire bending, the Mushiatsui Swamp is always a Black Sun. How was he to defend himself? Sure he had his Dual Dao swords, but they could only survive for a while under the deadly swamp protectors. Every person of the fire nation knew that the swamp benders despised anyone who was able to shoot fire from their fingertips.

Zuko swung on his heels and walked out the cell. Toph was trying to catch up, but he was too determined not to talk to anybody. It was hardly the fate of his mother that stung him; she wasn't even a fire bender, so they wouldn't have a problem with her there anyway. What he was mad about was his father thinking that they were similar. True family members through the ages always remarked on how much they looked alike, but Zuko and Ozai were completely different people with totally different ambitions and goals.

He finally made his way up to his room and flung his robe on the bed. Standing in his trunks, he reached for his pajamas and pulled them on. He went to the bathroom to wash up. He stared into the reflective glass on the bathroom wall and for possibly the first time in his life, he was actually thankful for the scar that the Phoenix King had given him. If it wasn't for his scar he would look exactly like his father, and just the thought of that made Zuko shutter.

Then the doorknob turned. Katara stepped in and almost jumped when she saw Zuko. "I'm sorry I thought you were still out," she looked down and played with her hair in her face, trying to hide the flush of color to her cheeks. Zuko hardly noticed her entrance. "No big deal," he mumbled, still admiring his scar in the mirror.

"Um... You know... I could... Well I could t-try to heal your scar," Katara stumbled out. Zuko turned around when she said that, making the situation much more awkward for her.

"Thank you, but I actually like my scar," Zuko smiled gently. "It differentiates me from my dad".

"Really? I never looked at it that way," Katara admitted, awkwardly. "I always thought that you thought it marked your destiny. That is until you realized that you can choose your destiny".

"I went to go see my father earlier," Zuko said, ignoring Katara's awkward sputter. "He said that... I'm just like him. I look like him and I know that, but my scar is the biggest thing that differentiates me from him and for that I'm utterly thankful," Zuko smiled at the thought.

"Why would you see your dad?" Katara worried. She had always taken on a role of a mother and often worried about everyone in "Team Avatar".

Zuko took a deep breath. "My mother was banished when I was 12. I had to..." His voice trailed off when Katara reached to hug him. "I understand," she breathed in his ear, her soft lips tickling the crevices of it. Her hot breath blew through his head and he could almost feel it coming out his other ear. He felt her small but soft breasts against his chest and he tightened his grip. Katara pulled away, "So what did you find out? Where is she?" Zuko looked down, his bangs falling in his face so as to not let Katara see his blush from the pleasure of feeling her lips tracing his ear and her pressed breasts against his chest.

Good, he thought, she doesn't suspect anything.

"In the Mushiatsui Swamp," Zuko mumbled.

Katara gasped. "You know how much they hate fire benders though!"

Zuko inhaled, "Yes, that's the problem," he sighed and went to flop on his bed. He put his head in between his knees. Katara sat by him and began to comfort him. She softly stroked his back with her delicate, dainty fingertips. Zuko always enjoyed Katara's company.

After what seemed like an eternity, Katara spoke, "I'm coming with you". Zuko was stunned. "I can't ask you to risk your life like that," he urged. Blue eyes looked deep, almost through, gold ones.

"Don't be insane, you helped me avenge my mother, now I'm going to help you find yours," she smiled at the end, making her eyes swell with joy and pain for Zuko at the same time. Zuko hugged her tightly, tears streaming down his face. "Thank you," he whispered. Katara shuddered at the strength of his interlock.