AN: The first chapter! Please enjoy!


Avatar: The Last Airbender and all related © Mike & Bryan, Nickelodeon and Viacom.
Cela, Saku and Fai © Me


Katara yawned and rubbed the sleep from her eyes with the back of her wrist. She was holding a small knife in one hand and a piece of fruit in the other. A bowl was sitting on the counter in front of her. Her hair was pulled into a messy bun and despite the late morning sun outside, she was extremely ready to go to bed again. She had stayed up late listening to Lady Ursa and Zuko tell stories about his childhood, hearing about Azula as a girl. It had been some time after midnight that she excused herself, but for all she knew, the two were still talking.

She let out a sigh and dropped the slice of red fruit into the bowl. There was a large glass of cold water next to the bowl that was already half way empty. All the crying from the night before had worn her out and dehydrated her considerably. She set the fruit and knife in the bowl and took a drink from the water before continuing to make her breakfast.

"Good morning."

"Well look who's awake!" Katara turned to meet Zuko with a cup of tea. Despite his bleary-eyed expression, he took the cup with ease and drank a sip. Katara returned to her fruit. "Did you sleep at all?"

"I ended up falling asleep listening to Mom tell stories about me when I was a baby." He yawned. "No idea what time it was." He stepped over to the counter to look at what Katara was doing and took another drink of tea.

"So, is she coming with us?" She asked, glancing to the side for a moment before returning to the fruit. Zuko nodded.

"She said she's gonna miss this place but at the same time she's ready to come home. Plus she wants to meet everyone." Zuko looked down at his cup.

"What's going to happen to the inn?" Katara dropped the last of the fruit in the bowl and moved to the sink to clean off the knife.

"She has a partner who has been working with her, another woman that helped her escape from the Fire Nation, so she'll most likely take over this place with her daughter." Zuko drank the last of his tea and went to get himself more.

"Where is she?" Katara grabbed the bowl of fruit and took her glass of water and walked with Zuko towards one of the small tables.

"Mom or her partner?" Zuko pulled Katara's seat out for her before taking his own.

"Both."

"Mom is still asleep upstairs I think and her partner is on vacation, due back today or tomorrow." Zuko nodded.

"Well, Zuko, what did I tell you?" Katara asked, leaning forward and resting her chin on her hand. "Did we find her or what?"

"You were right, we did." Zuko smiled and shook his head. Katara loved being right.

"And are you an orphan?"

"No, I'm not an orphan."

"Good, I'm glad you see it my way." She lifted her glass of water to him and took a drink.

"I hope you two understand why I mistook you for a couple."

Zuko and Katara looked up and smiled. Ursa was standing in the door, completely made up with her hair back in a bun. She was wearing a brown dress with deep green detailing. Zuko stood up and moved over to her. Katara got to her feet as well, watching as the Firelord hugged his mother.

"What do you mean?" Katara asked as Zuko leaned back and walked his mother over to the table.

"Well," Ursa sat down in the chair that Zuko pulled out for her. "Just watching you two is charming. You're obviously very close."

Zuko turned red again and Katara chuckled. "We have a lot in common," She said, looking across the table at Zuko. His face grew slightly less red as he buried his face in his teacup. Ursa smiled.

"So, do you have two have special someone's in your lives?" Ursa tilted her head to the side, looking between the two.

"Yeah…" Zuko cleared his throat and sat up a little straighter. "Do you remember Mai?"

"The little sullen girl who used to play with your sister?" Ursa looked amused. Zuko looked a little downtrodden.

"She's not sullen," Zuko paused as Katara choked on her water. "She's just… Dark." Ursa nodded as if to say 'of course not' and turned to the Waterbender.

"And you, my dear?" She asked.

"Yes, I do… Aang." She smiled, swirling the tip of her finger over the lip of her glass.

"The Avatar? Isn't he just fourteen? You have to be almost… Two years older than he is." Ursa frowned as she looked between the two teenagers. Katara sat up and looked at Ursa as if she was confused.

"Why does his age have to matter?" Katara said, smiling at Ursa. There was a moments pause and the tall Fire Nation mistress returned her smile.

"I suppose you're right." Ursa nodded her head to Katara and got to her feet. "If you'll excuse me, I need to pack up my things." As she walked by Zuko, she placed a hand on his shoulder before walking on.

Once she left, Zuko turned to Katara. He opened his mouth as if to say something when the inn door shot open. He was on his feet in a flash, a fistful of fire on each side. Katara bent the water from the sink across the room to her and turned to face the intruder.

"Oi! No need for that, I work here."

Upon seeing the so-called threat, both benders relaxed. Katara bent the water back to the kitchen and Zuko let his fists drop. A short young woman laden down with bags stood just inside the door. There wasn't much to see of her due to the packages she carried, but she was definitely not out to get them. "I had to kick the door open, sorry if I startled you." She said, carefully walking over to the nearest table and dropping the bags. "I'm Saku," She bowed to the two before looking up at them. There was a sparkle of recognition in her eyes and as she opened her mouth to add to her introduction, a shrill shout came from outside.

"COMING MOTHER." Saku bowed to Zuko and Katara once more before darting back out the door.

The benders exchanged glances before their ears were assaulted once more.

This time, instead of a short, slender brunette coming through the door, a rather round, tall and brash looking woman charged inside. "I swear child, I could have made dinner and set it on your bed for you and I wouldn't ever even hear a thank you."

"I thanked you twice this morning, Mother." Saku's voice trailed in from outside.

At this point, both Zuko and Katara were considering arming themselves once more. The large woman dropped the two bags she was carrying and placed her fists on her hips. "Ursa!" She squawked. "We're back!" When she saw Zuko and Katara, however, she paled.

"Don't worry, we know already." Zuko explained, stepping towards the woman. "We came to get her."

"Came to get her? Li Hua's done nothing wrong. I want you out of our inn now." She stepped back and opened the inn door for the two of them. Just as she opened it, Saku came inside.

"Mother what are you talking about, don't you recognize these two?" She said, putting down a small parcel and folding her arms. "I know we're not supposed to follow the politics but after the war I looked into it." She looked over at Zuko and Katara again. "This is the Firelord and his friend." She turned back to her mother. "He's Miss Ursa's son."

Instead of bowing or making any semi-polite motion, the woman's hands became cemented to her hips and she glared at Zuko. "You're not anything like your father now I hope."

"He's more opposite his father than anyone I've ever met." Katara spoke for him.

In her time getting to know him in the past year, her faith in Zuko had grown almost tenfold. She had learned about him more from his uncle than from him directly and was almost inspired by him. She learned about his mother leaving and a little bit about Azula as a child, and a lot about their family dynamic. The one thing she had not been able to wring out of Iroh was where Zuko had gotten his scar.

"Well I had to ask. A lot can happen in seven years." She bowed to Zuko. When she straightened, she looked between him and Katara. "And congratulations on your engagement. I hope you're both very happy." Katara smiled half in confusion.

"We're not engaged." Katara explained, laughing. Zuko cleared his throat.

"She always wears that betrothal necklace." He went on, pointing to his own neck.

"Oh! Well, I guess I heard wrong then." Before Katara could ask what she meant, the woman went on. "Well, I'm Cela, I work here at the inn." She cleared her throat. "URSA! URSA, DARLING, WE'RE BACK. Come on, Saku get your things." She picked up a couple of her bags and began to muscle her way out of the room.

"It was nice meeting you both." Saku bowed and mounded her packages back into her arms and started after her mother.

Once they were both out of the room, Katara began to clean up the plates form their breakfast. Zuko turned to help her, taking the glass and the teacup. He was turning for the kitchen when he heard Katara laugh again.

'What?" He asked, looking back at her over his shoulder.

"Nothing… She followed slowly, still smiling. "You know, she the second person to think that we're a couple. I can't help but wonder why. I mean, yeah, I wear my mother's necklace, but what says that I'm not engaged to someone else? There's nothing that pegs you as engaged."

"Yeah… Nothing." Zuko set the two cups on the counter and turned to look back at Katara. "I'm gonna go for a quick walk, I'll be back before too late."

"I'll come with you, a walk sounds perfect about now." She smiled and rinsed out the bowl with her bending. She wiped her hands on a towel hanging near the sink and walked towards Zuko. He held out his arm and she took it gracefully.

They left the inn and turned right, walking along the path towards the back. The little hotel was on considerably large property and it took them a little while before they got to what Katara had wanted to see. The inn's sign had advertised a hot spring. As they approached it, Katara glanced over the shoulder high fence to see it.

"Ooh, I think I might be spending tonight in there." She laughed, pulling on Zuko's arm. "Doesn't that look nice?" She asked, looking back over at Zuko. He was smiling.

"Yeah, it really does. Mom would like having something like that." He smirked and they continued on their way.

They walked for a little while in silence, just listening to nature. There were birds and crickets and little frogs making all sorts of sounds, but as the sun climbed higher in the sky, they mostly died out, the animals all seeking rocks and leaves the guard them from the heat. Most of the critters of the midday were buzzy insects that liked the fly into your eyes or bonk into your ears and startle you half to death. As these little beasts came out, both Katara and Zuko were readily thankful to have reached the small town nearby. The fruit and meat sellers had special candles and scents burning a special kind of fragrance or wood that gave off a smoke that chased the bugs off.

"Ooh, let's get something nice for your mother." Katara pulled on Zuko's sleeve and carted him over to one of the fruit shops. "We could make dinner for tonight, or find her some incense that she would like…" Since the end of the war, Katara had ironed out all the little faux pas in her cooking. She no longer had to use substitute ingredients when they had no time to find a town or try out new things they found in nature (a couple times ending with everyone bent over for the rest of the night). Now she had pumped up her cooking ability and almost always everyone was happy after one of her dinners.

"I never really paid much attention to what kind of scents she liked, but I know what she smelled like… If that helps." Zuko shrugged.

"Alright, you go find what she smelled like," Katara had to smile at the words she was saying. "And I'll find things for dinner tonight." She slipped her arm out of Zuko's hold and started off towards the stands with fresh meat. As she was halfway across the street she turned and looked back. "You're mother eats meat, right?"

"Hahah, yeah, she does." Zuko smiled and watched as she saluted and continued on her way. Zuko shook her head and walked back the way they came, towards a stand filled with candles and sticks of incense.

He began to pick through the jars to find which one smelled right. He picked up one called 'dragons blood' and stared at it for a moment before twisting off the top of the jar and taking a sniff. Close but not quite; it smelled more like Uncle to be honest.

"What are you looking for?" The young woman standing behind the counter smiled. "Something nice for your girlfriend?" She asked. Zuko chuckled.

"No, my uh, mother actually." He said, looking down at the jars. The woman smiled.

"Ooh, what a sweet son! I hope my boys turn out like you." She bent gestured to the basket sitting at the end of the counter. "They're just four months old." Zuko smiled and walked over to the end of the stand to look at the two little boys. Both of them were asleep at the moment, but they were very obviously twins; same messy brown hair same and deep tan skin. As he looked down on them, one of them stirred awake, yawning and looking around as if asking what they were still doing outside. When his eyes found Zuko, a little toothless grin shown on his face. Zuko touched the tip of the infant's nose, causing him to giggle like mad. Zuko couldn't help grin.

"They'll turn out just fine." Zuko promised, looking up at the woman. "Now, about these scents…"

"Right!" She turned back to the little jars. "We have all kinds here, sir. Including the ones that the Fire Nation and Water Tribe are fond of." She placed her index finger on one. "The Fire Lily is extremely popular over with the Fire Navy, they like to take it home to their girlfriends. They also liked Dragon's Blood and some like Jasmine. Most of them I think just lied and were really getting that one for their mothers." Zuko laughed and sniffed each bottle's contents in turn. Fire Lily was nice, but not the right one."

"What about the rest of these?" He asked, gesturing to the other half-dozen bottles. "What are these?"

"Well," the woman picked up a small pale blue bottle and looked at it. "We don't sell much of this one because most of the Fire Navy that came through here last hated it." She uncorked the bottle and held it out for him. "They said it reminded them too much of the ocean."

Zuko took the small bottle and held it beneath his nose. He was instantly overwhelmed with memories. He remembered crashing into the village made of ice. He remembered his ship being covered in ice and watching the three flying away. He remember chasing them and how every day at sea felt like it was never going to end. He remembered finding her necklace and keeping it tied taut around his wrist so as not to lose it. He remembered the tree, the way she smelled, the way that whole moment felt. He remembered the North Pole and the fight and that they brought him back when they didn't need to.

"What did you say, sir?"

"I said this smells like a Waterbender." He stared down at the bottle in almost shock that a single scent had brought back so many sudden memories. He tightened his hold around it and glanced back at Katara. She was at a stand full of vegetables, handing money to the man standing behind it. She bowed to him and turned. When she saw Zuko staring at her she smiled and shrugged as if asking what he was staring at. When he imitated her response with another shrug she rolled her eyes and brushed her hair behind her ear.

"Oh, that's sweet." The woman was smiling. "But I thought you said this was for your mother." Zuko cleared his throat and turned back to her.

"It is; I just found the perfect gift for my friend's birthday too." He looked over the bottles again. "So, what about these green bottles?"

"Those don't sell to much of anyone." She said, "That's why there's so many of them. I got these the last time I visited my sister in Ba Sing Se, she said it was popular there." Zuko opened the bottle and smiled.

"This is perfect. This is exactly what I wanted." He placed the green bottle next to the blue one. "How much?"

"Twenty," She said, holding out her hand. Zuko pulled the money from his pockets and handed her the coins. She placed the two bottles into a small leather pouch for him.

"Did you find it?"

Zuko glanced over his shoulder to see Katara standing behind him with a basket of raw goods. She was smiling and she had her hair pulled over one shoulder to keep it off of her neck.

"The exact right scent," He said, nodding to the woman and taking the bag. "I think Uncle sent her some from when he was in Ba Sing Se." He tightened the string on the bag and dropped it into his pocket. "What did you find?" They started down the street together and Katara held her basket in front of herself.

"Let's see, I got some beef and a whole bunch of veggies. Some fruit and fresh cream for desert and a little something special for the adults at our little party." She pulled out a medium sized bottle and swirled the contents.

"Here, let me see that." Zuko took the bottle from her and weighed it in his hands. "She'll love it," He smiled. "Here, let me carry that. "He dropped the bottle into the basket and took it from her. She smiled and thanked him.

"Oh, hold on," She said, grabbing his arm so he would stop. "I wonder if anything has happened since we've been gone." Katara jogged over to a bulletin board that, during the war, would have held wanted posters like the ones of Aang and the Blue Spirit. Now, however, it held notices, both local and national. There were fliers for festivals and advertisements for traveling circus groups. There was a poster advertising a young man willing to help fix things around the house as well as how to reach him. There was one poster, however, that seemed a little bit out of place. It was decorated with Fire Nation seals and was on rather expensive paper. The script was almost overwhelming by the looks of it. Katara lifted her hand and traced the words as she read them as if she was trying to smudge the ink to reveal what it actually said. She read it over and over, trying to figure out just what it said. No matter how many times she read it, it said the same thing. She turned to look back at Zuko.

"Why didn't you tell me?"

"Tell you what?" Zuko asked, walking over next to her and looking at the poster.

"That you and Mai were engaged!" Katara grin was huge, stretching from ear to ear. "Hello! Congratulations!" She turned to him and wrapped her arms around his neck. "So what, the entire Earth Kingdom finds out before I do?" She said, standing back and punching him in the shoulder.

"You need to stop hanging out with Toph," Zuko mumbled, rubbing his arm. He was smiling though, almost relieved. "It was just announced last night, so I bet everyone just saw these this morning. Zuko tilted his head to the side to look at the poster. "I told them to be modest."

"I bet Mai had it spiced up after we left, she smirked at the idea. "But really, congratulations! When did you propose?"

"About a week ago." Zuko said, holding the basket in one hand and holding out his free arm to Katara. She smiled and graciously refused.

"You're engaged now, Zuko, that's not proper." She started down the road again, still grinning.

"Maybe in the Water Tribe, but in the Fire Nation, it's polite to escort a young lady like that."

"Ha, we're in the Earth Kingdom now." Katara stuck out her tongue. "Neither of us know what we should do here." Zuko smirked.

"You have a point."

They walked side by side the rest of the way back to the inn, talking about the engagement and wedding plans. According to Zuko, Mai hadn't really started planning out the ceremony. Apparently, most Fire Nation royal weddings were left to be decided by the servants because the Fire Lord had the final say and they had never seemed to care. Katara thought this was somewhat ridiculous, but decided to keep her opinion to herself. By the time they got back to the inn, the sun had started its downward ascent. They took the basket to the kitchen and as they stood together washing off the fruit, Ursa walked in.

"Where did you two dance off to?" She asked, folding her arms and looking down at the two with a sort of faux judgment.

"We went into town to pick up some things for dinner." Katara said. "My treat."

"Oh, that's very kind of you, but Cela's decided to throw me a going-away party tonight for some of the patrons. She wants to do everything to get ready for it, despite that it's tonight and she is going to have some serious trouble trying to pull it together." Ursa shrugged playfully.

"Well, Zuko and I can take care of dinner for her then!" Katara smiled again. "Unless you two would like to spend some time together.

"I would love to," Ursa said. "But Cela's locking me in my room until I get packed. She said that while she doesn't want me to leave but she won't have me dragging my feet either." She laughed. "I'll tell you a secret, I'm all packed already." She winked at the smiling benders and walked back towards her room.

"Well, I'm glad I bought enough food for everyone to have seconds." Katara said, unloading the packaged meat and setting it on a plate. She glanced about the kitchen. "Now where do they keep the knives?"

"Right here." Saku was standing in the doorway. She had her hand curled around the counter and touching her index finger to one of the drawer's handles.

"Oh! Thank you." Katara walked over and pulled the drawer open and pulled two knives. "Here, Zuko, do me a favor and start cutting up that lotus root for me." She handed him one of the knives and pointed to a rather lopsided looking white root. He took the knife and root and slowly began cutting slices.

"What are you two doing?" Saku asked, watching as Katara returned to the meat.

"Making dinner for tonight." She said, unwrapping the paper that the meat had been wrapped in. "It's sort of our present for Lady Ursa."

"That's another thing," Saku said, folding her arms. "None of the patrons know who she really is. She's not Ursa here, she's Li Hua, a simple war refugee." Saku shrugged. "I don't know why she wanted to come down here. My cousin Jin lives in Ba Sing Se and would have been more than happy to take us in."

Zuko paused and looked back at her. "Jin?"

"Yeah… Why, do you know her?" Saku turned her attention to him.

"Maybe… What does she look like? Or… What did he look like a year and a half ago?"

Saku shrugged. "Uhh, average height and tan, dark hair that she wore different almost every day that I saw her. She mostly kept it back form her face though. Spunky and a bit of a go-getter."

"That sounds like her…" Zuko mumbled.

"Wait, did you know her?" Katara looked over at Zuko. She had never really thought about him having a life while in Ba Sing Se. She had told herself that he was just sitting in the shadow, waiting and listening for any news of Aang.

"Maybe… She was a patron at Uncle's teashop." Zuko sighed.

"Seems like there might be more to that story." Saku grinned.

"SAKU, GET OUT HERE!"

The young woman grimaced. "A story for another day, apparently." She bowed to Zuko and Katara and jogged out into the hall. "COMING, MOTHER!"

Zuko returned to cutting up the root, but Katara was anything but convinced that she was just a patron. "So?"

"So, what?"

"So what about this Jin girl!" Katara laughed, setting the knife down and wiping her hands. "You're not getting off that easily."

Zuko groaned and pushed the cutting board away from himself. He turned and leaned against the bar to look at Katara. "She had a little… Thing for me."

"Oh you have to be kidding." Katara was trying not to smile.

"What? No girl other than Mai has an interest in me?"

"No, I just think it's ironic to think that a Earth Kingdom girl had a crush on the Fire Nation prince." She shrugged. Zuko chuckled.

"Maybe." He ran his hands along the hem of his shirt in thought before looking back up. "Uncle set us up on a date."

"Aww," Katara cooed, somewhat over-animatedly. Zuko avoided her gaze as she did.

"Anyway, it ended badly…"

"What did you do? Insult her?" Katara asked, frowning.

"No… We kissed—"

"She was that bad at kissing? I mean, it would have to be her if I've heard Mai right."

Zuko flushed. Katara enjoyed pushing his buttons.

"No… And I wouldn't have known anyway." Zuko was almost talking to himself his voice was so soft.

"So… She was your first kiss? Why did the date end badly?" Katara felt like she was listening to one of Sokka's dreams; It was kinda pretty if you imagined it, but it was excruciatingly hard to follow.

"It just felt wrong." Zuko sighed. "I dunno."

"That's unfortunate." Katara smiled. "At least now you're engaged… Ha, that so weird to think about!"

"Now, I know you don't mean that the way it sounded." Zuko asked, folding his arms.

"Hahah, no, that did come out wrong. I mean, it's weird to think about any of us getting married. I mean, I'm happy for you, it's just a little weird to think about two years ago, I was living in the South Pole, happy with my boring life. And then Aang showed up and…" She sighed. "It's all a little weird to think about."

"And now you're a master Waterbender who's seen the world, and an unannounced advisor to the Fire Lord." Zuko unfolded his arms and turned back to the cutting board. "I haven't changed as much as you have."

"Oh, that's just stupid." Katara continued to watch Zuko. "You have changed more than anyone. Any of our friends, even Aang. Sometimes I'm still stunned by how much you changed. I mean, for the longest time you were the most annoying, ridiculous guy I had ever met. And now, you're one of my best friends, Zuko."

Zuko smiled, looking down at the root.

"I'm serious, you mean a lot to me Zuko." Katara turned back to the meat and started trimming it again. "I've said it before, if you mess up one more-"

Katara was interrupted by Zuko's hand on her shoulder. She felt him behind her, the warmth of his body sending a sudden chill down her spine. He leaned in close and surprised her completely.

He kissed her cheek.

"Thanks, Katara." He said into her ear. "I'm gonna go check on Mother. The lotus root is on the board." He stepped back and his hand dropped from her shoulder, lingering on her back as he stepped away. He dropped his hands into his pockets and walked out of the kitchen and down the hall.

Katara stood still for a moment as if trying to regain her balance. She had kissed Zuko's cheek before, but he had never returned the favor. She was a little startled by it, but it also felt appropriate. Despite that she could still feel his lips against her cheek, she shook the thought of it away and returned to preparing the dinner.

That night, several of the townsfolk appeared at the inn. Katara had ended up making extra food with what was already in the kitchen. Cela had come in not long after Zuko left to help her and together they churned out enough food for everyone. Zuko and Ursa moved her bags out into the hall so they would be easy to move out in the morning. Saku put up some decorations for the party and later helped put the food out.

The party was going fairly well, several people had brought instruments so there was music, and dancing. Ursa had greeted all of the guests and had made a speech explaining that she simply had to leave. Later, when Zuko asked her why she didn't tell everyone and she explained that most of them were still bitter about the war. "Although they approve of the changes you've made." She had said.

By now, most of the guests were dancing to the music. Cela was ushering around the room pairing the guests up for a dance, much to the amusement of her daughter, the two benders and Ursa.

"You would think that she would let them pick on their own." Zuko said, holding his cup in one hand.

"Oh, that's not her style," Saku laughed. "She just wanted to get them dancing."

"Uh-oh, here she comes." Katara laughed, watching as Cela made a beeline for the table.

"Katara," Cela said, yanking a young man over as she came. "Meet Fai, he's a farmer. I want you two to dance together."

"Oh, I'm flattered, but no thank you. Not right now." Katara said gracefully, bowing her head to Fai.

"Saku, would you like to dance?" Fai asked, bowing to her and holding out his hand. It seemed almost like he had come over to ask her and Cela had intercepted him.

"Absolutely." She took his hand and walked out onto the dance floor together. Almost the same in second that they got out there, the make-shift band switched to a far slower song. Fai placed one hand on Saku's waist and took the other. She, in turn, placed her free hand on his shoulder.

"Oh, that's adorable." Katara remarked, leaning her chin forward onto her hands. Ursa nodded in agreement.

"I have a question," Zuko said, turning to Katara and his mother. "What is it that makes a couple look good together?" The two women looked at each other in thought, trying to formulate the answer to his question.

"Well, that's a hard question." Katara said, sitting back in her chair. "Well, I'll be honest, it helps if they're both attractive. That sounds shallow, but at least they should compliment each other."

"Chemistry helps as well, if you can tell that there's something between them," Ursa said, looking between Zuko and Katara. "There's a lot that goes into it." She smiled.

"Huh," Zuko turned to look back at Saku and Fai.

The two of them sent the rest of the night dancing together and Saku ended up going for a walk with Fai still not to be seen again just yet.

Slowly, people came over to Ursa to say their goodbyes. Drunken men sobbed on her shoulder, much to the amusement of Zuko and Katara. Families came over and small children looking at their shoes said thank you and goodbye. Finally, all that was left were a couple musicians, they were guests that night and had offered to keep playing while they cleaned up.

The cleaning was slow and hardly existent. Cela was slowly taking things into the kitchen and Katara was pushing a heavy broom across the floor. Zuko and Ursa were standing together by the door, watching the musicians.

"Ask her to dance."

"Hmm?" Zuko glanced over his teacup at his mother.

"Katara, ask her to dance. She's wanted to all evening."

"Why didn't she dance with Fai, then?" He laughed.

"Because she knew Saku wanted to dance with him." Ursa elbowed Zuko. "And because I think she wants to dance with you."

"She doesn't think of me like that." Zuko laughed, watching as Katara turned the broom to pile up the dirt.

"Wanting to dance with someone doesn't mean anything beyond wanting to dance with someone." She leaned over and took the cup from Zuko with her free hand. "Go on, you know which one I'm thinking of."

Zuko smiled and pushed off of the wall. He walked over to the man playing the drums in the band and whispered something in his ear. Almost instantly the song charnged.

"Ooh, I love this song. They used to play this all the time back home." Katara said, placing her hands on the top of the broom handle and resting her chin on her fingers. She was swaying back and forth on the broom with her eyes closed when suddenly the broom disappeared from her grasp. It started her slightly and she fell forward. Her feet faltered, but her hand was caught and she was swung around.

"Geez, thanks Zuko." She said, straightening. "Dunno what hap—Oh you jerk." Katara sent a playful glare at Zuko as she saw that he was holding the broom.

"Come on, dance with me."

"You know, you can just ask." Katara said, standing up straight. Zuko smiled and set the broom against the wall.

"Not as fun." Zuko adjusted his hold on her hand and pulled Katara close with his other. He instantly began spinning her around and a grin spread across her face.

"There is no way you know this dance.' She said as he spun her out. This time, however he caught her hand in his. When he stepped forward she stepped back and vise versa. "You DO know this dance! How?"

"My mother used to take a lot of trips to the South Pole before I was born. She taught me this as soon as I could dance." Zuko said, spinning Katara twice.

"I thought you didn't dance in the Fire Nation." Katara teased, grabbing Zuko's hand and stepping forward.

"Who told you that?"

"Well, we were in the Fire Nation before the invasion and Aang went to a school for a little while and none of the kids dance…" She smiled, "Ask Aang to tell you the full story."

Zuko spun her around again, but this time when he caught her, he placed his hand on the small of her back and scooped her knees up in his other arm. With one last spin, the song ended with Katara in Zuko's arms.

"So you do know the original purpose of this dance," Katara laughed.

"Wedding dance." Zuko smiled.

"That was fantastic!" Cela cried. She was standing next to Ursa. She was clapping her hands rather animatedly.

Zuko blushed and set Katara down. He grabbed the broom off of the wall and began to sweep up what Katara had left. In the mean time, she thanked the musicians and began gathering up the remaining dishes. She piled them up in her arms and muscled them off to the kitchen.

"Here, lemme give you a hand—" Zuko made to help her but she rushed past him into the kitchen. When he frowned and furrowed his brow.

"Oh, don't worry about her." Ursa walked over and placed her hands on his shoulders. "She's a little embarrassed."

"Shouldn't I go apologize?" Zuko started towards the door and Ursa pulled him back.

"No, this is the kind of embarrassment that she just needs to wear off." She squeezed his shoulders and leaned forward. She placed her cheek against his and sighed. "Do you like her?"

Ursa had waited until Cela and Saku had gotten themselves busy cleaning up again before asking him this question.

"She's my best friend, of course I like her." Zuko laughed softly. Ursa sighed again.

"Well, it's obvious you care about her." She kissed his cheek and pushed him forward. "Go to bed, Cela and I can clean this up."

"No," Zuko turned. "We can get this, this is your last night here and we're getting up before dawn. Don't make me lock you in."

"You're more of a mother than I am." Ursa hugged her son and said goodnight to Cela before slipping down to the hallway and going to her bedroom.

Zuko moved to pick up the dishes at the tables nearest him when Saku walked in the door. She had a dazed look on her face and was smiling. When he saw her, Zuko smirked and whistled.

"Have a nice date?" He teased.

"Just because you're found your someone special doesn't mean that the rest of us can't have fun finding ours." Saku tossed her nose up and marched over to him.

"Oh, so Fai is your someone special?" Zuko taunted her again. She pulled the plates from him.

"Go to bed. You better be happy you're the Fire Lord, it's the only thing keeping me from beating you up."

Zuko laughed and stepped back. "Thanks for being a good sport, Saku." He bowed his head to her and started down the hall. He poked his head into the kitchen first to tell Katara they could do to bed. When he saw her, however, he ducked out of the room and walked down the hall. She had been standing over the sink, splashing water onto her flushed face and steadying herself against the counter. He had tried not to overhear what she was saying, but that was impossible.

"Calm down, Katara, it's just a dance. Just a dance…"


"Wake up!"

Zuko let out a grunt and pushed his face down further into the pillow.

"Up and at 'em!"

Zuko felt something tickle his neck and thrashed to bat away whatever had touched him. He yanked the blanket up over his head and settled in to go back to sleep.

"You can sleep on the way back!"

Now he regretted pulling the blanket up so high. His feet were exposed, leaving them completely open to attack. A thin stream of cold water was dashed across his feet and he sat straight up in bed.

"Ah-hah! I win." Katara smiled.

"You're a cruel person," Zuko mumbled, rubbing his eyes and tossing his legs over the side of the bed. Katara suppressed a giggle. She stepped over to the bed, keeping her eyes trained on Zuko's face and balanced the tray she was holding against her hip. With her now free hand, she grabbed the corner of the blanket and tossed it over Zuko's lap.

"Nice to meet you, but that's a bit much." She set the tray on top of the blanket as if to weight it down.

Zuko turned bright red. "I wear pants to bed, I promise."

"I'm sure you do, in fact." Katara bent over the bed and snatched what looked like a bunched up pair of sleeping trousers. "Found them. She tossed them at Zuko and turned around so he could put them on. Still blushing, he slid the tray off of his lap and yanked the pants up.

"I'm sorry, I guess I got hot last night."

"Hot?" Katara turned to look at him with a smirk.

"You know what I mean." Zuko sent a flat expression her way and turned to the tray. A couple pieces of bread, some left over meat from the night before and a little bowl of fruit. "Thanks for the breakfast. How long do we have?"

"The convoy should be here in about half an hour, we're supposed to get to the dock before dawn so that we get back to the Fire Nation before sundown." Katara jabbed her thumb towards the door. "There's water to freshen up with, but be fast because we really don't have time for your royal pantsless-ness."

Katara left the room before Zuko could come up with a snappy comeback.

He blew out a sigh and got to his feet, the lack of light from outside and the cold wood beneath his feet causing some minor confusion. Katara had lit a candle in the corner for him so that in his dazed state he didn't have to Firebend. He snatched one of the slices of bread from the tray and jammed it into his mouth. He grabbed a shirt that was draped over his bag and threw it on. He pulled the sash around his waist and tied it rather unceremoniously. He took the bread from his mouth and chewed the bite he had taken slowly. He tossed the rest of the slice back to the tray and moved over to the water bason. Cupping his hands in the water, he watched his reflection. He was exhausted, the dark bags beneath his eyes betraying his youth. He had no idea how his father had managed to stay looking so young for so long.

"He wasn't actually worried about anything." Zuko said to his reflection. He splashed the water up onto his face and pushed what was left in his hands through his hair. He ruffled the strands before pushing them forward. He needed a haircut.

He dried his face on the towel sitting next to the bowl and turned back to his bag. He grabbed it by the cord and swung it onto his shoulder. By now it had to be time to leave. He blew out the candle and eased the door open slowly so as not to wake anyone. Zuko slipped out into the hallway and pulled the door closed as softly as he could. He stifled a yawn with his hand and made his way out into the kitchen to find several, surprisingly silent men carrying out the things Ursa had packed. Katara was there whispering order so them. When she saw Zuko emerge, she smiled and sent him a wink before giving and order to another one of the men.

He smiled at her in response and followed one of the men out into the garden. Ursa was standing just aside the path, looking up at the inn. Zuko sighed and walked over to her. She saw him coming out of the corner of her eyes and opened her arms to meet him. She pulled him in close and held him before taking a deep, slightly ragged breath.

"Look at it," She said, loosening her hold on him. He turned to look at the inn and felt her holding back tears behind him. "This has been my home for so long."

"… You can stay if you want." Zuko was reproachful about saying this. He wanted more than anything to have her back with him at the palace, but if her heart was here, who was he to stop her?

"No. I already gave the whole thing to Cela." She took a deep breath. "Besides, I can come back and visit whenever I want." Ursa ruffled Zuko's hair and stepped back. "Come on, son, we better get going.

"Where's Katara?" He asked, looking around. He hadn't seen her come out of the inn.

"Why don't you go get her." Ursa said, nodding towards the house. Zuko glanced back at her before walking down the path. He had his hands in his pockets when he hopped up onto the porch. He pushed the door open and stepped inside.

"Katara?" He peered around the sitting area and frowned. Next he checked the kitchen, then the hall and finally her bedroom. Her things were gone and her bed was made, but she was nowhere to be seen…

Until he glanced out the window.

He rolled his eyes and jogged back out into the hallway. He moved down the corridor until he reached the door that lead outside and pushed through it.

"Katara, what are you doing? It's time to go." He said, leaning out to look at her. She was standing by the hot spring with a rather defeated stance.

"I never got to sit in this." She looked back at him. "The water is the perfect temperature too."

"Maybe you can come back some time." Zuko suggested, stepping forward until he was just outside the door.

"I guess." Katara sighed and picked her bag up from the ground. "You're right, we need to get going." She walked past him into the inn and down the hall, leaving Zuko a little befuddled by the conversation. He shook his head and walked out after her.

The journey back to the Fire Nation went surprisingly smooth. Once they got to the docks around dawn, they loaded onto a considerably small ship and headed west. With Katara's help, despite that she was just as tired as Zuko, they were bound to be back by late afternoon.

Instead of going to sleep like he had wanted, Zuko stayed on deck with Katara, talking to her to keep her from getting lulled by the motion and falling asleep. They talked about mostly nonsensical things, like what they were going to do once they got home and introduced Ursa to everyone. Katara insisted her first course of action would be to take a bath and go to bed without dinner. Zuko was probably going to show Ursa to her room and follow Katara's lead of a bath and bed.

Katara was thankful for the company. Not only did it take her mind off of the exhausting, painstaking motions of the Waterbending, but it helped the time pass faster. They had gotten to the Fire Nation shores almost instantly, following the same path they had followed on the day of the invasion. They were at the palace in no time and a small greeting party awaited them. Aang was standing at the front.

The ship docked and the hull opened for everyone to get off. Katara was the first one on the ground. The Avatar instantly met her, scooping her up into his arms with a kiss and spinning her around.

Zuko came down next and met Mai with open arms. She raised her arms just enough so that when he met her, he could still give her a hug. He squeezed her close and kissed her. He frowned when he looked at her and saw that she was not happy to see him. "What's wrong?"

"We need to talk." Mai's voice was low.

"Well!" Aang set Katara down with one hand still wrapped around her waist. "How was the trip?" He was grinning.

Zuko glanced at Mai one more time and stepped back from her. He turned and and jogged back up into the ship. When he returned, he had Ursa on his arm.

"You must be Lady Ursa." Aang joined his hands and bowed to Ursa.

"Avatar Aang, it is an honor." Ursa bowed back, letting go of Zuko in order to bring her hands together. "And Mai, you've grown so much!" Ursa opened her arms to Mai.

"How nice to se you again." Mai bowed, staying where she was with her feet planted on the ground. Zuko stared at her and Aang and Katara exchanged glances. Ursa returned the bow gracefully.

They both straightened and Aang smiled. "You must be exhausted, I'll watch over unloading, you go get some rest."

"I knew there was a reason I liked you." Katara said, pulling Aang down to her level (him having grown nearly a foot since the end of the war). She placed her hand on his cheek and kissed him before grabbing her bag from the ground. "Ursa, would you care to join me?"

"I would love to." Ursa walked over to Katara and together they walked into the city.

Once Aang had darted up into the ship to help unload, Mai grabbed Zuko's hand and yanked him away from the general public.

"What's wrong?" He asked, being jerked across the docks.

"You know exactly what's wrong here, Zuko." Mai hissed, spinning around to face him. "Why didn't you tell me you were leaving?"

"I did! Right after I proposed!"

"No, Zuko, no you didn't." Mai stepped closer. "A girl never forgets her proposal, and there was no mention of your little trip with Katara."

Zuko paused. "Is that what this is about? Mai, there's nothing between Katara and I! I can't believe that after a year you still think that!"

"Then why wasn't I invited to go along to meet my soon-to-be mother-in-law?" Mai was livid.

"Sokka didn't even come along when we looked for Katara's mother's killers-"

"Oh! So this isn't your first little field trip together!"

"Mai, she's my best friend! What do you want me to do? Abandon her?"

"To be honest, Zuko, yes, I do." Mai folded her arms and shrugged with as much animosity as she could. "No more late night talks, no more room at the palace, no more secrets."

"Mai, you know I can't do that." Zuko was stunned. "I can't just leave her and tell her nothing. That's like me telling you to abandon Ty Lee!"

"And I would for you." Mai threw her hands down and turned her back on Zuko, starting off towards the palace, leaving him completely stunned.

He watched her storm off and stood in complete alarm. Everything about this was wrong. He was supposed to choose between his best friend and the woman he loved? No one should ever have to make that sort of choice, it was inhumane! How could she tell him this? Zuko rubbed the bridge of his nose with his eyes pulled tightly closed. This was impossible.

He took a deep breath and straightened his back. He jammed his hands into his pockets and started walking.

He couldn't do this. He couldn't choose between Mai and Katara. In fact, by putting him in this situation, he almost wanted to let this plan backfire on Mai. But he couldn't do that, he loved her. And she loved him… So why was this her plan of action? How was he supposed to choose?

Hadn't he made his fare share of bad choices in the past? Either way he looked at it, this was going to end poorly. He sighed. At least he hadn't had to make the decision right that instant. If he had… He didn't know what he would have said.

This was going to be a long, long walk.


AN: Thanks for reading!