Disclaimer: I do not own Avatar or its characters

Chapter Two

Starting out with a Smile

Ba-Sing-Se was a very busy place. Earth Kingdom Soldiers welcomed Water Tribe Warriors as they fortified their defenses and came up with new plans to try and stop the steady but slow approach of the Fire Nation Army. Water Benders and Earth Benders had been sent to Lake Laogai in an attempt to try and raise the water seeping down into the earth and various remaining members of the Dai-Li had been arrested in the vicinity.

In the midst of this confusion walked a single young boy, an earth kingdom hat on his bald head. His clothes were orange, as they always had been, and he carried himself with the pride and self-assurance that came from many successful Fire Nation raids. To his left walked the whiny Sokka who still had his Warrior's Wolf-tail after the three years his sister had been gone. It was he who felt that loss the most, then Toph, and then Aang. After the Avatar's anger had subsided he had lost all hope, allowing him to grieve and forget while Sokka still had the hope his sister was alive, drowning him in misery and false leads. Toph trailed behind to Aang's right, blind eyes staring blankly ahead. Her hair wasn't in its bun anymore, for she had lost that to adopt a pony tail. No longer was she the short, firey girl she was, instead she was almost as tall as the boys who stood at six feet.

Overall, the Avatar group was a scary sight to behold. Especially considering their newest addition, one ex-General Iroh.

It had taken a lot of debating to allow the former Fire Nation General passage into the city, and he still could go nowhere without either Toph or Aang accompanying him, but he was an asset that allowed the Earth King's advisors easy defeats of the Fire Nation army.

Aang stopped, squinting up at the sun and the three people behind him stopped with him, staring around at the Water Tribe members scattered in with the Earth Kingdom refugees and soldiers. Today was a day of peace, a day that allowed everyone but the soldiers a break from fear. Today was the day of the Avatar Festival.

Sokka glanced at a few girls giggling and pointing at him and sighed, turning to Aang irritably.

"Do we really have to stop right here?" he asked, walking closer to the Avatar as he averted his grey eyes from the sun to study Sokka.

"Its going to be the same anywhere," he said, reaching his hand up to his hat. However, Toph's arm shot out and she shook her head as Aang allowed her to pull down his arm.

"Not here, wait until we reach the Palace," she said, and walked forward, shoving people who thought they recognized the Avatar and his cohorts out of the way. Aang smiled slightly at Toph and followed, holding out his arm for Momo to jump off of Sokka's shoulder and onto his arm. Sokka folded his arms and glared at the people around them as Iroh passed him, a content look on his face. Many of the citizens parted before the Fire Bender, and Sokka followed in that gap, keeping an eye on the other two in front of them.

"Don't you hate their mutterings?" he asked Iroh after a while of glares and curses.

"You really get used to it after a while," Iroh commented as they caught up with Toph and Aang just outside of the palace gates. "I've been living as an exile for some time now, remember?" he asked, waving to the guards as they opened the gate, allowing them into the palace grounds.

Almost instantly, the Earth King's bear shuffled up to them, standing on its hind legs to lick Aang's face. The fifteen-year old grinned and ruffled the brown beast's fur as he raised some wind to throw the hat off his head, exposing his Airbender tattoos to the crowd that had followed them from the lower city.

A hoarse cry went up from the crowd as Aang turned around, raising his arms to raise upwards on a pillar of rock. He took a deep breath, preparing to use his Air Bending to make his voice carry.

"People of Ba-Sing-Se, Earth Kingdom Refugees, and Visitors from the Southern and Northern Water Tribes, I, Avatar Aang, declare this festival… OPEN!"

Another cry went up as hats were thrown into the air. Some distance off in the city, the sound of music erupted and the long line of floats waiting at the far edge of the city started their long procession towards the palace. On the opposite side a similar number of floats started off too. Aang looked at each with fondness and jumped off his pillar, floating down with assistance from the air as Toph kicked at the ground, sending the pillar back into the ground. He landed beside the happy Kuei, Iroh, Hakoda, and General How who were all applauding his short little speech. The Airbender grinned, clasping Hakoda's arms, shaking How's hand, and clapping Kuei on the back.

"With the festival open, what will you do?" Aang asked, referring to the war. "If I know the Fire Nation they'll take this opportunity to attack full force."

"We are prepared," How said, nodding. He then gestured to the walls with his hand. "Soldiers and Warriors are positioned along the walls in hour long shifts so no one will be deprived the festival. While the scattering is scarce, there is not a bit of our wall that goes unprotected."

"As for the Fire Nation," Iroh said, folding his arms within his sleeves, "they will take this opportunity to attack, but I know the Admirals and Generals well enough to know their tactics. Azula is too busy at the Fire Nation capital, and while I want to say that Mai and Ty Lee are probably with her, I can't. They are our main concern, which is why benders are at the wall along with regular soldiers."

"I'll keep a sharp eye out," Aang said, nodding. "They never could catch me, and I doubt this will be any different. Besides, neither can firebend, which at least keeps the city safe."

Deep within the city a young girl with brown hair walked carrying a set of Earth Kingdom clothes. She was dressed in a simple green dress with slits in the side to allow her brown leggings to show through. A leather pouch was strapped securely to her waist, the comforting sloshing of the water within making her smile. Her hair was recently cleaned and pulled back in a loose braid. She hummed slightly as she ducked under the flap of a door, looking around. Her leather shoes made little sound on the floor as she nodded to the innkeeper, smiling at her as she scowled, and made her way upstairs to a room. Trying the handle she found it unlocked and slipped in.

The first thing Katara noticed was the quiet of the room, the second she noticed was Zuko sitting and staring out the window at the city, the eye on the side with his scar shut as he leaned that cheek against his hand. He was still wearing the tattered, bloodstained bed-clothes he had been wearing three years ago.

He looked up when she closed the door and turned around, stretching slightly. Katara tossed his green and brown clothes on the bed and walked over to him, opening the pouch of water at her side as he scowled. Passing her hand in front of it she brought the water out, turning it into a ball and moving her hand slightly to keep it in the air above her hand.

"We need to clean you," she simply stated at Zuko's scowl. He rolled his eyes and stood, walking to the center of the room. Katara raised her hand and the water hovered over his head before falling, soaking him but not hitting the carpeted floor or the furniture. The fire Prince sputtered slightly at the unwarned soaking, but waiting while Katara worked the water around his body, scrubbing off the dried blood and grime left over from the prison. Finally, she called the water off of him, leaving the yellow-eyed firebender dry and glaring. She grinned innocently and called the water back into her pouch, capping it off. "Your clothes are here," she said, idly waving her arm at the clothes as she walked past him to the window. She heard the dulled sounds of him changing his clothes, and in no time at all, he joined her by the window, leaning against the wall and looking out at the city with his right eye. Katara studied his face, taking in the scarred flesh and disfigured ear.

Almost four years ago, when she first met Zuko, she had thought of that scar as disgusting, but now she was wiser, and knew Zuko much better than anyone had in their life. Her face tilted down in a frown as she uncapped the pouch, calling out just enough water to cover her left hand. The Prince glanced down at her with a raised eyebrow and Katara merely stood, holding up her hand and holding Zuko's gaze with determination. Finally, the Prince relented, glancing away towards the city again, letting her do as she pleased.

"I'm not sure what good this will do," Katara whispered and watched Zuko shrug. "This is just normal water, not water from the holy spring."

"Just don't make it worse," he said, voice flat and uncaring. Katara couldn't help but smile.

Her hand raised to his cheek, the water moving and glowing as she activated its healing properties. Holding her breath, she touched the dried skin and saw him flinch slightly. The water on her hand immediately started going into his flesh and with a frown Katara called more water from her still open pouch to replace the water soaking into his skin. Zuko's eye was closed as she worked, his other eye staring into the city blankly. Finally, when all the water was exhausted she stepped back, looking at her handy work while chewing on her lip.

The scar was still there, however, it was much duller than before. The skin wasn't as disfigured, and the burn had retreated from his ear and ended around his temple. It extended down and up for about a finger tip's length and was a dull russet color, not the bright red it had been. As Zuko opened his eye, Katara saw it opened further but still not fully.

The Prince studied her expression with little interest, and then turned, walking over to the mirror nailed to the wall and examined his reduced scar with something akin to amusement and astonishment. His hand went up to it, tracing his skin as he studied his changed face. Finally, he turned to Katara, relief and thanks written in his eyes.

"Its all I can do with this water," Katara said, weariness in her voice. "But its enough for people to not recognize you."

"We should go," Zuko said quietly, and Katara's eyebrows knitted together in confusion. "The Avatar Festival," Zuko explained slowly, as if he was speaking to a child. "We should go. Besides, don't you want to see your friends?"

Katara resumed chewing on her lip as she studied Zuko's face and then let a small smile crack through. She walked forward, grabbing Zuko's sleeve and opening the door. Zuko resisted for about five feet and then gave in, walking next to Katara as she allowed her hand to fall from his sleeve. As they walked past the innkeeper, she balked, noticing that the man from the other night had less of a scar than she had seen previously.

As Katara and Zuko stepped into the street they were hit with the sound and color of the festival raging full swing and Katara's face lit up as she walked a little faster, exploring the booths with her eyes, hands clasped in front of her chest. Zuko followed, allowing a slight smile to overtake his features as they worked their way slowly but surely towards the center of the city, towards the palace, towards the place where the festival truly would kick off at.