Disclaimer: I do not own Avatar: TLA. I'm working on that, though. One day... Anyway, until then, I'll contintue writing fanfiction, because as of now I am just, in fat, a fan.

Although I didn't get 5 review yet, I'm just going to post my second chapter. This one's for my reviewers!!


Katara needed to think. She reached her room and began to pack her things, going over her conversation with Aang. One hundred years in an iceberg? She had to explain everything to him, the war, the Fire Lord's quest for power, the need for Zuko to be dead.
Aang at first was in pure disbelief, then it turned to anger. "How could they do that?" he asked over and over.
Katara had no answer.


When Katara awoke the next morning, she had an immense feeling of sadness inside of her. She would be leaving today to go halfway around the world to the Fire Nation. And she was scared.

She rolled out of bed and looked at the moon. Seeing it made her feel better, if only a little. The moon will always be with me, she thought.


Dressed in all white, Katara walked to the University. She ascended the steps one last time. She walked through the halls and into a rather large room. It was full of people, the families of the girls leaving. Katara's own family was sitting in the front of the room.
After everyone had arrived, Chief Hakoda bestowed his blessings upon the girls. It was short, but Katara savored every moment of it.
Katara was the last one to board the ship. She and the other girls turned and looked back at their homeland one last time. She waved goodbye to everyone, her family, her people. She waved until she could no longer see the people and stood there long after the city had disappeared from view. But Naomi came over to her and rested a gentle hand on Katara's back, reminding her she was not alone.

Life at sea was boring, Katara concluded after merely a few days of sailing. There was nothing to do besides eat, sleep and practice. The girls tried to entertain themselves, but it had failed horribly. Katara didn't understand how the crew could live like this. The more she thought about it, the more annoyed she became. Why was there nothing to do?


The days had passed slowly for Katara, as well as the other girls. The wave of relief that passed over them when it was announced that they would reach the Fire Nation capital the next morning was unbelievable. "Finally, something to do," Naomi had commented.
It was ironic, Katara decided, how the Fire Nation was their biggest enemy and yet they were all so glad to be arriving there. Despite that, she had to agree with Naomi. At least now they wouldn't be so bored!

The next morning, all of the girls were up before dawn. Katara, who had been sharing a room with Naomi, was woken up by the excited squeals of her friend.

"Katara, Katara, wake up," she had yelled. Katara had opened her eyes. "We're almost there!!" Naomi continued to dance around the room. Katara would normally have been mad at her friend for waking her, but deiced to forgive her this time. She shot out of bed and ran up on deck, Naomi close behind.

Several other girls were up there, all staring in awe at a small sliver of land far off on the horizon. The Fire Nation. Katara could have never imagined the excitement she felt when she saw it. She knew she should be scared or angry or even uneasy, but instead the only emotion filling her was joy. Pure joy. And that, more than anything worried her.


After staring at the slice of land across the ocean for what seemed like hours, the excitement faded. It would still be a couple of hours before they could dock, and Katara had to be ready when they did. So, she and Naomi left the deck and went back to their room to pack.

They each got changed into their Fire Nation dresses. Katara looked at her collection and cringed. Red, red, red and more red. She grabbed a dress and went to put it on. It was a simple dress, not what she was used to, but it fit and it looked good, for what it was. Katara looked at herself in the mirror. Blue, of coarse, was her favorite color, but red would have to do. At least for now.

Katara walked back into the room and saw Naomi had changed into Fire Nation dress as well. Again, it was a servant's dress, nothing more. For that is all they would be once they reached the capital. Servants.

Once they reached the capital all of the girls would go to the palace and see if they could be hired as servants there. Out of the twenty of them, the hope was that at least some of them could be. The others would then try to find work elsewhere, in some of the various shops in the city, working for a noble, or anywhere else, for that matter. If all else failed, the captain of the ship would sell them into slavery, preferable to high ranking officials. Even though each of the girls were perfectly capable of protecting herself, the thought by itself was a scary one.

The whole point of this was to strategically station all of the girls around the city and especially in the palace. This would get them close to Zuko, their target.

Katara and Naomi continued to silently pack their things. They didn't have much, but they needed it all. Katara rolled up her dresses, trying not to wrinkle them too much and stuck them in her trunk.

Then in went her weapons. She hoped her stuff wouldn't be checked because she wasn't sure about the reaction of the guard when he discovered various types of poison, knives, and shurikens. And then there was her boomerang, war fans, water pouch and smoke pellets, which could be overlooked.

Last to be packed was her makeup. Of coarse, she could go nowhere without it, but besides that she needed it. Her bright blue eyes were a dead giveaway that she was from the water tribe. Mistress Yun had so cleverly taught each one of the girls how to apply their makeup to tone down the blueness of their eyes. It helped, if only slightly. Still, the girls were told never to look at anybody directly in the eye.


It seemed to take forever for the ship to dock. All of the girls waited not so patiently on the ship's deck. Some sat quietly while others paced and still others just stood at the rail, looking at the port around them. However, impatience emanated from them all.
Finally, the girls were allowed off of the ship. They each took their stuff and walked down, barely able to take in the sights and sounds around them.

Just the docks were amazing. Katara had never seen so much color before. She was used to the plain blue and white of the South Pole. Here mostly everything was red, black and gold, but there were other colors. Nothing was made of ice.

Katara could also feel a difference. She had known the temperature was hot here, and had felt some heat while on the ship, but in the city it was entirely different. She had never felt such pure warmth. It was amazing to feel the sun as it hit her tanned skin. I like the sun, she decided.

The girls quickly grouped together where they would not be in the way of passerby. They all knew the layout of the city. The docks were separated from the rest of the city. To get to main part of the Capital, a traveler needed walk there. The road led to the houses, the shops, and of coarse, the palace.

Although the palace was only a short distance away from the docks, but it was not a journey the girls wanted to make on foot. However, the captain of the ship, who would be helping them until they got settled, made them.

"You girls will act as common folk here. Common folk walk from the docks to their houses. You will, too. I will arrange for your luggage to be transported, though," the captain reassured them.

The girls automatically split up into groups of twos or threes, but not before saying goodbye. They all embraced each other as they wished each other well. They knew it was possible that they would never see each other again.

They split up because from the time they stepped off of their ship and into the Fire Nation, they were all undercover. They had to attract as little attention to themselves as possible, which meant not traveling in large groups. If a passerby saw a group of twenty girls walking along a road, he would surely notice them. But it was not uncommon to see a woman traveling with a friend or two.

Katara, of coarse, went with Naomi. It was just the two of them. Not all of the girls left at the same time either. Some went off right away while other waited until later to follow. Katara and Naomi wandered aimlessly around the docks for a short time before starting their journey to the rest of the city.

The road was long, but the walk was enjoyable. Katara and Naomi were silent most of the way, too awed to speak. They looked at the city that grew bigger with every step they took. It was beautiful. The girls reached the outer gate, which was left open for travelers.

As soon as they entered the walled city, Katara saw the palace. It was the most beautiful buildings she had ever seen, save for the University and her own palace. Even from far away, Katara could see it's splendor. And then it hit her. It really hit her.

She was in the Fire Nation.


So, what did you think? Tell me! Review. Please.

I feel like this is going a little slow right now, but things should speed up soon.

Again, please review. I appreciate constructive criticism very much. Just remember I have feelings (although even that is debateable...)