DISCLAIMER: I don't own Avatar: The Last Airbender, nor am I in any way affiliated with Michael Dante DiMartino or Bryan Konietzko. This story is purely fan-made.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The next two days passed uneventfully. Everyone in the group was getting bored of the endless sandy view, and often speculated upon how near they were to civilization.

"If I don't get something decent to eat in the next week, I am going to kill myself." Sokka announced one day, whilst lying face-down on the blanket. His voice was muffled, but everyone ignored him anyway.

With summer coming closer and closer, the heat in the desert became almost unbearable. The animals in the group, Appa, Momo and Sokka, were becoming more restless as the hours drifted by, until even Aang ignored their plaintive cries and moans. The little water they managed to conserve was rapidly depleting, and within a week the meagre food would run out. No one could sleep at night, and the lucky few who could only managed a few hours at best. Although everyone was annoyed by this, no one was more so than Katara and Zuko, who had to find other ways of spending time alone together.

"Shall we play 'I Spy'?" Iroh asked enthusiastically one afternoon. The entire group had collapsed either on or around the blanket, and were not talking. Sokka was splayed out in a fashion resembling a star and had taken his shirt off in an attempt to cool down. This didn't leave much room for everyone else, so Zuko, Katara and the Earth King were lying around the edges of the blanket. Only Iroh was sat up eagerly, having taken his spot on a mound of sand he always made every time the grouped reached another part of the desert.

Katara and Toph both groaned loudly at Iroh's words. The rest of the group, excluding Iroh, glanced around at them.

"We've tried this before." Katara explained to anyone who wanted to listen. She had opened her eyes a crack, but now shut them again the glaring sunlight. "It didn't work then, and it won't work now."

"When did you play 'I Spy'?" Aang asked, in a voice that suggested confusion if he could be bothered putting any expression in.

"Ba Sing Se dungeons." Toph supplied monotonously. "I think we got as far as "door" and then had to give up."

Silence passed amongst the group once more for a few moments.

"But we have to do something to keep us entertained!" Iroh pleaded, sounding like a child.

"Why don't we try giving Sokka cactus juice again?" Katara suggested wearily. "That was pretty entertaining."

"For you maybe." Sokka snarled. "For me it was hell. Not knowing what was real and what wasn't…"

"I think it's obvious that your mushy, giant friend the Friendly Mushroom was just a part of your vivid imagination." Toph drawled, running her hand through the sand at the side of her.

"Actually there was a cloud of dust that resembled a mushroom…" Katara admitted, turning onto her side and opening her eyes.

"Was it mushy, giant and friendly?" Zuko asked. Katara turned to him, glad that he was joining in their conversation.

"No, yes, and I'm sure it was pleasant once you got to know it." Katara answered, shielding her eyes from the sun.

The group laughed, and suddenly the mood increased tenfold. Katara positioned herself so that she was lying on her stomach and squinted at the rest of the group.

"Aang, Sokka, do you remember that town we visited that celebrated Avatar Day?" She asked, a note of amusement in her tone.

"Ugh, worst town ever." Sokka said in disgust. "I'm glad we didn't stay there - the food was awful."

"Yeah, and the stupid justice system, burning effigies of me and that I was nearly boiled in oil sucked too." Aang reminded Sokka. Both the boys propped themselves up on their elbows and rearranged themselves so they could see everyone else clearly.

"At least we got to go back to Kyoshi Island." Katara pointed out.

"Not much point, Suki wasn't there." Sokka grumbled, and underneath the gruffness there was masked pain in his voice.

"Koko was." Katara said to Aang, a smirk in her voice. "Your little fangirl's still there waiting for you."

"Why is it every place you guys go to you leave someone behind?" Toph complained. "Before I joined it seems you had people desperate for you to stay with them."

Sokka and Katara sighed in unison.

"Yue."

"Jet."

"Suki."

"Haru."

There was a slight pause, in which the siblings exchanged desolate glances. Then Katara slumped forward into the sand with a moan and Sokka put rested his elbows at his side, causing him to lay face down on the blanket.

"That's so depressing." Sokka's muffled voice commented bleakly and Katara nodded her head in agreement.

This proved to be the death of the conversation for the rest of the afternoon.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"So, are Jet and Haru anyone I should be worried about?" Zuko asked quietly when he and Katara were gathering their limited supplies to place upon Appa. Night was quickly descending upon the group, and it was time to move onto another part of the desert. Most of the group were already on Appa's back, but he and Katara had stayed behind to check some last minute things. Toph and Iroh had also hung back, talking in low tones.

Before, Zuko's heart had leapt when Katara had said Jet's name, but he quickly consoled himself with the knowledge that there must be more than one Jet in the world. Besides, the Jet he had known was a maniac, Katara wouldn't have fallen for a guy like that. Katara's head shot up worriedly, and he saw her wary expression vanish as soon as she realized he was joking around.

"Only if Haru lives in the middle of the desert." Katara teased, picking up her empty, discarded water pouch and placing it back at her side.

"And Jet?" Zuko asked, waiting for Katara to finish adjusting her water pouch then walking back to Appa with her. Katara's joking smile vanished to be replaced with a more solemn look. Her beautiful sapphire eyes took on a haunted look.

"Not unless you can bring people back from the dead." She whispered, climbing up Appa's leg and sitting herself down on his soft fur.

Zuko closed his eyes momentarily and winced at his own tactlessness.

"Walked straight into that one, didn't you Scarface?" Toph muttered as she walked past.

"You could have warned me!" He hissed back furiously, as Toph accepted Sokka's hand in helping her up. When she didn't reply, Zuko rolled his eyes and hauled himself up, as soon as he had made sure his uncle was securely on the bison also.

He had barely sat down when Aang shouted "Yip yip!", those dreaded words that always told Zuko that he was about to risk his life. Even after almost a week, he still hadn't gotten over the sheer trepidation of flying on Appa. He had gotten better at hiding it however, so now Katara didn't tease him about it so much.

The wind whipped everyone's faces as they flew at high speed. The breeze would occasionally pick up some sand, throwing grains into whichever unlucky person's eyes and causing them to grumble discontentedly. This happened to Sokka no less than four times before he had the sense to turn the other way. No one really noticed Katara gazing out to the desert sadly. No one, that was, except for Zuko. He saw the distant pain in her eyes and desperately wanted to reach over and take her in his arms, to murmur reassurances that everything would be okay. But of course, her brother and the Avatar would never allow it.

If they knew about us then this wouldn't be a problem, Zuko thought through gritted teeth, adding to his already long list of reasons why he and Katara shouldn't keep their relationship a secret. But, list or no list, Katara didn't want to tell anyone, therefore it would be a secret. For now.

So it was with a frown that Zuko sat back and let Katara stare aimlessly out into the darkening sky, feeling bad but not being able to do anything about it. Occasional chatter passed amongst the group, but everyone was too tired or bored to start a proper conversation. Sokka would randomly declare from time to time that he was hungry, but after Toph told him that she would push him off Appa if he said this any longer, he soon shut up.

Moron, Zuko thought, rolling his eyes. We're all hungry, just deal with it. Every time Sokka said something idiotic (which seemed to happen at more regular intervals now), Zuko felt his respect for Katara growing even more. She had spent her entire life with this gormless boy, and yet she had kept her sanity. Zuko, on the other hand, was ready to Firebend Sokka's ass back to the South Pole, when Appa started to descend.

"We're landing?" Zuko asked involuntary, surprised.

"Well done." Sokka replied, using as much sarcasm in his voice as he could muster. To add insult, he applauded sarcastically, until Toph punched him in the arm. Scowling, Sokka rubbed his now painful arm and shot Zuko a dirty look.

Why's that my fault? Zuko wanted to ask indignantly, but instead said: "We've only been flying for a few minutes. If we want to get out of the desert sometime in the next five years, don't you think we should be flying for at least an hour at nights from now on?"

"Appa's tired." Aang replied shortly. "We're landing."

Although everyone in the group (besides Sokka) had managed to forgive Zuko, the Avatar was still cold towards him. Whenever Zuko asked him a direct question, the boy would answer with a hard note in his tone, otherwise he would completely ignore him. Although Zuko knew that the Avatar had every reason not to like him, they were travelling together. Respect may be asking too much, but tolerance would enough. Unfortunately, the boy hadn't been showing Zuko either respect or tolerance, although he seemed to like Iroh fine.

And when the Avatar finds out about me and Katara, somehow I don't think his acceptance for me will increase…Zuko thought. This didn't particularly bother him, although it probably should.

Katara tore her eyes away from the sand to turn to Aang and then Zuko. When her eyes met Zuko's she gave him an apologetic look and a miniature shrug, followed by a small smile. Zuko returned the smile only half-heartedly; he felt guilty for upsetting Katara in the first place.

Appa landed with a soft thud on the sand. Everyone on the bison stood up and carried out their tasks, with the monotony that came with repetition.

"I'm sorry." Zuko murmured to Katara as soon as he was close enough. "I didn't mean to upset you."

The rest of the group was on the sand at that point, with Sokka collapsed onto the sand, Aang and the Earth King unpacking the supplies and Toph and Iroh muttering to each other. Zuko narrowed his eyes at the conspiratorial pair, wishing they would stop whispering about him and Katara. It was plainly obvious that they were after all.

"Katara, could you get the blanket?" Aang shouted up, after he realized that it had been left on Appa. He soon turned away and carried on unpacking.

Katara gathered the bundle of blanket in her arms and turned to Zuko, carrying on their conversation. "I know you didn't mean to upset me." She smiled. "How were you supposed to know?" She threw the blanket down onto the sand, causing the grains to fly up momentarily before settling back down. Aang called his thanks, which Katara acknowledged with a nod, not seeming to care that the Airbender was now unfurling the blanket and didn't see it.

"That's just it, I want to know." Zuko murmured, as he and Katara prepared to jump off Appa and onto the sand. Katara jumped first, landing gracefully and straightening up. She waited for Zuko to land before walking towards her brother. Hurrying after her, Zuko continued to talk in the same hushed tone.

"I want to know what upsets you, or what makes you happy. I don't like that I know so little about you."

"You know enough," Katara replied, barely moving her lips, "to know that I'll tell you in time."

"Of course, because that's your speciality." Zuko muttered to himself as Katara joined her brother in helping to unpack. "Putting off telling people things that they have a right to know."

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The hours that followed were much like the days that had already passed; filled with large silences and the occasional question or comment. Kuei, Sokka and Iroh had gone to sleep out of boredom, leaving Aang, Katara and Toph to speculate on what was going to happen next. The group still awake had not gathered on the blanket, but sat a little while away on the sand from their sleeping friends. Zuko did not join in this conversation, but watched the way the fire he had created and controlled illuminated her features, exaggerating the shadows but casting a warm glow on the other side of her face. Despite the shadows under her cerulean eyes and the way her body slumped slightly out of exhaustion, she was still the most beautiful woman that Zuko had ever seen. Her chocolate hair was beginning to unravel from its tight braid, leaving strands sticking out at the back of her neck, but then again no one was looking their best after a week in barren desert. The annoyance he had felt previously towards Katara was forgotten, as he wondered how he could ever be mad at her.

"I think that if we don't reach Siyu in the next two days, we should just get out of the desert, what do you think Scarface?" Toph said, breaking Zuko out of his thoughts. It was thoughtful of Toph to include him in their discussion, but Zuko would've much preferred sitting in silence and watching Katara. The Avatar and Katara had turned to him, Katara smiling expectantly and the Avatar nothing short of glowering at the Prince.

"I think she's right." Zuko replied, trying not to focus on the look the Airbender shot him, which was deepening with every word. "We can't afford to lose anymore time looking for something that may not be there."

"Thank you." Toph nodded, her blind eyes in the general direction of Zuko's voice. "He's right. Twinkletoes needs to learn Firebending as soon as he can, and it isn't going to happen if we're living like this."

"We're doing the best we can." Aang said, an edge to his voice.

"Considering the circumstances, yes." Katara cut in gently. "But it doesn't have to be like this. We'll find somewhere for you to learn when we're outside of the desert, but not here. Toph and I will keep up your Waterbending and Earthbending, so you'll be ready for battle."

Aang looked at her, and then slowly nodded. Zuko marvelled at how Katara talked to the Avatar in that soothing voice, and how he always calmed down when she talked to him. If Zuko didn't know that Katara's love for Aang was platonic, then he might've been jealous.

"We should get to bed Aang. I want to go over some Earthbending basics with you in the morning." Toph said suddenly, standing up. Aang seemed reluctant to leave Zuko and Katara alone together, given the suspicious narrow of his eyes in Zuko's direction.

Sure, blame me, Zuko thought, coming dangerously close to rolling his own eyes. However, he stayed silent and watched as Toph grew more impatient.

"Listen, in case it's escaped your notice, Twinkletoes, I'm blind. I would try and find the blanket by myself but I'd probably fall over someone."

Zuko tried very hard to hold back a smirk as Toph held out her hand in the Avatar's direction, expecting him to take it. When he reached out, Toph yanked his hand hard, so that the Airbender was jerked up. Zuko ended up smirking at the sand, averting his eyes so he wouldn't anger anyone.

"Night." Toph said, and it bewildered Zuko how much meaning and emphasis she could put into one simple word.

"I'm not tired yet, I'll follow you in a few minutes." Katara said, smiling up at Toph and Aang, who were still holding hands. Zuko made a non-committal noise, which the others seemed to accept.

"See you in the morning." Toph said, waving with her free hand. "Little help Twinkletoes."

Aang stood for one more moment, glancing from Katara to Zuko and back again, before moving forwards and guiding Toph back to the blanket. As Zuko and Katara watched, he quietly said something to her, and she sat down. Aang lay down next to her, and turned on his side so he wasn't facing Zuko or Katara.

"It was nice of her." Katara murmured softly, a small smile on her lips as her gaze lingered on the camp.

"What was?" Zuko asked, at the same volume. Katara turned to him, eyebrows raised.

"You don't think that Toph couldn't find her way back to camp? If we'd offered to guide her back, then she would've snapped at us. She only asked Aang to give us some time alone together."

Zuko paused before answering, frowning slightly. "I don't get Toph."

Katara laughed quietly. "Nobody gets Toph. At least, not entirely."

Is that because she hasn't told you, or because you didn't ask? Zuko wondered as he watched Katara intently. Although Toph and Katara got along well for the most part, when they argued it was severe and made the rest of the group, Zuko included, very uncomfortable.

"What?" Katara asked, squirming a little under Zuko's gaze. Realizing the intensity of his look, Zuko rearranged himself to a look of polite interest. Apparently, this wasn't the right thing to do either, as Katara gave him an odd look. "No, seriously, what?"

Zuko stood up quickly, and held out his hand for Katara to take. She did, without question, and was hauled to her feet. Her shoes lay abandoned in the sand as Zuko began to walk, gently pulling Katara with him.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The cool sand didn't hurt Katara's feet as she walked with Zuko, but her mind would be too preoccupied to notice if the grains of sand had turned to burning pebbles.

Where are we going? She wondered, glancing at Zuko. He caught her eyes, and gave her a reassuring smile. She opened her mouth to speak, but he cut her off with a shake of his head. After walking for only a minute or two, Zuko stopped and sat down. Genuinely confused, Katara sat down beside him on the sand. The place they had stopped wasn't extraordinary by any means; it looked exactly like all the other places they had stopped in the past week. That was to say, sandy and boring.

Zuko lit a fire in the palm of his hand and set it gently down onto the sand. The weak fire sputtered but still burnt, giving out light.

"I wanted a place we could talk; somewhere we know no one would interrupt us." Zuko explained, without Katara prompting him.

"I don't want to get into another argument." Katara said immediately. She was worried that this was all Zuko wanted to talk about, and with things going well between them she didn't want anything to mess it up.

"Don't worry," Zuko laughed, "that conversation isn't scheduled for another two days."

This put Katara at ease a little, and she even managed a smile. She wanted nothing more than a place that the two of them could be with each other uninterrupted, and not have to pretend to be mere acquaintances. If Zuko wanted the same - and it looked as though he did - then she had nothing to worry about.

"There's so much that I don't know about you…" Zuko murmured, after pulling Katara closer towards him. She went willingly, resting her head on Zuko's shoulder in a position that was comforting for them both. When Zuko had finished talking, Katara lifted her head and turned to look at him. She reached up her hand to touch Zuko's scar very gently.

"There's a lot I don't know about you." She whispered.

"You know how I got my scar." He whispered back, confused both at why he was whispering, and why Katara was touching the burn on his face.

"I meant…I don't know anything about your life before you got your scar." She amended, not rushing her words because she didn't want to ruin the moment.

There was a long pause, in which Zuko did not meet Katara's eyes. Finally, he took the hand on his face and set it aside softly, holding onto it.

"There are some things that you don't want to know." He murmured, still averting his eyes.

Trying to get over the disappointment she felt that Zuko didn't want her to touch his scar, Katara drew her face closer to his.

"And there are some things I do." She whispered, kissing him softly before drawing away. "Don't shut me out."

"I don't want to shut you out." Zuko frowned, "It just isn't easy talking about my childhood."

"Growing up with Azula must've been hard." Katara sympathised, kissing him for a moment again.

"Hard? Try impossible. After my mother left…" Zuko trailed off, looking at the sand beneath him.

"We could try to find her if you wanted." Katara suggested quietly. "After Aang fights…after we win the war." She corrected herself quickly, almost talking about Aang killing Zuko's father.

"I think it'd be something I'd need to do on my own, but thank you." Zuko smiled.

"I just don't want you thinking you're alone in anything." Katara shrugged slightly.

"As long as I've got you, I'm never alone." Zuko replied, leaning in for another kiss.

Katara smiled as his lips met hers, loving the feeling she got every time she kissed Zuko. All the problems in the world vanished, all negative feelings disappeared, and all that mattered was that she didn't get separated from Zuko. Her eyes closed as she lost herself in the moment, her lips parted under his, allowing his hesitant tongue access to her mouth. Although this was a new experience, it felt right as their tongues met gently. Zuko's grip suddenly fastened around her waist securely, and he deepened the kiss. Having no problem with this, Katara responded enthusiastically and threw her arms around his neck. This threw Zuko momentarily, and he toppled to the ground, Katara falling on top of him. The kiss broken, Katara began to laugh and scooped sand up, sprinkling it into Zuko's hair with one hand, and keeping his arms to his side with the other.

"You think that's funny?" Zuko asked, eyebrows raised, wicked smile in place.

"Yeah." Katara smiled back. "You have a problem with that?"

Suddenly Zuko freed his arms and pushed them hard, causing Katara to fall flat on her back onto the sand. He knelt down, placing his legs either side of her waist and pinning her arms to her side with his hands.

"So what if I do?" He asked, smirking as Katara struggled playfully.

"When did you get so strong?" She pouted cutely, giving up trying to free herself. Zuko laughed, both at her comment and her facial expression.

"This is nothing; you should see what happens when someone threatens me." He paused, no longer laughing. "Or someone I love."

He let go of Katara's arms and moved back, so that she could sit up but not move her legs.

"You know that I'll never let anything happen to you, don't you?" He asked seriously. Katara smiled and murmured "I know", before reaching one of her newly-freed hand out to Zuko's face, and caressing his scar very gently. Zuko tilted his head into her loving touch and gave a small smile. She opened her mouth, evidently about to say something important, only to close it again when they heard:

"Hello?"

"Son of a bitch." Zuko muttered angrily, frustrated that someone would interrupt them even out here. He stood up entirely, pulling Katara up with him. They both swiftly swept sand off themselves and tried to look innocent, even though neither had recognized the voice that had spoken. A very faint light shone in the distance, evidently either a Firebender's flame or a lantern.

"Stay back." Zuko cautioned Katara, scooping up the dying flame on the sand and giving it new life.

"I can look after myself." Katara told him, an annoyed note in her voice. Zuko turned to her sceptically.

"Do you have your water with you?" He asked, already knowing the answer.

"Well, no, but-"

"Then you're staying back." He told her, in a tone that he knew must be infuriating. Katara narrowed her eyes, but nodded and kept a pace behind Zuko as he crept carefully nearer to the source of the voice.

"Hello?" Shouted the voice again, louder this time. Katara could now tell that it was male, but realized Zuko had guessed that from the first time the stranger had yelled, given his "son of a bitch" comment. "Travellers?"

"That's right, Akio, shout louder. For all we know Princess Azula and her army could be out here. Unless fires have found some miraculous way of lighting themselves." Came the extremely sarcastic voice of a young woman.

"Why would Princess Azula and the Dai Li be out in the desert, Jia?" Asked the male, who was apparently named Akio. "It doesn't take a Firebender to light a fire."

Katara and Zuko exchanged glances, both unsure whether they should approach these strangers.

"Besides, whoever it is might be in trouble. We can't just leave them here." The male continued.

After a nod from Zuko, he and Katara walked forward more swiftly into the darkness, following the now arguing voices.

"The fire's coming closer towards us!" The male voice whispered excitedly. "So unless fire has not only taught itself to self-sustain, but to also fly, then there's a good chance it belongs to a traveller." He paused. "Hello?"

"Who's there?" Zuko called, expanding the flames in his hand suspiciously. Two dark figures had come into sight, neither of their faces visible in the dim light. Zuko suddenly breathed deeply, and split the fire in eight different ways. The eight fragments of embers hung in the air momentarily, until Zuko positioned his fingers much like Azula did when she directed lightning, and pointed in different directions. The fire swiftly followed, and was soon embedded into sand around the group. Zuko lifted his hands suddenly, and the fire rose with them. The light had improved greatly, and it was now light enough to see that the two strangers had dark, heavy black cloaks on with the hoods up.

"We are from the town of Siyu." The female said, neither she nor her brother seeming bothered by the presence of a Firebender in their midst. "I am Jia, and this is my twin brother, Akio."

Zuko's eyes remained narrowed in suspicion, but Katara inclined her head politely as the strangers were introduced. Akio took down his hood, and then smiled warmly at her, something which reduced Zuko's eyes to even thinner slits.

"You must be Prince Zuko and Katara, yes?" Jia continued evenly. Katara noticed for the first time how silky and smooth her voice was. This girl clearly had no confidence problems, and Katara found herself wondering what Jia looked like beneath the hood that was still up. The insane notion of jealously flitted through her mind, before being pushed aside by the confusion of how these strangers knew her and Zuko's names.

"You don't have to answer that question," Akio said warmly, smiling. "It's kind of…obvious." He hesitated, glancing quickly at Zuko's scar. Katara could feel the heat around her rising, and the small flames around them all grew with Zuko's anger.

"How do you know who we are, or where to find us?" She asked quickly, before Zuko could say or do anything rash.

"All will be explained later." Jia said, her voice now friendly and welcoming. "Where is the rest of your group?"

Katara did not answer, and neither did Zuko. Although these strangers had not outright attacked (yet, Katara reminded herself) there was no reason to trust them. Jia realized this, and took down her hood. The light was too dim to make out her features properly, but Katara could tell that this girl was not plain by any means.

"I know that it must be difficult to trust strangers after your ordeals, but please listen to me. We have an aunt, who works in the kitchens of the palace of Ba Sing Se. She has sent letters confirming Princess Azula's takeover of the Earth Kingdom. A few days ago she sent news of the Avatar and his friends, how they daringly escaped the clutches of the evil Fire Nation and the corrupt Dai Li." Her voice was filled with wonder and awe, and Katara couldn't help think that she was being slightly dramatic with her choice of words. "Our village knew that - if we came across the group - we must help in any way we could. The desert is cruel and unrelenting in heat, especially this time of year, and I'm sure you could all do with the rest and food."

There was a short silence, while Zuko and Katara digested this information. The breeze blew gently around them, lifting the sand above their feet briefly, before letting it fall back to earth.

"Basically, you're tired - we have beds. You're hungry - we have food. You're fighting in a war - our town is a large manufacturer of weapons to Ba Sing Se." Akio said, breaking the quiet. He grinned, showing all of his teeth. "Sound good?"

Sounds great, but can we trust you? Katara thought, still eyeing the newcomers warily. She glanced at Zuko, to see what he thought of the situation.

"We have master benders of the four elements back at the base. If you try anything stupid it'll be the last thing you do on this earth. Do you understand?" He asked, his voice harsh and non-compromising.

"We understand." Jia and Akio murmured, in eerie unison. Then Jia flashed a dazzling smile at Zuko. "You're a hero in our village…the way you stood up to Azula was amazing."

"Yeah but the way he sided with her before that wasn't too great." Katara said coldly before she could stop herself. The other three turned to stare at her, with Zuko's golden eyes shining with confusion and ill-masked hurt. "But that's in the past!" She continued brightly, trying to move the conversation along. "Anyway, the camp's back this way." She turned to walk back in the direction they had came, Zuko turning also after he had extinguished the flames around them. Jia and Akio hung back for a second, removing their cloaks which they only had on presumably for camouflage against enemies or wild animals.

"I'm so sorry." Katara said the moment they had turned away. "I don't know why I said that."

"I don't know why either." Zuko said, a bitter edge to his voice. He sighed, and looked at Katara as they carried on walking. "I thought we were past all that?"

"We are." Katara assured him, with as much sincerity as she could summon. "I'm just tired and hungry. You managed to take me away from that before," She paused, sharing a sly glance with Zuko before continuing, "but now it's come back full force."

Jia and Akio caught up to them, Jia walking next to Zuko, Akio strolling alongside Katara.

"So, how long have you two been a couple?" Jia asked conversationally. Zuko and Katara deliberated only for a moment before replying:

"We're not-"

"We're just friends-"

"We've never-"

Jia and Akio shared amused looks, as the couple in the middle continued to form half-sentences or the odd word.

"So, why were you out here alone together?" Akio asked, grinning wickedly.

"I couldn't sleep and-"

"We were looking for food-"

"Nothing happened-"

The twins burst out laughing as the couple stuttered and stammered their way through an explanation.

"We won't tell anyone." Jia promised, still smiling widely. Akio nodded in agreement, his eyes alight with amusement.

"But you should know that rumours are flying around the palace." Jia said, her voice semi-serious now. "Our aunt told us her suspicions, but we didn't think it was true." She paused, and grinned again. "At least, not until that performance."

The four walked along in contemplative silence in the sand, none of them knowing quite what to say now. After only half a minute of fast-paced walking, they reached the camp, where the shapes of Zuko and Katara's companions lay on the blanket, moving only to breathe.

"Guys!" Katara shouted after a moment, not really wanting to wake her sleeping friends up in this way, but not having a choice. "Wake up!"

There were a few movements on the blanket, but no one got up. Toph opened her eyes blearily, mumbled something about "a few more minutes" before rolling over again.

"Not a few more minutes, now!" Katara shouted, smiling at how much of a mother she sounded. She looked at Zuko, who shared the same smile.

"Do you want me to set the blanket on fire?" He asked loudly, for their sleeping companions' benefit. That got some movement. Toph sat up, rubbing her blind eyes in annoyance. Aang stretched and stood up, reaching for his staff as soon as he saw that Zuko and Katara had brought company.

"Relax, Aang. They're not a threat." Katara soothed, but Aang still regarded the newcomers warily. By this time, Iroh and Kuei had stirred, and stood themselves up. Sand poured onto the blanket where they had been lying, and dangerously close to the still sleeping Sokka's mouth.

"Do you have any spare water on you?" Katara asked the twins, smiling politely. Akio nodded, and produced a small water pouch, not unlike the one Katara carried. Akio unscrewed the pouch lid, and Katara bent the water from it, relishing the feel of liquid between her fingers again.

"Thanks." She smiled to Akio, before turning around. "Sokka, are you getting up?" She called loudly. Sokka murmured "no" and curled himself into a tight ball. Katara rolled her eyes, having a feeling that she wasn't the only one, and turned to everyone else still on the blanket. "I'd move if I were you." She advised. The others heeded her warning quickly, and Zuko smirked, knowing what was coming.

A look of concentration passed over Katara's face as she focused the water into a ball, and sent it slowly in front of her until it positioned directly over her brother's head.

"Last chance." She called, in a sing-song voice. Sokka frowned, his eyes remaining shut.

"I've told you, I'm not-"

Katara drew her hands back, and allowed gravity to take effect. The water fell rapidly, splattering on her brother's head. The rest of the group laughed as Sokka's eyes flew open, and he sat up, dripping wet. He raised an eyebrow to show how unimpressed he was with the situation, causing the group to laugh harder.

"She warned you." Toph smirked. She had obviously been unable to see what had just happened, but the sound of the splash of water as it fell onto Sokka's head had been very satisfying.

"Maybe you should just get up in future." Iroh smiled, before turning to the newcomers amongst the group. "And who are you?"

"Uncle, these are villagers from Siyu." Zuko said. "Turns out you didn't make the place up after all."

"I'm insulted you thought that, nephew." Iroh said, smiling good-naturedly. His gaze flicked from the twins, to Zuko. "I mean no offence to our new friends, but are you sure they are who they say they are?"

"We're not sure," Katara replied quickly, "but they seem genuine."

Iroh considered this, before turning to the twins and bowing. "Forgive me." He smiled. "But in these times it is difficult to accept new allies. I am Iroh."

The twins returned Iroh's bow, Akio's face shining with excitement. "I know who you are, Sir. General Iroh, Dragon of the West."

"Retired on both parts, but it is nice to know that my reputation precedes me." He laughed, before stepping aside for other introductions to be made. The light here was even worse than where Zuko and Katara had first encountered the twins, so there was still no way to determine what the newcomers looked like. Both Jia and Akio proclaimed themselves "honored" to meet the Avatar, bowing deeply in greeting. They showed appropriate amounts of respect towards the rest of the group, the Earth King in particular.

"But, Your Majesty, where is your famous bear?" Jia asked, after being introduced. Kuei sighed heavily.

"Bosco had to be left behind when we rescued our friends from Ba Sing Se." He said, with great sadness in his voice. "I hope to see him again, but I have come to terms with our parting."

Aang, Sokka, Iroh, Katara, Zuko and Toph breathed silent sighs of relief. Kuei had originally been distraught at the loss of his treasured bear, and it had taken him days to get over it. Katara had eventually told Kuei that they would go back for the bear as soon as it was safe, but until then Bosco could fend for himself. Whether this was true or not, it comforted to Earth King.

"I'm terribly sorry." Jia said, her voice sickly sweet with sympathy. At least, that's how it sounded to Katara. Jia turned to the group at large. "I think we should get back to Siyu."

There was a murmur of assent at this comment, and groups of people began to drift towards the blanket and the supplies, packing them up as they always did.

"It'd be faster to fly on Appa." Aang explained to the twins, who regarded the large beats apprehensively. "More cramped maybe, but definitely faster."

"We trust the Avatar implicitly." Akio smiled, before wandering over to Katara, who stood with Toph. "Hey." He smiled in greeting.

"Hey." Katara replied, smiling back. "Are you okay with flying on Appa? He's a little daunting at first, but you get used to him."

"Do I have a choice?" Akio asked jokingly, glancing back to Appa.

"Well, no." Katara admitted. "But don't worry, I'll hold your hand if you get too scared."

She had only meant this in jest, and was quite alarmed when Akio moved closer to her and smiled again. "Guess I'll have to be scared then." He said softly. Katara stood there speechless, until Akio walked away to talk his reluctant sister into getting on the bison.

"Does he know you're with Scarface?" Toph murmured quietly, when she was sure that Akio's faint footsteps had faded.

"Yes." Katara replied. "He was just being friendly."

"I worry about your interpretation of the word 'friendly' " Toph frowned. Katara sighed heavily and watched as Jia ignored her brother and started talking to Zuko. There was a lot of hair swishing going on, and Jia was laughing a little too loudly at something Zuko had just said.

"I'm worried about something else." Katara admitted, not taking her eyes off Jia and Zuko.

Toph seemed to sense what Katara was talking about and nodded. "Is she pretty?" She asked, head turned to Katara so the others wouldn't see them both staring at Jia.

Katara didn't have to ask who Toph meant. She continued to watch Jia, but in the light still couldn't see her facial features. All she could see was Jia had long dark hair which she wore loose. Zuko was smiling politely at something Jia had said, before helping her up onto Appa. Katara sighed and turned back to Toph, who was waiting for a reply.

"Gods, I hope not." Katara muttered.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

A/N:

Sorry it took me longer than usual to update, I hope the length of this chapter made up for it. It's longer than any I've ever done, so I'm quite proud, lol. I know Akio is a Japanese name, but I thought it suited him better than any Chinese name I could find. His name translates as "beloved/loving child", whereas Jia's means "beautiful". It might be useful to remember that…

By the way, it was more or less confirmed in an interview with the creators that Jet is dead, hence the "bring people back from the dead" quote. I think Katara was a little bitchy in this chapter…I'm not sure if it's a good or bad thing that I enjoyed writing her bitchily :P

The kiss scene was awkward to write, mainly because I haven't really written one before. I would say I hope you liked it, but that may seem a little weird, so I'll settle for "I hope it was appropriate", lol.

I'm going away next Wednesday, but I'm going to try my hardest to get another chapter out by that time. However, if I can't then it's for that reason. Thank you so much for your reviews, they motivate me so much to keep writing (:

I didn't have time to read through this chapter properly, so please notify me if there are any spelling/grammar mistakes. I hope you enjoyed this chapter, please review,

- Momo