Katara slipped through the shadows, watching for any sign of the banished prince. She payed special attention to those that wore hoods. Finally she saw a likely candidate. She tailed him never once losing him in the crowds. He turned slightly and Katara saw the scar. She tailed at a distance. He stopped at a stall to buy food and she stopped next to him.
"Come to kill me again?" Zuko knew she was there
"No." She slipped an apple into one of her sleeves as she said this.
Zuko couldn't help but smile, remembering when he had had to do the same thing.
"I can pay for that you know."
Her anger flared slightly. "I'm not a charity case"
"I never suggested you were" Zuko feigned offence. "But you are broken"
He whispered this in her ear as he walked past, carrying his payed for goods. She didn't know what to say to that. No one had ever called her broken. What did he even mean by that. She was consumed by guilt, and she cared less for herself than she had before. Did he mean that? Or something else?
"Are you coming?" Zuko had stopped to wait for her.
She followed him, but at a distance, in case it was a trap. He didn't seem to mind too much. If fact Zuko preferred it that way, if the rumours about her were true, then he didn't want to stand any closer to a master waterbending assassin than he already was.
When Sokka saw her he almost threw himself across the camp fire to hug her. She stiffened at his touch, but did not pull away like would if it had been any other man. Having said that She did not hug him back either. Sokka couldn't help but smile like a fool and gush out how much he had missed her. Katara couldn't help but smile slightly at him.
Sokka didn't notice that anything was off. Zuko did. Her smile was sad. Her eyes were wary. SHe was watching every move they made with a cold analysis that made Zuko shiver. He dreaded to think at what would happen if one of them moved too fast for her liking. He was not going to be the one to test out that little theory.