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.

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"Yip yip!" Aang called out. The sky bison groaned loudly and took off from the sand with some difficulty. It was harder for Appa to ascend to the skies from an uneven surface such as sand, and it took longer than usual to set off. "Don't worry, buddy." Aang murmured comfortingly from his spot on the bison's head. "We've only got a short way to go, and then you can have all the rest you want." He turned to the boy sat next to him, Akio. "Tell me the directions and I'll guide him. I'd let you guide him yourself, but he's twitchy around strangers now."

Aang didn't go into details with Akio on exactly why Appa distrusted newcomers, but he felt a pang of pain when he remembered those times where Appa had gone missing. Never again, he had vowed. He intended to keep that promise, no matter what.

"No problem." Akio said with ease. "It's not far, we could've walked there."

"Good luck getting Sokka to carry his things just after he's woken up." Aang smiled. Good luck getting Sokka to do anything just after he's woken up, he added silently.

"My father runs the town's inn; you can all stay there for as long as you need. Fly a little to the left here." Akio said, pointing in the direction.

"How big is Siyu? Iroh gave us the impression it was only a small town." Aang asked uneasily, obliging to Akio's wish to change direction slightly.

"The last time General Iroh saw Siyu, it was only a small town." Akio laughed. "He'll soon see the difference."

There was a short silence between the two, and the chatter of the others on Appa's back hung in the air. Momo was gingerly treading towards Jia, who laughed and encouraged the lemur to sit on her knee.

"So is Katara seeing anyone?" Akio asked casually. The question was so unexpected that Aang raised his eyebrows in surprise. He glanced behind them to where Katara was sitting, laughing as Momo lay himself down under Jia's vast cloak, much to her astonishment.

"No." Aang replied with a sigh, turning back to face the boy next to him. He didn't think that anyone could know how much he wished the answer to that question was "Yes. Me."

"Does she like anyone that you know of?" Akio asked again, with the same nonchalance that suggested he didn't really care and was only making conversation.

"I don't think so." Aang answered, again wishing the answer to that question was "yes". He paused, and glanced at Akio, trying to even his tone for his next words. "Are you interested in her or something?"

"I was just wondering. You travel together, feelings develop, I can guess how that can be." Akio shrugged. "Keep flying for a few minutes and we're there."

Aang didn't answer Akio's words. He was more than aware that Akio did not answer his question, just skirted around it.

Little did he know that Akio was inwardly marvelling at the Avatar's ignorance. He really has no idea about the Fire Prince and Katara…what is he, stupid?

"How will your village react to having Firebenders staying with you?" Aang asked, coming up with a topic change.

"I doubt they'll mind much, seeing as it's two Firebenders who betrayed their country to fight with the Avatar." Akio said, an impressed note in his voice.

Everyone seems to gloss over the fact that one of the Firebenders betrayed us, before turning back again, Aang thought, resisting rolling his eyes. He worried sometimes that Zuko would side with Azula again one day, and that day they'd all be in trouble. However, Toph, Iroh and Katara especially seemed to trust him, and he was not about to question their judgement. But he knew that Sokka shared these suspicions, so that comforted him in knowing it wasn't just him worried.

"Yeah, well." Aang grumbled, before focusing on a spot of dirt on Appa's head. "You forget who's the reason Azula came to power in the Earth Kingdom in the first place."

"Our aunt, the one who told us about you, didn't really mention anything before your escape." Akio pointed out. "But I did wonder how Azula managed it."

Akio's voice suggested that he wanted to know, but Aang hesitated. Telling Akio this might turn him against Zuko, something which wasn't really fair. On the other hand, Siyu needed to know what kind of people they were accepting into their town. It wasn't Aang's fault that Zuko had done some less than trustworthy things in the past.

"Zuko is the reason Azula conquered Ba Sing Se." Aang said, after only half a minute of silent deliberation. "At least, he played a big part in it."

Akio's eyes widened in surprise and his raised eyebrows gestured for Aang to continue. He knew that Zuko had something to do with the takeover of the Earth Kingdom, because of Katara's comment just an hour ago: "Yeah but the way he sided with her before that wasn't too great". He wanted to hear Aang's side of the story however, so he let Aang continue.

"We were in a cavern underneath Ba Sing Se. Long story short: Katara and I were fighting Azula, Zuko came in, he decided to side with Azula and attacked me, while Katara and Azula fought. The fights swapped, with Zuko fighting Katara and Azula fighting me."

"Zuko and Katara were fighting?" Akio cut in, his eyebrows lowering in confusion.

"It wasn't the first time." Aang told him darkly. "They're evenly matched."

Akio doubted this, but kept silent. He had heard of the Fire Nation Royal Family's ruthlessness when it came to battle. He had also heard of Prince Zuko's temper. Put the two together and it did not bode well for Zuko's opponents.

"So it was two against two. A fair fight, even if Zuko and Azula's fighting tactics were a little less than fair." Aang remembered, seeing the hazy outline of Katara being thrown back into a small wall of hard rock crystals after she failed to defend herself against the siblings combined attacks on her. "A fair fight, that was, until the Dai Li agents joined the equation."

Akio, although thoroughly absorbed in Aang's tale, although he already knew how it ended, couldn't help cutting in.

"Considering the odds, you don't look too bad, neither does Katara." He pointed out, giving Aang a quick once-over to assure himself there were no injuries there.

"You haven't seen the hole in my back." Aang muttered, averting his eyes to the side. It was odd talking about this with someone he had just met, but he needed to talk about it to someone. In the week or so that Katara and Toph were in Ba Sing Se, he was unconscious or weak, so couldn't discuss it with Sokka. Not that Sokka would understand…Aang knew that the only people who would understand him would be people who watched him fall after the lightning struck. He obviously wouldn't talk to Azula about it, and he'd be damned if he spoke to Zuko about anything, let alone something like this. That only left Katara, who he hadn't been alone with long enough yet. He was about to say something the other day when she had been looking at the map from the spirit library, but of course Zuko had come along and interrupted them.

"There's a hole in your back?" Akio repeated, sounding as though he were sure he'd misheard. Siyu had come into sight, but he was determined Aang finish his memory.

"Azula can create and manipulate lightning." Aang explained, looking up to Akio. "It turns out that she isn't one to stand by idly and watch as I go into the Avatar State. I had levitated to near the cavern's roof when she struck."

"Gods…" Akio whispered, horrified, forgetting to tell Appa to descend.

"I remember the agony…then falling." Aang said, his eyes faraway as he relived the moment.

"Katara caught me. She thought I was dead." Aang's voice was haunted. "I was - until she healed me later, after we'd gotten out." Katara had briefly filled him in on what had happened in one of the rare moments he was conscious after leaving Ba Sing Se the first time. "So there she was, crying, holding my body and surrounded by Dai Li agents. Yet they were still ready to attack her." Aang's face contorted in disgust, and Akio didn't have to ask who 'they' were. "If Iroh hadn't come in when he did…I'd have a lot worse than a hole in my back."

"Go down here." Akio murmured after a moment of silence. Aang nodded and told Appa to land. Akio studied the young Avatar closely before speaking again. "That explains the looks you gave Zuko before."

"I'll never forgive him." Aang spat angrily. "He's only with us because Iroh is teaching me Firebending."

That, and he's in love with your Waterbending friend…Akio mused, but did not dare say this out loud. The few minutes he had seen of the group altogether he could tell that the boy introduced as Sokka felt as strongly about the Fire Prince as Aang did. Appa slowly began to descend and there was silence on the bison's head. Both boys turned to watch the others on Appa's back, where excited chatter still continued, obviously unaware of the conversation that had just gone on only a couple of metres away.

"Not that that should cloud your judgement on Zuko." Aang said sarcastically to Akio, turning back to face the front. "I'm sure he's a great guy when you get to know him."

Akio laughed, glad that the mood had been lightened a little. He had heard passing tales from travellers of how young and carefree the Avatar was, but Akio could see the dark, troubled look in his eyes and could guess that the carefree part of the Avatar had died when the lightning had hit.

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Katara glanced over the side of the bison. Night had truly fallen, and the stars and moon were visible in the sky, shining boldly against the oppressive dark. On the ground, a few small pricks of light stood out against the black-looking sand. These lights grew as Appa slowly made his way down to what could only be Siyu. The dark outlines of buildings became more visible the lower down they got, until soon Appa's legs were becoming dangerously close to kicking the tops of the tallest buildings. Although much bigger than a simple village, Siyu still wasn't very large; Katara estimated that there were around fifty houses surrounding a circular town centre.

"My, Siyu has certainly changed." Iroh remarked, as he too watched the town.

"And how long was it since you were last here, Uncle?" Zuko asked dryly, not quite being able to draw his eyes away from the hypnotizing lights from the occasional building below.

"Instead of calculating, I will save time and acknowledge that you have a point." Iroh admitted, causing the group to laugh, or, in Zuko's case, smile slightly.

Appa landed just outside Siyu, landing on the sand which, on impact, flew up before quickly showering back down to the desert ground. Akio stood up and climbed down Appa's neck to his sister.

"And how was your flying experience?" He asked her, mock-seriously, as though he were asking a question on a survey. Jia raised her eyebrows in response. "Just asking." Akio shrugged, holding his hands in a 'don't shoot!' style.

"I'll have you know it was fine." Jia said, stroking Momo's head affectionately. "I think I made a new friend at least."

Toph stood up impatiently. "It's sweet that we're in the 'getting to know you' phase, but if I don't set my feet on some solid ground soon-"

"Okay, okay." Sokka interrupted, rolling his eyes and also standing up. "But I think Jia and Akio should be the ones to go first. After all, it is their town and they should be the ones to introduce us."

"Sounds good." Jia agreed, and Akio nodded. The twins stood up, closely followed by the rest of the group. Jia glanced somewhat nervously over Appa's side for awhile, before turning to the others.

"It's safe to jump." Sokka told her, before she could even open her mouth. Jia continued to look worried, when suddenly Akio pushed her hard in the small of her back, causing her to fall from Appa. Katara, scandalized, rushed over to the edge of the bison, to check if Jia was okay. It was not a big fall by any means, but if she had landed at a wrong angle…. However, there was nothing to worry about. Jia had landed with the grace of a cat, her knees bent and body crouched over, with her palms flat on the sand. Her heels were raised, with only her toes to support her legs. After a moment, she straightened up and shook her hair out. It gave off a dramatic rippling effect in the moonlight, something which Katara knew she would never be able to achieve. An odd stab of jealously poked her uncomfortably in the ribs, until she pushed it aside and ignored it.

"Akio, you know I don't like being taken by surprise." Jia said, her voice reprimanding.

"Like it matters." Her brother scoffed. "You can land perfectly well, on any terrain, from any height and still not have a scratch on you." He followed his sister in jumping from the bison, landing efficiently enough but lacking the graceful landing of Jia. That wasn't to say that the boy fell spread-eagled on the sand; he landed as perfectly as his free-spirited sister, yet his landing was more controlled, and seemed like it had been planned.

"So, I'm feeling inferior." Sokka announced. "I think I'll just climb down Appa and save my embarrassment."

Katara laughed along with the others, but secretly felt the same. She would not be the first one to jump after the twins' performance. Luckily Toph, not knowing the word "humiliation" rolled her blind eyes and flung herself from Appa. She landed like she normally would: flat on her stomach with her face dangerously close to the sandy ground. Feeling less awkward, Katara followed in jumping, and landed with more elegance that Toph, but nowhere near in Jia's league.

This is ridiculous, Katara thought, as the others jumped off or climbed down Appa, why am I jealous of a girl I've only just met? Am I really that insecure? I'm comparing our ability to land for Gods' sake! But as Katara watched Jia smile at Zuko as he landed, she felt a sinking feeling in her stomach. She's just being friendly, Katara told herself. The way she's flicking around her hair? A sign of friendship. So she's fluttering her eyelashes at him, so what? It's only a joke. And now she's touching his arm…yeah, I'd better go over there.

"Hey." She smiled, as she reached Zuko and Jia. "Are you sure this is okay, us staying in your village?" She asked Jia, just to distract her from Zuko.

"It's fine," Jia smiled, "our father owns an inn, you can all stay there."

"An inn?" Katara repeated, smiling back, but not quite hiding her confusion. "No offence but…you live in a desert. I wouldn't have thought it a popular holiday resort."

Jia laughed, and Katara noticed out of the corner of her eye that the others had already set off for the town. Katara began to walk too, hinting at Zuko and Jia that they should catch up to the others. The supplies had been left on Appa, to be unloaded when they were in the town.

"We get a lot of custom from people looking for fossils or buried treasure." Jia explained, before pausing and laughing again. "A couple of times we've had people looking for a library. A library. I mean, can you imagine?"

"Well they're not going to find one." Katara laughed uneasily, as she remembered discovering the library Jia was talking about, and almost being buried alive inside it. Zuko shot her an odd look, noticing the almost nervous note in her voice. Katara shrugged, and didn't look at either of the people beside her. "We kind of sank it."

"You sank a library?" Zuko repeated, then, as if to clarify, said, "A library that was in the middle of the desert."

"It's a spirit library." Jia supplied, as if this justified everything. "Legend says it's owned by Wan Shi Tong, he who-"

"-knows ten thousand things." Katara cut in. "There's one spirit you do not want to lie to."

"I wouldn't have thought there were any spirits you would want to lie to." Zuko mused, taking Katara's hand subtly. Katara felt a burst of happiness as his warmth spread over her, and she instantly forgot any ill feelings she had towards Jia.

"Well, most spirits you lie to don't sink an enormous library with you inside it in retaliation." Katara teased, squeezing his hand gently. Zuko squeezed back and smiled, but did not say anything.

"It sounds like you've done a lot, Katara, and I've only just met you." Jia said, an impressed smile on her face.

"I've known her for months, and I still don't know how much she's done." Zuko grumbled.

"Months?" Jia repeated, frowning slightly. "I thought you'd only been with each other for a couple of weeks."

There was an awkward silence, in which the chit-chat of their companions in front of them could be heard. Momo flew above them, chirruping occasionally. Siyu was getting closer, and two towers were now visible at the front of the town. It was hard to tell how tall the towers were from this distance, but they reminded Katara of Sokka's pathetic watchtowers back at the South Pole. Only these towers, unlike the ones Sokka built, were obviously not made from ice and snow. What looked like a small wall surrounded Siyu, which Katara had not seen from the sky. Pushing aside the sudden dread she inexplicably felt, Katara turned back to what Jia had just said, and answered.

"We don't count the time where Zuko was trying to kill me and my friends." She rationalized after an extended silence.

"Capture, capture." Zuko corrected. "Not kill."

"Whatever." Katara said, poking her tongue out at him. She was glad they could talk about the past without any anger or discomfort. It was in the past after all, and Zuko had been a different person then.

"You have a very dysfunctional relationship." Jia concluded after a moment.

"Don't I know it." Zuko said, but his smile showed that he would want it no other way. Katara smiled back, only daring to gaze into his golden eyes for a mere few seconds, before dragging her eyes over to Jia.

"Your landing earlier was very impressive." She complimented, making amicable chat until they reached the town. "Are you an acrobat?"

"Oh, no." Jia laughed. "My father used to fight in the war, so he showed Akio and I some moves either he had used, or others around him had used."

"Are you or your brother Earthbenders?" Katara asked, suddenly remembering a question she had meant to ask earlier.

"No one in our family is, but our little brother is starting to show signs of it." Jia sounded gloomy, and her eyes had become downcast. Katara was about to open her mouth to ask why this was a bad thing, when Zuko spoke quietly.

"All Earthbenders have to fight in the war."

"Not all, but most." Jia nodded. "Hime is only very young, but I fear that if this war continues for much longer…"

"It won't." Katara said quietly. "One way or another, it'll be over by this time next year."

Although there was only a small night breeze in the desert, Katara felt herself shiver. She knew that there was a battle fast approaching, but saying it aloud made it more real. Zuko's hand had griped hers tighter at these words, and a rush of heat had warmed Katara's fingers.

No one spoke another word after that, but quickened their paces so that they caught up with the rest of the group easily. Zuko dropped Katara's hand as soon as they were walking alongside her friends, and Katara had to resist the impulse to snatch it back.

Reaching the towers marking the entrance to the town, Katara felt unease stir in the pit of her stomach. She could now see that there was a thick black wooden gate in between the two towers, one which Akio smartly rapped. A small part of the wood came away to reveal a pair of eyes. The voice behind they eyes muttered something only Akio could hear. Akio murmured back. In this time, Katara was examining her surroundings. At the top of both towers beside her, there was a small box, in which the faint silhouette of a man could be seen by the light of a flaming torch. This was not the most welcoming way to greet travellers to a new place, but Katara supposed that, being this close to the now dangerous Ba Sing Se, security had to be increased. This explained the wooden wall surrounding Siyu, which she could see more clearly up close. She suppressed a shiver, as a thought ran through her mind.

It's like Siyu is trying to keep people inside the town…it's a prison. However, Katara quickly dismissed the thought. The wall wasn't very high, so it was more likely there to stop sandstorms blowing into the village, or making sure predators couldn't get in. It looked oppressive simply because it was dark; in the morning the wall would probably look harmless and innocent.

"Okay guys." Akio said, turning from the gate to face them. "Sorry about the hold-up. It's just with Princess Azula taking over Ba Sing Se…you can't be too careful, you know?"

The others nodded or murmured their agreement, standing patiently until Akio spoke again.

"That was our father at the gate just then." Jia said suddenly, walking over to join her brother. "I expect he's gone to clear your arrival with the town's elders." She looked at Akio, wanting him to confirm or deny her words.

"The elders thought that the Avatar and his friends would find this town sooner or later, so I doubt they're discussing whether to let you in or not." Akio shook his head, and smiled at Katara. "Don't worry. I won't let them turn you away."

Although he was probably speaking to all of them, Katara couldn't shake the thought that he was talking only to her. His eyes didn't leave hers as he spoke, and they lingered for a moment after he fell silent. Katara smiled shyly and looked away, unsure of how to respond. Unfortunately, she had looked away to Zuko, who now glared at Akio with burning intensity.

So maybe it wasn't just me who noticed the direction of Akio's words, Katara thought, hoping for Akio's sake that Zuko wasn't jealous.

The group stood in silence for awhile, their tiredness and lack of sleep having crept up on them from behind, and now holding them prisoners in its grasp. Why it was taking them so long to gain access to Siyu, none of them knew, and if Jia or Akio did, then they weren't saying. Eventually, just as Katara felt like she would drop to the ground out of exhaustion, the gate opened fully, creaking loudly from lack of use.

"Come." A man beckoned, holding up a single candle that dimly illuminated the night around him.

"Dad, must you be so dramatic?" Jia asked, rolling her eyes and following the man inside the gate. Akio followed, gesturing for the others to come also. Aang led the group, which walked somewhat hesitantly into Siyu.

"I'm sorry, but you have to admit it's thrilling." The man - Jia and Akio's father - shrugged. He too had a dark cloak on, identical to his children's. "The Avatar and his friends of all people coming to Siyu!" He peered excitedly at the faces behind him, glancing quickly from one to the other, although it was impossible to see them clearly by the pathetic light.

"I think they'll be more enthusiastic in the morning." Akio explained to his father with a smile in his voice when no one spoke for several moments. "After they have a good night's sleep." He was now hinting to his father to move, as the man had come to a halt.

"Oh, right!" Their father nodded, walking forward once more. "My family and I live in an inn, which you are all more than welcome to stay in. No charge, of course."

"You are very kind." Aang said, sounding as though he were choosing his words carefully. Katara couldn't blame him; this man sounded like he was a few twigs short of a bonfire and he had only made their acquaintance a minute or two ago.

In fact, he hasn't even done that, Katara corrected herself, as she realized that Jia and Akio's father hadn't yet told them his name. But instead of saying anything aloud, Katara and the rest of the group followed Jia, Akio and their father to a building quite a way into the town. They stood, unmoving, outside a thick wooden door.

"Here we are." Akio said, trying to sound enthusiastic and failing. "Home sweet home."

His father suddenly stopped and turned to face the group at large, pulling out a key with his left hand from a hidden pocket in his cloak.

"I am Hin." He announced, before placing the key inside the lock, twisting it and pushing the door open. He walked a few steps before becoming engulfed in darkness, his weak candle no match for the gloom.

"Come on." Akio muttered, following after his father. Jia soon walked in, tailed by Aang, Sokka, Iroh, Kuei and Toph. Finally only Zuko and Katara were left.

"I've got a bad feeling about this." Katara whispered, finding Zuko's hand and clutching it.

"Don't worry." Zuko replied with ease, squeezing her hand back comfortingly. "I said I wouldn't let anything happen to you, and I meant it."

He walked into the door, with Katara only following half-heartedly. Soon both were swallowed by the dark, and there was no way out.

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A/N:

Damn my procrastination! I meant to write more for this chapter, but didn't have the time. I hope this was okay. Again, I can't read through it so please tell me of any mistakes.

My friend Heather wanted me to have the name Hime somewhere in this fanfic, so the credit goes to her for the name.

Avatarded: I'll use your title name in the next chapter. I'll definitely use it, because I found it randomly funny (yeah, I'm weird) :P

I'm off to Ibiza tomorrow, and won't be back for a week. In the meantime, I hope you all have a great week. Thank you so much to my reviewers, and please review this chapter :D

- Momo