A/N: Here we go, Chapter 4! Also, please read ALL of the end A/N when you finish the chapter, and don't forget to tell me what you think. I do not own Avatar: The Last Airbender. Enjoy!

~Moon White Rose

Chapter 4

He wanted to, he really did, but he wasn't sure if it was a smart idea. Zuko stared from between the trees at the town not that far off. It was small from what he could tell and the houses he could see looked like they had seen too much harsh weather and not enough care. Still…. Finally making up his mind, he dismounted from his rhino and quickly hid his packs in between gnarled tree roots before covering them with stones and leaves.

Just take a quick look around and then leave. He reminded himself as he looked over his work, satisfied with the results. He learned quickly from what happened last night and he didn't want to risk leaving his things out in the open or bringing his goods into town, especially since this was where… she might be.

Like normal, he had risen with the sun and in ten minutes he had started to follow the prints left by the girl's mount after putting out the remains of his fire and chocking down the other half of the bread loaf she had left. He had lost the trail on and off and had eventually found a clearing. The fire had been out but the ashes had still been warm and he had kicked himself mentally at the fact that he had just missed her.

There had been no sign of supplies and the girl or her mount were nowhere to be seen so he had quickly gone off in the direction of the freshest looking ostrich horse tracks. All too quickly though he had lost the trail due to the leaves that littered what barely passed for a road and he had lost the hope that he would find the girl. Then after about an hour of riding, he had caught sight of the town he was staring at now, and had been staring at for the past half hour.

"Don't let anyone take you; I'm not thrilled with the idea of walking to Ba Sin Se," he told his mount as he strapped his swords to his back. The rhino grunted and sank to the ground, asleep within minutes. Zuko rolled his eyes and took off at a brisk walk, hoping that just once luck would be on his side.

A good cloak and clothes that were not red were definitely at the top of his list to buy; now he was wishing he had at least brought his money with him to do so. The people in the town glared when they caught sight of him, but didn't attack, even though they were obviously opposed to his presence. Five minutes after entering, he saw why. Fire Nation soldiers swarmed the market; the heart of the town, and Zuko was willing to bet that there were more lurking in the shadows and hiding in places one wouldn't even think of. To attack a Fire Nation citizen here, a conquered town, would come with a heavy price. So would being seen when he was supposed to be dead. He immediately decided to leave, but before he could get far, he heard voices and when he looked over his shoulder, three soldiers were casually making their way towards him. They hadn't seen him; they were too absorbed in their conversation to do so, so they also didn't see him duck into the nearest ally and press himself against a wall.

"I hope I get out of this place soon, nothing exciting ever happens around here," complained one soldier to his friends. The three stopped at the ally entrance and Zuko hated that rotten luck seem to follow him like an unwanted animal that would not go away.

"Yeah, I agree with you there. I mean really, the youngest earth bender rounded up here when we took over was in his forties. How much trouble can a bunch of little kids, elderly, and non-benders be?" replied another to the first one's comment. Zuko felt a bit disgusted by the words now that he was the one having to hide, and not the one saying such things out in the open, with others to back him up if things went wrong for some unknown reason.

He was almost ready to see if the ally had another exit when the third person of the group said something that caught his attention. "Well, as much as I agree with you two, I wouldn't say nothing exciting ever happens around here. Ever since that mysterious cloaked person showed up, things have been… interesting, for lack of a better word."

Zuko's breath caught in his throat. A cloaked person? Was it the same girl from before? Was she actually here? By the time he thought to resume eavesdropping, the soldiers had moved on, out of his hearing range. "Drat," he muttered under his breath. The word barely left his mouth before a quiet laugh startled him. He whirled around, swords quickly drawn, looking for the source.

"No need for that," whispered a raspy voice. He looked in the direction of the voice, and to his surprise, a dirty girl dressed in torn, raggedy clothes looked up at him from where she was sitting. Her legs were drawn up to her chest, her arms wrapped around them. Apparently, her face had been resting in her knees, making her blend in with the garbage that surrounded her. "Seems like you were having fun listening to them, yeah?"

"Umm… yeah," he replied. The girl smiled, showing off crooked, yellow teeth and it took all of Zuko's control to not back away or show signs of disgust. Get used to it, not everyone is blessed with good health like you. He tried to push the thought aside, but it wouldn't go away fully. "They said something about a cloaked person causing trouble… do you know anything about that?" he asked. The girl nodded vigorously.

"Oh yeah, I know about her. Stole a nice bowl of roast duck and vegetables off a knotter and gave it ta me. Best food I've had in a long time," laughed the girl, the laugh quickly morphing into a harsh cough. Zuko cringed and took a step back, disregarding the crude term given to Fire Nation soldiers because of their topknots. "You lookin for her?" she was finally able to ask when her coughing died down. He nodded.

"Well, I don't know exactly where she is- don't even have a name… hey, wait a minute, you a knotter aren't you?!" The accusation froze him, and he hated his red clothing now more than ever.

"Uh, no, I'm not," he stuttered quickly. "I stole these off a soldier, when, uh, when my other clothes became too bad to wear. That girl, I need to find her, she… she thought I was Fire Nation too and stole… the last of my food. I need to find her and get it back." He paused, hoping his partial lie was bought. "Please, tell me what you know."

"…You just as crazy as her, stealin off them soldiers. Course, can't say I complained when she shared her goods. Your food is probably in someone's belly by now, but if you want to find her, I heard that she was staying with Nana." Zuko blinked, even though he was thrilled with this new information.

"Who-,"

"Nana's the town herbalist; sweet woman, but old as dirt in my opinion. She's played the role of friend, secret keeper, baby-sitter, mother, grandmother, and just about everything else you can think of in her life. Cept enemy, can't think of anyone who hates her; even them knotter's like her," the girl interrupted. "She lives in the west part of town; got a big garden out front, can't miss it."

"Thank-you." Zuko was about to leave when the girl asked him to wait.

"Umm… you don't happen to have anything, do you? I'm really hungry…." Zuko turned back to the girl, taking in her features. Past the dirt and grime, he could see the youthfulness of her face; if she turned out to be older than fourteen, he would be surprised, and the thought made him… thankful for all that he had had, and still had. She looked at him expectantly, and he actually wished he had something with him to give her.

"Sorry, I don't," he apologized. The girl's hopeful expression died and she looked away, and Zuko knew the conversation was over. As he walked away, quickly making his way to where the the girl had told him to go, he felt something well inside him that he couldn't name for the longest time. It wasn't guilt, though he was feeling that. How many times had he complained about what he had when, really, he didn't have a thing to complain about at all? Even at his lowest, he still had it better than that girl, and no doubt thousands of others in the world.

Finally, he arrived at a house that fit the description he had been given, and the feeling had inside him had grown stronger, to the point it was a bit maddening.

And then he caught sight of something that made him freeze. The house was well cared for, and the garden teemed with vibrant colorful plants. Marring the earthy tones of the house and the calm feeling that surrounded it, much like the scar marred and distorted his face, was a Fire Nation tapestry. Most likely the herbalist had been forced to put it up, and with that realization came the word he had been looking for to describe what he was feeling.

Shame; that was what he was feeling. Shame at all he had done in his life. Shame at what his great grandfather had started, shame at what is grandfather had continued, and shame at the fact that his father hoped to end it all with the return of Sozin's Comet. Most of all, he felt shame at the monster he had become. All that he could do was hope that he could find some way to right his wrongs.

And the first place I can start is make sure this girl, whoever she is, doesn't steal from innocent people again.

A/N: Well, there you go. If this seemed a little… off, I'm sorry. This has not been a good week for me. I wish I could erase it from my mind. Anyway, thanks to:

ElizaBethJacksonPotter: Thank-you for the review! Thanks for also saying this story is well written- it means a lot to me to hear that. Again, thanks!

Quoththeraven5: So, I see you're curious about the OC! Perfect; my evil plan is working… just kidding! Seriously, thanks for the review!

Imnotraven16: Thanks!

And now for a special treat! This is a teaser of sorts for my sister, Forest Princess's fic, Ursa Secret. Check out her page to see what else will happen. Enjoy!

Ursa couldn't believe what she was hearing. "… You brought this on yourself; if only you had kept your mouth shut, none of this ever would have happened. I can't believe that you mocked Iroh for mourning the loss of his son. Lu Ten isn't even my child, and I mourn for him like he was."

"Would you do the same thing if my father threated Azula, or are you just playing favorites?" Ozai demanded.

"Of course I would, why would you ask that!?" Ursa exclaimed.

"You do realize that I should kill you were you stand…?"

Well, did that whet your appetite? If others want me to do advertisements for their fics, I will, but you must at least review if you read this fic and PM me so I know what you want done. Well, until next time!

~Moon White Rose