Disclaimer: Do I have to repeat myself? Honestly? (glances at the army of lawyers) Yup. Okay: I don't own anything.

AN: I'm so sorry I was late! My computer broke, but we fixed it, so here's the next chapter! Forgive me!

Chapter 7: Torn To Pieces

Aang and Sokka slept peacefully, satisfied by the rewards of Katara's expedition.

Katara, however, was not so lucky.

Her conversation with Prince Zuko had lasted almost two hours, and the return journey had left her exhausted, though that was little compared to her inner fatigue. But Sokka and Aang would never know of that. At least, not from her. She tossed and turned restlessly, trying to clear her head.

Getting Zuko...Prince Zuko, she reminded herself... to speak to her was difficult, but slowly she had managed to uncover a good amount of his past, often accompanied, though more often provoked, by parts of her own.

The last few years of his life had been brutal; filled with the abuses of Commander Zhou and other high ranking officers, with the struggle to obey his father's impossible order to find and capture the Avatar, and the scar that served as an ever-present reminder of his own 'weakness': mercy.

It had been then that Katara surprised herself. She had turned around suddenly, before she even knew what she was doing, and hugged him.

"There is nothing weak about sparing lives," she said.

For a moment, Zuko remained unmoving and stiff, shocked by her sudden action. But he relaxed, putting his own arms around Katara and drawing further into the embrace. It was far from passionate; but soothing. Calming. There was a sweet comfort in the way they held each other, and Katara felt a gentleness in his touch that she didn't think he was capable of.

The tension that she was sure had always consumed him ebbed away as the hug continued. The militant pace of his breathing slowed, steadied, until it became the soft inhale and exhale of a living creature.

Of a young man.

They had parted shortly after, and Katara found another sack of food at the edge of the clearing. There was more in it than usual, and Sokka and Aang had enjoyed that.

Come again tomorrow.

It was all Zuko...Prince Zuko...had said before he left.

"I don't think you should go back, Katara." The words weren't exactly shocking, but that didn't lessen her surprise.

"Why not?" she managed to choke out. Sokka looked at her like she was insane. That wasn't exactly inconceivable, either.

"'Why not?' Katara, you're running straight into a Fire Navy ship! It's dangerous. You know what those monsters can do." She opened her mouth, about to say something stupid. Zuko isn't dangerous and he's no monster. He tried to save his people! He tried to do the right thing! And he's paying for that now, don't you see, Sokka? Didn't you ever wonder how he got that scar? But her brother wouldn't understand, he wouldn't ever accept those words as the truth. So she filled her open mouth with the only words she could think of.

"But I haven't--"

"I know you haven't gotten caught yet, but you're taking way too many chances," Sokka interrupted. Katara wondered vaguely if he had been rehearsing this while she was away. Though it wasn't as though he had been short of time. "Sooner or later they're going to wise up and you won't stand a chance."

"I can handle it, Sokka," she protested. She made an effort to sound angry. Insulted, perhaps, that he was calling her weak. It could work...

"Not alone you can't!" And with that, she sacked that plan.

"But Aang can't come, and you're not nearly quiet enough--"

"Exactly!" Sokka said, ignoring the offense. "You can't go back, Katara." The Waterbender searched her mind desperately for a better excuse without honestly knowing why. She spotted Aang from the corner of her eye, watching their argument with wary resignation. Katara formed another plan instantly.

"But we need the supplies," she argued, finally pursuing her brother's bottomless stomach. "We still need to eat until Appa gets better."

"He's getting better." Aang added suddenly. "He'll be able to fly in a few days, and we've got enough food to last us until then." Katara was startled by the remark, but she was not to be defeated.

"Yes, but we don't have enough to last us long after that. And we don't know when we'll find another village." She paused, letting the words sink in. There were no further arguments. "I'll only go one more time. No more after that, okay?" She watched as Sokka's face softened, and he heaved a concerned sigh.

"All right," he said at last. "I'm just worried about you, Katara. Be careful, okay?"

Tension filled the rest of the day, mounting at last at dusk, just as she left. Aang and Sokka saw her off, leaving her with wishes of 'good luck' and 'be careful'. Katara was tempted not to go back to the clearing. But she had to.

And she didn't even know why.

After all, she had won. She had survived, never told Prince Zuko about Aang or let anyone follow her to the campsite. Sokka and Aang were safe and they would be leaving soon. After this one meeting, things would be normal again. She would be able to eat when she wanted, go where she wanted, never have to lie to Sokka or Aang again, or have to trade kisses and secret meetings for bread. There was nothing gloomy or miserable about it. She had succeeded. She had persevered.

Then why was she so disappointed?

The setting sun dyed the air with now familiar hues of red and gold. The colors of fire, she mused. It didn't match her mood, but it managed to cheer her slightly.

"Katara," Zuko's familiar voice said. She smiled despite herself as he entered the clearing. It felt so...good... when he said her name.

"Hello," she answered softly.

Zuko kept his distance again during their meeting, staying at the edge of the clearing, while she stood at the creek's bank. Their talk was casual and relaxed, though they spoke of harsh, cruel things, of life and death and a hundred other things, all of which faded into the night as quickly as they had appeared. Long after the sun had disappeared behind the horizon, Zuko finally acknowledged the end of the meeting.

"Come back tomorrow, Katara," he said, turning to leave. Katara drew an oddly painful breath.

"I...I won't be able to come back," she said. Zuko froze.

"What?" he asked sharply. She could almost see his mind working through the back of his head. The tone in his voice spoke volumes of the temper he was clearly struggling to control.

"We...Aang and Sokka and I...We'll be leaving soon. Appa's getting better, and Sokka's worried, and he wants to leave as soon as possible, and..." she allowed the word to drift into the night, unable to think of any other reasons.

"Why?" he asked. Now his voice sounded strangled, but he hadn't moved from where he stood.

"They're worried about me, Zuko. They think I've been stealing from you. They're afraid for me, they think I'll get captured, or killed, or--"

"But you won't be. You have my word, Katara." She shook her head.

"But how can I explain that to them?" she shifted her weight uncomfortably, then moved closer to him to prove her point. "If they had any idea what's really going...they wouldn't...What do you think their reaction would be? They would never speak to me again if they knew the truth" she spoke, the last part coming out more ragged. "I couldn't let that happen" she admitted in a smaller voice.

She moved to go past him, distraught by her predicament, but Zuko held out an arm to stop her, pulling her towards him and holding her fast. Katara attempted to move away...

But Zuko didn't release her. Instead his arms tightened around her. She tried to shrink back, but the effort was useless.

"Let me go," she breathed, suddenly frightened.

"No," Zuko said simply.

"Please," she pleaded softly. "They're waiting for me. Please."

"I won't let you go," he whispered into her ear, causing an odd thrill to race across her body. "Not for nothing." He hooked his finger under her chin and pulled her up to look him in the eyes. "I'll give you back your freedom...for a kiss." Katara tried to answer, but her voice caught in her throat.

This is just like before, just a trade, she thought, pulling herself up and brushing her lips against his.

No, it's not. He gently pulled his hands from her waist to her arms, up her shoulders, until he was caressing her face. Katara treasured the feel of his lips and hands, wished it would never end, mourning the knowledge that it would. But a part of her screamed at herself for not trying to fight him, to escape, to do anything but kiss him like this. That part of her hated herself for enjoying the kiss so much. And for regretting having to leave him.

"I'm sorry," she whispered into his mouth. He pulled away slightly.

"Don't be," he murmured into her ear, submitting a single kiss on her neck.

Neither of them saw the moonlight glitter, just past the edge of the clearing, on a single pair of careful, watchful eyes.

Zuko's hands left her face, following her shoulders down, down, until he had her hands clasped in his. He brought them together and released her, stepping back.

"You're free to go," he said at last, and he backed away from her until he disappeared into the shadows. Katara stood in stunned silence for a moment, before resignedly stepping forward and picking up the sack of food.

This is what I came for, she reminded herself. But there was a sadness in the thought. Her feet were oddly heavy as she returned to camp.

Three days passed without event. Appa healed, and Katara pushed aside her thoughts of Zuko, focusing instead on anything and everything she could do. No task was too small or menial for her, so long as it kept her occupied for a moment. She was more thoughtful, than she had been before, but if Aang and Sokka noticed, they said nothing. The supplies lasted without strain, and on the morning of the third day, all three children climbed into the saddle on Appa's back. They flew away, to the north and whatever city awaited them there.

They never looked back.

AN: I said I'd do this, so you, my loyal reviewers, now get SHOUTOUTS! Thank you all for reading my fic, I'm so glad that you do, and that you review. :)

Zukos Girl: Yes, I did. Zuko was such an adorable kid, wasn't he? And...he had hair... hee hee hee...

Queen-of-Asarath: Yeah, it is kind of a rule for her, but that's something I like about her character. Besides her being completely okay with stealing (from pirates and Firebenders. That's it.) And thank you for the compliment. I watched the episodes about a million times, and they slightly forshadow it, but it takes a while to get it. So blame my lucky guesses on too much free time.

Tanak: I'm sorry for confusing you. I hope that episode cleared things up a little bit.

Kori Hime: Thank you! I'm updating now.

Hotaru: (creeps toward Hotaru) Here it is...don't hurt me...

Hi: Thank you. I love details. Sometimes I think I put in too many...

PrinceZuko'sGirl/Katara: It's going. And going, and going...

Everto Angelus: Thank you! I'm glad you liked it. Thanks for the review.

MyOwnWoRLD: Just did!

Mushrambolover: Yup. She finally understands. It only gets more complicated from here. And it's actually not as ZK as you think. Not yet, anyway...

Cala Akina Morushiku: Thank you. You have no idea how great it makes me feel to get those kinds of reactions from my readers. You made my day, you know that?

Aangluva: Do you honestly think I would end the story here? I love you guys too much for that.

Arwey: Sexy...I like it. Thank you. I will try my hardest to live up to that!

Emberkitty1424: Thank you. Here's an update.

Lenai: Updated. Just for loyal reviewers like you.

SnufflesWillRise: I'm sorry to hear about your problem. My email adress is so send me another message, and I will send you the chapters manually. I know how bad computer problems are.

Sorry if I missed anyone, but I only replied to chapter 6 reviews. There's so many! Wow. Anyway, more soon!