Although Zuko hadn't announced his presence as they traveled through Harbor City, he hadn't tried to hide it either. The reactions that he received from people, if and when they had realized who he was, had been wide and varied. Many of the citizens had been respectful and kind to him and his friends, and even showed their relief and gratitude concerning his coronation announcement. There had been some, however, who had still looked at him with distrust and even disdain in their eyes, and while this disappointed Zuko, he still tried to respect them and their opinions. Unlike his father or sister, he didn't believe it was a crime if someone didn't like him.

There had been one particular incident, though, that stuck in Zuko's mind. Zuko, Katara, and Suki had stepped into a smaller shop along the street, to buy some of Sokka's fire gummies, when a middle-aged man with dark hair and grey eyes had come out to meet them. The man had seemed normal enough, but there was something in the way his eyes had darted around and gauged things that had made Zuko a little wary. When the shopkeeper had noticed Zuko's scar, there had been such dislike in his features that it had bordered on hatred. Needless to say, they had left the shop in a hurry, and Zuko had practically felt the man's eyes boring into him as he walked out of the door.

Something about the whole encounter still bothered Zuko, and he tried to tell himself it wasn't just because the man didn't like him. He had gotten that reaction hundreds of times while he was banished, and he had gotten used to dealing with it, in a way. No, this instance was different. It was almost like there had been something shady or suspicious about the man, something that gave Zuko an off feeling about him. But then, that shouldn't have surprised him. This was Harbor City, after all. He hadn't lied to the others when he had told them it could get very grimy and rough here.

An outburst of giggling brought Zuko's attention back to the fore, and when he looked up to see the source, he found several girls staring at him. They quickly looked away, but not before either smiling shyly at him or erupting into more giggles, which only served to confound Zuko even further. These kinds of stares and reactions were something that Zuko was not used to dealing with, and quite frankly, he didn't know what to do about it.

At the moment, he was standing in the front room of a nice-enough looking clothing shop, with the food and ingredients they needed in a sack tied and slung across his back. Suki and Katara had gone into the back room to try on some clothes on, which left Zuko all alone in the front. Normally, he wouldn't have minded this, except that the front room of this particular shop happened to be filled with several girls and woman of various ages, all of which were surreptitiously staring at him. Whether they were staring at him because he was the only man in the place, or because they had found out he was the Fire Prince, he wasn't sure. Either way, it was making him extremely uncomfortable, and Zuko was itching to leave the place. Katara and Suki should have been finished by now. What in Agni's name is taking them so long?

He had just decided to go ask the shopkeeper where they could be, when a group of girls around his age started walking towards him, their attention focused on him. Zuko tried to ignore them, in the hopes they that they would walk by him, but he had no such luck.

One of the three girls, who had long, black hair, offered him a small smile, and bowed her head in greeting, "Prince Zuko...may we ask you something?"

Zuko's mind had already worked out a few escape scenarios, most of which either involved running or diving under nearby tables, but seeing as how that would be seen as either cowardly or just plain rude, he reluctantly decided to hold his ground, for the moment.

"Uh, sure. I guess."

For some strange reason, this response produced a burst of giggles from all three girls. Zuko had to struggle to suppress a they had collected themselves, they then took turns asking him questions, in very rushed and high-pitched voices.

"So, is it true that you're going to be the new Fire Lord?"

"And did you really defeat both Ozai and Azula single-handedly?"

Zuko took a deep breath, and tried to explain patiently, "Yes, I'm going to be the new Fire Lord, and no, I didn't defeat Ozai and Azula by myself. It was the Avatar who stopped Ozai, and I had help with my sister."

One of girls with short, dark hair batted her eyelashes at him. "But I'm sure you could have done it all yourself. They say you're a very powerful firebender."

He was about to protest, when in unison the three girls stepped forward, closing the distance between them. Now slightly panicking, Zuko took a couple steps back, only to come up against a wall. As the girls continued towards him, he realized he was trapped.

"So, how long will you be staying in the city, Prince Zuko?" This time it was the girl with the long black hair that spoke, and when she finished, she placed her hand on his forearm, making him flinch.

"I..uh..." Where in the HELL are Katara and Suki?

Right on cue, Zuko heard someone clear their throat very purposely and loudly right behind the group of girls. When the girls turned and parted, he saw, much to his relief, that it was Katara, but her attention was completely focused on the group in front of her. If looks could kill, the stare that Katara directed at the three girls should have struck them dead on the spot.

Katara's voice was low and serious. "We were just fixing to go. So you can leave." The long-haired girl opened her mouth to speak, but Katara narrowed her eyes at her and practically hissed, "Now."

Varied expressions of shock and indignation appeared over their faces, but one good look at Katara's expression made up their minds for them. The three girls quickly left in a huff, but Katara didn't take her eyes off of them until they had all walked out the door.

Letting out a sigh of relief, Zuko stepped closer to Katara. "I'm so glad you showed up. I don't know what I would have done-"

"Care to explain that little exchange?" she cut him off, and though she didn't raise her voice, he could tell she was somewhat upset, which confused him.

"They just came up and started talking to me while I was waiting. I didn't really have a choice in the matter."

"Oh really? Then how do you explain Little Miss Touchy-Feely?"

"It's not what you-" Zuko stopped in mid-sentence when the realization hit him. It wasn't anger that he was sensing in Katara's voice and expression, it was jealousy. He had seen Katara angry before, and even hurt and betrayed, but never jealous. Now that he realized the source of her discontent, it almost seemed kinda...cute.

"It's not what?" she asked as she continued to scowl at him.

"Katara," he began, and he moved to place his hand on her arm but she shrugged it off. "Just listen to me, please," he told her gently. "They just happened to corner me while asking me some questions. Honestly, the whole time I was just trying to think of a way to get rid of them, and find you and Suki."

Her scowl lightened a little, and this time when he went to place his hand on her arm, she let him, "Really?"

"Really," he answered, and then he smiled, "Besides, they were way too giggly and whimsical for my tastes. At one point, I was seriously considering trying out one of Ty Lee's moves on them, just so I could escape."

"That bad, huh?"

"It was painful, believe me."

Finally a small smile appeared on her face, and he instantly felt lighter. He wanted to continue their conversation, but then Suki approached them.

"I got everything taken care of with the shopkeeper... wait, is everything okay?" Suki stopped and eyed them questioningly.

Katara and Zuko shared a quick smile before Katara turned back to her friend, "We're fine."

"We've got everything we came for," Zuko became serious again, "so we should head back to Appa."

Both girls reluctantly agreed, so the three of them exited the stop and proceeded to make their way down the market and head towards the edge of the city. Suki and Katara started chatting again as they walked down the busy street, but Zuko was too distracted to pay attention to their conversation. Something about the earlier incident with the shopkeeper still had him on edge, making him keep a sharp lookout on their surroundings. Falling back into his habits he had picked up traveling the Earth Kingdom incognito, he began to discreetly study the people around them as they continued to walk. At one point, Suki and Katara had stopped at a cart to check out some wares before moving on again. When Zuko had looked where they had come from, a man dressed in dark clothes a little distance behind them immediately caught his attention.

Trying to act normal, Zuko turned to one of the merchant carts near him, and told Katara and Suki, "Hey, I want to check this out."

He kept his head down as he stepped closer to the cart, so the owner, an older woman with grey-streaked hair, didn't recognize him.

"How can I help you, sir?"

"I'd like to look a little bit, if that's alright," he replied as he pretended to study her wares. Zuko nodded and feigned interest while the woman spoke to him about her merchandise, but his real attention was directed at the flow of people coming towards him, and centered on one suspicious figure in particular.

"Since when did you become so interested in charms, or jewelry for that matter?"

Katara's voice brought Zuko's attention back to the scene in front of him, and he realized, with some embarrassment, that he was staring at little metal charms that went on bracelets or necklaces. Why couldn't I have stopped at a weapon stand instead? That's just my luck.

"Perhaps it's a secret hobby of his," Suki teased Zuko, but he didn't rise to her bait. Part of his mind was elsewhere, focused on the problem at hand.

"Well, are you going to buy something, or just stand there staring all day?"

Irritation had entered the merchant's voice, and Zuko realized that he had been there for a little while now. He should probably buy something, or else it would look suspicious for anyone watching them.

Not really caring what he bought, he pointed at the first thing that caught his attention, a little figure of a dragon, "I'll take that."

The woman, a little taken aback at his sudden decision, named her price. Without hesitating, Zuko handed over some coins. Tucking the little charm in his money purse, he turned away from the cart and once again headed down the same direction of the street. When the other two caught up with him, they gave him quizzical stares.

"Okay, even I admit that was a little weird," The look Suki gave him suggested that she was doubting his sanity at the moment.

"I needed to prove something. The merchant was just a convenient cover."

"Needed to prove what?" Katara asked him.

"That we're being followed."

Both of them began to turn behind them to see for themselves, but Zuko's words stopped them. "Don't turn around."

He then elaborated. "I think he's been tailing us for a while now. But I wanted to make sure, so I stopped at the little shop. The man stopped as soon as we did, and kept looking at us the whole time we were there. He's following us again now."

"Do you think it's more than one of them?" Suki asked thoughtfully.

"I'm not sure. So far, I think it's just the one."

"So what now?" Katara's voice was steady, something for which Zuko was grateful for.

"We could try to lose them," Suki suggested, and he nodded.

"I think I know a different route we can take to get to Appa. We might be able to shake him once we get off this street."

The route he spoke off was just a little further down the way, so in a few minutes they had turned off of the main thoroughfare, and down one of the smaller side streets. Neither Katara nor Suki said anything as they followed him through the backstreets of the city, implicitly trusting in where he was leading them. It had been a while since Zuko had been in this part of Harbor City, so he could only hope that their trust was well placed.

As they neared the edge of the city, the buildings along their path became taller and wider, signaling that they had entered the industrial sector of Harbor City. The small side street they were on suddenly opened up into a large open area that was positioned between two large factory buildings. Since Zuko could see the street pick up on the other side of the courtyard, he didn't hesitate in leading straight for it. When they had gotten about halfway across, shapes began to emerge ahead of them, and when Zuko realized what they were, he stopped.

"What is-" he heard Suki begin to ask, but she stopped when she recognized what was in front of them.

There were three people now standing several feet away from them, blocking their path. Just by looking at their stances, Zuko could tell that they meant trouble. Each one was dressed in plain, black tunic and pants, which probably meant they belonged to a local gang or mercenary group. Either way, it meant that he had little or no chance to talk his way out of this one. He turned around to head back where they came, but there were already another three figures that stood blocking that path as well.

"Okay, so what are we going to do now?" Suki asked calmly.

Zuko was just asking himself that same question. "Right now, I'm open for suggestions."

Katara came and stood right next to him, "Should we find out what they want first?"

"I think I may already know the answer to that." When Katara and Suki both glanced at him, he read the unspoken question in their eyes. "I have a feeling they're here for me."

"Not if I have anything to do about it," Katara quickly replied, and Zuko could see the fierce determination in her eyes.

"Count me in too," Suki's expression showed the same courage and fearlessness, and Zuko was very glad at that moment to have two friends by his side.

As the two groups began to close in, Zuko assessed their situation. If these people didn't let them pass, they would have to force their way out. Their fighting capabilities, however, would be limited, since Suki hadn't brought any weapons with her, and Katara only had the small amount of water that she had in her pouch at her waist. When both groups were still several feet away, they abruptly stopped.

The figure in the middle, a dark complexioned man who wore personal armor of black and blue, finally addressed them, "Your journey stops here, Prince Zuko. You're a marked man."

Assassins, just as I had expected. I know they probably won't listen to reason, but I have to try. "If you're trying to collect the reward set by my father, you're out of luck. Ozai has been defeated and is now my prisoner. I will be the new Fire Lord. Walk away now, and we can forget all about this."

As Zuko was talking, he saw, out of the corner of his vision, Suki drop into a fighting stance while Katara drew the water from her pouch and formed her water tentacles. The man, however, seemed unconcerned by their action.

His eyes were black as charcoal, and they never wavered. "You are mistaken, Young Prince. We are not here because of your father. Our client just recently hired us to take care of you and the water tribe girl. Permanently."

Zuko felt like all the air had just been sucked out of him. The knowledge that an assassin was after him did not surprise him. He knew that he still had a lot of enemies out there, enemies who didn't want him as the next Fire Lord. But the thought that someone was specifically targeting Katara completely caught him of guard, and filled him with dread and worry. Why are they after Katara? That doesn't make sense.

The man then directed a quick glance at Suki, "The other girl we have no interest in, but if she gets in the way, we will not hesitate to kill her as well."

Suki's voice was low and filled with anger. "You're sadly mistaken if you think I'm going to let you hurt my friends."

"So be it," the man shrugged, and the action drew Zuko's attention to something tattooed on his neck. It looked like a thick, upside down 'v' with an enclosed circle around it. When he looked at the other assassins, he noticed that every one of them had the same tattoo on the exact place as the first man. But Zuko didn't get a chance to digest this information, for at that moment, the man made a simple gesture, and each one of the assassin moved to attack.

The man that Zuko assumed was the lead assassin made a large stream of fire, which the two assassins next to him duplicated and aimed at Zuko and his friends. As Zuko created his own wall of fire to deflect their attacks, he caught a glimpse of Katara creating an ice shield to block the other three firebenders that had been positioned themselves behind them.

As soon as Zuko and Katara had blocked their attacks, they went on the offensive, with Katara rapidly lashing her water whips at her opponents while he executed a series of punches and kicks that sent a chain of blasts towards the men in front of him. Each one of his attacks was deflected, and then Zuko went on the defensive again as his opponents unleashed another round of attacks. Zuko had practiced taking on multiple firebenders at the same time before, but they had been firebenders of average skill. After just exchanging a few blows, Zuko could tell these firebenders were highly skilled and trained, and it was taking all of Zuko's concentration and effort to match them. They worked as an efficient team, staggering their attacks in an attempt to catch him off guard, and fanning out in order to make him cover a larger area.

Zuko took a split second to look for Katara and Suki. While he didn't see Suki, he saw Katara still fighting the other three, and it looked like she was in the same position as he was. He suddenly felt something hot coming towards him, and it was thanks to his quick reflexes that he was able to roll out of the way of a large blast aimed at his head. When he stood up, he suddenly came back-to-back with Katara.

"Where's Suki?" she managed to ask him as their enemies began to reposition themselves around the two of them.

"I don't know, I thought she was with you," Zuko answered in a rush, and then he was forced to defend again as more attacks were hurled at him.

Then, out of nowhere, one of the firebenders directly in front of Zuko jerked in a spasm and dropped to the ground, revealing Suki, who had snuck up behind him. She then immediately turned to her closest opponent, who happened to be the lead assassin. The man in black and blue armor had barely turned to face her when she began to engage him in hand-to-hand combat.

In those precious few moments when the rest of their opponents were caught off guard, Zuko yelled at Katara, "Now!"

The two of them created their respective element whips at the same time, and aimed them at the remaining four assassins, throwing them all backwards. They quickly turned back to see Suki and the lead assassin still locked in their own battle. Suki had managed to put the man in a grapple hold from behind him, and he struggled to break her grip. When he realized he couldn't easily overcome her, his hand reached down to his belt and yanked out a knife.

The sound of steel leaving its sheath gave Suki the warning to let him go, but while she was still within his reach, the man twisted and slashed at her midriff. Before the assassin could take another step, Katara lashed out with her water whip and struck him on the side of the head, instantly knocking him out. Zuko and Katara rushed over to Suki, who was holding her side, with a worried expression on her face.

"Suki, are you okay?" Katara's voice was anxious as she removed Suki's hands and tried to look at her injury.

"I'm fine," Suki put on a brave face. "It isn't deep at all, it's just a cut. But I think the blade was coated with something. That whole area is going numb."

"Let me see what I can do," Katara started to make a water glove to heal her, but Zuko put a hand on her shoulder and stopped her.

"Look, I know that Suki needs healing, but we have to go, now. Our 'friends' are going to be up and ready for another fighting match any second."

He could tell that Katara didn't like not being able to heal Suki right away, but she nodded her agreement. With Zuko supporting Suki on her injured side, they hurried as best they could to the way out in front of them. Their progress, however, was soon impeded.

Out of nowhere, another assassin landed on the path ahead of them, once again blocking their way. This man wore a very elaborate and expensive armor, and something in the way he carried himself hinted at the fact that this was the group's leader. The man had fair skin and black hair similar to Zuko's, and when his gold eyes locked on him, he gave a slight smile.

"Prince Zuko," the man's voice was quiet but self-assured, "your reputation precedes you. I have to admit, I will enjoy finishing you and your companions off."

Footsteps approaching from behind warned Zuko that the other four had finally caught up to them. He turned himself and Suki to the side and took a few steps back, so that he could keep them all in his vision, and make it harder for them to surround him. Their situation was looking pretty dire, but Zuko tried to remain calm and keep a level head. He had to think of a way to get them all out of here. I have to protect Katara and Suki. I'm the one who got us into this situation.

The leader and the other assassins began to step into their firebending stances, and Zuko called out to Katara, "Help Suki!"

At his words, Katara came and took Suki's side while Zuko placed himself in front of the two of them, and not a moment too soon. He hastily created a wall of flame between them, just in time to deflect several blasts of fire. Before the last fire blast had dissipated, Zuko's arms were once again fluidly moving, and this time he formed his fire into an arc, which continued to grow as it raced towards his opponents. The leader then created his own wall of fire, and duplicated Zuko's defense, effectively blocking his attack.

Zuko realized that this was getting them nowhere. He had to do something drastic, and end this sooner rather than later.

Katara must have been thinking the same thing, for she whispered, "They keep blocking every attack. What should we do?"

Her words triggered something in his thoughts, and he suddenly realized what he had to do, "Then we have to fight them with something they can't block."

He turned to stare into her deep blue eyes, and he offered a prayer to Agni that his plan would work. "When I tell you to, I want you and Suki to veer to the right and head straight for the path ahead. I'll take care of the four on the left, you take the leader on the right. Got it?"

When she nodded, he took a deep breath and shifted into a wider stance. "Alright then, stand back."

The leader called out to Zuko, "You have shown yourself to be a talented firebender, Prince Zuko, but now we end this."

Zuko, however, ignored the man and his words, and focused on stilling his mind. As he had done in the prison yard, he sought out the calm center of his firebending and reached for the positive and negative energies that lay at its core. Ever so gently, he guided the two halves of energy back together, and in that split second, the lightning was born.

Sweeping his arm up in a wide arc, the lightning came alive with a crack and hiss as it started to snake around his arm. The lightning grew ever brighter and the cracks louder as Zuko continued to gather and guide it, creating a terrible but beautiful web of blue-white energy, with him at the epicenter. He then pointed his fingers left towards the other four men, many of whom now wore expressions of shock or fear, and took another deep breath.

"Now, Katara!"

Just as Katara began to move, Zuko released the lightning. With a tremendous flash and a thud, it hit the ground just ahead of the assassins. The impact ripped into the earth and sent everything near it flying, but Zuko was already scrambling after Katara and Suki. The leader had thrown his arms up in front of himself for protection, and now brought them back down as he steadied himself. When he saw Katara and Suki quickly approaching him, he moved into an attack stance and started a firebending form, but he never got the chance to complete it. Katara didn't slow as she used her free hand and the last of her water to instantly freeze the firebender's legs and arms, stopping him mid-form.

Without a backwards glance, they hurried to their exit, and with both Zuko and Katara on either side of Suki, rushed down the path between the buildings. Adrenaline fueled their race down the alleyway, and they took several more turns before they finally slowed down enough to catch their breath. Their frantic flight had taken them to the edge of the city, but unfortunately further away from their ride home.

"How are we going to make it all the way back to Appa?" Katara asked in between gulps of air, "They could catch up to us by then."

"We don't have to go to Appa…Appa will come to us," Zuko then reached into his pouch, and pulled out the sky bison whistle.

The two of him gave him curious looks, so he clarified. "I asked Aang if I could borrow it, just in case something happened."

Despite her situation, Suki looked impressed. "Wow. I guess for once, Zuko's pessimism actually came in handy."

"Thanks," he replied sarcastically, and then proceeded to give a long, hard blow on the whistle.

While they waited for Appa, Katara examined Suki's wound while Zuko stood guard. There weren't any people around the area at the moment, but Zuko still waited, tense and alert. When they finally heard Appa's familiar call, all three of sighed in relief.

Suki, who was still being supported by Katara, immediately came up to Appa once he had landed, and used her free hand to rub him affectionately. "Boy are we glad to see you, Appa. You really saved our butts."

Appa turned his head towards them and seemed to grunt in agreement. Katara gave Appa and affectionate rub as well, and then began helping Suki up into Appa's saddle. They had just tossed their bundles up into Appa's saddle when Zuko heard several footsteps approaching from behind, which meant only one thing. The assassins had caught back up to them.

Agni, can we ever catch a break? Zuko thought bitterly, but already he was preparing himself for what he had to do. His old injury had started to ache and throb, but Zuko had been taught to ignore the pain and fight through it, and his need to protect Katara and Suki gave him the will and strength to face the group.

He caught Katara's attention, "You and Suki get on. I'll hold them off."

"But Zuko-" she immediately protested, but Zuko was not going to let her argue this.

"Get going, now!"

He turned back to face his opponents, which now only included the leader and two others, and immediately flowed into a firebending form. Focusing his attack into one large stream, he aimed it across at the other three, and it produced a loud roar as it met and clashed with the flames of the other firebenders.

"Zuko, come on!" Katara's voice cut through the commotion and noise, and drew him with its sense of urgency.

A quick glance showed him that Appa was hovering close behind him, with Suki in his saddle, and Katara at the reins. Taking a deep breath, he then pulled from deep within himself, and focused all of his firebending and energy into this one last move. He pulsed with the life of it, and it heightened his senses, making him feel every one of his muscles as he gracefully guided his body through the necessary movements. When he reached the culmination of his form his body stopped, but the power in him rushed forward, and he felt, rather than saw, his charged attack spring to life. A split second later the great wall of fire appeared, and like a living thing, it raced towards its targets.

Zuko did not stay to see its work done, however, for he was already moving. With one last effort, he gathered himself and leaped towards Appa and Katara's outstretched hand. The instant their hands locked together Katara commanded Appa to rise, and she quickly helped to pull him up beside her as they rose above the city.

"Thanks," he told her when he managed to find his voice again.

Katara continued to look straight ahead, "That's the second time now I've had to pull you out of some suicidal mission that you've thrown yourself headfirst into." She then turned to look at him, and while there was some teasing in her tone and expression, he could hear the real concern for him underneath it. "Let's not make it a third time, okay?"

"Alright," he answered as he grabbed her hand and gave it a gentle squeeze, which she immediately returned.

"I need to go see to Suki, can you take over here?"

He gave his assent, so she handed him the reins and scrambled back to saddle, to where Suki sat, so she could begin healing her.

As Zuko settled into position behind Appa's head, the spot on his chest gave a sharp ache, but this time he welcomed the pain. It fed into the anger that began to grow in him as he thought about the assassins' appearance. The idea that someone was specifically trying to kill Katara had initially sent a chill of fear through him, but now it had been replaced with a slow-simmering fury that demanded action. It wasn't the hot-blooded rage that he had felt so often in the past. This was a cold fury, one that focused his mind into a sharp tool with a single-minded purpose. This time, he needed the anger. He needed it, because it was the only thing that kept the paralyzing tendrils of fear at bay.

He would do whatever was necessary, and give anything within his power, to protect Katara. His mind couldn't, or wouldn't, think past what would happen if he failed.


Katara gave a sigh of relief when she could make out the distinct figures of Sokka, Aang, and Toph by their campsite on the beach. Suki, who was sitting next to her in Appa's saddle, gave Katara's arm a gentle squeeze in response. Other than a little leftover numbness in her side, Katara had been able to extract the poison from her friend and fully heal the cut at her side. This process had taken the entire trip back, and so she hadn't had a chance to talk to Zuko again. He hadn't looked back at them or said a word since when they had first taken off, and Katara was beginning to worry about him.

Their friends were already walking towards them, or in Sokka's case, hobbling, so when Appa landed on the beach just a short distance away from the fire, they were already there to greet them. Sokka's tired, but joyful expression changed to worry as he watched Zuko and Katara help Suki down from Appa, even though she told them repeatedly that she didn't need any help.

"Suki, is everything okay?" Sokka asked as he came in close to give her a hug.

After she returned his heartfelt hug, she tried to reassure him, "Yes, everything's fine. We just had a little …adventure …while we were out shopping. Nothing we couldn't handle."

Sokka quirked his eyebrow at her and gave both Katara and Suki an accusatory look, "And what kind of adventure would that be? The went-into-town-and-watched-an-angry-mob-burn-an-effigy-of-us kind of adventure, or the while-in-town-I-got-chased-by-an-entire-squad-of-Fire-Nation-troops kind of adventure?"

Leave it to my brother to be overdramatic, Katara mused, and she tried to play it off casual, so as not to alarm the others, "Oh, just the usual stuff…running into creepy townspeople, being stalked by bands of giggling girls, and fighting off hordes of firebenders."

"What?" Toph crossed her arms and nearly pouted, "You mean to tell me that you three got into a fight and had some fun while I had to stay here and listen to these two knuckleheads moan all morning long?"

"You got into a fight?" Aang's sleepy expression suddenly became alert and dismayed, "How? What happened?"

Katara patiently started to explain what happened to the group. "We were out shopping when Zuko noticed that someone was following us. When we tried to lose them, we actually ran into the rest of their group. There was a fight, and Suki got cut while taking out some of the attackers with her stealth attack. We broke away long enough to get onto Appa, and I healed Suki on the way here."

"Ugh, I still can't believe that I let that guy get me like that," Suki admitted with a sigh, "I should have known better. If the other Kyoshi warriors were around, they wouldn't let me hear the end of it."

"Are you kidding?" Katara tried to boost her friend's spirit, "I think it was amazing how you snuck up on them like that."

"Yeah, well, it wasn't so amazing when I had to be carried like a sack of potatoes for the rest of the fight, while you and Zuko took care of the rest of them."

Katara was about to reassure Suki that wasn't the case, but then Aang interrupted, "But why were they after you in the first place?"

"Someone hired them to come after us."

All eyes turned to Zuko after his grim pronouncement. To all outward appearances, Zuko appeared calm and steady, but as Katara searched his face, she noticed the little subtle indications that told her he was upset. It was in the ever-so-slight twist of his mouth, the way his eyes narrowed just a little when he talked, and the slight edge to his voice that told her he was trying to keep his emotions in check. "The mercenaries told us that they were only just recently hired, and that they were to kill me…and Katara."

Aang, Sokka, and Toph were all shocked at hearing Zuko's news, and it was Toph who first found her voice again.

"You mean someone actually put a hit out on you and Sugar Queen? Oh man, you must have really pissed someone off."

Um, guys, you're not exactly helping me out here. Katara prepared herself for her brother's overreaction, which was right on cue.

Sokka took a deep breath, as if he was about to yell, but then he must have been reminded about his current delicate state. He paused for a moment, and then asked in a quiet, but urgent voice, "Will someone please explain to me why is there a hit out on my little sister?"

"And why just you and Katara? Why not the rest of us?" There was a very suspicious tone in Aang's questions as he frowned at Zuko.

"We don't know for sure yet if it's just me and Katara that they're after. They could be after more of us, but since you three weren't there, we can't tell."

"But why didn't they come after Suki?" Sokka's brow was creased in thought.

"I don't know why they were after the two of us specifically," Zuko admitted, "Perhaps it's because Katara and I were the ones to defeat my sister, or because of what we did at the capital prison…"

Katara's gaze cut to Zuko at the mention of the prison, a little apprehensive at what he might reveal, but he quickly fell silent, and never finished his sentence. This didn't go completely unnoticed, especially by Aang, but Suki immediately spoke up and smoothed things over.

"Regardless of the reason, the important thing is that we got back just fine. We just need to make sure to be a little more cautious now."

"And we need to stick together," Katara spoke softly, but firmly.

Though the assassins' appearance still bothered Katara, she already felt better, and safer, amongst her friends. They had managed, against all odds, to beat Ozai and win the war, and that knowledge gave Katara the feeling that could beat anything, as long as they were together.

"And no more adventures to Harbor City," Aang said a little stiffly, to which Toph then added, "At least not without me. I'll pulverize each one of those little creeps into dust if they even think about coming around again."

"Or Zuko could just do his lightning trick again," Suki smiled, "That seemed to have scared them pretty good."

"What!" several of their friends exclaimed as they looked at Zuko in surprise.

Even Toph looked impressed. "When did you learn to do that?"

Zuko just shrugged it off. "My uncle had actually taught me the technique several months ago, but I was never able to execute it properly because I was too angry and aggressive. In order to create the lightning, you have to be calm, focused, and in tune with the energies that reside within it. Once I mastered that, creating the lightning came naturally."

Sokka snickered, "So basically, your jerkbending got in the way of your lightning bending… because, you know, you were always angry…"

Zuko gave Sokka an irritated look, and his words carried the barest hint of a threat, "You know, lightning is extremely dangerous….and it can be unpredictable."

"Alright, boys, that's enough," Katara crossed her arms and gave Sokka a stern look, "Unless you no longer have a desire to eat seaweed soup."

Although Katara was tired and wanted nothing better to do than take a nap or a nice, relaxing swim, she knew that a home cooked meal would help improve their moods and take their minds off of what had just happened. That, and she knew how much of a pain her brother could be when he was hungry. It was not a pretty picture.

"What?" her brother yelped, "Of course I do! I didn't think you guys brought anything back, you know, with the fight and all."

She gave a derisive sniff. "It's not the first, nor the last time, we've had to shop and run. Now, if we want to eat in good time, I need to start getting the soup ready."

Usually, preparing and cooking the seaweed soup would have taken her at least an hour by herself, but with various members of the group, mostly Zuko and Suki, pitching in here and there, the process went a lot faster. Zuko still didn't say much the whole time, which really irked her, but with everyone else around, she unfortunately couldn't talk to him about it. Aang seemed determined to make up for missing out on the morning's adventures, so he continually hovered around Katara, chatting about whatever crossed his mind at the moment and even offering to help with the soup preparations. She hadn't minded this at all, until Aang and Sokka started bickering over some petty nonsense and Aang had the bright idea to airbend some of the seaweed into Sokka's face. This, of course, lead to a three-way food fight between Sokka, Aang, and Momo, which Katara had to quickly put a stop to. Needless to say, the three of them had been banished from the cooking area from that point onward.

After much anticipation, in which most of the anticipation came from Sokka, the rest looked at the soup as if trying to decide whether it was better to eat the questionable concoction or brave Katara's wrath, the seaweed soup was ready to be served. And Katara thought the soup was pretty good, if she did say so herself. Sokka had even told her it was just as good as Gran-Grans, which made her beam with pride. When she had asked the rest of the group what they thought, they had all been strangely struck with a fit of the mumbles, and the most she could get out of any of them was when Zuko had said it had an "interesting" color and texture. Whatever that meant.

As soon as they were done, they all started to clean and pack up their things onto Appa so they could head back to the palace. With everyone else concentrated around Appa, Katara seized the opportunity to pull Zuko further off to the side and try to talk with him.

She could tell that Zuko was still trying to put up a front, though. "We really need to get going, Katara. Now's not the time to talk."

He tried to step around her, but she stubbornly moved back in front of him. "It's exactly the time to talk, because I said so. Something is still bothering you, and I want to hear it."

Sighing, he gave her an exasperated look. "You're absolutely not going to let this go until I talk about it, aren't you?"

"You got that right. So talk."

"I just don't understand…" He stopped mid-sentence and suddenly looked off to the side, as if unsure whether or not to continue.

"Don't understand what?" she prodded at him.

When he turned back, his jaw was clenched and his eyes held a glimmer of anger in them. "How you can be so calm and carefree after what happened this morning? Doesn't it bother you that someone is trying to use any means necessary to kill you?"

So that's what this is all about…he's worried about me. "Of course I don't like the thought that someone is trying to assassinate me, but I'm not going to let it get to me. Ever since I've left my home, I've been in constant danger, and I've lost track of the number times I've almost gotten killed."

She lightened her tone, and gave him a playful poke in the chest. "And have you already forgotten how we spent the first few months of our relationship together? I seem to remember a certain Fire Prince chasing us from one side of the ocean to the other, using anything from pirates to bounty hunters with weird pets to get his hands on us."

But instead of cheering him up, this only seemed to upset him more. "That wasn't the same. I wasn't trying to kill you. I was only trying to capture you and bring you back to the Fire Nation. This is much more serious."

"Oh, come on, Zuko. If our group survived your father's and sister's sinister plans, I think we can handle a small band of mercenaries."

He shook his head, "You still don't get it. Someone wants us dead, and they are not going to stop until that becomes a reality. This time it was a mercenary group of firebenders, but next time it could be an arrow from across the street, or a poison in your food. And they'll keep coming back, and they'll keep trying, until either you, or the person that hired them, is dead."

Katara involuntarily wrapped her arms around herself as the reality of Zuko's words sunk in. She had grown used to thinking that she could overcome any enemy with her waterbending. She realized, however, that Zuko was right. But how could you fight something that you couldn't see coming until it was too late?

"Katara?"

When she looked back up at him, she noticed that the anger she had seen in him was gone, and was now replaced with concern. He had also stepped closer to her, and placed a hand on her arm.

"I'm sorry," he said softly, "I didn't mean to scare you like that. I just kinda said it, without thinking about it."

"No, it's okay," she admitted, "But what are we going to do now?"

"We're going to find whoever is trying to kill us, and put an end to it." For a brief moment, a flash of cold fury had crossed his features, but his golden eyes once again became soft and warm, "I'll do whatever I can to protect you, Katara. I will get to the bottom of this, I promise."

"We will get to the bottom of this," she corrected him gently.

His lips curved into a beautiful smile at her words, one that was genuine and made her heart flutter. She felt like she really could just stand there all day and stare into his golden eyes. Perhaps that kind of behavior could be classified as creepy, but she didn't care at that moment.

"Hey guys…"

Aang came up on them in a rush, and his voice trailed off as soon as he caught sight of the two of them, his expression mixed with feelings of confusion and what was probably jealousy. Although she and Zuko had only been talking, she couldn't help but feel a slight twinge of guilt at seeing Aang's face. Zuko did remove his hand from her arm, but he did so slowly, and he didn't back down from Aang's gaze.

Katara made sure her voice was steady before she spoke up, "Aang, what is it?"

Aang, however, didn't answer her right away. His and Zuko's expressions had turned carefully neutral, and both of their gazes were locked on to each other. Neither said anything, but it took Katara two more tries before Aang finally turned towards her and answered her question.

"Appa's all loaded up and ready to head back to the palace. I just wanted to let you know."

Without giving either of them a chance to speak, Aang abruptly spun around and started to walk away. Katara's heart seemed to sink a little with each step he took.

Knowing what she need to do, she gave a heavy sigh, "I'll talk to him today, after we get back to the palace."

"Aang's a good kid, Katara," Zuko reassured her, "He might not like what you have to tell him, but I know, in the end, he'll still want to be your friend."

"I sure hope so," she whispered, as the fear and anxiety of what was ahead of her seeped into her mood. A part of her wanted to believe that everything was going to be okay, and that Aang would understand how she felt towards him. Perhaps she was worrying about it too much, and blowing the whole thing out of proportion.

But, as she had found out countless times since she had left her home, things were rarely so simple and easy.


I had a lot of fun writing the action sequence in this chapter, and loved getting Suki in on the action too (she is so kickass). I hope it turned out well and you enjoyed the update. Thank you for reading! :-)