Katara sat soundlessly on her knees, yawning as she wiped the perspiration off her forehead with her backhand. She and Meng had been scrubbing the tiled floor of the foyer nonstop for the past hour and were now nearly finished with the grueling task. Katara had been listening silently and patiently to her talkative coworker, who continued to drone on about her husband, and their long list of relationship problems. Katara felt compassion for the poor woman, but she wasn't exactly concerned in hearing the details of her turbulent marriage, especially since she didn't knew the man in question so well.

"Men," Meng huffed, leading Katara to believe that her tirade was finally complete. "The only good thing that's come out of this marriage is them beautiful boys."

Katara merely nodded, hoping that if she didn't respond, Meng would have no reason to continue.

"What about you? A pretty and smart girl like you…I bet the boys come running and your papa has to beat them off with a stick!" Meng exclaimed vibrantly.

No, he just threatens them with his favorite club. "No ma'am," Katara giggled a little. "No boys knocking on my door." That's because one's in the Earth Kingdom and the other would be chased away if he stepped anywhere near my home.

"Now that's not true! What about that earthbender?"

Katara paused, startled at Meng's reference of Haru. How could she have found out about him? He lived in a neighborhood primarily with people from the Earth Kingdom, which was a good distance from their community.

"Huh?"

"You know who I'm talking about."

Katara cursed the gossiping ladies who were always keeping tabs on the single women of the community, and their personal affairs. "Well, his name is Haru."

"I knew it," Meng snorted after giving Katara a strange look. "Go on then, tell me about him!"

Katara sighed, knowing full well that Meng would continue to probe until she lost her mind or told her about Haru. "Well, he's a busboy at Jinpao's Teahouse, but he's training to become a pro-bender." Meng perked up on that note, coaxing a smile from Katara. "We went on a date, I guess – if you want to call it that. But the day after, he left for the Earth Kingdom to take care of his sick uncle. We're not together, or anything," she emphasized.

"I saw him one day…and La, he's a cutie!" The talkative maid burst out, leaving Katara to think that everything she had just shared went in one ear and out the other. Katara smiled as she nodded shyly in agreement.

"Do you miss him?" Meng asked, finally decreasing the volume of her raspy voice.

Katara paused, thinking for a moment. "I do. It felt as if we had known each other for months, when it had only been a couple of days. He's easily the sweetest person that I've ever met."

Meng smiled, sitting on her knees to watch Katara as she scrubbed, and continued her description.

"He's kind and thoughtful, a fantastic listener…and he is a cutie. I do miss him, but like I said; we're not together. It was just a date."

Meng raised an eyebrow, as she resisted a snort. "Mhmm, so you keep saying. But honey, if you're talking about him like that, then that must have been one hell of a date. And, if what you're saying is true…then I haven't met a man that fine; if you got him, you sure better hold onto him."

Zuko popped into Katara's mind for the millionth time that day as she turned away at Meng's last words. 'I must be crazy then. I have someone who is kind and loving, yet for the life of me, I can't get my mind off a man who is completely unattainable. La, what's wrong with me? I'm a walking cliché.'

Katara silently continued to clean, praying that Meng wouldn't ask her any more questions about her recently confusing love life. The last thing she wanted was to be reminded of Zuko, for her mind would naturally digress to the events that unfolded yesterday in the stables. Katara certainly wasn't ready to confront him and was thankful that she wasn't forced to yet.

"You can go on honey, and finish the rest of your chores. I'll be done with this soon."

Katara sat on her knees, rubbing her sore hands. "Are you sure, I can wait a bit?"

"Nope. I got it," Meng encouraged her gently.

"Thank you, Meng. I owe you one!" Katara replied joyously, springing up to her aching feet. She took her time up the spiral staircase, stopping on the second floor, where she heard Zuko's shower turn off. The sound of the water startled her, for she was unaware that Zuko was still in the house. 'He must be cutting class again,' Katara thought as she entered Azula's empty room with a sigh.

Dragging her tired feet, Katara made her way to Azula's large oak wardrobe and proceeded to hang up some dresses which she had ironed earlier. She changed the sheets of Azula's canopy bed and cleaned her bathroom after, while singing several songs.

Katara softly sang as she dusted Azula's dresser. However, her pleasant song was cut short, as she heard loud exclamations emanate from Zuko's bedroom across the hall.

A gruff and clear "Son of a bitch!" reached her ears as she slowly made her way to the doorway. Resting on the door's frame, she stuck her head out, wondering what had upset Zuko. The swearing began to slow down, but it still continued. There was a small howl of pain amid the string of profanities, propelling Katara to finally knock on Zuko's closed door.

"Zuko, is everything okay in there?" Katara asked, putting her ear to the thick door, straining to hear a response.

"It's open!" Zuko called from the other side.

Pushing the heavy door open, Katara quickly scanned the room, but found it to be empty. "Zuko?"

"Katara? I'm in the bathroom."

Katara quickly walked to the sparkling white bathroom, unsure of what she would find. "I thought I heard—" Katara stopped in her tracks, a hand flying to cover her mouth, as she saw blood splattered on the ceramic sink and tiled floor. Zuko stood next to the bathtub, with a washcloth stained with blood covering his left hand, watching her silently. The maid rushed to his side, holding his bloodied hand. "Tui and La! Where'd all this blood come from?"

"I was changing the blade of my razor, damn thing," Zuko explained, turning his head to look at the pesky blood laden blade, which lay in the sink. "Sliced my hand right open."

Katara raised her eyebrows, surprised that such a small blade could do all this damage. "Here, let me help you," Katara offered as she held onto Zuko's arm.

"I'll be fine."

Katara looked at him, unsure, before finally nodding; he wasn't a little boy. She spun on her heels to exit, before she was halted by Zuko's laughter.

"Wait! Stop! I didn't really mean it, Katara," Zuko explained, holding his hand out.

"Why did you say it then?" Katara asked. When Zuko didn't respond, she sighed. "Do you have basin or something?"

"Yeah, under the sink." Zuko forced himself to turn his head as Katara bent down to retrieve the gauze and a small bowl stored in his bottom cabinet.

The maid stood with her hands holding a bowl filled with water, only to find Zuko staring at a wall in the opposite direction. "What's over there that's so interesting?" She asked, amused.

"Oh, nothing," Zuko quickly responded, as he focused his attention to her once again.

"Ok, let's go sit down." Quietly the two walked back into the bedroom, where Katara pulled Zuko's desk chair next to his canopy bed. Slowly Zuko sat, trying his best not to get blood on his clothes, but it was too late for that. He looked quickly at his clock, and noted that he'd be tardy for literature class…oh well.

Katara reached for Zuko's left hand without permission, releasing a small gasp as she finally took the towel off the damaged hand to view the cut. "One blade sure did a lot of harm," Katara noted, as she pushed the towel so it fell to the floor.

"It's no big deal. I was a little careless, that's all…had a lot on my mind." Katara looked up at Zuko, about to say something, but changed her mind.

"This will feel a little bit weird, I'm still a beginner at this but I managed to learn how to heal small cuts and bruises," Katara warned, as she coated her hands in water.

Zuko nodded for his permission for her to continue nonetheless. Katara silently proceeded in cleaning the wound and healing his wound as tenderly as possible. Zuko watched her in awe and wistfulness, expecting Katara to say something, but she remained mute. He sighed, finally giving into the silence.

"Katara, we can't avoid talking about what happened yesterday forever."

Katara didn't dare look him in the eye, gluing her gaze to his hand which lay in her lap. "Oh, we can't?"

"No, and we shouldn't. In fact, I want to talk about it right now."

"Yeah…well I don't."

"How about later?"

"How about never?" Katara retorted, losing her patience.

Zuko shook his head. "No. Listen, yesterday…I didn't mean to take advantage of you."

Katara finally looked up, with furrowed eyebrows. "Zuko, you didn't take advantage of me."

"I…didn't?"

"I don't think so. We just got carried away."

"I agree. But I don't want things to be…awkward between the two of us. I like you a lot, Katara. I value your advice and company, and I wouldn't want to lose that."

Katara suppressed a smile from emerging at his confession. "And you're a good friend, Zuko. It was just that serious boundaries were crossed yesterday…very quickly."

Zuko paused, swallowing loudly. A good friend? He didn't necessarily like the sound of that. But that matter was for another time. "I know, I know. And it was all my fault."

"It takes two," Katara stated plainly, as she began to withdrew her hand from Zuko's, the cut healed.

"It won't happen again, I promise."

"Alright, I thank you for being a mature about this, Zuko."

"Don't go ruining my reputation now," he joked.

"Your secret's safe with me," she guaranteed with a grin.

Zuko nodded silently, observing his hand as Katara turned it. "You're pretty good at this, you know. Makings of a future healer?"

"Any waterbender with healing abilities could do this, it's nothing really."

"You're always so humble."

"You say it like it's a bad thing."

"No, it's quite sweet actually." He looked out onto his balcony silently for a few moments.

"What are you thinking about?" Katara interrupted his reminiscing.

"I was just recalling the time we had our first real conversation."

She paused. "Do you mean the actual first, or the first time you were kind to me?" She looked up at him with a grin.

"The one on the balcony. Where you told me that you've never seen a horse, and we talked about our families."

"Sure, I remember. Why the trip down memory lane?"

"I was just thinking, how quickly things change, you know?"

"Yeah, it's pretty crazy."

"I wouldn't have things any other way though." Katara looked up at him quickly, before returning her gaze to Zuko's healed hand. "Who knew you'd turn out to be the kindest person I've ever met, even after how rotten I was to you?"

Katara laughed quietly. "I'm not all that. And you weren't that terrible anyway."

Zuko snorted. "You don't have to try and make me feel better."

Katara simply shrugged. "You acted like most men I encounter…of your standing; it wasn't anything out of the ordinary. See, the difference is that you're not actually rotten. You're quite a softy, once you get past your mild…"

"Arrogance?" Zuko asked, his gold eyes dancing in amusement.

Katara smiled bashfully. "Now, I didn't say that."

"But you were going to. It's fine, I've been called much worse."

"Also, it's not every day that someone sticks up for you against three bullies. I think that was the day I saw the real Zuko."

"The real Zuko? Tell me about him, we may get along."

"Well," Katara began slowly, placing the bloodied water bowl on the table. "I think you're forced to take on a façade around certain people who come from high society. But, if they would actually spend time with you, I think they would see a very different you. And you're no racist; trust me, I've known enough. You actually want to gain people's respect, not just inherit the privilege, plus you have a conscience. I mean, you took the time to get to know me, and that's saying a lot." Katara stopped. "Sorry, I'm babbling, aren't I?"

The only reaction Zuko could muster was a series of rapid blinks. "I don't know what to say...but Katara, you are something else. I haven't even known you that long!"

"I guess not," Katara said, as Zuko picked up his hand, examining her work. "But, we're comfortable with each other," Katara looked away. "Which is a little strange…but it's not that hard to pick up these things, you just have to be attentive."

"So, you've been observing me then?"

Katara smiled to herself, her cheeks taking on color and heating furiously.

"Are you blushing?" Zuko playfully teased.

"No, of course not!" Katara couldn't help but giggle as she turned away.

"It's alright, I wouldn't blame you, if you were…observing me that is." Zuko said smugly.

"Oh, La!" Katara exclaimed, playfully rolling her eyes.

"What? I have my mother's good looks," Zuko ruefully grinned, his golden eyes sparkling.

Katara turned in the chair, quickly surveying the room, before her features clouded in confusion. "Zuko, you don't have any pictures of your mother in your room."

Zuko quickly looked away, a pang of guilt stabbing Katara as he did so. "I'm sorry," Katara uttered softly.

He rose quickly and quietly, walking to his closet, as Katara remained seated. Neither said a word as he reached onto an upper shelf.

"Here, I want to show you something, Katara," he said pulling down a thick photo album.

We both know what happened the last time you wanted to show me something... "Okay."

Zuko took a seat on his bed, blowing some dust off the old beige cover. "Come on, I don't bite," he encouraged her, patting the empty space next to him. Katara rose to sit next to him, as he began to explain what it was he was holding. "Well, like you said, there are no pictures of my mother in my room. But that's because they're all in here. You want to see some?" Zuko asked a little shyly.

"Zuko, I'd love to see them," Katara replied happily.

Zuko gave her a smile before continuing. "You should consider yourself lucky; I hardly show anyone this stuff," he teased, but with a serious tone.

Katara watched with great anticipation as Zuko opened the large photo album to the middle.

"The first ones are old pictures of the family; boring stuff. But here," Zuko pointed to a large, slightly frayed picture. "This is mom at nine, a day at the Fire Temple. She took her beliefs really seriously; my grandparents wouldn't allow their children to skip temple days unless they were on their death beds." Zuko paused to chuckle, remembering his strict but loving grandparents.

"Yugoda would always tell me stories of how my mom was sort of like a bleeding heart, especially for the poor and widows."

"She sounds like she was a fantastic woman. What was her name?"

"Ursa, from a quaint village in the Fire Nation, but was from a prestigious ancient family. They say one of the Avatars were her ancestor."

Katara took her eyes off the worn photo, as her eyes widened to the size of saucers. " Wow, you mean Avatar Roku?"

Zuko simply nodded, as Katara let out a whistle. "No wonder you're such a hotshot!" Katara blurted.

Zuko laughed. "Yeah." He flipped a few pages, showing his mother in her latter teenaged years, in a long blue and white gown with a matching mask in her hands. "This is after her first play when she had the lead role."

Katara leant over to get a better view, as Zuko skipped some more pages.

"This," Zuko took a deep breath, as he ran a quick hand over the picture. "This was taken three days before her death; my birthday."

"She looks so happy." Katara peered closer at the small picture before laughing.

"What?"

"You were one chubby kid!"

Zuko laughed too. "Yeah, I was really thick until I turned thirteen."

Katara stopped laughing. "You know, I think she'd be proud of the man you've become."

It was now Zuko's turn to blush at Katara's compliment. "I don't know…I'd like to think so, though. I don't wanna disappoint her, not anymore at least. I'm through with making the same mistakes without learning any lessons…"

Katara listened silently to Zuko's cryptic confession, as he closed the photo album slowly. "Thank you so much for sharing this with me, Zuko. I know these pictures are special to you."

Zuko looked down at his bandage, as he shrugged. "I just figured that if anyone would be able to relate to all of that, it'd be you. Because…well, you know."

"Do you want to hear about my mother since you've opened up to me about yours?"

Zuko turned slightly, his knee touching hers. "Of course."

"Alright, I'll make it quick—"

"Take your time, I'm in no rush; literature can wait."

"Okay. Her name was Kya and she grew up in the Southern Water Tribe, we all used to live there. My grandparents were fishermen, however, Mom became a seamstress best one in town, even."

"Really? How'd she get out of the fishing industry?"

"I'm not sure really. I was only six when she died and I never bothered to ask those sort of questions."

"That's understandable. Sorry, I'm interrupting."

"I couldn't have ever prayed for a better mother. She too was a great woman of faith, she loved going to the temples and giving offerings. She was never embarrassed to dance and sing…she had the voice of an angel." Katara laughed. "People say I'm her spitting image, but I don't have her talent."

"You're not bad, I've heard you a couple of times," Zuko confessed.

"Thanks, but if you heard her, I'd sound like nails running down a chalkboard. And she never lost her temper with me, or Sokka, and she loved my Dad with all her heart. I hope I can be half the wife and mother she was."

"I'm sure you will be, to the man who's lucky enough to catch you."

Katara playfully snapped Zuko's knee. "Would you stop interrupting me, Zuko!" Katara jokingly chided. "Well, one night it was storming really badly. When I was little, I used to be afraid of stormy weather, and that night it sounded like the heavens came crashing down. Well, Mom had to go drop off a wedding gown she had finished altering to some rich lady up North of our village. Dad begged her to wait till morning, because the weather was bad. But Mom said she was already pushing her deadline and she would lose her commission if she waited any longer. Money was always tight in our house, even when my mom was alive. So of course, once Dad heard that Mom might lose some profit, he had to let her go. He regrets that decision more than anything, her brakes failed and she had a head-on collision with a larger vehicle."

Zuko gasped. "Agni…I am so sorry Katara."

"I miss her, though it was my Dad who really took the hard hit. But we're all fine now, you must adjust and keep moving forward. I mean, at least I got six years with my mom."

"Yeah."

Silence hovered over the room, as Zuko looked outside at the dark and downcast sky, before Katara's words took his focus off the dreary landscape.

"Well, thank you again for sharing those things about your mother with me, and listening about mine."

"Sure. We should do it again sometime," Zuko said, standing.

"I agree." Katara pointed at Zuko's hand. "I hope you feel better."

"Thanks for taking care of me."

Katara simply nodded with a smile, as she turned to leave.

"Oh, bye Katara!" Zuko called out, almost as if it was an afterthought. Zuko smiled to himself, happy that Katara had shared a piece of her life with him. Whistling, he went to put the photo album back on his closet shelf, when he took pause. Flipping towards the end, he took out the picture of his mother cradling him on his birthday. Gingerly, he took it out, and placed it carefully on his desk, giving it a small kiss before he left.


"Zuko," Aang whispered harshly to his sleeping friend, who was sprawled on top of his desk. Professor Ming stood at the front of the amphitheater-style auditorium, droning on without pause. Both Zuko and Aang sat in the back, a conveniently fitting place for students who tended to slumber through higher education. "Zuko…you lazy piece of—"

"Hey, watch it," Zuko protested groggily as he finally sat up. Rubbing his face, his vision eventually cleared as he opened his textbook to some random page, hoping Ming hadn't caught him snoozing.

"Ah, Zuko, welcome back to class," Ming greeted his rarely alert student. The class chuckled, before the professor continued his lecture. Pacing at the front of the room, Ming pointed at Azula's raised hand.

"Sir, pardon me, but I'm still confused," Azula began confidently.

"That's all right. It's a confusing plot."

"Okay, so if—" Azula began, however she was interrupted mid-sentence as Mai bolted out of her seat like a rocket. The entire class watched silently as the tall girl covered her mouth and stormed out of the classroom. Whispering ensued as Ming looked at the door speechless, unsure of what to do next.

He walked to Azula's desk, lowering his voice to a quiet hush. "Could you go and check on her, make sure she's alright?"

Azula nodded. Even after leaving the room, she could still hear whispering buzzing, and the professor telling his students to quiet down. Azula scanned the deserted hallway, but Mai was nowhere to be found. The swinging door of the girls' bathroom across the hall caught her attention. She approached the restroom, just as two girls rushed out, clutching their purses, and pinching their noses in disgust.

"Mai, are you alright?" Azula called as she stepped into the large bathroom. Mai voiced no reply, but Azula saw her standing over one of the sinks. "Are you alright?" Azula asked again.

After a few moments of coughing, Mai nodded, covering her mouth. "Thanks for coming after me," Mai said to Azula, as she was handed a wet paper towel to blot her face. Mai looked in the mirror, gasping at her slightly disheveled hair. "Shit!" she huffed, fixing up her hair. "I look like a mess."

"Your hair's fine Mai, but what about the rest of you?"

Mai waved Azula off, offering a light chuckle. "It's kind of embarrassing really, and a minor tragedy."

"It's alright, you don't have to—"

"I think I'm becoming lactose intolerant. I hoped that I wasn't, but there's no denying it now."

Mai turned back to the mirror, her hands in her hair. "This morning I had a real tall glass of milk, and some cheese; my stomach has been in knots ever since. So dumb! Me running out of class like that! But I felt like I was about to vomit," she whimpered.

"We can wait a while, I'm sure Ming won't be expecting us back anytime soon."

Mai stopped, and turned to Azula. "Will you wait with me?"

Azula tried to stop her lip from curling, regretting that she had said "we". But when she saw Mai's eyes light up with hope, Azula didn't have the heart to refuse her simple request. She could shelve her distaste for the girl for five minutes, at least.

"Sure, I'll stay with you."

Azula had planned to stay for no longer than several minutes, however the girls ended up staying until they heard the final bell ring. If one had walked into the conversation, they would have thought that the two were old friends. Laughing and gossiping, Azula's previous distaste for Mai was quickly dissipating. The two were giggling over a sarcastic joke Mai had shared, when they heard the students begin to flood the hallway.

"I guess we can leave then?" Azula asked as she and Mai began to walk out of the bathroom.

"Azula, I still have my things in the auditorium."

"I'll wait for you in the courtyard?"

"Sure thing, I'll be done soon." Mai turned to cross the hall, quickly walking to her desk in the front. As she stuffed her satchel, she felt a cold finger tap her exposed shoulder. Spinning on her heels, she spun directly into Aang.

"What do you want?" she nearly snarled, seeing that it was Zuko's geeky friend.

Aang blinked at Mai's hostility, as he stated his reason for disturbing her. "I just wanted to see if you were alright, you looked pretty sick."

Mai stared at Aang silently, wishing that he would just go away.

"What was wrong?"

"That's none of your business, Aang."

Aang's eyes narrowed, as he wondered why he even asked in the first place. "Fine. I was just being friendly." As he turned away, he whispered under his breath: "Something you wouldn't know anything about."

"What was that?" Mai snapped, hand on her hip.

Aang opened his mouth to respond, but Mai's attention was caught by someone else. Zuko, with his arms full, was making his way down the aisles, doing his best to avoid Mai altogether; hoping that Aang would distract her.

"Zuko," Mai called, stopping him in his tracks. "Don't look so startled now," she joked as she moved to stand in front of her former fling.

Zuko looked at Aang for help, but the he was already at the door, talking to another student. Zuko sighed, as he turned to face Mai. "Are you feeling any better now?"

"Oh, I'm just peachy. Thank you for asking, you're too kind."

"Yeah, sure. Did you need something?"

"I've wanted to catch up with you for some time now," Mai began, looking Zuko in the eye.

"About what, could you make it quick?" Zuko asked shifting his weight impatiently.

"Zuko, why have you been so...distant lately?"

"Mai, we already discussed this in the parking lot the other day," Zuko cut her off angrily, already anticipating what she would say.

"That incident? You were just yelling; nothing' but hot air. You weren't really serious!" Mai laughed.

Zuko blinked. "Hasn't it crossed your mind that we haven't spoken since?"

Mai silenced, blinking rapidly. "I've just been letting you cool down, babe."

"No…I was avoiding you. And I'm not your babe. As a matter of fact, we're done here." Zuko turned his back to Mai, not giving her another chance to speak. Zuko ignored her calling his name, as he met Aang at the door, leaving Mai sulking by her seat.


Katara walked with Jin to the kitchen, as Jin shared with her a story about one of her mischievous boys.

"He's such a doll, Miss Jin. You really do have a beautiful family, and you take such good care of them."

"Thank you, honey. I try my best."

"I know you do," Katara said softly, as the two finally entered the kitchen.

Yugoda and Meng were already cooking dinner and dessert, chatting loudly as Jin and Katara walked in. Yugoda dropped her rolling pin when she saw the two casually enter the steamy room. "What took you girls so long? Supper doesn't cook itself," Yugoda said, as she handed the two women their aprons.

"Katara and I were just taking a quick break," Jin explained.

Yugoda paused, shaking her head before she began. "It isn't break time yet."

"I've been busting my back all day long. One small break isn't nothing."

Katara quietly moved around Jin to wash her hands, not wanting to argue with Yugoda, who seemed a bit on edge.

"All of you should've been down here fifteen minutes ago. There's no room for slackers in this household," Yugoda gave Jin a quick onceover.

Jin stopped, her tone rising a bit. "Excuse me? You calling me a slacker?"

"What Idid say is that you have no business taking breaks, when it isn't anywhere near break time yet. You heard me just fine."

"I can take a five minute break any time I want."

"Oh really?"

"Really. I'm not some child that you have any say over; you can't order me around like you do Zuko."

Katara's breath caught in her throat at Jin's last remark. After a beat of silence she watched Yugoda move from the counter, her mouth in a straight line, her jaw set.

"You better watch yourself Jin. Don't forget who runs things here."

"Oh, gimme a break. You—"

"Ladies!" Meng finally cut in before Jin had the chance to say anything else and lose her job.

"Stop the shouting."

"Nobody's shouting here, Meng." Yugoda replied icily, not taking her gaze off Jin. "I'm just reminding Jin here that —"

Jee strolled into the kitchen whistling, before he stopped short. Jin and Yugoda still enthralled each other in a stare off, with Meng between them, and Katara up against the sink. Jee looked back and forth, in a futile attempt to analyze the situation. Katara took initiative, moving to the front of the kitchen as Jin turned away from Yugoda, and Meng walked back to the stove.

"Jee, what is it?" Katara asked tiredly, running a hand through her wavy pony-tail.

"You look real beat."

"I'm fine."

"Good, because there's someone here to see you."

"Me?" Katara asked confused, pointing to her chest. She waved her hand, figuring that it was Sokka. "Tell them I'm working." Katara paused. "It's Sokka, right?"

"Your brother? No ma'am. Some earthbender."

Upon hearing Jee's brief description, Meng pushed past Yugoda, to stand next to Katara. "Is he really muscular, with dark brown hair, and the prettiest green eyes?

Katara looked at Meng, rolling her eyes.

"I didn't take a profile of the guy." Jee shook his head at Meng's sudden excitement, returning his attention to Katara. "He said his name is Haru…or something foreign like that. Want me to tell him to go and get lost, Katara? I'm planning on leaving anyway."

"No, no! I know him!" Katara nearly yelled. She looked at Meng, who smiled at her, before moving past the nosy but well-meaning woman, and rushed out of the kitchen. Jee leapt back to make room for Katara, as he heard Meng laughing.

"What are you laughing at?" Jee asked, as he took a step away from her. Jin and Yugoda waited for Meng to gain her composure, both curious as to why Katara had responded so strongly.

"That boy, Haru, he's Katara's boyfriend!" Meng snapped.

Yugoda sucked her teeth as she began to roll her pie dough once more. "Stop telling them lies Meng.

Jin and Jee began laughing as Meng shot them icy glares.

"No! I know what I'm talking about. Heis her boyfriend." Meng turned to Jee, eager to convince him and the two other women that she wasn't telling a tall tale. "He's a real cutie, got lovely green—I'm going to go look for myself!"

"Meng! Let them kids be! Stop being so damn nosy," Yugoda chided as Meng turned her back to her.

"You're not my mom" Meng cackled on her way out, with Jee in tow.

"Wait for me, I wanna see him too!" Jin exclaimed, hustling from behind the counter to catch up with Meng. Yugoda stood alone in the kitchen, wondering what she would do with her scatter-brained staff.


Katara couldn't make her legs move fast enough, as she left the kitchen, rushed past the foyer to the front door. Haru was finally back! His letter had said he may arrive earlier than planned, but he never gave a date. But he was here now! Yet, how did he know to come to the estate? For all he knew, Katara was still putting up with rude customers and horrible tips at Jinpao's. As she pulled open the large front doors, Katara pushed out all the logistics from her racing mind. From the top of the steps, she could see Haru at the bottom, next the running fountain. His attention was on a hat he was holding, until Katara called his name from the top of the stairs.

"Haru!" She waved excitedly.

"Katara!" he called, his face glowing as he caught sight of her.

Katara ran down the steps, unable to stop the smile illuminating her face as her feet touched down on the hot pavement. Haru met her halfway, opening his arms wide to receive her in a bone-shattering hug. Katara obliged happily, wrapping her arms tightly around him.

"You look great, I've missed you so much," Haru complimented, laughing as her wavy hair tickled his face.

Katara let go of Haru, stepping back to take a better look at him. His skin had tanned, giving it a healthy glow, and his hair was longer past his ears. "You grew out your hair…and grew facial hair," she giggled, quickly rubbing his cheek.

Haru ran a hand through his locks, almost as if he had forgotten about their length. "Yeah, never got around to cutting it."

"I can't believe you're back so soon!" Katara said as Haru pulled her in again for another hug. He gave her cheeks a few quick kisses, before she gently pushed him away. "Haru…I work here," she whispered shyly. Haru stopped, but kept a hand on her small waist as he began.

"About that, congratulations?"

"Thanks."

"I went to Jinpao's yesterday, expecting to find you there. But they told me that you quit, and that you worked here now." Haru took a moment to look at the house, whistling at its grandeur.

However, his whistle quickly turned into a chuckle, puzzling Katara. "It looks like we have an audience," he whispered, as he felt Katara's muscles tense. Quickly, she turned around to see about five of the staff at the top of the steps observing the two of them and whispering rather audibly. Haru released Katara's waist as she ran a hot hand over her face.

"How embarrassing!" Katara looked up to see Jin pointing past the fountain, just as Katara heard the engines of a couple of cars stop and turn off.

"Who's that?" Haru asked, entwining his hand with Katara's.

Katara turned, wondering how much more embarrassing all of this could become, when she saw Zuko and Aang step out of one car, and Azula out the other.

"Who are they?"

"That's my boss...well sort of. His name is Zuko." Katara quickly whispered.

"That's Zuko? I've heard about him, not good things though…" Katara quickly nudged Haru in the ribs, cautioning him to quiet down.

Katara gulped as Azula approached the two first, her lipstick red lips curving into a wide grin. "Katara, who do we have here?" she asked, as Zuko and Aang stood next to her, all three standing across from the pair.

Zuko had noticed a couple embracing next to the fountain as he drove up the long driveway with Aang in the passenger seat. However, it wasn't till he was much closer, did he notice that it was in fact Katara with some man he had never seen before, locked together in a rather intimate embrace. Involuntarily, his hands gripped the steering wheel, and Aang had to remind him that the wheel hadn't done anything to offend him. Zuko mustered all his self-control, so as not to rip the driver's door off its hinges, and run to pull the couple apart. Luckily for this visitor, Zuko walked out of his car with Aang, telling himself that this man could be a family member…and it was not his place to meddle.

Nevertheless, any previous false reassurance was quickly washed away when Zuko watched Haru squeeze Katara's hand affectionately. The swift and subtle motion thrust a thousand daggers of anger and betrayal straight through Zuko's heart, as he looked at Katara, confused and hurt. He looked back and forth at the two, as he blinked in confusion.

The maid noted Zuko's sad eyes and quickly wiggled free of Haru's rough hand. Katara cleared her throat as Haru gave her a strange look; silence hovering over the group.

Azula took mental inventory of everyone's expressions, before deciding to speak up and break the awkward and somewhat tense silence.

"I reckon you're Haru?"

Haru nodded, shaking Azula's hand and offering her a rather forced smile. "I figured as much. I feel like I know you already! Katara here has told me so many good things about you."

Aang glanced uneasily at Zuko, who he knew was doing his best to stay calm.

"So, Katara tells me that you're a fantastic bender? And that you've been in the Earth Kingdom these past weeks?"

"Well, I don't know about fantastic, but I have been in the Earth Kingdom."

"And your uncle, how is he?"

Haru turned to Katara with a bashful smile. "She really does talk a lot about me, huh?" When Katara voiced no reply, Haru addressed Azula once again. "He's much better, thank you for asking. I came back only two days ago." Haru turned to Katara, giving her a smile. "I thought I'd see Katara yesterday at work, but I was informed that she works here. I would've come sooner had I known."

Zuko voiced a quiet grunt, which didn't go unnoticed by Azula or Aang; the latter kept his focus on a pebble, not wanting to prolong the conversation by speaking.

"Well Haru, I hope we meet again, it was a treat to put a face to the name. You're even more handsome in person," Azula winked, coaxing Zuko's eyes to roll. Katara laughed at Azula's minor flirtation as Haru did the same.

Zuko was finally unable to maintain his silence. He thrust his right hand in Haru's direction, giving him a rather firm handshake. "I'm Zuko, Azula's brother."

Haru looked back and forth to try and noticing the resemblance. "Nice to meet you as well. I feel like I'm meeting royalty, and I'm at a great palace. You guys are the face of the town."

"Oh, don't remind him!" Azula bantered, motioning towards Zuko. She feigned a whisper in Haru's direction. "His head is big enough already."

Zuko ignored his sister as he rested his hand at his side, resisting the urge to brush it off on his khakis. "Say Haru, Katara has told me so much about you." Zuko took a deep breath as Haru looked at Katara happily, who was becoming increasingly antsy. "It seems like everything she said is true. Great girl, isn't she?"

Azula clutched her purse nervously, as Aang rubbed his head fretfully.

"She sure is – the kindest and most honest person I've ever met."

Zuko resisted throwing his head back in a maniacal laugh. "Yeah…she sure is honest." Katara didn't look away from Zuko, instead he could tell that she too was resisting exhibiting just how irritated she was.

Haru cordially laughed, before continuing. "I've got to go now. Nice meeting you all." Haru turned to Katara, quickly. "I'll stop by your house later, okay?"

"Alright," Katara said a little too quickly.

"See you." Haru gave Katara a quick peck on the cheek.

Zuko rolled his eyes, turning away from the sickening lovebirds, unable to keep up the pretenses for another moment. Hastily, he jogged up the steps, with Azula and Aang watching and Haru returning to his car.

Zuko wanted to lash out, and the idling staff happened to be in the zone of his radar at the top of the steps. "Don't you all have work to do?" he snapped, startling the small audience. After a few more whispers, the servants quickly retreated into the house. Aang stood next to Zuko, resting a reassuring hand on Zuko's shoulder; however, it was shaken off violently in an instant.

"Don't, Aang—and don't follow me either!"

He jogged up the steps, opening the front door with such ferocity, Aang suspected that it would be off its hinges. Wincing at Zuko's reaction, Aang turned to look at Azula and Katara, who remained at the bottom of the steps.