CHAPTER 10 is here! I'd like to thank all of you who have kept this story going all the way through to double digits C: If it wasn't for you guys I wouldn't have gotten this far into the fic, and I really appreciate all of your support and feedback. It's all very encouraging, really it is. I was hoping to make this chapter uber special because it's 10, so it's filled with Zutara-bonding (because the Boiling Rock episodes were totally hinting at future MaiKo and I needed to reinforce the Zutaraness D: !), a time skip of about a week, a peek at Aang and Toph, and the very first appearance of Azula. Quite a few turns take place in this chapter, so sit back, enjoy, and I'd love it endlessly if you could tell me what you think. This chapter took me the longest to actually get up, for some reason. It took me three days to work on, and I'd definitely appreciate any ConCrit or comments you have C: I think I've responded to all my reviews, if not, just yell and I'll be sure to yell back :D

A C Q U I E S E N C E

Smellerbee scowled. "You'd better watch it, Ponytail. These kids'll do whatever I tell'em."

He chuckled, "What, liked trained penguins?"

"Sick'im."

A unified sigh hung between Zuko and Katara as Sokka was buried beneath a mountain of kids.

"I take it back! I take it back!

The opposing benders rolled their eyes, sharing a simultaneous thought.

Idiot.

Chapter X

Tête-à-Tête

Thanks again for the food, Yu," Sokka said sincerely from his seat on the hardwood floor. The old man grinned at the threshold, tray emptied of all the bowls and glasses he carried up to the apartment. A cramped room of seven children, Smellerbee, Sokka, Katara and Zuko with only one bed and a single bathroom...it would be a little better than hell living in that place. But apparently such concerns were out of the warrior's mind as he stuffed his face with Fire Nation grub. He ignored Zuko's comment that the food might be a little spicier than he's used to, and after a minute of binging, Sokka yelped out, fanning his tongue and looking desperately for something to drink, knocking someone else's glass over in the process.

Yu chuckled, shaking his head. "Not the brightest of the bunch, is he?" He inquired of Katara, who sighed in mild embarrassment. "I'll bring up some more water," he offered, turning back out the door. "Take it easy there, son," he cautioned of the warrior, "Don't want to burn yourself."

Zuko grinned at the irony and snickered into his bowl of pickled cucumbers laced with mild spices. Sokka was much too preoccupied with quenching his monstrous thirst to hear, and the prince couldn't hide the self-satisfied smile. He parted his chopsticks, picking up a single cucumber with practiced precision. "I told you it would be hot," he said lightly to his male comrade.

Sokka scowled, "I should have known. Everything in this Nation is hot!"

Katara snorted into her glass of water, "Everything, Sokka?" She teased, eyes glinting with mischief.

"The weather, the streets, the food, the tea—"

"The people?" Smellerbee supplied. The children broke out into spurts of giggles, even Zuko and Katara couldn't seem to resist. Smellerbee grinned, lifting a fried snail-toad from a bowl with her fingers and plopped it into her mouth. "Is Yu hot, too, Ponytail? Is Your-Royal-Highness over there?"

Sokka reddened. "Hey, I never said--"

His sister only laughed, "What, is it getting too hot for you?"

"It's Zuko!" Smellerbee exclaimed with that wicked smile, "Sokka can't take the heat!"

"What?" the warrior spluttered incredulously, "Zuko's not making me hot!"

Katara guffawed at the thought, teasingly pushing against the younger girl's shoulder. "Zuko?"

She only smirked, "Look at you, Princess, acting all innocent."

"What's that supposed to mean!"

"Look at that blush!" the freedom fighter accused. "You're blushing at the thought of the Fire-Pest!"

"It's the food!" She defended, "It's too spicy!" It was Katara's turn to fade red, and she lowered her eyes to her bowl of rice and pickled-plum. She suddenly felt incredibly uncomfortable, but should have seen this coming. She stabbed at a piece, her chopstick sticking clean through the fruit. To her right she noticed Zuko fidget, clearly irritated with the sudden turn of conversation.

His own face was heating up at the implications, and he shifted awkwardly. Why was he the subject at hand? Why did it have to be him? He scowled into his food, trying to banish the thoughts of either one of the Water Tribe siblings having anything for him, but found it only managed to make him flush all the more. Not so much the thought of Sokka (that was just painfully ridiculous), but the thought of Katara. Because she was very much female and he was very much male and hey, they were 'engaged' and brought home half a dozen kids.

The firebender cursed himself for blushing.

Smellerbee laughed loudly, her lackeys following suit (though clearly they didn't understand just what was so funny) and wiped a tear away from her eye. "The Wonder Twins both vying for the Prince's affection," the girl said mostly to herself. She elbowed Zuko, grinning amusedly at the siblings. "It's too bad no one told 'em that you're asexual, eh?"

Before Katara could reply that she was not vying for the firebender's affection, Sokka exclaimed in a rather final voice, "I do not have the hots for Zuko!"

"—Did I interrupt something?"

Sokka swiveled around to see Yu standing at the door, a tray of water in his hands. His expression betrayed surprise and mild hilarity at the situation. It was a pleasant change to have life in these parts, in his apartment housing. The neighbors were old grouches too lazy to come down and get tea and often complained about the lack of aesthetic appeal. They were irritating and did nothing to help the teashop's condition – maybe if they paid their darned rent once in awhile…

"Nothing important," the warrior answered tersely, getting up to help bring the tray inside (making an exaggerated effort not to step on the kids littered around). "Just Smellerbee being—"

The freedom fighter in question narrowed her eyes and cleared her throat, arching a single brow as if to say 'Didn't you learn your lesson?'

Sokka coughed as he set the tray down in the center of the room, "—a perfect guest and engaging conversationalist." He glanced back at Yu, "Do you need any help down at the shops?" He offered pleadingly, "I think you need help."

The older man blinked, "Mm…no, not really. We don't get many customers—"

"What's that, Yu? You do! Well, I'll help you, Yu!" And he laughed at his own joke as he left the room where the children were eyeing the warrior, waiting for Smellerbee to give them the go.

Smellerbee laughed, "You're related to that guy, Princess?"

Katara rolled her eyes, reaching for a glass of water. "According to our parents, yeah."

"You're lucky," the younger girl commented, "to have family with you."

Everyone got quiet, the children eating their meals, all of them accustomed to the spices. They were content enough, scattered on the floor, eating with their hands, sharing glasses of water, like one large family. But they weren't one large family, Zuko reminded himself as he set his chopsticks down, they were orphans. All of them. A part of him wondered what family Smellerbee might have had, a part of him wanted to ask, wanted to know – but a larger part of him respected her privacy (and a small part of him didn't want to know what his nation did).

"I am…aren't I?" The waterbender said gently, eyes moving over to the door where her brother left. "As annoying as he can be sometimes, I don't know what I'd do without Sokka."

Smellerbee grinned, "I used to have an older sister."

"Did you?"

"Yeah, she was a pain."

Katara scoffed, shaking her head. "All siblings are."

"But it's worth it in the end, isn't it?" Smellerbee commented.

"Not always."

All eyes settled on the fire prince who set his bowl aside, stacking one atop the other to make room for the children who were trying to stretch their legs. Smellerbee knew not to question the matter further and let the subject drop without much reluctance. It was a touchy topic, anyway. A solemn expression was on Zuko's face, golden eyes thoughtfully lowered as he set the emptied dishes onto the tray. He worked absently, accustomed to clearing up after a meal, and Katara watched him, noting the little things.

The way he'd gently nudge a child's foot to the side to grab a forgotten chopstick, or the way he'd grin when he'd ask for a plate someone else was sitting on. The way he sounded almost loving towards these children, these orphaned youths. He said nothing more from his initial statement, nothing pertaining to the conversation, anyways, and stood from his spot on the floor, doing one more visual scan of the room to see if he missed anything.

He would make a wonderful brother, she realized, if ever given the opportunity. But clearly he was never given that chance, not with a sister like Azula. She wondered if perhaps Zuko would have been better off with a normal sibling, or at least no sister at all. She wondered how he might have turned out, but came to the conclusion that he would either be even more abrasive and unforgiving (being the only child and therefore the named heir, the prodigy) or be more trusting of people, more open to affection.

Katara studied him, the trained impassive look on his face, and slowly picked herself up off the ground. "Need any help?"

And he gave her a smile, gesturing for her to take an overturned glass, "Yeah."

Sokka took one look at the room, at all the children battling over the bed, and rested his hands on his hips. "Yeah, this isn't going to work."

Katara gave him a scathing glare, clearly stressed with the yelling and fighting and crying and bullying and I'm older so I should get this! and the rebuttals of We're smaller so more of us can fit! They were driving her insane and she couldn't imagine what it must be like for Smellerbee – until she realized that Smellerbee was part of the scuffle.

The fire prince stood on Sokka's other side, staring with widened eyes at the scene before them. "Shouldn't someone do something?" He asked of his two companions.

"What do you propose we do?" Katara asked, exasperated, "Put them all in Time-Out?"

Zuko scowled, "Well, we should do something before they tear the only bed to shreds!"

Sokka snapped his fingers. "I've got it!" And marched forward to command the kids' attention.

The benders shared wary glances.

"Do you really think he's got it?" Zuko asked of his counterpart.

Katara only shook her head, "This won't end well."

"The children aren't mature enough to handle diplomatic solutions…"

"They're much too immature to listen and do what's easiest," the waterbender agreed.

Her brother demanded their focus and pointed sternly at the group. "There are a lot of you, and only one bed. The only fair solution is that none of you get the bed. This is our apartment," and he gestured back to Zuko and Katara who were counting down the seconds before Sokka became part of the tussle, "and we should get the bed."

The duo gaped.

"Share the bed with him?" Katara exclaimed in disgust, pointing at the firebender whose expression mirrored hers perfectly. "Are you crazy?"

Zuko shook his head, "No way—that's stupid."

"We won't fit!" Katara reasoned.

"I'll probably be kicked off!" Zuko added.

Not good.

"Are you saying that I'll hog up the space?" The waterbender retorted.

Her counterpart scowled, "Hey, wait a minute, I never said that!"

"You're saying I'll kick you off the bed!" She shrilled, clearly offended, "How immature do you think I am?"

Zuko scoffed, "Do you really want me to answer that?"

"Children!" Smellerbee yelled over the quarrel that ensued. Sokka was seated at the foot of the bed, the orphans around him, some leaning against his leg, others sitting on his lap, one watching from over his head. The freedom fighter scowled at the pair, "Shut up, you're giving me a headache! That's the only logical solution. There are too many kids on the floor for any of you to sleep here as well. And if one kid gets the bed, then they all want it. So suck it up, do your part, and quit complaining, geez!"

Zuko and Katara were mutely affronted.

And Smellerbee rounded onto Sokka, "How do you put up with them?"

Sokka sighed, giving a nonchalant shrug. "I'm so used to it, I can't sleep at night without hearing them fight."

Needless to say, that night was particularly difficult for Katara. Her brother was beside her, snoring contently into her left ear, and Zuko was at her right, back turned towards her, his body much too warm to be so close. Obviously she kicked and screamed her way out of the middle (figuratively speaking of course), but she didn't rebel enough because there she was, sandwiched between the two males – one doing his best to dominate the left side of the bed, and the other…well, the other peacefully sleeping, doing absolutely nothing to annoy her save for the small detail of being there.

Which was enough.

The waterbender scowled, trying to get some sleep, trying and failing to relax her body, trying to forget that Zuko was right there, trying to forget that her arm would brush across his back whenever she'd attempt getting into a more comfortable position. She debated just extricating herself from the bed, but the floor was crowded with the children all sprawled, claiming their sleeping areas with the territorial natures of rhinos. Leaving was out of the question, and she understood that much, but did Sokka really have to insist that she be in the middle? She recalled the conversation, how one-sided it had been.

How Sokka insisted being on the edge (because he hated being restricted in movement) and how Zuko only avoided the conversation of who should sleep where, instead focusing his attention on a temporarily interesting spot on the wall.

Katara stared at the spot through the dark, throwing off what little of the thin sheets still covered her legs (most of which was wrapped about Sokka's limbs). This was her second night of insomnia, and she began to wonder if she'd never catch any sleep as long as she was in the Fire Nation, which was silly, because she, Sokka, Toph and Aang took refuge in the Fire Nation and she slept well enough then. So what was the big deal about this time?

This time, Toph and Aang weren't with them.

This time, she was sharing a bed with Fire Prince Zuko.

The waterbender groaned inwardly at the thought and turned over to see the back of Zuko's head, his hair darker in the shadows, tickling over the pale skin of his neck. He was quiet, very quiet, she couldn't even hear the sound of his breathing (or else it was drowned out with Sokka's light snoring). She closed her eyes, shifting her head to rest against the feather-down pillow and tried to get to sleep.

"Stop moving."

Her eyes snapped open at the sound, at the disruption of the quiet, and she blinked at the back of Zuko's head. He didn't appear to have moved, not a single inch, but she knew he spoke, knew he was awake. Katara scowled, "Sorry. It's hard to get comfortable."

He grunted a reply, revealing his own fatigue.

Katara continued to frown, feeling the need to justify her movements. "Sokka's hogging the bed," she continued, "Snoring in my ear."

Zuko's shoulder lifted, letting her know he was awake, that he heard, that he didn't care. "So kick him off."

Was that a grin she detected in his voice?

"I would, but he'd crush whoever's on his side, and then all the kids would wake up," she answered.

Zuko remained motionless for a while, and Katara decided that he must have fallen asleep. She contented herself with the fact and tried to fall asleep as well, but he turned around, moving smoothly so that she might not have noticed if she wasn't so acutely aware of her surroundings. He faced her, features unseen except for his eyes that seemed to catch the streams of moonlight filtering in through the window. Or maybe it was just her? They such a piercing gold even in the dark, and she had to avert her vision elsewhere. His breathing was low, steady, precise after his efforts in meditation, and Katara imagined there was a smile on his lips, but it must have been a trick of the shadows.

"That's the last thing you'd want," he answered quietly.

Katara grinned, "Maybe, but at least then Snoozles over here wouldn't get any sleep either." She saddened a bit, remembering Toph.

At that the prince exhaled something that might have been a chuckle, softly, lightly, so as not to wake the room's occupants. His breath spread across her pillow, warming her already warm cheek. "That's cruel, bringing people down with you."

"Hey – you try being related to Sokka for fourteen years and tell me if you don't feel the same."

Zuko chuckled this time, still gently, but obviously a laugh. "You try being related to Azula."

"And I'd still feel the same," Katara finished, wearing a smile he couldn't see.

The pair reveled in the companionable silence, exchanging whispers in the dark as if sharing secrets only they knew. There was an odd comfort in this, in staying up and talking with someone in such a clandestine manner, as if confiding – though not much actual confiding was going on, rather, they simply entertained one another. It came with surprising ease, their conversation, and pretty soon their cracks at Sokka devolved into family stories.

"There was this traveling carnival that we went to see one time, and there was a ride that spun really fast. Sokka got stuck on it for two hours straight."

"Two hours?" Zuko asked with light amusement.

Katara stifled her giggle, "Around and around."

"That explains a lot," the prince commented in jest. "And he's still a militant genius?"

She nodded, the sound of rustling against her pillow the only indication. "He helped invent those…those war balloons."

"Oh."

And sometimes their conversations would end with an awkward dose of reality.

But for the most part they spoke of their childhoods ("And then I fell into the fountain with her," or "Sokka got two fishhooks stuck in his hand,") until Katara fell asleep.

"—I didn't know what I was getting myself into—"

Zuko stopped dead in his sentence and blinked at the suddenly quiet girl sleeping beside him. He peered through the dark, trying to make out her eyes, wide and amused, and beautiful even when he couldn't see them (because even though he wasn't attracted to her at all, in any sense of the word, he was still very much male and knew beautiful eyes when he saw them). He leaned nearer just enough so that his eyes could adjust in the dark, and he realized that she had fallen asleep. The prince grinned to himself in something like contentment (why he might feel content was beyond him, and he was much too tired to ponder that thought) before allowing sleep to pry him from the waking world at last.

The days progressed without much happening. Just the usual familiarizing themselves with the district, but otherwise the hours passed slowly without much to do. The children and Smellerbee were given jobs at the teashop – apparently they were much better waiters and waitresses (and tea makers, Katara noted with amusement) than Zuko (or herself, but that was only a minor detail) – nevermind that the adorable children attracted more customers. Money was coming in as they advertised for the teashop, and Sokka oversaw the money-handling, creating funds for a fresh coat of paint or sprucing up the interior.

Smellerbee was the hostess.

Zuko helped out at a junkyard, occasionally bringing something back that they could use in the tea shop.

Katara apprenticed under a mid-wife.

They settled into a comfortable life in that little district with alarming ease, but with each passing second Katara found herself thinking about either one of two things: Aang (and, by extension, Toph and Iroh and everyone else) or Zuko (…just Zuko.) It was frightening, how simply she and Sokka slipped into such a comfortable life here in the Fire Nation, how they all worked for their keep, how it was easy and how they laughed when in their apartment, how easily she slept at night, how she could just forget why they were there in the first place.

And then she'd think of Aang, of what he was doing, what Toph was up to.

Sometimes she would talk to Sokka about those days…and he'd laugh and say they're probably doing alright, that they'd hear from them soon…

It helped, if only a little, to know that Sokka wasn't troubled.

Nights followed a similar pattern from Zuko and Katara's initial talk, and their clandestine conversations became the norm. Of course, that didn't mean they were any nicer to each other during the day – on the contrary, they seemed extremely impatient when the sun was up, when they were parading about as a couple, when they'd deal with washing dishes and whose turn it was to do what – but at night, safely in bed, they were like little kids. Innocent and carefree, and maybe it was the way everything just felt so much more natural or consoling when she talked to Zuko, but Katara found that she had no problem falling asleep anymore.

And there was so much to Zuko's history that she never would have guessed.

"Really? You tried it on?" Katara asked with a widening smile.

"I was young," Zuko argued, "and curious."

The waterbender giggled into her hand, "Well, I was curious about my father shaving, but I never went and shaved."

Zuko scowled (playfully, of course), "Well, shaving is more dangerous than trying on makeup."

"Right, of course," Katara said, humoring him. "So what did your mother say when she saw?"

He faded red, grateful for the darkness, "She said I made a very pretty little girl."

Katara's responding laugh startled a very grumpy Smellerbee who threatened to sick the children on them if they didn't shut up with their whispering and secret love confessions. The benders felt the awkward tension, both flushed and unable to see the other's discomfort. The strain was evident between them, however, almost tangible as it thickened and eventually faded as Smellerbee's (heavy) breathing evened out.

Zuko was the first to break the silence.

"We should get some sleep," he said quietly.

Katara nodded, "Yeah," and let a stretch of silence follow. "Zuko?" She said lightly, tiredly, squinting through weary eyes.

"Hmm."

"Will you let me do your make up one day?"

He smirked, "Only if you let me shave your head."

She grinned, burying her face into the pillow and muttered something that sounded like, "I don't know if I trust you with a razor."

The fire prince remained awake for a few minutes after that, staring at the sleeping girl, wondering about her past and her relationship with her father and her brother, and if maybe, just maybe, that was a smile on her lips, and if, for some inexplicable reason, he was the reason for it.

"Lee!" Daichi whined as they walked along the streets, "Lee!"

Zuko glanced over at the boy who stumbled upon him, Katara, and Sokka (on their way to the Hin Siu Province to meet with Mai, as instructed of a message sent to them a few mornings prior). "Yes?" He asked with trained patience, "What is it?"

The little boy peered up at the older male with widened gold eyes. "Where are you going?"

"To the Hin Siu Province," the firebender answered calmly.

"Can I come?"

Katara laughed, "You wouldn't like it there. It's far and it's hot and there's nothing to do."

"Actually, I heard from Dagger that there's going to be a fes—"

Katara shot her brother a scowl, daring him to mention the festival that Dagger, the only other female in Smellerbee's troop, spoke of. Apparently festivals and such were common in the Hin Siu Provinces, one taking place every end of the week to celebrate the reign of the Fire Nation.

"—ering. Festering…um, carcass. For the spider-eagles to eat."

Daichi's eyes only widened, "Cool! Can I come?"

"You should really ask your parents," Katara said logically, but the little boy grinned his precious gap-toothed smile.

"They said it's OK! They trust Lee!"

"They trust Lee?" She repeated cynically, azure gaze flitting over to the firebender purposefully avoiding her eyes. "Why would they trust someone they've never met?"

Zuko shrugged noncommittally. "Not all Fire Nation people are distrustful—"

"They have met him!" Daichi piped up proudly.

Katara quirked a brow at the bender. "No, but apparently you are," she muttered sardonically.

Sokka laughed, "Zu—" a heavy nudge from his daughter, "Lee! You met his parents? I hope this means you won't be dumping my little Sa-Sa here."

Katara cringed as he wrapped a fatherly arm about her shoulders. "Ha, don't give him any ideas, dad."

Zuko grinned at his soon-to-be father-in-law. "Don't worry, Mister Fire, I'm a one-girl kind of guy."

"Call me Wang, boy! We're practically family!"

"Alright, Wang."

"Can you not?" The waterbender quipped, unnerved by their show, by the chemistry brewing. After the week or so together, the pair had become quite a duo and it was unsettling to see her brother and Zuko getting along so well. (Nevermind that she got along with the fire prince herself, come nightfall.) The fact that Sokka seemed so amused by the idea of her being engaged to Zuko was irksome enough, but for them to live up to their roles – with zeal, no less! – was disturbing.

She might have gone mad if it wasn't for the retribution Zuko received for his efforts in irritating her.

Katara couldn't hide the smile from her face as the little boy tugged repeatedly at Zuko's shirt. The fire prince appeared quite annoyed, but did his best to be polite as he glanced back down at the golden-eyed pest sporting coal hair, and let out an exasperated sigh. "Yes, Daichi, what is it?" He asked keeping his tone under control.

The little boy beamed at his idol, immediately letting go of his shirt's hem. "Are we there yet?"

The waterbender burst into a fit of giggles, and Zuko shot her a withering glare, before answering that no, they were not there yet, 'there' was very far away, and it would take at least half a day's traveling to get there, and they've only been walking for fifteen minutes!

Daichi preoccupied himself with kicking a pebble, and Katara gave Zuko a snide grin.

"Lee, Lee, Lee," she mocked.

The prince scowled. "Don't. Start."

She scoffed, "It's what you get for being such a jerk."

Zuko rolled his eyes. "I'd think you'd be used to our marriage by now."

"It takes me more than a week to warm up to being engaged."

"Eight days."

"What?"

"It's been eight days."

The waterbender shook her head in annoyance and asked a very sarcastic and equally rhetorical, "What, you've been counting?" as she moved ahead of the group to try and escape the aggravation.

Zuko only walked beside her, matching her pace. "Obviously."

She spun to face him, prepared to shoot off a retort—

"—Lee!"

She grinned. "I believe your biggest fan is calling you."

Zuko scowled at her before turning around to Daichi. His face softened into a much more patient expression (despite his frustration with the little boy, it was hard to be mad at him with that round face and those innocent eyes that were so wide and curious). "Yes, Daichi," he said for the umpteenth time, "What is it?"

The little boy, barely older than seven, smiled that adorable gap-toothed smile. "Can I sit on your shoulders?"

Zuko blinked down at his smaller mirror image, unaccustomed to being so looked up to (the only other time was that once with the boy named Lee…). He gave Daichi a smile, bending down to let him climb onto his shoulders. He made sure the boy was steady before standing up again, and Katara couldn't help but note just how much Daichi looked like Zuko, and how, if she didn't know any better, she'd mistake them for family.

The Hin Siu Province was quite a way's travel, and they stopped occasionally to get something to eat, or, for Daichi's sake, to just rest (though he was sitting atop Zuko's shoulders the entire time, so rest was redundant). Katara found justice in Sokka's discomfort (his beard was becoming unbearably itchy, and she pointedly reminded him with an overly sweet, "Dad," that he could not remove it) and grinned smugly whenever he'd send her a scowl.

Alright, so he might deserve it for having put her and Zuko in their current situation, but he really didn't mind, not when the duo would have to settle their disparities in public the way a couple would – and it served as amusing entertainment.

"Stop buying him things, you're spoiling him," Katara whispered of her alleged fiancé as she watched Daichi run off, waving a copper piece in the air in hopes of buying himself a glass of iced desert-coconut juice.

Zuko's eyes never left the little boy who reminded him so much of himself. "We're not his parents," he answered.

"I know, that's the point!" The waterbender replied tersely, "So stop treating him like…like…"

"Like what?"

"Like…how you're treating him now!" She finished lamely.

Sokka laughed, adding a humorous, "I think she's just not ready to be a mother yet," earning a glare from his sister.

"Hey look! Posters for a festival!" Daichi squealed in childish glee as he returned, enthusiastically waving a colorful flier in the air (a glass of juice in his free hand, the contents spilling over the brim).

"Careful—!" Katara began, but Zuko gave her a look.

"We're not his parents, darling."

And she flushed a bit, bristling on the spot, because he returned her own retorts (but certainly not because he called her darling!)

Sokka looked disinterestedly at the poster in Daichi's hand, only to have his mouth fall open in surprise. He grabbed the little boy's wrist, bringing the flier up to his face, and eyed it in comic reverence. "It's—It's about meat!" He was practically drooling. "Can we go? Can we go?" He wheedled exuberantly.

Katara scowled at him, at the example he was setting for Daichi. "We're not exactly here for a festival, remember?"

But Daichi was already hopping up and down, inadvertently tugging on the firebender's shirt (the hem of which was stretched out due to all the yanking). "Oh, let's go! Please can we go?"

"Well…we're kind of busy…" Katara was about to say that no, they couldn't because they had things to do – or that they could maybe go later, when Zuko decided to take a shine to his role.

"Sure, whatever you want, buddy."

"Yes!" Daichi exclaimed, upturning his beverage completely, "So what is it that you have to do first?"

Zuko scowled faintly, choosing his words, when Katara looped an arm about his shoulders, giving the little boy a snide grin,

"He has to go visit his ex-girlfriend."

Smellerbee smiled at the turn out of Yu's Tea. There were quite a few people inside, chatting and drinking and playing Pai Sho, and the old man stood beside her, chuckling at the sight. "It's been awhile since people have come in here," he commented off-handedly, giving her a fatherly nod of approval. "You and those kids—"

"Freedom Fighters," the girl interrupted, glancing up at the man, "We're called the Freedom Fighters."

He nodded, looking out over the small space, smiling to himself at the sense of security and peace and relaxation. "Right, you Freedom Fighters have been a wonderful addition to this sorry old place. Just look at the people, they all love the tea."

Smellerbee laughed, peering over into the kitchen where the eldest boy of her squad was tending to the pots and kettles. He was tall, taller than her, and very pale, with dull-colored eyes and a head of messy black hair hidden beneath a bandana. "Yeah, Short-Bow's always been good with that sort of thing."

Yu chuckled again, sparing a glance at the tea maker. "Yeah, his tea's delicious. Now, if you don't mind, I'll be sending a couple of letters…" he turned to head back upstairs.

"Hey, thanks for letting us stay here."

He smiled, "It is an honor."

Your friends have made it safely to their destination.

They wish you all very well.

It is unsafe to be sending letters, but the girl thought you would want to know where they are and how they are faring.

They miss you all, and would be saying so themselves, but they have important things to attend to.

Do not try to visit them, do not even step foot in this Nation, or you may risk their cover.

Warmest regards,

Team Fire.

"See? I told you they'd be fine!" Jing-Wei said as Aang finished reading the message. She filed her nails, idly swinging her foot to an inaudible tempo. "You worry too much. It's been a week, if something was wrong, we'd know by now."

The Avatar nodded, folding the letter and pressing it into his pocket, "I guess so. It just feels better, knowing they're alright…"

Jing-Wei gave the boy a smile, and he realized that she really was quite pretty, with her angular features and prominent nose. "Relax. Iroh said to lie low, didn't he? So we're lying low. Even Bumi's managed to keep a low profile. The last thing we need is the Avatar springing up out of nowhere to save his friends who are undercover in the Fire Nation."

"I guess so…" Aang began, but she only nodded.

"Stop worrying."

Toph scowled from her position on the floor. She heard the letter, the words, heard the tremors in Aang's voice, detected the sorrow in there, the alarm, and slammed a fist into the wall she was leaning against. "Stop telling him not to worry," she snapped irritably, glaring in Jing-Wei's general direction. "It's been a little over a week since we've seen or heard from our friends! And we know they're not exactly in the safest of places to be. You didn't want to go to the Fire Nation – and why not? Because it's dangerous over there! Of course we're worried over our friends! They're there!"

Jing-Wei gave her fellow earthbender a scowl. "Yeah, alright, but is there a point to worry after you've heard from them?"

"Maybe if they didn't write the letter themselves," Toph cracked, standing up from the floor of their hide-out beneath Omashu. "And anyway, it's kind of stupid, isn't it? Do not try to visit them, do not even step foot in this Nation…like we'd do something like that! Why does whoever wrote the letter feel the need to tell us not to ruin our plan?"

"Maybe Iroh wrote it," Aang suggested.

"Does it mention anything about tea?"

"No."

"Then it wasn't the Tea Monger."

"Maybe the Fire Brat wrote it?" Proposed Mazo from his own corner, chewing absently on a reed.

Aang shrugged, "Maybe…"

"Flinty considers us his friends, too. Why would he write 'your friends'?"

"I don't know!" The Avatar answered, confused and unsure of what to think. He was looking forward to hearing from Katara and Sokka themselves, not some mysterious third party who signed his friends off as Team Fire. What did that even mean?! Was it named because of their station in the Fire Nation? Was it a play off Sokka and Katara's fake names? Not that the name was that much of an importance, it was the principle of the matter and the matter was—

He missed his friends.

"I'm going for a walk."

The teashop of the Hin Siu Province was much larger than the one at their District (that, Katara later realized, was not even allotted a proper name, only a number – nine – and not even a good number). Its doors were laden in gold leaf, the paint crisp and bright, scarlet and black and intricate designs in amber. The interior grandeur challenged that of the high-end teashops at Ba Sing Se, and the small group ventured inside, asking the host for reservations under the Fire party.

They were led to a table in the further back of the room and took a seat, Katara and Sokka on one side of the booth, Zuko and Daichi on the other. Daichi glanced around with wide eyes, startled at the stateliness that was so rare in his District. "Wow!" He gasped in awe as he tugged at Zuko's sleeve, "Look! Look, Lee! They've got a hanging picture of Fire Lord Ozai!"

Zuko nodded stiffly, eyes carefully scanning over the tapestry. "I know. It's big, isn't it?"

Daichi laughed, "He looks so mean."

The poor kid didn't know the half of it.

He scrunched up his face, mouth in a grim line, and scowled at Zuko. "Do I look like him?"

The prince couldn't help but laugh and nodded, giving Daichi an affectionate ruffling of the hair. "Yeah, just like him."

"You know who looks like him?" The little boy asked thoughtfully, studying the tapestry with a careful gaze.

"Who…?" Zuko replied out of courtesy, lowering his eyes to the table.

Daichi pointed past him, "Wang!"

A unanimous "What?" emerged from the trio.

But Daichi only nodded solemnly, "He does! If you squint one eye and close the other…"

Katara giggled behind her hand, doing just as the boy said. "You know what, he kind of does."

"Oh, yeah, I see it now," Zuko added with a grin.

Sokka scowled. "Yeah sure, make fun of the guy with the beard."

"You mean the guy with the fake beard."

The warrior jumped at the low voice and turned to see a hooded girl standing behind him. Daichi (who was busy laughing to himself as he mirrored the many expressions of Ozai) missed Mai's comment, and Sokka frowned at the newest comer. "You should really watch what you say in public."

Katara straightened up in her seat, "Daichi," she called of the child who had entertained himself with playing with Zuko's hair, "Why don't you go toss a copper piece into the fountain and make a wish?"

He smiled, "Alright!" And hopped away, leaving the four to speak freely.

Zuko waited until Daichi was out of ear-shot (but still within eye-sight) before turning to the intruder. "Talk, and make it fast."

Mai rolled her eyes, "Sweet talker. No wonder I fell for you."

He was about to retort when Sokka lifted a hand, "Now's not the time."

Mai nodded, not bothering to take Daichi's seat (because it was beside Zuko or because she was in a rush, it didn't really matter, did it?) "Azula says she's got a secret weapon," the weapons master revealed quietly, lips barely moving as she spoke, "I don't know what it is exactly, but it's something about the Avatar and the Avatar State."

"What about the Avatar State?" Katara asked worriedly, leaning forward to hear.

"She knows how to prevent it."

"Prevent it, how?" Sokka pressed.

"I don't know."

"Permanently?" Zuko inquired, frowning at the thought.

Mai shook her head in conflict, "Judging by how Azula was acting, yes."

"Great, great!" The Swords Master groaned, "Aang's best bet is pretty much down the tubes. So what do we have against your crazy sister now?"

"There is still hope," Mai went on. "I'm not sure what this secret weapon is, but I'm sure that she's working on it in the palace. There is a room underground that is kept under constant guard—"

"The plans must be in there," Katara assumed.

Sokka nodded, "Or the weapon itself."

"Well, how do you suggest we get into the palace and take it?" Zuko asked pointedly, giving her a look, "That is what you're suggesting, isn't it?"

Mai arched a brow at her childhood crush. "How long have you been away from home? Have you forgotten about the Fire Lord Festival?"

His eyes widened in realization. "When is it?"

"Next weekend."

"Already?"

She scoffed, "What, miss your home so much that you want to stay longer?"

Zuko scowled her way, and Katara broke between the bickering. "What exactly is this festival?"

"All you need to know is that the Fire Lord and his family are expected to attend," Mai answered, not taking her eyes off Zuko, whose own gaze was set on her as if competing in some unspoken challenged.

"So the palace will be the safest to breach," Sokka concluded, "But who to send…?"

It was Katara's I'll go that made Zuko break his eye contact.

"You can't go. You're not going," he said hastily, rounding onto the bender.

She lifted a defiant chin, "You're not my father."

"No, but I am, and I say you're not going," Sokka chimed in.

Mai shook her head in irritation. "Well, you have a week to figure out who's going. I'll check back when I find out something new," and without so much as a goodbye, she left the teashop with a swish of her cloak just as Daichi returned, sopping wet.

A pile of copper and silver pieces were carried in his arms, and he wore that goofy smile.

Zuko blanched, "You're not supposed to take the coins!"

I have sent the message.

Azula lowered the letter, golden eyes surveying the sky from where the messenger-hawk arrived, and set the paper aflame. It burned slowly, the orange blaze eating away the pale material, scorching through, burning dark brown until only ashes were left. She let the remains fall to the floor of her balcony and turned, striding through the drawn silk curtains, back into her room, calling a servant to clean up the mess.

"Ty Lee," the young princess barked, demanding her friend's attention.

The acrobat leapt up from the royal bed, wearing that ever-present smile of hers. "Yes, Azula?"

"You and Mai will not go to the Fire Lord Festival next week."

"What? Why not?" The cheerful girl pouted, face distraught in the order. The Fire Lord Festival was the largest celebration of the Fire Nation! A national holiday in itself. It was a traveling festival that took place in each of the four Provinces, The Capital, Gen Kou, Hee, and Hin Siu. – and at each festival the Fire Lord himself would appear and grace his subjects with his presence. It was a time for games and parties and lively costumes!

Azula's eyes were calm, cool, collected, and the edges of her perfectly colored lips tilted up into a sardonic little smile, "Because it would be rude not to have a Welcoming Committee for any guests that might stop by."

Chapter XI -- Blue Revival Excerpt

"Where'd you get that mask?" Katara demanded, widened eyes searching the crowd for her friends, for anyone, even for Zuko. But she only saw people, and damn the Hin Siu Province for being so much larger than Distrcit Nine! She was alone, trapped here with this boy donning a demonic mask, the very same mask Smellerbee tossed away, left behind at the warehouse.

Her counterpart refused to speak, however, only peering around the alley corner, watching people pass by. A sword was strapped to his back, and she couldn't make out what they looked like through the dark. But the fact that he was carrying weapons was enough to make her tense, and she took a step away from him, curling her fingers into her hand.

He glanced back at her silently, lifting a single finger to the mouth of his mask.

"Why won't you talk?" She whispered in turn, for some reason not feeling at all in danger despite the less-than-favorable circumstances.

Again, he didn't reply.

Katara frowned, resting a hand on her hip, "Who are you?"

The boy only shrugged a single careless shoulder, before answering with an amused and unexpected, "Your Prince Charming."