I am so sorry I haven't updated sooner. Accounting is taking a lot of my time up. But i'll try to update more. Thanks for all of your comments. They really helped me through my writers block. Thanks again. Enjoy the new Chapter.

Katara stared at the sea. It was calm today. Odd how it always was on the days most depressing to her. They'd docked in a town not far off Zuko's original course so they could drop her and resupply quickly. She stood on the deck of the ship, staring at the town. It was small and not much of anything, if what her eyes told her were to be believed. A few houses, a couple businesses, and tons of fish and sailing boats.

Iroh paused next to her and smiled softly. "I put some of my special tea blends in this bag for you," he said, putting a leather bag in her hand.

Katara took it with a grateful smile. "Thank you, Iroh," she said.

He nodded. "You know," he said, "my nephew may think he knows what he wants, but he still has a ways to go before he realizes that he has everything he truly needs to be happy. I think he needs you around, Katara."

She blushed and looked down. "I don't think so, Iroh," she said. "I'm just a nuisance to him."

Iroh raised an eyebrow and smiled knowingly. "That is not how I see it. One does not embrace the way you two did, unless there is a connection." Katara looked up at him with wide eyes, and blushed even more. He chuckled slightly, but then squeezed her hand. "Zuko is unsure of anything, Katara. He hides it very well, but I can see the indecision in his eyes whenever we talk about his old life. But you have brought something back. A conflict, a reaction. Whatever you may call it, it is something. Stay and help him find himself."

Katara stared at the old man for a moment longer, before shaking her head. "No, Iroh," She said. "I'm sorry, but I promised to leave once I was healed. Not obeying my promise would only discredit me. I would be of little help to him if I were proved unreliable. He does not trust me now, as I was a pirate."

Iroh nodded. "I understand what you are talking about. I do not like it, but I understand," he said. "I wish you the best of luck in whatever you do."

Katara nodded. She turned and started toward the ramp. Jet caught up to her from across the deck and said, "I'm suppose to give you this." He took a small pouch out and handed it to her.

She took it and felt the weight in her hand. "This can't be the money I was promised," she said. "There's too much here."

Jet smiled, flashing his teeth. "The crew got together and added a few extra coins. We like you. It's our way of saying thanks for everything you did for us."

Katara looked at the bag and then to Jet. She smiled and threw her arms around him in a hug. "I know you're not thrilled with my rejection, Jet," she said as she pulled back. "But I'm glad you're my friend."

He smiled. "It's better to be the second choice than none at all, if given the option. But keep me in mind if you ever get lonely." Katara laughed at his wink and started down the ramp.

With each step, she felt sadder and sadder. She was practically walking away from her mission and her feelings, but she knew she had to do this. Trust was the key to everything she had planned. If Zuko didn't trust her to fulfill a promise she'd made, he wouldn't trust her with anything else. Walking away was the best thing. Too bad it made her heart ache.

She'd become accustomed to the 'normality' of the ship, it's crew, and had almost figured out it's owner's mood swings. It was a nice change from her life as a pirate; raised by other pirates in a manner that would scare even the toughest priests. And it hurt to leave that behind, even temporarily.

Katara's feet hit the dirt on the dock, causing her to breath in a lungful of fish tainted air. She gagged for a moment at the taste before coughing. She cleared her throat and turned for a look at the ship. Some of the soldiers, who weren't loading new supplies, were waving. Iroh was smiling and Jet was waving both hands like an idiot. The Navigation crew was smiling, and Nuko was yelling out "Good luck!"

Katara laughed and returned the waves. "See you around!" she called back. Her eyes traveled the line of waving faces. It seemed strange and nice at the same time, that the faces belonged to fire nation soldiers. But she enjoyed the look on them.

Her eyes landed on a face she didn't expect to see at her farewell. Zuko stood at the end of the ship; out of the way of the others, but she could still see him watching her. Her smile brightened slightly and she raised her hand to her mouth. "Thanks for the fun, Boss!" she yelled loud enough for the entire crew to hear. Everyone stopped and stared at their prince.

His eyes flashed golden in anger, but Katara could see the small smile that threatened to show. She laughed and turned, walking down the dock. Each step she took, made her brain work faster on how to get back on the ship. Her mission wasn't over. Not by a long shot. Unfortunately, her mind was drawing a blank. No plans came to her, nothing jumped up to be noticed.

She groaned and continued to walk, not paying attention to where she was going. That didn't mean she wasn't aware of what was happening around her. To her right, a small boy was swiping a dried apple from a vender's booth. Said vender was showing a young lady his newest import of ribbons. They did look pretty, but Katara needed to save her money for now.

What she saw on her left, though, made her stop. She turned and stared, not believing her eyes. There, haggling with a fisherman, was Sokka. Aang stood off to the side, looking neutral at the scene before him. Katara just stared. The Avatar. Just standing there.

He looked around, scanning the booths along the dock. When his eyes landed on her, he did the most unexpected thing she could imagine. He smiled and waved her over. Katara was so stunned by this action, she just obeyed. She stood next to Aang while Sokka continued to argue with the fishmonger.

The Avatar smiled up at her. "You're the girl who kidnapped me. Katara, right?" he said as if it were perfectly normal to be conversing with a person like her.

"Yes," she said, unsure of what to really say.

"I'm Aang, as you know. Sokka's there," he pointed to the red faced boy. It looked kinda funny. Katara kept from giggling, though. Aang nodded, as if understanding her humor. Then, out of nowhere, he said, "It's amazing you don't know anything about your past."

Katara's mood dimmed a bit. Bring up her past, or lack there of, was a touchy subject with her. Where her fellow pirates could tell tales of their childhoods and their early mischievous pranks, she was lost in the dark. Unable to call up even the shadow of a memory. "If you're going to say he's my brother, you are sadly mistaken. I have no brother." she said sternly.

"How do you know?" the boy asked, looking up at her. "You can't remember your past. So how do you know if you have a brother or not?"

Katara sighed. "Because a brother means I have a family. People like me do not have family outside of our crew. It's painful for them, to know that we do bad things to people. I'd rather not inflict that kind of pain on someone who doesn't even know what my favorite color is."

Aang nodded. And it wasn't a 'I kinda know what you're going through' nod; it was a 'I understand more than you think' nod. Katara returned her attention to Sokka. His arm motions were a bit stiff. Probably from where she'd stabbed him. She leaned to the side a bit, whispering, "Why are you so nice to me, Aang? You should be angry or something."

"Why?" he asked, genuinely confused. "You were only doing what you were told to do. Can't be angry about that."

Katara stared at him for a moment in wonder. This boy was as zen as a monk could get, it seemed. Almost nothing bothered him. He was wise, but not stuck up. He was comforting, but fun loving. He was everything against the normal monk. Katara snorted at her thoughts. "You are one weird monk, Avatar," she said.

Aang only smiled. Sokka finished up his argument and turned. He froze in place as she saw Katara standing next to Aang. She could see the conflict in his eyes. His sister (as he saw her) was standing next to the boy she had tried to kidnap and who was also his friend.

"What are you doing here?" he asked low in his throat.

Katara didn't really have an answer, but one slipped out before she could stop it. "Can I catch a ride with you two?"