Disclaimer: ATLA is the property of Nickelodeon, VIACOM, Paramount, Mike, Bryan, and Night. No profit is made by me for this story.

Notes: This chapter was a long time in coming, mostly because figuring out what I wanted to do next was so hard. But then I thought about it some more, and I think I have a clearer idea of where things are going. Cross your fingers for me.

Thanks: To Arch-nsha for fresh art, and to all of you for your reviews! I'm sorry to make you wait!

Nothing is too high for the daring of mortals: we storm heaven itself in our folly. - Horace

In Katara's dream, Gran-Gran stood there watching. And Katara looked around at the tent but saw only white, wondered why the blizzard felt so warm and soft and not at all lethal, why the ache was in her bones and her head and why her body didn't shiver. "Gran-Gran…?"

Yes, Gran-Gran said. But then Gran-Gran seemed to split and now there were two of her and one opened Katara's slackened mouth and the other put something sweet inside. Eat this. You'll feel better.

"It's just that time," she tried to say. Her tongue slid over honey and dough and something bitter buried deep inside. Her eyes drifted shut.

Yes. It caught up with you, didn't it?

Katara nodded. "I thought it wasn't coming, but…" Her eyes fell closed.

You're young. Sleep now.

"Long ago, in the village of Jang Hui, there lived a woman of surpassing grace and kindness known for her skills as a healer-Are you waking up?"

Katara blinked her sticky eyes open. Her mouth tasted sweet. She had no idea why. The ache -- it was all over, from her head to her knees -- she recognized. Zuko had a scroll across his lap. She recognized the portrait of the woman across his left knee: "That's the Painted Lady."

"So it is," said Li or Lo. She shuffled to one side of the bed. Her sister appeared at the other side. "Zuko has been re-discovering Fire Nation lore."

A very distant, almost-fogged-in part of Katara's mind noted that they had dropped the word "prince" from his name. She nodded. Her throat hurt. "I'm-"

"-thirsty?" Li or Lo asked. One of the ancient women poured a cup of pink tea and handed it to Katara. "Drink your tea," one twin said. "It will replenish the blood in your body," said the other.

Katara frowned. "The blood…" A resonant pain twinged in her back. Heat rushed to her face. She had lost control of the bloodbending to keep her cycle at bay. And she had been asleep. And these women -- Fire Nation women, Azula's teachers, the enemy -- had been looking after her. Blood pounded in her face. "Oh." She quickly buried her face in her teacup. The brew was bitter and spicy at once, the flavors softened only by the addition what she guessed was honey and yuzu juice.

"Rest now," one of the old women said. "Princess Azula has work for you," said the other. "And you have kept her waiting for two days already," said the first. Together, the two old women drifted to a table near the door where a Pai Sho game sat abandoned. They gestured to a guard standing watch at the door. The woman stepped forward, bent down, listened to an order, and opened the door to say something.

"This is really weird," Katara murmured, satisfied the old ladies couldn't hear her. "Why aren't they hurting us?"

"We're being used." Zuko sighed and pushed himself back in his chair.

"Well, I'm tired of being used."

Zuko sent her a frown. He turned fractionally and lowered his voice. "We have to go along with it for now," he whispered. "At least until you're better."

"I've been resting for two whole days! I'm fine!"

"You're not fine. I know you. So stop acting like everything's okay when it's not." Before she could protest, he had clenched his fists on his knees and leaned forward. "I thought I really hurt you, that time. I thought you were done."

She pulled away and stared at her tea. "I tried to do too much, okay? It's not my fault they starved me and kept me locked up. And healing you took a lot out of me. And on top of fancy bending-"

"What fancy bending?"

Katara pursed her lips. She looked at Li and Lo. The two women each stared at the Pai Sho board -- Katara guessed they were plotting their next move. She sighed and lowered her voice still further. "I had to learn how to control my bloodbending. So I decided to practice on myself."

Zuko's good eye went dangerously wide. "You what?" The scroll fell from his lap. "Are you insane? That's-"

"Is something wrong, Zuko?" one of the old women asked, pitching her voice across the room.

"No," Katara said brightly. "I'd just like to use the bathroom, please."

Li or Lo signaled the guard. The other woman stepped forward, crossed to Katara, and Belatedly, Katara looked down at herself. They had even changed her clothes, how humiliating -- now she wore a sort of thin wraparound dress. And her necklace was gone. "My-"

"It's okay. I have it." Zuko reached into his shirt and pulled out the necklace. "I thought... I thought someone might take it."

"So you took it first?"

"I didn't steal it; I was just taking care of it-" Zuko's lips clamped shut. He sighed. "Just put it back on." He held out the pendant. "I took it when you fell. I caught you and it was right there, so…" He shrugged.

Katara nodded and took the pendant. "Thanks, I guess." She pushed her hair aside -- there was so much of it now -- and tried clasping the necklace. Her fingers didn't want to work. She blew at her bangs.

"Do you need help?"

"No, I just- There." She let her hair fall and turned around. The guard stood at the arch leading to the washroom. She jerked a thumb backward. Katara sighed and looked at Zuko. "Excuse me."

"Oh. Right." He backed away. She slid her feet out of bed and touched the floor carefully. She pushed herself to her feet and felt rather than saw Zuko's presence at her elbow.

"I'm not going to fall," she said. "I'm okay."

"They've been sedating you," he whispered. "Be careful."

She nodded, took one step forward, then another. Her head felt very empty, suddenly. Had she really not eaten for two days? She wanted to bathe and sleep. Taking a deep breath and blinking hard, she put one foot in front of the other and made it to the guard. "No bending," the guard said.

"I don't think that'll be a problem," Katara said, and just made it to the toilet before she heaved up whatever was left in her stomach of that foul tea. She moved slowly from toilet to sink, paused to swish out her mouth, then found new wrappings beside an assortment of odd little spherical sponges.

"They're for…you know," the guard said. Katara's face must have registered her horror, because the guard added: "Everyone uses them. They're sea sponges. They used to be alive."

"That's disgusting."

"Not as disgusting as wrapping a bunch of dirty rags around yourself," the guard said.

It was times like this that Katara really missed having a mom. Gritting her teeth, she grabbed a sponge and went behind a screen. When she emerged, she kept her chin in the air and made no eye contact with the guard. And she was glad of her stance, because it meant she had her shoulders back when she saw Azula.

"Oh, hello," Azula said. She stood with her hands clasped behind her back. "Li and Lo informed me that you were awake. That's good. You have work to do."

"She's not well," Zuko said.

"This part of the plan doesn't exactly entail a lot of hard labor," Azula said, rolling her eyes. She nodded at the bed. "Go on. Sit down. I'm feeling generous."

Katara stepped around her and climbed under the covers. "What do you want?"

Azula smiled. "I want you to write a letter to your friend the Avatar and tell him you're sorry and you were wrong and you want to come home."

"I didn't do anything. He didn't send me away. I left on my own."

"Oh, I believe that you left on your own," Azula said, pacing the length of the bed. "I even believe that you were a distraction to his larger plan. But I don't believe you told us everything." She broke step and her eyes narrowed. "You're here for another reason."

Katara froze. She knows! She figured it out! "We're trying to find Mom," Zuko said, before she could speak.

"And I wanted to help," Katara said. "I lost my own mom. I know how it feels-"

"Oh, spare me," Azula said. "You left the Avatar behind? When he needs you most?" She arched an eyebrow at Zuko. "Did you honestly wake up one morning and decide that an impromptu family reunion was more important than your newly-discovered hatred for your own country?"

Zuko's fingers had curled into fists. "I don't hate this country."

"No, you just hate everything it stands for -- everything our family has worked for generations to build and maintain." Azula turned on her heel. "You're only digging the hole deeper by lying, Zuko. Don't think for a second that I don't know the real reason you're here. As usual, you gave everything away the moment things got rough." She turned back to them and made her voice higher: "Oh please don't hurt her! It's me you want!" She laughed. "And that pitiful fight you staged at dinner -- did you honestly think I wouldn't see right through it?"

Katara's tenuous grip on her temper started slipping. "Why don't you quit all this hinting around and say it? Why do you think we're here?"

"Oh, that's easy," Azula said. "You broke the Avatar's heart."

For just the span of a breath, Katara's heart turned to a lump of ice inside her. Even crazy princesses with delusions of grandeur have to get it right, sometimes. "The two of you weren't looking for our mother," Azula continued. "You were too busy feathering that scandalous little lovenest in the Oyster District."

Katara's jaw fell open. "Lovenest?" She blinked. Okay, I take it back. She's not that smart.

"The Dai Li examined every detail of the Blue Sparrowkeet," Azula said. "And I was very interested to learn about your one room apartment."

Zuko was up and out of his chair. He had his fists up. In his blind spot, Li and Lo moved their arms. Katara saw the beginnings of flame. "You-"

"No!" Katara leaned over and grabbed for him awkwardly. She half-stumbled out of the bed. "It's okay!" She found herself bringing his arms down from behind. Katara peeked out from behind him and tried giving Azula a sheepish smile. What did Iroh say about letting Azula deceive herself? "You got us."

Zuko turned. "What?"

"She figured it out, Zuko," Katara said, staring into his eyes. "She knows we ran away." She swallowed. "You know, so we wouldn't be hurting Aang's feelings any more?"

He blinked. Embarrassed color came up his neck all the way to his hairline. "Oh. Yes. Right."

Katara faced Azula. "And we wanted to find your mom, so we could, um…"

"Get her blessing," Zuko said. He turned to Azula. Katara was distantly aware of his arm suddenly around her shoulders, tugging her to him. "I wanted Mom to meet her. That's all. Nothing else."

"We thought we could find her if we started asking around the capitol," Katara said. She was gripping the back of Zuko's shirt. She had a feeling she might crumple to the floor, otherwise. Where were all these lies coming from? They kept popping up like mushrooms. "And we did need money-"

"What, was stealing not good enough for you, any more?" Azula asked.

"Katara said it was wrong," Zuko said. "She's been…so good for me."

"I'm a reformer," Katara said.

"A reformer who blew up a munitions depot," Azula said.

"She was indulging me," Zuko said.

"Well, you did buy me dinner," Katara said, as sweetly as she could manage. "It was only fair."

Zuko was hugging her. "Isn't she the best?"

Azula looked at once disgusted and triumphant. "Well. It's nice to know that my powers of deduction haven't failed me. Now, if you can manage to pry yourselves off each other, get to work on a letter to the Avatar. And keep in mind that you're being watched."

"We don't even know where the others are," Katara said. "How could we send them a letter?"

"It will be posted in every Pai Sho parlor and seedy teahouse from here to Chameleon Bay," Azula said. "I'm sure Uncle will find it soon enough."

"Well, we'd better get to work," Zuko said. He moved and suddenly Katara was up off her feet and watching Azula from over Zuko's shoulder. "And you should have some lunch…Sweetness."

Katara resisted the urge to try kicking him. "Oh, Sparky," she gushed. She pasted on her biggest, fakest smile and stretched it so broadly it hurt. "You're always thinking of me."

"I can't help it," Zuko said.

"I can't help wondering what Mai will think," Azula said. Katara watched a smile slowly unfurling across Azula's face. "I'll have to tell her you've moved on."

Zuko's grip on Katara stiffened. He paused. "Please do," he said in a rough voice. "I have a letter to write."

Lunch interrupted their letter-writing, however. No sooner had Zuko gently deposited her back on the covers when more people arrived, bearing trays. Zuko made a big show of tucking her in and fluffing up her pillows -- he was good at staying in character -- before finally allowing her to eat. Katara uncovered her dish expecting yet another formal gastronomic horror, and was pleasantly surprised to find a stew overflowing with thick slices of seaweed and tiny, perfect dumplings. Sitting beside her bowl was another bowl of rice, and a little plate with a single bun shaped like a moon-peach on it.

"Eat that last," Zuko said.

"I know I should eat it last, it's dessert-"

"It's medicine," Zuko said. "It's what they've been feeding you to keep you asleep. So just put something else in your stomach first."

Katara stared at the innocent-looking bun. She carefully pushed it to one edge of her tray and began picking at her dumplings. "Thanks."

"It's okay." He chewed and swallowed. He stared into his bowl. "We have to stop fighting."

Katara nodded. She looked over at Li and Lo. The two women were slurping away at their soup. "You're right," she said quietly. "It won't be very believable-"

"No, I mean for real." His voice came out tight and terse. "We get stupid when we fight, and it has to stop." His eyes came up. "I don't want to hurt you."

"You didn't-"

"I don't even want to worry about maybe hurting you. Again. So we have to start… I don't know, doing something that's not fighting."

Katara chewed a piece of seaweed. "Well, there's always figuring out a way to free Longshot and Smellerbee…"

Zuko's chopsticks clattered into his bowl. "You can't be serious."

She leaned over to him but kept her voice down. "We might find the Mechanist! And it's our fault they're in prison!" She was about to remind him rather strenuously that they had a mission to finish, when she saw the way his hand clenched around the bowl and took a deep breath. "Okay. If you don't want to fight, we won't. But that doesn't change the fact that we have a job to do."

"That's right," Zuko said, putting his bowl aside and standing. He retrieved writing materials from the other bed where a guard had set them down. "We have a letter to write."

"Zuko-"

"Move."

"Excuse me?"

He placed the paper, ink stone, and brush on the bed, then picked her tray up and moved it to her right. Frowning, she followed it -- and promptly goggled when Zuko sat himself down on the other side of the bed and abruptly yanked the mosquito netting closed around them. Now they sat surrounded by a thin veil of netting, and the bed felt much, much smaller. "What do you think you're doing?"

"I'm writing a letter." He picked up his own tray, carefully placed his bowls on the floor, and pulled tray, paper, and writing materials over his lap. He smoothed the paper flat. He picked up a brush and tapped it against his teeth. "Hmmm…"

"Zuko, get off of this bed right now-"

"Sweetness," he said, blinking his mocking eyes wide, "you wound me."

She found herself leaning closer. "I will wound you if you don't do what I say-"

"No," Zuko said. He inclined his mouth near her ear. She tried to move but his arm had come up around her shoulders. "You're the one who told Azula that stupid lie and you're the one who's bringing Mai's wrath down on our heads." His breath tickled. "So you're going to get better, and you're going to help me with this letter, and we're going to get out of here before this whole thing blows up in our faces."

It was the necklace all over again. Katara was tempted to bend her soup into his lap and freeze it there. But instead, she murmured: "Did you act this way with your real girlfriend?"

"No," Zuko said, and he loosened his grip. "Things were…different."

"Well you'd better be twice as nice to me as you were to her," Katara said. "Got it?"

"Got it."

"Seriously. I mean it. I say tea, you say how hot?"

He gave her a rather wicked look. "Now I know why all the men in your village left." One corner of his mouth tugged up. "Or is that just the new moon talking?"

Her face flamed. Katara flopped over on her right side and faced the wall. Soup sloshed out of her bowl and onto the tray, but she didn't even bother bending it back in. "I'm taking a nap."

"You do that," Zuko said. "Have a nice rest. Darling."

"…I hate you."

For some reason, Zuko sighed. "Well, I don't hate you. And I wish you would not hate me, too."

Katara did sleep. She was tired, and her body still ached, and the sound of a wet brush drawn over parchment was strangely soothing. She was about to ask him what he was writing -- doubtless he had signed it "Zuko and Katara," not "Katara and Zuko," like he should have -- when her eyes dropped shut. When they opened again the light had changed and the soup things were gone and Zuko's voice was even tighter and more pained than before, and he was no longer on the bed.

"Mai, please, I didn't meant to hurt-"

"Well, you did. You left me a note. A note, Zuko. You couldn't even say the words to my face."

"I didn't know how-"

"Oh, but you had the courage to face your dad? After what he did to you?"

"That's different!" Zuko sat down. His weight made a dip in the mattress. Katara heard a deep sigh. "I had to face him. What he's doing to this country is wrong. The Avatar is the greatest hope this world has. And Aang's destiny is tied to mine -- it always has been."

"That's rich," she said roughly. "First you betray me, then your country, and now you've betrayed the Avatar. What's wrong with you, Zuko?"

"It's not betrayal," Zuko said. "I don't know how to make you see it, but-"

"I just hope she sees you for what you really are, someday," Mai said. "You're going to abandon her just like you abandoned me, the Fire Nation, and the Avatar."

Katara heard footsteps and a slamming door. She kept her eyes tightly shut. Zuko deserved his privacy. Maybe if she kept pretending to sleep, it would be okay. But naturally, because she was trying very hard to be quiet and still, and because some of Sokka's luck must have rubbed off on her, she inhaled a tiny, downy feather from a leak in her pillow, and sneezed. Loudly. She froze. Slowly slitting her eyes open, she exaggerated a yawn and rolled over. "Gosh, I just hate that," she said. "You know, when you sneeze yourself awake? It's so annoying."

Zuko's palm met his face. "You heard all that."

"Heard all what? I've been asleep this whole-"

"Oh, be quiet. You're just lucky she didn't pin you to the bed." Zuko pinked just then. "I mean, that she didn't, you know, shoot senbon at you."

"I knew what you meant the first time. And that girl couldn't wrestle me if she tried. I could take her without bending."

Zuko seemed bizarrely delighted by this thought. "Oh?"

"Come on, Zuko. She may be good at throwing things, but she didn't grow up with Sokka."

Zuko smiled somewhat dreamily. "I guess you could, you know, pull her hair…"

"How old do you think I am? Four? I'd punch her in her stupid Fire Nation face." Now it was Katara's turn to smile. She pitched her voice lower. "When this is all over, I'm so gonna take her down. Her and the circus freak both. We need a rematch."

Zuko turned. "You fought them?"

"Oh yeah. A bunch of times. I even froze Ty Lee in some mud!"

"That sounds…very dirty."

"No, it wasn't. One time Toph and I got into a mudfight and that was way worse. I was just covered in it. It was all in my hair and everything, and-"

"Let's look at the letter," Zuko said, sitting back and pulling the tray into his lap. On it was a sheet peppered with crabbed, messy script.

Katara squinted at it. "Wow. Your handwriting is terrible."

"I didn't have that much space to work in!"

"Well, it's not my fault you invited yourself into my-" Katara clapped a hand over her mouth. For what seemed the hundredth time that day, she felt blood pulsing in her face. She took a deep breath. "It's not my fault you colonized my space."

"Well, I'm from the Fire Nation. We colonize."

"Technically I don't think you're even part of the Fire Nation," Katara said, lifting her chin. "They did banish you. Twice. Well, you left. The point is your citizenship is probably revoked. Not that it's a big loss."

"Just look at the letter…"

Katara huffed and leaned over to look at the letter. Zuko seemed to freeze. The page read:

Dear Uncle,

I hope you are doing well. Katara and I are with Dad. Everything is fine, but we would like to come home. Could you pick us up?

Sincerely,

Zuko.

"Aww," Katara said. "That's really cute."

"It is not."

"No, it really is. And it won't work at all."

"No? Why not?" Zuko folded his arms.

Katara eyed Li and Lo. The old women were staring right back at her and a momentary burst of fear trickled through her veins. She forced a smile and turned back to Zuko. "First, how is Iroh supposed to know it's really from you? You have to add something that only he would know. Otherwise he'll just think it's a trap, which it probably is. As if you telling him where we are wouldn't tip him off already. Do you really think Azula will let you get away with a letter like this?" Zuko simply stared at her. She rolled her eyes. "Here, let me try." She grabbed the tray and brush, flipping Zuko's letter over and starting her own.

Dear Pops and Snoozles,

Sparky and I are okay, but we really miss you.

"Oh, I see," Zuko said. He twisted around to watch her better. He kept his voice low. "You have to tell them where we are."

"Hmm…"

For a while, we've been trying to find Sparky's mother. We worked at a teahouse, hoping to find clues. Then-

"No, wait, tell them more," Zuko said. He leaned in closer. "This is our chance to let them know about everything that happened."

"Right," Katara said. Maybe she could use the letter to tell them about the others -- Sokka wouldn't just let the last remaining Freedom Fighters rot in prison, not when he had to see the Duke's face every day at breakfast.

Then we met up with some old friends from Lake Laogai. We wished they could stay, but they got locked into a new job.

"We have to tell them about Azula, too-"

"I'm getting to that part!" She pursed her lips, then grinned. Toph would be very happy that her nicknames for Azula and her little girlfriends had come in so handy.

My temper is stretched about as far as it can go. Sparky is needling me as usual. It's driving me crazy.

Zuko's good eyebrow lifted. "How does that help?"

"Look at it again."

He frowned. "I don't needle you, and I don't drive you crazy, but…oh. Oh." Suddenly his arm was around her shoulders. "You're a genius," he said in her ear.

"One does one's best."

Zuko's arm didn't leave. "Now tell them about us."

"What?"

"They have to know," he said in her ear. "We've told a lot of lies so far and we have to update them on every single one."

Katara's stomach curdled at the thought of her dad and Sokka hearing what she'd told Azula. She didn't even want to imagine what Aang would say. She was suddenly very conscious of how it all must look to Li and Lo: a boy and girl stretched out beside each other, whispering and smiling. She had the sudden urge to crawl under the covers. "Um…"

Zuko grabbed the brush and wrote: However, he makes up for it by buying me dinner and keeping me safe from other boys. He can be a little jealous, sometimes.

"I'll bet you are the jealous type," Katara said quietly.

"You have no idea."

Zuko continued writing. I know we set out to look for Sparky's mother, but we haven't found her, yet, and we're worried about how Twinkletoes is doing. We never meant to hurt his feelings. Can you meet us?

"Give him a specific date and time," Katara said. "Maybe a week from now? That gives him time to get the message." She lowered her voice still further. "And it gives us time to do our thing."

"A week? That's not long enough."

"Then I guess we'd better start tonight."

"Absolutely not. You're not well. You've lost a lot of…strength." His mouth made a funny line and he looked over her shoulder.

Katara decided to ignore her blush, this time. If she couldn't even handle a little embarrassment, then she couldn't possibly hope to succeed at this mission. Besides, if Zuko insisted on making everything his business, then he would just have to put up with every nasty detail she felt like sharing. "Hey. Zuko. I'm okay." She held up a finger. "Better this than the alternative."

"Right…" His good ear had pinked significantly.

Her eyebrows lifted and she held up her hands. "Not that I'm that kind of girl! And saving the world hasn't exactly left a lot of time for that kind of thing! Or anything else, for that matter!"

Zuko's embarrassment turned to suspicion. "You're joking."

"Well, some of us don't exactly have big palaces where we can spend all day with our girlfriends. Boyfriends. Whatever." She crossed her arms.

"…So, you've never even-"

"No, okay? Can we stop talking about it?" She hugged her knees. "This is so humiliating," she muttered. "My first boyfriend isn't even real."

Zuko was suddenly a very warm presence at her side. "I just thought, with the way Haru looks at you-"

"Haru doesn't look at me."

Zuko pinched the bridge of his nose. "Okay. Fine. If you say so. But Jet-"

"Jet was just trying to worm his way into my heart by sucking up to me, so I would let him get away with his stupid Freedom Fighter plans. And it almost worked. I was such a fool..."

On her shoulder, his fingers sort of twitched. "You can't be more of a fool than me."

"Well, that's true."

"I'll try to be good," Zuko said. "At being your, um, you know."

"My-"

"Yeah." He cleared his throat. "I'll try my best."

"Thanks." She looked at her toes. "Me too." She wiggled them. "I'm sorry I got Mai mad at you."

He nodded. "Thanks."

"I can see why you like her. She's really your type."

"I have a type?" Zuko sounded faintly alarmed.

"Sure. I mean, she's tall and gloomy and talented, and you're tall and gloomy and talented. Just at different stuff." Katara grinned. "I'll bet the two of you even take the same shoe size!"

"…Very funny."

"Just think! The two of you could share a whole closet!"

"Says the girl who stole my cloak!"

"You stole my necklace! Twice!"

Zuko's face met his palm. He leaned over and wrote on the letter: We will be at a teahouse called the Blue Sparrowkeet one week from today, waiting for you.

"Love, Sweetness and Sparky," Katara said.

"The letter's from you. Only you should sign."

"No, it's supposed to be from both of us. We say 'we' all the way through."

"I don't sign my letters love."

"Well, I do." Katara snatched the brush away and quickly wrote the closing. She laid the brush down on its stone. She waved at the guard. "Um, hello? We're done now." The guard retrieved the letter. After a short conversation with Li and Lo, she left. Katara sighed. "So. What now?"

Zuko seemed equally as perplexed. He looked around the room. Li and Lo were deeply engrossed in their Pai Sho game. "Um…" His gaze fell to the floor.

Katara looked at the scroll that had fallen earlier. "You wanted to learn more about the Painted Lady?"

As though suddenly remembering that it had fallen, Zuko leaned down and picked it up. He rolled it back up. "Right."

"Can I see?"

"Um, sure." He handed it to her, then settled back stiffly against the pillows. Katara unrolled the scroll. She frowned. "These characters don't make any sense."

"Oh," Zuko said, blinking. "It's classical script. It's what all official Fire Nation documents are in. Before the islands unified, they all wrote things differently. Then they had to decide on a single script. They just chose the most formal one. I had to learn it."

"But Fire Nation wanted posters don't look like this."

"No. We only use this kind of script for deeds of trust and marriage records, or old official histories."

"…So your people can't even read the piece of paper that says they own their own land?"

Zuko's good ear colored faintly. "…I guess not."

Katara scowled at him and made her voice a whisper. "If you ever get to be Fire Lord, there had better be some serious changes around here." Huffing, she turned again to the scroll. She could pick out the odd word here or there -- some of them were still common -- but the order seemed all mixed up. "Did your people really talk like this back then?"

"I don't know!"

She frowned at the scroll. "What's this word?"

"Alms. It means charity."

"I know what it means, Zuko." She jabbed a finger elsewhere on the scroll. "What about that one?"

"Ill-humored," he said.

She narrowed her eyes at him. "Was that a joke?"

He sighed air through his teeth. "No." Katara turned her attention to the scroll. The calligraphy was too fancy -- all flourishes that made her eyes hurt. She found herself reading only for the pictures: the Painted Lady, then a beautiful woman who was clearly the Painted Lady in her human form, a house on the river, a rather sour-looking man.

"I could read it to you," Zuko said. "If you want."

"You want to read me a story?"

He threw his hands in the air. "Forget it."

"I'm not a little girl, you know. I can read by myself."

"Not when you don't know the characters!"

"I have the pictures," Katara said loftily. "I can make up my own story." She unrolled the scroll further. "That's the Painted Lady, and there she is at home, and that's her husband, and he's clearly not as charitable as she is."

"Oh? How can you tell?"

"He has a mustache. That's never good."

"Haru has a mustache."

"You know what I mean." She pointed. "There's the Painted Lady healing people, and when she comes home her husband gets all mad about it because she's stealing all their food and medicine to give away to other people."

"…Maybe he's just worried about her going outside alone."

"Maybe he's a moron." Katara raised her chin and looked further along the scroll. "See? He tried reporting her to his family! He ran home to his mom. What a wuss."

Zuko said nothing, only peered at the scroll. "Well? Are you going to finish it?"

Katara unwrapped more of the scroll. She pointed to a picture of a disagreement between the Painted Lady and her husband. The Painted Lady pointed out the door. "That's her showing him who's boss." Her finger ran over dry parchment and old ink. "And look, the whole town is coming to help!" She unrolled until almost the end. "There! They ran him out. That'll teach him." She folded her arms. "So? Did I get it right?"

Zuko began rolling the scroll back up. "Yes."

"I knew it!" She wiggled her toes. "What's next?"

"Um… There's one about the first Agni Kai."

"The first what, now?"

"It's a kind of duel," Zuko said. "It's how we settle arguments, sometimes."

Katara's eyebrows rose. "Like when we came here in the first place?"

"Kind of. But with firebending. And no other weapons. And a gong."

"There's a gong?"

"And special armbands."

"Do you also wear makeup?"

"No! We don't even wear shirts!"

"Oh, so you've been in one?"

He blinked. "Two," he said. "I've been in two." He reached over to a pile of scrolls sitting on a small table between the bed and the chair and retrieved one. He began unrolling it. It was difficult with one hand; Katara helped pull it taut. The pictures showed to men in a rough clearing surrounded by greenery. Fire burst from their fists and feet. Their clothes were a little strange, just pants and no shoes. And off in one corner, hidden behind a tree, was a woman watching them.

"Who's that?"

"That's, uh, the girl they're both fighting over."

"Ooh, the plot thickens."

Zuko smiled. "There are a lot of different versions of the legend," he said. "Every island says they started the tradition. But most of them say it began with a love triangle."

Katara leaned over him. "Let's see how special this girl really was." She began pushing at the scroll.

"We should start at the beginning," Zuko said. He sounded uncomfortable. Katara wondered if her hair itched him -- it was sort of all in his face.

She pulled away. "Okay. Sorry. You read it."

Zuko spread the scroll over both their laps. He cleared his throat. "Long ago, before the islands became a nation, two men from the big island fell in love with the same woman. Their names were Agni and Kai, and the woman they loved was named Kuma."

Katara knew that name from somewhere. At the moment, though, she couldn't quite remember where, and Zuko was still talking: "Kuma was gentle and beautiful and strong. She was useful to her whole family, and a powerful bender. No matter what Agni or Kai did to impress her, she could do it twice as well. This was the source of their love for her, but also the source of their frustration. They tried and tried to find a way to make her notice them above all others. They climbed volcanoes. They dived for pearls. They fished for mighty leopard-sharks and even quested for dragons. But Kuma was not to be easily swayed, and she told Agni and Kai that despite their feats of prowess, she favored them both equally.

"I have no need for sharkskin leather or dragon-scales or pearls," she said. "Why should my husband climb a volcano to shout his love for me, when he could simply tell me himself?"

"Oh, I get it," Katara said. "She just wanted someone to stay at home and help."

"I guess so," Zuko said. "Maybe they were both good choices."

"If that's what you like," Katara said. "Then what happened?"

Zuko cleared his throat and continued reading: "Despairing, Agni and Kai found the Old Man who lived far outside the village, and asked him for help. 'How can we prove ourselves worthy?' they asked. The Old Man answered: 'You cannot. One of you must leave this island to seek his fortune, while the other stays behind to claim the girl.'"

Katara sputtered. "Is that your uncle's voice?"

"…Maybe." Zuko seemed to shrink inside his collar. "I know I'm no good at impressions…"

"You're terrible. But that's what makes it funny."

Rolling his eyes, Zuko continued. "But neither Agni nor Kai would leave. 'Why should we abandon our home?' they demanded. 'Each of us was born here. Each of us will die here.'

"'So be it,' said the Old Man, but they did not know what he meant. Then the Old Man pushed them from his house, saying that the hour was late. Agni and Kai began the journey to their village, grumbling all the way.

"'It is your fault,' each said to the other. 'You are too selfish to admit that I am the better suitor, and that you should leave the island.'

"Their voices grew louder and louder. Kai shoved Agni off the road. Agni sat up and bent fire at Kai. They began fighting. In bending, as in their love for the girl, they were equally matched. Their fury made them strong. Smoke rose from the forest where they battled. Seeing the smoke, Kuma fetched water and ran for the forest. There she found her two suitors locked in combat. Their hands glowed with fire and they gripped one another by the arms. As she watched, she saw the fire burn their flesh black in thick rings. Finally, howling in pain, they let one another go. As one, they bent fire at each other. So distracted were they by their battle that they failed to see Kuma running to stop them. The girl caught both blasts of fire, and fell.

"'What have we done?' Kai asked Agni. 'We have destroyed that which was most precious to us,' Agni answered.

"Agni and Kai wept for their beloved Kuma. They wailed and tore their hair and streaked the ashes of their own bending across their faces. And the spirits -- who were more merciful then than they are now -- sent the Great Red Dragon, and he said in his great voice: 'WE SHARED OUR FIRE WITH YOU HUMANS THAT YOU MIGHT WARM YOURSELVES, NOT DESTROY THE BEST AMONG YOU. NOW WHEN YOU BEND FIRE AGAINST YOUR FELLOW MAN, YOU SHALL WEAR THE MARK OF YOUR SHAME AND FOLLY.'

"Agni and Kai were terrified, and they pressed their faces to the earth in reverence and shame. And the Great Red Dragon of the Eastern Sky, who had given the first people the breath of life and flame, blew his healing fire over the body of Kuma. Her ruined body stretched and glittered with new life. It turned blue. 'NOW YOU ARE THE GREAT BLUE DRAGON OF THE NORTHERN SKY,' he said. 'YOUR SACRIFICE WAS WORTHY -- NOW YOU MAY JOIN THE SPIRITS AND FLY AMONG THE STARS.'

"So two dragons flew away from the forest, one to the East and the rising sun, and the other to the North, where she still dances on the endless nights, bringing light and fire to those who have none. And Agni and Kai's scars never healed. When both men died the wounds were still just as black as they had been the day that they squandered their gift. And to this day, we wear the bands about our arms in battle to remind us of their foolishness."

"The end," Zuko said.

Katara blinked. "But…what happened after? What about Agni and Kai? Did they ever find happiness?"

"I don't know. I doubt it."

"And what about Kuma? Couldn't they have just asked her what she wanted in a suitor?"

"They were stupid. That's kind of the whole point."

"And what about the Painted Lady? Did she ever find somebody new?"

"Um…no." Zuko rubbed the back of his neck with his other hand. "Actually, her husband kind of came back and took his revenge. He drowned her in the river."

Katara's jaw dropped. "That's awful! Don't any Fire Nation legends have happy endings?"

"…Not really."

"It's no wonder this country is so messed up." She crossed her arms.

"I never really thought of that…"

"You don't think of very much, do you?"

"You can say that again!"

The guard had returned, and behind her stood Ty Lee -- on her hands. Balanced on each flexed foot was a steaming cup of tea. The girl walked forward carefully on her palms. "Um, Zuko, I kind of need help-"

Zuko retrieved the teacups. Ty Lee did an elegant fold of her legs over her head, then her head popped back up and she was standing, good as new. She tossed her braid. "I haven't served tea with my feet in a while, but I knew I could do it!"

"What are you doing here?" Zuko asked.

"I came to see what all the fuss was about," Ty Lee said. She did a sudden series of backflips toward the door, disappeared, then re-appeared with a little cart covered in bamboo steamer trays and teapots. "Also I was really, really bored, so I ordered some tea."

Katara sat up. She was suddenly very conscious of Zuko's arm around her. If anything, it had gotten tighter. "You were bored?"

"Can't you see we're busy?" Zuko asked.

Ty Lee pouted. "But I brought you tea and goodies," she said, jutting her lower lip out. "Azula's in some big meeting and Mai is crying -- which is your fault, Zuko -- and throwing things at the door when I knock on it." She winced. "So, here I am!"

Zuko sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. "Ty Lee, we're very tired. Katara isn't feeling well-"

"Oh, yeah, I heard!" Ty Lee pursed her lips and gave a sympathetic rub of her tummy. "That's so embarrassing. And right when you were in the middle of impressing the Fire Lord, too!"

Katara frowned. "Impressing the Fire Lord?"

"He really liked your bending! Azula said so."

"Well, I didn't do it to impress him. I don't care what he thinks."

Ty Lee's mouth made a tiny "o" of surprise. "Well, you're really lucky he liked it," she said. "Otherwise you would be in big trouble. You broke all his dishes! Those were antiques!"

"Well, boo-hoo-hoo," Katara said. "I don't care how old those dishes were. They were ugly and the food was terrible." She stuck her nose in the air.

"I wish I could bend, sometimes," Ty Lee said. "Well, I mean, I wish I could bend an element. I can bend myself pretty easily."

Zuko's palm connected with his face. "Let's just have some tea…"

"Oh right!" Suddenly Ty Lee was flitting around the room, serving them tea and arranging tiny treats on tiny plates. She handed Katara a plate full of steamed spider-crab dumplings and deep-fried penta-pus legs before folding herself -- literally -- into a chair and sipping her tea.

"So," Ty Lee said, "how did you two meet?"

Zuko choked on his dumpling. Tea sloshed out of his cup. Before he could do any further damage, Katara sat up and said: "Well, he came to my village looking for the Avatar."

"Ooh," Ty Lee said. "Was it love at first sight?"

Oh, Mom, Yue, anybody who's listening, please help me right now. "Um… Well, he had his armor on, so I couldn't see much of his face! Plus, he was sort of poking my brother with a stick."

"That wasn't very nice, Zuko," Ty Lee said.

Zuko nodded mutely. "But then he just kept hunting Aang, so we saw a lot more of him," Katara said.

Ty Lee got a very wicked look. "Was he hunting the Avatar, or hunting you?"

Katara's ears began to burn. "He was after Aang!"

"Mostly," Zuko said. "I, um, also had to give you back your necklace, that one time."

"You mean the time you tied me to a tree, or the time you sent a bounty hunter after me?"

"Wow, Zuko, you were trying really hard," Ty Lee said. "In a really creepy way, of course, but still. I wish a prince would send a bounty hunter after me." She sighed, then brightened and looked at Katara. "Hey, your brother is kind of a prince, right? He's the son of a chief!"

Zuko hung his head. "Can't you girls have your girl-talk somewhere else?"

Ty Lee clapped her hands. "That's a great idea! We'll go get our hair brushed!" She swiveled in her chair to look at Li and Lo. She pressed her hands together in a pleading posture. "It's okay if the prisoner and I go get our hair brushed, right? I won't let her escape, I promise!"

"It will be on your head if she does," one of the old women said. "So see that she doesn't," said the other.

Zuko leaned forward. "I didn't really mean-"

"No, I've been cooped up for too long," Katara said. She decided to take advantage of the situation, and turned to Zuko. "I think it will be good for me to learn my way around, don't you?"

He blinked. "Oh. Yes. That is a good idea."

"Besides, my hair really could use a good brushing."

"And a good washing," Ty Lee said. "Come on, let's go!"

Katara had begun to smell a set-up. She first suspected it when, at the door, Ty Lee gave her a sheepish smile and quickly jabbed her once in each shoulder, effectively disabling her arms. "Sorry," she said. "We can't have you bending, can we?" Katara took one glance over her shoulder at Zuko -- his obvious mortification did nothing to help her confidence -- before Ty Lee yanked her from the room and continued walking, prattling all the way about how busy Azula had been lately and how much better Katara looked in her Fire Nation clothes.

"Most of the time I just live at Mai's house, across the plaza," Ty Lee said, briefly walking on her hands. "But being Azula's friend does have its perks!"

Arms hanging limp at her sides, Katara could only nod. She did her best to memorize the path she and Ty Lee took from the infirmary. The other girl was leading her deeper and deeper into what appeared to be the royal apartments -- did Azula and Ozai sleep behind one of these doors? Where would they keep their secret battle plans?

"Here we are," Ty Lee said. The doors slid aside to reveal an immense black pool fed by fish-shaped fountains. A seat was carved into the pool's rim. The women waiting there, who had clearly been slacking off and chatting, immediately stood up and saluted.

"Miss Ty Lee," one said. "We were not expecting you."

"That's okay," she said. "We're here to get our hair brushed. And the prisoner needs her hair washed, too." Ty Lee wrinkled her nose. "Actually, I think a real bath is in order."

"Miss Ty Lee, the waterbender-"

"Oh, she won't bend!" Ty Lee turned to Katara. "Will you, Katara? We would all be in really big trouble if you did. And you'd probably get taken away, so you wouldn't be able to see Zuko, any more!"

"Ty Lee, I can't even move my arms," Katara said. "How could I possibly bend the water?"

"Oh! Right! I forgot. Oops." Ty Lee rolled her eyes. "Wow. I've really got to start writing things down." She pointed at the pool. "Well, we'd better get you cleaned up before your arms come back!"

Katara had thought that being scrubbed clean by a pair of servants was humiliating. She was wrong -- having her hair painstakingly combed and washed while Ty Lee asked inane questions about her relationship with Zuko was worse. The other girl's mind made leaps of logic just as improbable as her acrobatics: Ty Lee now had a whole theory going about Zuko and her necklace and how he had secretly always liked her, since the day he had first set eyes on her in her village.

"I mean, he probably hadn't seen a girl in forever, and he didn't know that Mai still liked him," she said, as a servant diligently filed away at a callus on her heel. "It's no wonder that he tied you to a tree! He probably wanted you all to himself!" Ty Lee sighed dreamily. "I bet he wanted to take you away on his ship so you could sail off into the sunset…"

"Um, I suppose that's possible…"

"So when did you know you liked him back?" Ty Lee asked.

Katara's face went hot. The women combing her hair tittered. "Um…" She licked her lips. "Um… It's hard to tell… I guess it happened sort of gradually, so I didn't really notice…"

"Did he tell you he liked you first, or was it the other way around?"

Why had she wasted all that time listening to Fire Nation folklore? She could have been plotting out her lie! Frantically, Katara tried to think up something reasonable: "Um, it just sort of came out."

"Is he as good a kisser as Mai says?"

Above her, the women had to suppress their snickers. Katara's ears burned. "Um, yes."

"Because Mai said she could feel it in her toes," Ty Lee said. "They used to be alone together all the time. She said he would get really, really intense, and-"

"Ty Lee!" Katara noticed her hands making fists. She hated how shrill her voice had grown. "I don't think your friend would like you sharing all her secrets, do you?"

"Oh, right. I guess not." Ty Lee pitched her voice at the servants. "Why don't we give the prisoner's hair a trim, huh? She's really got a lot of split ends. And then add some, um, what's the word, levels…"

"Layers?"

"That's right! Layers! It will make her hair all pretty and foofy."

"Foofy?" Katara asked.

"Yeah, it'll make the curls come out," Ty Lee said. "And then we can do a rock sugar exfoliation!"

"Um, that sounds painful," Katara said. "And I'm already kind of aching all over."

Ty Lee cracked her knuckles. "Sounds like somebody needs a chi massage."

Ty Lee's plans for Katara took an absurd amount of time. Between the charcoal masks and the scrubs and the haircut and the massage -- Ty Lee insisted that walking on Katara's back would help her cramps, somehow -- Katara learned all about Ty Lee: how she had a whole pack of sisters who looked exactly like her, how Azula had "called" her into service, how she really liked animals and had even tried to be a vegetarian a few times, how she was surprised Azula didn't have a boyfriend yet. "She's so pretty," Ty Lee said. "And talented! And powerful! I guess boys just find her intimidating."

"Intimidating," Katara had said. "That must be it."

She had never been so grateful to get back to a sickroom. When she returned, the lamps were low and Li and Lo were snoring in their chairs. They were loud, wet, old lady snores. Katara winced. She doubted she would be getting much sleep. Tiptoeing toward her bed, she reached quietly to part the mosquito netting-

-and felt her wrist pulled back and up, pinned between her back and Zuko's front. "Oh," he said, "it's you."

"Let me go!"

"I thought you were Azula," he whispered. His grip slackened just a little.

"How could I possibly be Azula? We look completely different!" She stiffened. "Are you…Are you sniffing me?"

"You smell different." He was sniffing her. "Why do you smell different?"

"I had a bath," Katara said. "Ty Lee said I needed one. And then she had them scrub me with sugar-"

"Ty Lee covered you in sugar?" His voice was in her ear.

"Sugar and almond oil," Katara said, wondering why her voice had gotten so small. "And honey, I think."

"…Oh."

"She said it was good for the skin." She swallowed. "And then she said I needed a chi massage, of all things, and I was really scared because she's hurt me before-"

"Did she hurt you, this time?" Zuko's grip went tight. He turned her around to face him. He wove on his feet. Sweat made his hair stick to his temples. Heat came off him in waves. Even his fingers seemed hot on her arms.

"No," Katara said. "It was really confusing. She was actually nice. She knew how to make my back feel better." Katara frowned. "Are you doing okay?"

"I'm fine," Zuko said, licking his lips.

"Because you look a little weird."

"I'm not weird. I'm normal. See?" He stepped back and promptly slipped, landed hard on his tailbone with his head against the opposite bed. "They may have poisoned my tea."

Panic spread through Katara's veins. She knelt down beside him. "What?"

"I think they set us up," he whispered, nodding over at Li and Lo. "They kept asking me about you."

"Ty Lee was asking me about you!"

He nodded. "Azula must have told them to ask."

"So they could check our stories against each other," Katara said, hanging her head.

"I'm sorry, Katara," he said. "I told them…"

Her stomach flipped over. "What did you tell them, Zuko?"

"I drank the tea and everything got really hot…" He looked at his lap. "I told them what you said to me when I joined your group…"

Katara bit her lip. "I'm sorry…" She tried catching his eye. "I was really angry and I said really mean things to you, and it was wrong-"

"You made me sweat-"

"I'm sorry-"

"I told them about the tree, and how you struggled and how you never gave up, no matter what I did-"

"Zuko, calm down, you're breathing too fast-"

"And the oasis, you were amazing at the oasis; I was so angry at you because you were just as good as me and I just wanted to defeat you, that time, I wanted to scare you, what's wrong with me-"

"I was scared; I was really scared you would hurt Aang-"

"Hurt Aang?" Zuko almost laughed. "I carried Aang on my back, like Toph. I made a fire and kept him warm." He sighed. "I'm sorry about your head."

"Huh?"

"Your head. And your wrists. All the places I hurt you, before. I'm sorry. I didn't mean to."

Katara pursed her lips. "Well, it's not like you ever burned me-"

"I wouldn't burn you. Ever." He reached up and tucked hair behind her left ear. "I told them about the cave. How you touched my face. And your thumb."

"My…thumb?"

"It was right over my mouth. Just like this." And his hand was in her hair and his thumb was over her lips, keeping them sealed shut. "They asked me why I hadn't tried escaping and I said I'd promised to take care of you."

Katara gulped. She moved her face to get rid of his thumb and it landed near the corner of her mouth; his hand kept playing with her hair. "Did they ask you why you were really here?"

He nodded, tracing her ear now. His eyes seemed glassy, unfocused. She wondered what was in that tea. "I said Aang had always suspected us. I told them how he looked at me under Ba Sing Se."

"How did he look at you?"

"Like he'd caught me with my fingers in his custard tart."

Her face heated. "…Really?"

"Really." Zuko swallowed. His hand fell down to her necklace, played with the pendant. "You're younger than me, aren't you? A lot younger."

"I don't know…I'll be fifteen in the fall."

"Fifteen." He swallowed again. "Right."

"It's not that young. That's usually when we get betrothed."

Zuko shut his eyes tight. "Of course."

The saliva seemed to have evaporated from her throat. She felt the urge to chatter and had no idea why. "This was my grandmother's betrothal necklace. Master Pakku carved it for her."

His eyes opened. "I wrapped it in silk." His gaze seemed pinned to her neck. His fingers traced the ribbon. "I couldn't lose it. The scent, I mean."

"Do I really smell all that different?"

"Yes." He was touching her hair again. "And your hair is different. And your clothes. Everything. Only this is the same." His fingers returned to the necklace.

"You're different, too," Katara said. "You've really changed."

"I'm bad at being good," he said. "You should know."

She was uncertain whether he was reminding her that she of all people should know this was true, or whether he was warning her about something. "I do know," she said. She tried smiling. "I'm a fast learner."

"Yes," he said. "You've grown." He swallowed. "Your abilities. You're a lot stronger, now, than you were back then. That night."

It took her a moment to understand. "That was my first water whip. It was so clumsy…"

"Everyone's clumsy the first time." Zuko shut his eyes again, suddenly. He spoke with them closed. "We should be in bed, now."

"You're right, we should."

Neither of them moved. She bit her lip. "Do you need help standing?"

"…Maybe."

She stood and lowered her hand, but he came up with the slightest tug and he was looming over her, suddenly, rocking on his toes a little unsteadily, and she was gripping his shirt. And her mind chose this moment to remember what Ty Lee had said. Something about intensity. And kissing. And him. "I meant separately," he said.

He's drugged. He's drugged. He doesn't know what he's saying. "I know what you meant."

"I'll be right over there."

"I know." Katara blinked. "You should take off your-"

"Right." He stepped back and his hands were fussing at his belt, picking at the knot, slipping. "I'm dizzy."

"You should lie down."

"It's too hot…" He pulling at his clothes, tugging the tunic down, rolling it down one shoulder . Then the other. Now he was in his undershirt, half-peeled like an onion. He pulled at the fold in his undershirt but didn't undo it completely, just kept yanking until it was halfway off, covering his face, and he was stuck. "I'm stuck."

Katara blew air at her bangs, and helped him the rest of the way. Her fingers trailed down warm arms. He emerged from the cloth with messy hair, swallowing. This close she could see the way he needed a shave, the shadows on the collarbone. And she could see what she'd fixed: the ribs, his face. "Does it still hurt?"

"No."

"Well…that's good." She pulled her eyes away. "Well. Goodnight."

"Goodnight."

She parted the netting at her bed, turned. "You should take your boots off. That's what I was going to say. That you should take your boots off."

He nodded. "Right. My boots. I'll do that."

She nodded, then sat. She had kicked off her slippers pulled the curtains and rolled over when she felt the slightest pressure at his scalp. How does he do that? How does he move without me hearing him? "You take this out," Zuko said, pulling the little hairpin free. "You take this out for sleeping." He was opening her hand with his fingers, putting the pin there for her to hold, folding her hand closed again.

"Thank you."

"And welcome. You're welcome, I mean. But welcome. To the palace. I didn't tell you, before."

"Thanks." She wormed under the covers, wondered why she couldn't say this to his face. "Mai was wrong, today. What she said about you was wrong."

He was pulling the sheet over her. "Thank you."

"I do see you for what you are. I've seen everything. I know all the bad things, already."

For just a second, he ran a finger over her exposed left ear. "Not all of them." He moved away. "Goodnight."

"…Goodnight."

And she heard him undoing his boots and sliding them off, heard the rustle of his sheets, heard his breathing slowly change after he rolled from side to side finding the right spot, and just as her eyes drifted closed she remembered where she had heard the name Kuma before.