Katara PoV

The waves crashed on the rocks around me as I waded in the ocean water. Though our little group were no longer fugitives with wanted posters and angry jerks trying to kill us around every corner, I still watched the Avatar, the Firelord, and the rest of my friends closely, almost as if a new threat were to fabricate out of the surf and attempt to take our lives right there. Old habits die hard, right? I would never get over my protective instincts toward all of my friends. That might have been part of why it was so easy for me to notice when something heavy was resting on one of their soldiers as I did then with Zuko. I walked over to where he sat on one of the jagged rocks, hoping to comfort him. It was a bit refreshing to see him without someone else by his side, like Mai or Ty Lee, or even his mother, though I had become exceedingly fond of her in the time I've gotten to know her. It just seemed to me that Zuko was so…at home here that he never really had the chance to talk to any of us. I was starting to feel like we were unwelcome and should be leaving soon, and I expected to do so. But for the time being, I was going to make the best of my time here with my friend, the Firelord.

I sat on a rock near him and he looked at me, a faraway look in his eyes, like he'd been seriously thinking about, well, everything.

"Hey," I started, "…is everything okay?" He turned toward me before looking back off into the horizon again.

"Yeah," he shrugged, "it's just…weird. To be here, I mean. And" he sighed, "yeah, I'm fine. It's nothing."

I didn't press it, but I didn't really believe him. Of course it was weird. I knew it must have been hard for him to be at this place with his mom's sudden reappearance and all that had happened with his family recently, but I wondered what the major issue was with him. There was some big point I was missing. I sighed, figuring it probably wasn't my business anyway. Who was I to care? Who was I to be confided in?

We sat without speaking for a while, listening to the soothing tumbles of the waves, the cawing of the seabirds, the gang swimming and sun tanning.

"It's me, I don't know what to think…er feel, about it all." Zuko said suddenly, startling me with his unannounced statement. "My father, I don't think I want him to make it. He needs to die and I don't understand why she doesn't get that."

Zuko looked at me then, pleading in his eyes, he was being torn apart by his need for answers. " Am I…bad for seeing it that way? I don't know who's wrong. Him, or me, or her… I feel like I'm wrong for feeling the way I do, but at the same time I don't want to change my mind. I just don't know." I nodded.

Ozai PoV

I had been pulled through another tunnel of cosmic energy, back to view another memory. I wondered vaguely what the point of all this was and I was curious to see what memories I had yet to see. Suddenly the three of us came to a halt at another point in time. This time we were inside the Fire Nation Palace in a room I recognized as my bedroom. Ursa and I were standing near the foot of the perfectly made up bed and I could feel the heat of our words clouding the air before I heard a word of what we were saying. We both spoke in harsh, controlled whispers, giving the impression that if we were heard our conversation would cost our lives.

"Ozai, it's the only way. I will not stand for the alternative." I saw myself glaring down at my defiant wife, a look of deadly determination plastered on her countenance. Even in my anger, I knew how difficult she was to cross. That did not mean I would not try. I spoke through my teeth, my lips barely moving.

"You do not know what you are doing. Why spare him over you? Do you truly think his life is that much more important than yours?"

She leveled her gaze. "Yes." My brow furrowed as my face contorted in frustration and rage.

"How? How could you say that," I snarled, demanding answers. Why would she value the meek life of a child over her own life that has already come through so much? Why would she give up everything she has ever had?

"Because I have understood my place in this world; Zuko still has to grow into the person he will become. I thought I would not need to mention this- he is your heir; your first born son. To kill him now would destroy your chances at taking the throne from your brother. If we go through with my plan, his life will be spared; I will be banished, as is the custom for the treason I will commit. Is that not enough for you?" Her voice had rose as she spoke, stating her facts, her argument. Who is she? Why was she talking like this? The impertinence of it all, the whole diabolical plan she had formulated, all of it was to spare her son. I could not understand.

We stood in silence for a long agonizing moment as she waited for me to give my last word. "As you wish," I said coldly, giving in to her proposal. "The preparations are complete then?" Ursa let me see a small vial that she pulled out of her sleeve and she nodded solemnly. If she already had the poison on hand, did she mean to go through with her plan if I had not agreed? Of course she did. I nodded solemnly. "Then it must be done tonight." She mirrored my nod and walked away.

The image faded away and I was bombarded by a flurry of lost emotions. Anger, loss, hatred, pain, they came now to make up for my lack of feeling at the time of the event. My reverie was lost in a spin of black space as we tunneled to the next scene, and secretly I dreaded what was to come. Soon I stood again on the royal grounds and I saw myself looking into the courtyard pond, where the turtleducks loved to swim. I recalled that I had been standing there in that fashion since I had returned from escorting Her away. I was reflecting on the menagerie of events that snowballed up until that point. She was gone. I could not give in to any of the emotions that threatened to consume me at that time. I stared into the stagnant water, letting a controlled numbness wash over my heart. She was gone. I saw a young Zuko run up behind my statuesque form. I could see now the tears swelling over in his eyes, his clenched fists, his hurt and despair at his new revelation. I knew that he knew she was gone. "Where is she?" "Where's Mom?" I did not look at him. Why did she want it like this?

That image also faded to black. Why were the Sun Warriors showing me these memories? First they had been from long gone happier times. They had shown me memories of simple days, when I was getting to know her. Suddenly they jumped up to the dark days. For what? Would I ever understand their motives? Did they mean for me to know? All I could do was hang over their volcano until they let me out of their omnipotent grips.