Disclaimer: I do not own Avatar: The Last Airbender.

Chapter 25: None Unpunished

Katara sprinted along the cliffs above the river towards the Fire Nation metal factory up stream. As she dodged rocks and jutting tree roots in the moonlight, she created a plan of action in her head. She would break in as silently as she could and disrupt the inner workings of the factory as well as she could, flooding the surrounding area of the machines, cutting chains that held up particular parts, freezing gears, et cetera. Katara also planned to steal as much of the food and medicine stores she could and bring it to the village before the sun rose in a few hours.

As she rounded the hill obscuring the factory from view, she ducked behind a large rock to observe the large structure. Katara spotted a lone door near the water's edge and bent herself a set of ice stairs to climb down alongside the cliff and to the water. With another wave of her hand, she created a small platform to step on and moved the water in a small wave to the door. By the looks of it, it was an emergency exit of some kind. No window or handle. With a huff, Katara contemplated how she was going to enter. Even without a handle, the door would have to have a device of some kind to let someone from the inside open it.

With a grin, she bent some water inside and along the crack opposite of the hinges and froze it, causing the metal to separate slightly. A small, almost inaudible click let Katara know that the door had been broken loose. She used the water to push the door towards her slightly before retracting the fluid and opening the door as quietly as she could.

She entered the stairwell and automatically began climbing the stairs towards the main factory area. She realized that above the door she had just entered through said "EXIT" and the door at the first landing was labeled "PRODUCTION". She swiftly climbed the stairs and opened the door revealing the exact room she was looking for.

There was a line of large stone buckets hanging from the ceiling, all held up by long chains attached to the edges of each bucket. Along the floor was an assembly line of sorts that was littered with different scraps of metal that were riveted together. There was a walkway that wrapped around the entire floor a level up with a railing that was about waist high on an average man. There were panoramic windows along the walls to Katara's left and straight ahead on the far wall. There were multiple pipes and tubes going along the walls and attaching to large boilers in the back corners of the working area.

Stealthily, she opened the door and began to go to work. After she popped open both of her water skins, she sent water whips to all of the chains that carried the buckets, careful to soften their landings with more of the water by wrapping the whips around each bucket as they fell and gently laying them on the floor. Even though she was aiming to destroy the pace, she didn't want to make any noise that could attract unwanted attention. She darted to the pipes on the wall and froze any liquid inside, causing the metal to expand and burst. Steam began to fill the room as Katara ran towards a flight of stairs on the opposite side of the production area that she didn't notice before.

Just as her foot stepped onto the first stair, Katara felt a pressure behind her back and a pair of swords crossed over her neck.

Zuko slid the mask on over his zukin and sprinted in the direction of the factory. He watched and silently followed Katara as her cloak fluttered behind her. He tracked her as she navigated through the wilderness, careful to dodge any flora that would make his stalking known.

He should have figured she would have done this, especially after her display of concern in the town earlier that day. He knew she was on a quest to destroy the factory, like he had sarcastically suggested. He grumbled inwardly at his foolish act, knowing in hindsight how seriously she would have taken it, and continued to track the waterbender.

Zuko saw her pause momentarily on the edge of the cliff that overlooked the factory. He watched her bend a couple of ice stairs leading down to the river and then propel herself to a hidden door with another platform of ice. He silently applauded her creativity as she somehow opened the emergency exit. He knew they didn't outside handles, so he would have to give her props on figuring out how to enter that way without hindrance.

He leapt out from behind his hiding spot in the trees and climbed down the staircase Katara had left behind. At the bottom, he searched around in the moonlight for some ledges and jutting in the cliff side so he could scale the rocks and make his way to the factory. After a few moments, he spotted a good section of rocks and began pulling himself across the cliff with a slight struggle. He had to keep reminding himself that he was still healing and didn't have as much strength as he used to.

Zuko found himself at the platform leading to the door and dropped himself down from the rocks. After a gentle landing, he looked up and spotted a flight of stairs built into the cliff side and he palmed his mask on it's forehead in frustration. At least he found a quicker way out.

Shaking his head, Zuko entered through the metal door, which Katara had left completely open, and bounded up the stairs two at a time, arriving at the ground level in no time. There was the sound of banging metal and swishing water on the other side of the thick door, so he deftly opened it and slipped inside. The room was filling with steam and Zuko immediately spotted Katara walking carefully though the cloud and heading towards a set of stairs leading up to the balcony surrounding the room.

With a smirk, Zuko drew his swords and sprinted over to her. If she was going to sneak out and perform what she considered heroic duties, he was going to mess with her before joining in on her shenanigans. Sometimes Katara's acts of heroism were plain stupid at times, so she needed to see the consequences without actually getting in trouble. He approached her like a ghost and right as her foot pressed against the first step, he crossed his blades against her neck and pressed his body against hers.

"And where do you think you're going?" Zuko breathed into her ear, his voice muffled faintly by his mask. Her breathing picked up in concealed fear and she swallowed loudly.

"I… uh…"

"What's a little girl like yourself traipsing around a Fire Nation factory? And by the looks of it, destroying the place with much precision," he said lowly, masking his voice with a more raspy and deep tone.

"I-I was just…"

"Perhaps you should think through all of your plans before raiding a factory in the middle of the night," Zuko murmured. "I like that cloak on you, by the way. Though I had gotten the one with the sodalite clasp for you. I thought you would have noticed."

Katara shifted against his blades and turned her head to her right to look over her shoulder at him. "Zuko?"

"Yes," he replied with exasperation. "I think you should have told me your little plan. Then I wouldn't have had to follow you worrying what in the world you were doing."

"Why are you wearing a mask?"

"Why are you wearing your cloak?"

He lowered his blades from her neck and she turned around, putting her hands on her hips and pouting as she stared at him. Zuko sheathed his blades and then folded his arms over his chest as he silently chided her for her actions. Katara's eyes softened as she endured his scolding, but her body remained rigid.

"Take off the mask."

"No."

"Why not?"

"Because we're in the middle of a Fire Nation factory and if someone found us and spotted me, I could get in more trouble than you could realize," he retorted. "And by the way, we should leave. You did enough damage."

As he turned to head out of the assembly room, Katara grasped his wrist and pulled on his arm. He looked over his shoulder and through the holes of the mask. Her eyes were pleading as she spoke to him, "I have one more thing to do. I need to flood this place before I go."

He squared his body towards her and took a step forward, his temper at her lack of thinking starting to rise. "And then what? How do you expect to get out of here? You came in through the basement. If you flood this place, we can't get out. And I can guarantee the front door is going to be a little trickier to get through."

Her eyes saddened and she slumped her shoulders in defeat. "Fine. Will you at least set something on fire before we go?"

With a deep sigh, he grabbed her wrist and pulled her to the door they both entered through. He ushered her through the door and before he followed her, he sent a strong stream of flames into the work area and set the majority of the room on fire.

Katara stopped in her steps and Zuko turned to stare at her with irritation. She looked back at the burning room and then to him again. "I need to go to their food and medicine stores."

"No."

She tore her hand from his grip and glared angrily at him. With a huff, she practically shouted, "Why not?! That village needs it!"

Zuko took a step towards her and tore his mask off and glared indignantly at her. He knew the fires behind her were reflecting in his eyes by the way her sapphire irises widened at his expression. "If we give the villagers the food and medicine, the soldiers that work here are going to think that they destroyed the factory. So they'll just get tormented and most likely punished for what you impulsively decided to do. We need to get out of here as soon as we can so they don't think it was us and make us wanted in this country more than we already are. If the factory is gone, the town can begin to thrive again in time. We don't have the time to stop at every town we run through and help them with their problems. We have an invasion to worry about. We'll help them by taking out my father and ending this war."

After a few moments of tense silence between the two, Katara bowed her head and nodded once. After putting his mask back on, Zuko roughly grabbed her hand and pulled her down the staircase. She was silent all the way out, even as Zuko led her up the hidden stone staircase on the side of the cliffs and into the woods. Once they were a fair distance from the factory. Zuko turned back around and took his mask back off. Her eyes were still staring down and her shoulders were slumped in defeat.

"Hey…"

She didn't answer. So he took a step towards her and tucked his finger under her chin and lifted her head up. Tears were brimming in her eyes as she stared sadly back at the firebender.

"I'm sorry I yelled at you," he said softly. "But you ran away in the middle of the night to hastily destroy a Fire Nation factory without thinking about the repercussions."

"Those people need help," she replied with a small voice.

Zuko sighed and rubbed his hand over his face. "Yes, but it doesn't always have to be us. Sometimes, the bigger picture is more important than the smaller parts."

Katara just stared at him for a few moments without speaking. Her eyes conveyed her hurt and her body conveyed her anger at him for stopping her. Without waiting for a response, Zuko spoke again.

"I understand where you're coming from, but we have more important things to worry about right now. We can't help all the villages that have been damaged from the war. We don't have the time. When we win and I become Fire Lord, I promise I will fix this all."

"That's going to take a while," Katara retorted. "We're here now. Why can't we fix the issues at the source and end it all?"

Zuko gripped her hand and tugged her in the direction of their camp. "We can't risk being caught by the Fire Nation and finishing what we started will just get us in more danger. This way, the factory is destroyed and it looks like a natural occurrence, not vandalism. You did enough damage where this factory won't be up and working until Sozin's Comet has passed. And in that case, I'll be Fire Lord by then and I won't put it back into commission."

Katara followed him in defeat and replied quietly, "I guess you're right."

Zuko pulled her to his side and looked her in the eyes. "Yes, I am. And trust me when I say that we are doing enough good by finishing the war. I want to help this village, too, but we don't have the time."

Katara's frown didn't falter as she followed Zuko silently through the woods and back to their campsite. The sun was beginning to peak over the rolling hills as they reached the clearing where everyone else was still asleep. Quietly, they both changed back into their respective Fire Nation disguises and tucked their clothes into their packs.

After strapping the saddle onto Appa, Katara began loading it with the gear and supplies they wouldn't be using to make breakfast that morning. Zuko stroked the fire and began to reheat some leftover rice in a pot. As he cut a couple of fruit, he watched Katara walk to the fire and stir their food.

"You had the right idea for wanting to help these people," Zuko finally said after a tense silence between the two. She looked up at him momentarily then back to the pot of rice. With a sigh, he continued, "I understand why you're upset you couldn't do more."

"No you don't."

He was honestly shocked at her tone. She obviously was too stuck in her own pity party to realize he had been right. Zuko's gaze became hard at her cold words. He stood up and bounded over to her with anger in his eyes. Her eyes widened as he knelt down and grabbed the hand that was stirring their food. With his free hand, he pointed to the blemish covering the majority of the left side of his face.

"You know how I got this," he snarled as he felt his temperature rise in anger. "I got it for trying to help people being wronged by this country. I wish I could have done more to help them, but I paid the consequences of trying. I know that you were just trying to fix the problems, but sometimes you need to just let other people take care of it."

With that, Zuko stood and stomped away from her. He stalked around the sleeping bison and plopped himself against one of his furry legs. As he seethed, he heard the sounds of his friends beginning to wake from a restful sleep, one he didn't partake in because of Katara's midnight antics. He heard Sokka exclaim about how hungry he was and Aang ask where Zuko had gone, then Katara's disgruntled reply.

"Hey!" Sokka shouted. "The Fire Nation factory is on fire!"

Zuko scoffed and rolled over onto his right side. Sure enough, a plume of smoke rose in the sky from the factory.

"Guess something must have happened overnight," Aang said. Zuko imagined him rubbing his growing hair in confusion. "Those places are never safe. They're hazardous not just to the environment, but to the people who work there as well."

"Serves them right," Katara snapped. Zuko just shook his head. If she wanted to be so secretive about destroying the factory herself, she shouldn't be proclaiming her dislike so openly to the rest of the group. "They were ruining the river and destroying that town slowly. They deserve whatever came to them."

"They're still people, Katara," Aang said in a saddened and disapproving tone.

"Well I don't think anyone was working last night so you don't need to worry," she replied in a fake chipper tone. Zuko groaned at her response. She practically gave herself away.

"How would you know, Katara?" Sokka asked sharply. Zuko had to give him credit for catching onto that. After a tense silence, Sokka spoke up again, "Did you have to do anything with that?"

"I don't know what you're talking about," she stated calmly. Zuko growled and rolled off of Appa's leg. As he rounded the bison, he watched as Katara and Sokka stared at each other and Toph turned to watch him approach.

"You might as well tell them, Katara," Zuko said in a harsh tone. Her eyes flickered to him as he continued, "They're bound to find out eventually. Especially since you're not hiding it very well."

"What's he talking about, Katara?" Sokka turned and looked from Katara to Zuko and back, confusion evident all over his face.

"Katara waltzed on over to the factory last night and did a little vigilante justice," Zuko replied dryly as he crossed his arms over his chest. Sokka and Aang both dropped their jaws in shock and Toph just stared blankly at the waterbender, her face slightly irritated and her mouth pinched to the side in thought.

"You forgot to mention the part where you joined in," she spat back. Sokka turned to the firebender with his mouth even wider and was about to shout but Zuko cut in first.

"I didn't join in, I pulled myself out of bed and followed you because I knew you were going to get yourself into trouble. And I was pretty much right."

Toph stepped forward and pointed at Katara, "So let me get this straight: you went to the factory last night and destroyed it-" she then pointed to Zuko "-and you followed her to make sure she didn't do anything stupid."

"Pretty much," Zuko replied. "Though I got there a little late to stop her from doing it anyway."

"He was the one who started the fire!" Katara shouted, pointing at him as she stared with angry eyes at the others.

"Because you asked me to!" he growled back. "If I didn't, they would have known it was a vandal who destroyed the building. For all they know, it could have been a natural fire that burned everything. Those tend to happen in factories."

"How would you know? Just because you have your memory back for the most part, doesn't mean you're mister know-it-all!" Katara spat. Zuko stiffened and then narrowed his eyes at her. Their staring match kept on for a few moments before Aang stepped in between them and held his arms up in a placate manner.

"Guys, we need to get out of here before they figure out it was us."

"I agree," Sokka added in as he grabbed Katara's shoulder. Her eyes broke the contact with Zuko's and she turned to her brother as he led her to the campfire to begin gathering their supplies. Toph walked over to Zuko and grabbed his hand. He looked down at her and she just grinned up at him.

"What?"

She shrugged and pulled him towards Appa, "You guys have never really argued before."

"Well she was being stupid last night," he snapped. "And as much as I tried to convince her that she was being rash and not thinking it all through, she was adamant on helping the villagers out."

"And what's wrong with that?"

Zuko paused and looked down at the petite earthbender. "Nothing at all. But we don't have the time, nor the resources to help them out like how she wanted to. And if we had raided the factory's food and medicine stores like she wanted to, the village would have been blamed for the destruction so they would have been worse off in the long run."

"That makes sense," Toph mumbled. She took a step forward and silently ordered Zuko to lift her to Appa's saddle. He obliged with a roll of his eyes and pulled her onto his back, then climbed up Appa's tail and into the saddle. After setting her down, he looked over the edge and watched Katara and Sokka carry the rest of their supplies to the side of the bison and climb up. He blatantly ignored Katara when she looked over to him, not even caring if her eyes were apologetic or not. He heard her sigh and sit down on the opposite side of the saddle next to Toph, most likely preparing to discuss with the blind girl the events of the previous night. After Aang airbent himself onto Appa's head, the bison lurched up and into the sky, disregarding the possibility of being caught. They needed to get away. And fast.

As the world passed them by, Zuko spotted soldiers that most likely had worked in the factory begin to walk away from the burning wreckage that once was their place of employment. He breathed an inward sigh of relief as they through the barrier of the clouds. At least they weren't retaliating at the village. For now.

Zuko turned back to the inside of the saddle and crossed his arms over his chest. The lack of sleep from the prior night was beginning to catch up to him. His eyes began to flutter close but before he fully succumbed to his slumber, he saw Katara turn and stare at him for a moment. Her eyes were saddened and a frown was on her full lips. His eyes closed entirely and his exhaustion took over, but not before he felt a blanket being placed over him and a pair of lips kiss his forehead.

Katara watched Zuko as he slept restlessly against the side of the saddle. His body was pressed all the way against the worn leather and he was huddled in on himself, like he was cold. The odd thing was that she knew firebenders didn't get cold.

Toph had her left foot propped up against her knee and was picking at her toes when Katara turned to her and whispered lowly, "Is Zuko okay?"

"Why are you asking me?" the earthbender replied without a beat. "He's your boy toy."

"First off, he's not my boy toy," Katara retorted. "We just like each other and that's it. And second off, you can feel heartbeats. Is his okay? He looks like he's in pain or something."

Toph lowered her foot onto the saddle and her brows furrowed as she "listened" to his heart beating. After a few moments, she turned to Katara and muttered, "His heart is beating erratically, like he's scared or upset. I think he's having a bad dream."

The waterbender looked over at Zuko and sure enough his face was contorted in an odd expression, like he was being confronted by his worst fears or something along the lines of that. She recognized that expression from when he would have nightmares back when they first began travelling together. Whatever he was dreaming, it wasn't pleasant. It didn't help that there was sweat forming on his brow and his shoulders were shaking. Katara was about to get up and wake him, but Toph grabbed her shoulder and sat her back down.

"Toph?"

"We need to talk."

"Right now? I was going to go wake up Zuko. He's having a nightmare, I can tell by just looking at his face."

"He can handle himself," Toph replied blankly, like it was nothing out of the ordinary. "This is important."

Katara looked over the blind girl to Appa's head, where Sokka and Aang were both talking and discussing where they were going to go next. With a sigh, she turned back to Toph and motioned for the girl to speak. But after realizing Toph couldn't see what she had just done, she let the girl know she was listening.

"Alright, so does Sokka know about you two?"

Katara leaned back against the saddle and sighed, "Yes and no. He gave Zuko the 'okay' to court me, but we haven't informed him of the fact that we're sort of together now."

"Sort of together?"

Katara groaned and put her face in her hands. "We haven't been on a real date, considering the one time we did something even remotely close to one was interrupted by Azula. And we've done… stuff... But I don't want Sokka to know about it. That's none of his business."

"So you guys had sex?" Toph pronounced a little loudly. Katara panicked and shushed the girl, then looked over to the boys and relaxed when she saw they hadn't reacted as if they heard what was just said.

"No, we haven't. And it's none of your business either."

"Then why are you talking about it?" Toph said with a smirk. Katara growled under her breath and then turned away from the earthbender, but Toph grabbed her hand and made Katara look back into her milky eyes. "I'm sorry. I just don't think that you two should be 'fighting' or whatever it is you're doing. He did nothing wrong. He was just trying to help and have you see reason, that's all."

"He shouldn't have followed me," Katara grumbled as she folded her arms over her chest.

"No," Toph replied, making Katara smile victoriously. But Toph held up her hand, knowing that Katara was about to act smugly and added, "He should have stopped you before you even left. You could have gotten us all in trouble for that little act of yours. You're lucky he was there to cover your tracks."

Katara was about to reply when Zuko sat up quickly and yelled out with a hoarse cry, "MOM!"

She scrambled over to him and clutched his shoulders, willing him to calm down. His sweat drenched clothes stuck to his skin and his hair was matted against his forehead. His golden eyes were wild with confusion and hurt as they flickered around the saddle and surrounding clouds. His breathing was labored and heavy as he slowly calmed down from the nightmare.

"Zuko, calm down," Katara cooed as she rubbed his shoulder. "Breathe…"

"I…" his eyes turned to her and he stared at her for a long moment before enveloping her in a bone crushing hug. Katara instinctively wrapped her arms around his waist as he buried his face in the crook of her neck, regardless of their recent disagreement. He started to tremble a little under her grip as his breathing slowed.

"Zuko, what happened?" Toph asked from behind them. Zuko just shook his head in response and pulled Katara a little closer to him. It was then that Katara felt the wetness of his tears trickle down her bare shoulder and soak into the fabric of her shirt.

Aang steered Appa down into an island that hosted a town alongside a clear river and rolling green hills. A very big change from Jang Hui, the town of Shu Jing was built next to a small canyon with many small waterfalls flowing into the clear river. As Appa landed down into the fields that overlooked the town, the sight of the vibrant blue sky made this island look like a paradise.

"This place is amazing!" Katara exclaimed as she slid down Appa's leg.

"Oh I totally agree! It's beautiful!" Toph chimed in sarcastically with a wide grin plastered on her face.

Katara turned to her with a big smile and replied, "I know! It's… Why do you feel the need to do that?"

Toph snickered and walked away, setting down her bags against a rock cluster and plopping herself on the ground as well. Katara gave up trying to convince her to start helping out with unloading like everyone else instead of "carrying her own weight". Luckily, Zuko was more than willing to take Toph's load, not even complaining once about it. Even with his healing body he tended to do more around the campsite than everyone else.

Though since his nightmare in the saddle the other night, Zuko had been very quiet. Answering questions monosyllabically and gazing out into the moving sky with almost a dazed look in his eyes. And Katara noticed he was looking very sad as of late. She assumed it was from the pressures of the prophecy and knowing that soon they would be invading his home and taking down his sister and father. That obviously would be a lot to handle right now.

Katara watched as Zuko jumped from the saddle and landed gracefully in the soft grass. Without a word, he walked away from the rest of the group and began to set up his tent. Sokka approached Katara from where he was setting up his own tent and tapped her on the shoulder.

"What's with him?"

She turned and looked at her brother, who was gesturing to the Fire Prince. She shrugged and pinched her mouth to the side in thought. "I'm not sure. He's been acting weird lately."

"Yeah, I've noticed," Sokka replied. "Since we left Jang Hui, he's been awfully brooding and quiet. More than usual, at least."

Katara rose one eyebrow and crossed her arms over her chest. "You wouldn't be trying to say something, are you?"

Sokka rose his hands in a pacifying gesture and shook his head. "No, not exactly. I mean, have you guys even talked about your argument at all?"

Katara's shoulders dropped. "No, we haven't. The only time we spoke was after he had that nightmare two nights ago. Ever since, he's been shutting everyone out."

"Do you think his little dream and outburst have to do with it?"

Katara looked back to Zuko, whose tent was up and he was pushing himself through the flap opening. She sighed and nodded. "Possibly… Probably."

"Go talk to him," Sokka stated. Katara looked back to her brother and took a deep breath. His eyes held a rare seriousness that she only saw when things were getting bad. Obviously if Sokka noticed Zuko needed help, then the issue was bigger than she thought. She nodded and then headed towards Zuko's tent. As she reached the front flap, she tapped the pole holding up and cleared her throat.

"Hey, Zuko?"

No answer.

"Can I come in? We need to talk."

Silence greeted her. She blew some of her loose hair out of her face and tapped the pole again. "I know you can hear me. Please, I want to talk."

"Come in."

Katara smiled and opened the flap, crouching down to get into the small tent. Zuko was laying on his right side, back to the door. Katara closed the opening behind her and knelt down at the edge of his bedroll.

"Are you okay?"

"Yes."

"You don't seem okay."

"I'm fine."

"Zuko-"

He rolled over quickly and his angry expression shocked Katara. His eyes were blazing and his scowl was deep. The filtered setting sunlight made his scar look more fearsome and prominent on his pale face. Katara's heart leaped into her throat and she struggled with the words she had wanted to say, so he just cut in.

"I told you. I. Am. Fine," he growled through clenched teeth. "I don't need you babying me."

Katara crossed her arms and frowned back at him. "I'm not babying you. I'm worried about you. We're all worried about you. Why won't you tell me what's going on and why you're acting so weird lately? Please, I care about you and the way you've been acting is scaring me."

Zuko's expression softened immediately and his face fell, eyes closing and his frown turning sad.

"Please, tell me what's wrong… Is it my fault?"

Zuko opened his watery eyes and then sat up quickly. "No, no, no, it's not you."

"Then what is going on?"

He sighed and ran his hand through his shaggy hair, letting in flop back onto his forehead and cover his eyes. He then rubbed his eyes and leaned his elbows onto his folded knees and began shaking his head back and forth. "I don't know exactly. I… I just had this dream…"

"The one when we were on Appa?"

He nodded without lifting his head and continued, "It was about my mom. She disappeared when I was younger, right when my father was crowned Fire Lord. I have no idea what happened to her or if she's even alive anymore. And I keep having these thoughts that it's my fault that she left me alone with my monster of a father."

Katara crawled towards him and took his hands within her own, rubbing the knuckles with her thumbs. "I'm sorry, Zuko. I guess that's something we have in common." He lifted his head and looked at her with tear stained eyes. She smiled sadly and squeezed his hand reassuringly. "I lost my mother in a Fire Nation raid when I was young."

"I'm sorry…"

She leaned forward and pressed a soft kiss to his forehead, "Nothing you need to apologize for, Zuko. Just like you shouldn't think your mother's disappearance is your fault, either."

Zuko tilted his head up and returned her kiss with one on her lips. He smiled after pulling away and laid his forehead against her shoulder. "Thank you."

"Is that why you've been so sullen lately?"

He shook his head and exhaled hot air onto her bare shoulder. "Not entirely. I guess with the whole invasion and being back home… It's just a lot to take in right now. Plus, I just feel so tired and weak all the time."

"Do you think that's because of what the prophecy said?"

He nodded once and whispered, "Aunt Wu said that when the Spirits bring me back, it comes at a cost. And that I would be weaker every time they bring me back. I never noticed it the other times because I was too busy focusing on other more important things, like who the hell I was and bringing you back to life and getting us to Ba Sing Se. Now, I just feel like I couldn't even perform the simplest of katas for my firebending without breaking down in exhaustion."

"Well we all will help you regain as much of your strength as you can," Katara wrapped her arms around his shoulders and pulled him closer. "And I'm sorry for our argument in Jang Hui. I was out of line."

"You were already forgiven the minute it happened," he whispered.

"Really?"

Zuko nodded and then pulled away to look her right in the face. With a slight smile, he replied, "There are too many things that are much more important that little squabbles between us. Besides, I can't stay mad at you, blue eyes."

Katara smiled back and pressed another quick kiss on his lips. Before he could respond, she stood up and headed towards the flap of the tent. Looking over her shoulder to see his rejected expression, she smirked and motioned for him to follow. "We're going into town. So wrap your face up and let's get going, grumpy butt."

Zuko growled and stood, then swatted her backside and pouted at her. Silently and faces split with their grins, they left the tent.

"Zuko, wipe that smirk off your face when you're walking behind my sister," Sokka pointed his boomerang at the Prince. "I don't need to be seeing that expression on you. Especially after leaving your tent together."

"Why would that matter, Sokka?" Aang asked. "They're just hanging out, right?"

"Yeah, Twinkle Toes," Toph snorted. "And I can waterbend."

The quintet made their way into Shu Jing, observing the quaint surroundings and the peaceful atmosphere that seemed to permeate the town. As he walked right next to Katara, while Toph and Aang walked in front and quickly bounced from store window to store window checking out merchandise, Zuko noticed Sokka had been lagging behind. With a quick word to Katara, he turned around and joined the warrior in his surly walking.

"Why the long face?"

Sokka looked up to the Prince and then shrugged his shoulders. "I don't know. Just thinking."

"About?"

He shrugged again and then stopped walking. Zuko turned so he faced the warrior head on and stuffed his hands in his pockets, waiting for him to continue. Sokka just took a deep breath and then locked his blue eyes to the one visible gold eye. "You had masters right?"

"What do you mean?"

"With your firebending and swords."

"Yeah, I did. Why?" Zuko took a side step towards the building to his left so he was out of the way of the moving crowd. Sokka followed his lead and leaned against the wall, sighing deeply as he did.

"I never had a master," Sokka bowed his head in embarrassment. "I had to pretty much teach myself with everything I know. And all of you guys are so skilled at everything you do. Then there's me, the guy who can read maps and deal out sarcasm. But I'm not really necessary. You can read maps, too, and Toph can hash out some good sarcasm. So what's the point of me being here?"

"Do you not feel important, Sokka?"

The man in question lifted his head again and just stared at Zuko, slightly unnerving the Prince. "Well I'm not."

"I don't think that," Zuko took a step towards him and placed his hand on the warrior's shoulder. "You're more important than you realize. You keep us organized, you keep us laughing. You keep Katara happy. I don't know what she would do if you weren't here."

"Probably sleeping with you already," Sokka snickered, but then his expression darkened immediately. Zuko cringed and removed his hand from Sokka's shoulder, smiling awkwardly and taking a hesitant step back.

After regaining his composure, Zuko stood up straight and looked Sokka right in the eye. "What do you think will make you more important to the group, in your eyes?"

Sokka shrugged once more, a gesture Zuko was finding annoying on the younger man, and looked towards the hills surrounding the city. His eyes focused on something in the distance and then turned back to Zuko, his expression a little more hopeful. "You said something about training with a guy in this town, right?"

"Yeah, Master Piandao," Zuko replied. "He's the most famous and skilled swords master in the Fire Nation." He paused and then caught onto Sokka's sudden interest and enthusiasm. "Do you want to train under him?"

Sokka nodded quickly and then gripped Zuko on both of his shoulders. "That's what I need! A master to help me be a better warrior! I can train under this Pindoo guy-"

"Piandao-"

"-and be just as important and useful as you guys!" Sokka stepped away and hugged himself, his demeanor changing quickly back to downtrodden. "In Ba Sing Se, I felt so useless as we fought the Dai Li. I watched as all of you guys fought them with such skill and dexterity. Then there was me, who just flung my boomerang and clubbed some guys in the head. I want to be that impressive on the battlefield."

"Well, Sokka, Master Piandao doesn't just take in anyone," Zuko said grimly. "You have to prove your worth and it has to be impressive."

"How did you get him to train you?"

Zuko took a deep breath, now his turn to look away from the man opposite of him and brood. "When I trained with him, it was when I was much younger and less skilled as a firebender. My father was ashamed of my lack of abilities compared to Azula, so I begged my mother to find me a master to teach me another weapons art. Uncle suggested Piandao and we stayed here for a year… I told him that I didn't think I was worthy, because that was what I had been told my whole life."

"That's harsh…"

Zuko turned back to Sokka and smirked, "Well my father's lack of faith in me proved to be an advantage."

Sokka smiled back and took a few steps forward, Zuko following him as they blended into the crowd and headed towards the restaurant the others agreed to go to for their lunch.

"If you want, we can go visit the Master after we eat."

A/N This chapter was revised on December 19, 2013.

As for the "Painted Lady" stunt Katara did, I was never a fan of her dressing up and running around saving the people. It seemed too conspicuous for her to gallivant around in a heavy robe and a rice hat with a veil (where she got it in their short time in Jang Hui, we will never know) and too easy for her to be spotted. That's why I just had her throw on a cloak and be done with it.

As for the clasp Zuko had spoken about, sodalite is a dark blue mineral that has little swirls in it. It's really neat looking. Google it.