Disclaimer: I do not own ATLA

I am so so sorry for the long wait (more of an explanation is at the end of the chap). But please forgive me and please forgive me for any continuity errors, I have been away from this story for so long.


It's early in the morning, the sun's rays sprinkling over the horizon and touching the earth, when a large shadow looms over Zuko and Iroh's hastily organized campsite. Which consists of a shabby fire pit with charred, ashy wood and blankets draped over thick branches to protect them from rain if there is a chance of any.

The sky had been clear up until this point though as Zuko arches his head back, his features descending into shock.

The large figure creating the shadow blocks the sun as the beast floats down to the ground with a loud thump, rattling the ground and shaking the trees. The vibrations travel up through his body. It takes Zuko two blinks before he realizes the beast is Appa, and behind his large head, stand two figures, frantically waving. Well, one-the person with more of a feminine figure-waves frantically; the other sends a half hearted 'I need to be polite' wave.

Zuko can't blame the Avatar for that one.

His legs scramble forward without a command as he jumps up from his seat, running to where Appa has landed. Katara gracefully slides down Appa's fur from her spot in the saddle. He spies a pack already slung over her shoulder, and it doesn't take Zuko long to figure out what's happening.

Aang stays on Appa, and Zuko decides to ignore him for a moment; it's best for everyone at this point. Iroh, too, remains many feet away from their reunion, tending to the fire and unsurprisingly brewing a pot of tea.

"What are you doing here?" Zuko asks immediately, his hands gently landing on Katara's arms as they stand close together.

A few leaves have been captured in her long tresses, and methodically, he picks them out one by one. The dead leaves burn away in his palm, crumbling to ash and smearing across the pads of his fingers.

Her blue eyes shine, a content expression on her face. "I've come to join you."

It's a simple statement, but it's something that Zuko will never forget, and he locks away this memory in his brain. Though her words make him ecstatic, he can't help but frown. "Katara, you know you should be with your family."

She bites her lips, concentrating on his golden gaze. "Well, you're my family too; besides we're meeting all of them back up in Ba Sing Se. And that's what? A full day or two walk, plus a ferry ride? I'll see them soon."

He actually has a family now. It might not be of blood but he can call it his own. He loves her so much. "Are you sure?"

"I am, Zuko. I want to help you like you've helped me," she says earnestly, clutching onto his hands. "I can't leave you behind, not when you mean so much to me."

His only response to her is his well known secret smile, and he can physically see the light pooling into her ocean-like irises. It's almost blinding to look at. She places a chaste kiss on his cheek-the spot of contact tingles as if she kisses him for the first time-and they both turn their attention to the small figure on Appa.

"Thank you, Avatar," Zuko raises his voice, hoping it reaches the young boy's ears.

There seems to be no problem with communication as the Aang leans over the the side of Appa's head, his gray eyes large with a twinge of a deadly warning and a hidden bit of sadness. "Take good care of her, Zuko."

"I will."


Katara has bittersweet feelings about her decision to continue traveling with Zuko instead of her other friends. At the beginning-especially when she had found out Zuko was the Blue Spirit-she had been dying to find everyone again, to hug her brother and help Aang with his bending and hang out with Toph, with some much needed lively banter. Now, either unfortunately or fortunately-she hasn't quite decided yet-she has changed. Katara's not sure if this is because she feels more grown up from being on her own or if it's because she's been through a lot of shit, and that would change anyone.

In all honestly, Katara's not quite sure that she fits in with anybody anymore. Her closest companion is Zuko, and for now, she needs someone to confide in and not ask questions about what happened. This had been her deciding thought; you can't leave the one you love. Their love is still new and raw but strong, and she doesn't want to damage that.

She'll meet up with her brother and everyone else in Ba Sing Se, and maybe these last few days apart will allow her time to adjust to the idea of being around her old family again.

Katara watches as Iroh teaches Zuko something with a lot of hand movements and not much-or any for that matter-firebending. Zuko's expression continues to darken into a frown as more and more time passes. Though Katara's not a firebender, he appears to be following Iroh's movements exactly, so her curiosity is peaked by his expression. Earlier in the day, Iroh had tried to teach Zuko the lightning subset of their bending, and even though in the first couple of minutes Katara saw sparks dance on his fingers, most of his attempts ended in blackened scorch marks on the dusty ground and their hair frizzing from the electricity.

"That looks like waterbending," she pipes up, setting down the stick she had been absentmindedly doodling with, and walks over to the two.

Iroh turns, directing his full attention to her. A pleased smile graces his weathered features. "You are very perceptive, Master Katara, I learned this move from studying your people."

"Oh?" So this must be why Zuko thought Iroh could help, she thinks quietly.

"He's teaching me how to redirect lightning... by not actually shooting lightning at me to practice," Zuko grumbles, sliding his feet back into a resting position, and his hands fall by his side.

Katara's mouth drops slightly in shock before she controls her features and instead raises a disbelieving eyebrow. "Zuko, you don't need me to tell you how stupid that idea is."

"I think we will get along very well, Katara," Iroh nods. His eyes glimmer with pride as he supports her statement and sends a stern gaze to his nephew.

Zuko throws his hands into the air, exasperated. "I can't believe you're both gaining up on me."

Katara taps a finger on her lips, hiding a humored smile. Sometimes his dramatics are too cute. "Well someone has to keep your recklessness in check. Besides, Azula will probably give you a chance to practice when she attacks next."

"You're not wrong about that," Zuko easily affirms.

"But until you have enough practice," Iroh stresses, "you are to stay far away from your sister and her lightning."

"Yes, Uncle," Zuko bows his head, agreeing, though all three of them know they have no control over when and where Azula will strike.

It's a pleasant thought to think they can control that. A strange sort of silence settles into the air. Zuko returns to his bending forms, and Katara's gaze drifts to the ground. Etched in the dirt under her feet are the four bending symbols, neatly separated by two lines creating a grid. Not for the first time does she wonder what Iroh had taught Zuko. But she had been asleep when they started and then was advised to stay a length away when Zuko practiced generating lightning for the first time.

"I think that's enough training for now," Iroh says, rolling his aching shoulder and massaging it slightly. Katara wishes there was more she could do, but without delving too deep into her power and risk losing control, it's all up to the body's natural healing capabilities now. "Let's have a cup of tea and then we can talk."

Zuko wipes away beads of sweat that have started to pepper his alabaster skin and rakes his short bangs out of his face. The sun shines brightly down on them, kissing their skin. The heat is uncomfortable, and even though it's barely mid-noon, Katara can feel her tunic stick to her skin. She gazes up at him, watching a small smile grace his lips.

"I'm so glad you decided to stay." His fingers lace through hers, and they begin to make the quick walk back to their partially shaded camp site. They're held up in another abandoned house. This one is just as destroyed as the one in the village; it's been without a family for quite awhile.

"Me too."

Iroh hands her a steaming cup, and she lightly blows across the top, mesmerized by the tiny ripples across the liquid. The tea hits the spot as it slides down her throat, soothing any worries and leftover bits of anxiety. Zuko's face mirrors a similar relaxed expression. For a second, Katara amusedly wonders if Iroh drugged them, but in the end, any good cup of tea acts like a drug. A beneficial one at that.

"Katara, I've heard you've been having some trouble with your bending?"

Before answering Iroh's question, she sends a raised eyebrow in Zuko's direction, wondering just how much he talked about her when they were only separated for a few days. Zuko innocently shrugs, sipping at his tea. "You've heard correctly." She's not sure how much Zuko revealed, so she rambles on. "The firebender had this chi blocker device that was created to be used as a regular restraint. Though I might not have been in the right state of mind, I'm almost certain there was a needle involved, hidden in the cuffs that injected something into me."

Iroh nods along gravely.

"Anyways, I lost my bending for quite awhile, and when I got it back, I couldn't control it. It was like I just realized I could waterbend for the first time, only instead of having the ability of a child, I had as much power as if I trained for many years to master the skill. I did some things I'm not proud of, and through all this, I found a new subset of waterbending..."

"Bloodbending," Iroh easily supplies, already knowing where she was headed. At their confused glances, he elaborates further. "Not many cases have been reported, but there have been legends over time of powerful waterbenders that could control a human's body without even touching them."

Katara decides it's best to be honest in situations like these. "I don't like the power and I wish I never learned about it. But I know it has potential in stopping Azula and possibly even the Fire Lord-" she doesn't miss the way Zuko gulps at the mention of his father "-but I refuse to kill with it."

"You are a healer, so you know the ways of the body better than us," Iroh begins, "There are paths you can find that will simply place the person into a state of unconsciousness."

"I know, but that's not the part I'm worried about," Katara mutters.

"How are you now at controlling it, your regular waterbending, I mean?"

Katara shakes her head slightly, wondering how to word her thoughts. Immediately upon seeing her slight distress, Zuko's warm fingers knead comforting circles into her back. "I've felt better than I have in a long time, but I don't believe I'm fully healed. There's a part of me that still feels off balanced, and I don't think I can fix it."

Zuko's shoulders straighten in worry at her confession, but no comment tumbles from his lips.

"But you want to ask for my help," Iroh finishes gently, his gaze a solace as she shifts on the ground.

"Yes, I'd be much obliged."

"You don't even have to ask, Katara. You're family now." A knowing gaze is sent to both her and Zuko, who ducks his head, an adorable blush coloring his skin. His fingers lift off her back and she already misses the lack of contact.

"Let's start when we get to Ba Sing Se though," Katara decides, "I don't feel comfortable spending any more nights in these woods." Katara rubs her thumb across the side of the cup, and Zuko's shoulder touches hers as he slides in closer.

"I couldn't agree more," both men say at the same time, and everyone dissolves into a brief fit of laughter.

Two days later, they stand in line to acquire passage on a ferry. Katara lightly hops up and down in her place, expelling her pent up energy as she watches Iroh woo the female worker at the ticket counter. Her eyes skirt over everyone in the station, cataloging every obvious detail; it doesn't look like her friends have arrived yet, and she frowns in worry. They still have time though; the Fire Nation hasn't found this hole in the wall place yet.

Then she remembers that they should be flying on Appa anyways and have no need to navigate the treacherous crowds of this place.

There are too many refugees though, and Katara wishes she could help every last one of them. She spots a woman with a newborn baby cradled against her chest and nestled in her arms. What a world that innocent child has been born into.

Distracted by her thoughts and from searching the people around her, Zuko has to nudge her back into this world. He hands her a stamped ticket. "Ferry leaves at three so we better hurry."

They walk briskly through the crowds, shoving and then apologizing when needed. The boat they're assigned to board sits at the far end of the docks. It's a close call, but all three of them step onto the deck just as the Ferry Master calls for any last passengers. The man spots their tickets and ushers them quickly along.

It's about ten minutes after the ferry has successfully left the port and glides across the open water when they can relax. She watches as Zuko's and Iroh's shoulders drop in sync, the tension falling away. Katara breathes a sigh of relief, gazing across the ocean and basking in her element. As she tracks the water's movements with her eyes, imagining all the ways she can shape the liquid with her hands, she realizes that both Iroh and Zuko will have to keep their bending a secret, and so shall she to some extent.

That will be a difficult task.

A hand lands on her shoulder, one that is not warm and comforting but still sickeningly familiar.

"Hello, Katara, long time no see."


Hope you enjoyed the chapter!

Explanation time:

I had a really tough senior year which is one of the main reasons why I put this on hold. But the most honest explanation I can give is that I fell in love with another fandom and another OTP. I still love Zutara with all my heart, but I'm not as interested in them as I was a year ago. Voltron and Klance (KeithxLance) have effectively taken over my life and I couldn't be happier.

That being said, I will never abandon this fic, but as I'm going to college in a week and am not into writing for Avatar as much as I was, updates will be slow. Hopefully not with a 9ish month break in between chapters, but we will see. Writing this chapter seemed to rejuvinate me though.

Please review/follow/favorite:)