Zuko frowned as he stared up at the ceiling. Coward. I have to tell her...I already made up my mind... He shook his head and sat up. His gut was tying itself in knots and the pounding in his head had worsened in the last thirty minutes. He rubbed his eyes and stood up.

"Now..." He walked over to the door and stopped as he started to open it. He closed his eyes realizing that he was afraid to loose her before, but now he was going to drive her off by lying. He cussed and leaned against the door. She was a real hell cat and he was about to piss her off. He opened his eyes and looked across the room to the large window on the other side.

"Coward..." He turned around and opened the door. He walked down the steps quickly and took off in the direction of the market. He stopped as a movement in the shadows caught his eye. He turned and watched for a moment then continued on. A chill ran down his spine as he could feel eyes burning on the back of his neck. Someone or something was following him.

Katara touched the water gently. Her reflection looked different to her. It could have been the hair or any number of things, but something was definitely different about her. She sighed and stood up she need to head back to Zuko, and figure out where they were going to go from there. As she walked off from the fountain, a presence fell down on her. She turned around, but there wasn't anyone around her.

"Katara." She turned around and looked across the fountain. Zuko was walking towards her, but his face was serious. She frowned for a moment trying to think of what it was she had done wrong. Zuko walked up to her and took her hand. He pulled her in close to him and wrapped his arms around her setting his face close next to hers.

"Act natural, but someone is following me. I suggest we start walking." Katara took the hint. She nuzzled into his neck and smiled. She opened her eyes and looked out behind him. There was indeed someone in the shadows, but she couldn't make out a firm silhouette. She turned her head and set it on his shoulder so that she was talking into his chest.

"I see."

"Hold my hand as we walk, if I squeeze your hand take off running as fast as you can." Zuko smiled down at her. She looked up at him with determination in her eyes. He pulled away from her keeping her hand in his. They started walking back down the path that Katara had been headed to begin with.

Katara kept her ears strained. She listened for any of those tell-tale signs that there was someone following them. She could hear it faintly. The rustle of clothes, the scuffing of feet on the ground. She couldn't shake the feeling of eyes burning the back of her skull. She looked up at Zuko and frowned. His eyes were serious, focused and staring straight in from of them. He glance at her out of the corner of his eyes, then refocused his eyes. Katara followed his line of sight and noticed the split path ahead of them. She made an acknowledge sound in the back of her throat. They reached the split path. He squeezed her hand hard and they both dropped the others hand. He darted off in one direction and she ran in the other.

She didn't know what the plan was after that but she soon realized that who ever it was, was not following her any more. She slowed down to a walk and turned around. She watched and waited for a moment. She heard something land down behind her. She turned around with a jerk and started to scream but a pair of lips cut off the screech. Her eyes focused as she pulled back.

"I did all that to get away from them, I can't have you screaming and letting them know where we went." Zuko smiled at her. A bright blush lit her cheeks as she looked down to the ground. He kept his arms around her as he looked over her head. He scanned the area and looked back down at her.

"Come." He said and stepped back from her. He left his arm around her shoulder as they walked. He still hadn't an idea as to who it was that was following them. But it wasn't one of them they were following, it was both of them. When they split directions, whoever it was stopped following them. For the moment at least.

They walked until they reached a small tea house. He looked back behind them and opened the door. They walked in and went to the farthest corner. She sat down and looked carefully around the room. He sat next to her and pulled his chair over so that he could watch the door.

"Are they in here?"

"I don't know, but if they come in we will see them from here." Zuko frowned and looked across the table at her. He looked over her face and studied it for a moment. He closed his eyes and cursed himself. He reached across the table and took her hand.

"I have to tell you something." She looked at him with worried eyes and took his other hand in hers as well.

"Yes?" Zuko closed his eyes and shook his head. It didn't matter what he did. He was damned either way.

"Back in the village, when I sent you and Nivian to the forest to wait for me..." He stopped and tried to phrase his next sentence the easiest possible. Katara shook her head.

"I knew it. I knew something happened back there." Zuko looked up at her and felt his heart sink.

"There people that were asking about us...It was the avatar ...and your brother." Katara stared at him and all emotion left her face. She slowly pulled her hands away from him and stared at him blankly.

"Say that again..." Zuko closed his eyes and shook his head. He looked up at her and shook his head again.

"Katara, I'm sorry...I.." Katara shook her head at him and stood up. She turned and walked to the front of the building and walked out the door. Zuko took a deep breath and stood up.

"Shit." He followed the way she went and found that she had already disappeared. "Shit!"

Katara walked. She didn't know where she was walking, but she had to keep walking. She felt the tears sting her eyes. She was so close to them, but she didn't even know it. Why couldn't he have just told me...Why did he have to lie! She hastily brushed a tear from her cheek and shook her head. She turned a corner and found her self back at the fountain. She didn't understand. He knew that she would want to know, he knew that she would want to see them. After all of the hell they had been through together and he keeps this from her.

She sat down on the fountain and buried her head in her hands. It wasn't that she was trying to hide her tears, more that she was trying to ease her head. Something inside her wanted to forgive him, but he had lied to her. After she finally started to trust him, and maybe even more then that, he lied to her. On top of that, he lied about something that was crucially important to her.

Something was wrong. She felt her self freeze in the position. Someone was standing over her. She slowly brought her hands down from her face and looked up. All she saw was a red flash and the world went black.

Zuko heard a splash to his left and started to run. He twisted around the path until he came to the fountain. He let out a string of curses as he ran over to it. He picked Katara up out of the fountain and set her on the street. He shook her then listened to see if she was breathing. She jolted up knocking him backwards. She started coughing and fighting to breathe. He scrambled over to her and grabbed her. He started hitting her on the back until she stopped coughing. She turned and looked up at him.

"What happened?" She narrowed her eyes. Zuko frowned as something moved inside her eyes but it was gone in a flash. She grabbed him by the shirt and stared directly in his eyes.

"Why did you lie to me!?" Zuko frowned and wrapped his hands around her. He looked at her and felt himself relax as he looked into her eyes.

"I knew...that if I told you...I knew you would leave..."

"Yes, I would have..." Zuko shook his head and dropped his hands away from hers and set back on his heels.

"I didn't want to loose you.." Katara frowned at him and let go of his shirt. She sat back on her own heels and stared at the ground for a moment. She looked back up at him and before she realized what she had done, she punched in stomach. He grabbed his gut and glared up at her. But before he could say anything she looked at him and touched his face gently.

"I didn't say I would leave you...I said I would leave..You would have went with me..." Zuko shook his head. Anger at being hit had welled up inside him, but it was dulling back. He straightened up and took her hand.

She stood up and pulled him up by the hand. They stared at each other for a moment. Katara looked at him and took a step closer.

"Zuko...you should have told me."

"I know, and I'm sorry I didn't." She stopped just short of touching him and looked up to meet his eyes.

"I think I know why you didn't." She said and brought her hand up to touch his face gently. She ran her fingers over his cheek and back to his ear. He nuzzled into her hand and leaned over to her. Before they could moved any closer a voice broke the silence around them.

"Katara?!"