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Saying that Zuko was nervous would be an understatement. Pacing the Water Tribe cutter ship deck, he was vaguely aware of Haku and Katara's eyes following his every step, but he didn't care. He had only met the other villagers, but he was sure that the letter Haku sent from River Village did not paint him in a good light. He had been too afraid to ask Haku what he had written.

It wasn't until Katara caught his arm that he realized in his pacing had begun to mutter to himself.

"Zuko, I know you're nervous, but you need to calm down," Concern written all over her face, she attempted a weak smile, "I spoke to Haku. He said he didn't mention you at all when he wrote home."

Baffled, Zuko could only stare at the Water Tribe woman for what felt like eons before he found the words buried in his throat, "How did you know?"

Katara laughed, "Zuko, I know you. The villagers won't blame you for what happened, I promise."

Jerking his arm from her grasp, he made his way to the ship's starboard side and rested his chin on the smooth wood. "You can't promise that, Katara."

Joining him, Katara rested her head on his shoulder, making him jump, "Jumpy as ever, I see." She commented with a laugh before standing straight. "No, I can't promise that, but you are moving heaven and earth to help them. They would be fools to blame you."

Hearing those words from Katara stirred something deep within him. Their friendship had gotten off to a rocky start when he had first joined the team. She was also the only one with him to witness Azula's downfall. Despite this, there always seemed to be an invisible barrier between them. It wasn't until after the war that they found common ground in the darkness that devoured them.

It was his first time visiting the South Pole as an ally. Zuko was so nervous he thought he was going to puke. Hakoda, as his advisor, had insisted that Zuko come and stay for a few days as a show of good faith shortly after his inauguration, and Iroh practically steered the ship himself.

Stepping off the gangplank into the snow, he saw that Sokka and Hakoda had already begun restoring relations with the North. The frail cluster of igloos he had once seen were replaced by actual structures, and he could see the whalebone skeleton of another building being built, ready to be packed with ice and snow.

Sokka and Hakoda were there to greet him. Seeing a familiar face calmed his nerves, "Where's Katara?"

Sokka's face fell, "She's really been struggling...I think you should go talk to her after dinner."

Zuko nodded and was soon swept away by Hakoda, who insisted on a grand tour. Katara had been absent for dinner, and it wasn't until his sleeplessness brought him wandering to the ice bluffs that he found her practicing her waterbending. Typically calculated and composed, she was a frenzied mess. Water surged, and ice flew, but there was no purpose or direction.

Her eyes filled with surprise when she caught sight of him, and she practically threw herself at him. Falling back into the snow, the young Fire Lord was shocked to see her body shaking with sobs. Despite the dampness creeping in, he sat there in the snow and held her for what felt like hours. Only after Katara had calmed down did she confide in him that she kept having nightmares of his duel with Azula, and ever since the inauguration, she hadn't been able to sleep.

The last Agni Kai was a traumatic moment for both of them. The smell of burning flesh forever seared into Katara's memory would haunt her forever. Seeing his body twitch with bursts of lightning burned into her mind's eye.

That day was a blur to Zuko, but his once-proud sister reduced to a sniveling heap would be a sight he would always remember clearly. Azula had been their father's prized toy, and watching her unravel before his eyes was another painful reminder of his failure as an older brother. All he wanted to do was hug his younger sister and get her the help she needed, but life had other plans.

After that, it was a sprint to his inauguration as Fire Lord, and every moment for them was planned out. It wasn't until after that the reality of what they had been through set in.

That night on the bluff felt like taking that first gasp of air after diving underwater. They poured out their deepest fears from the last Agni Kai, that trauma was theirs and theirs alone. Whatever invisible wall that was between them had shattered that night.

"What are you thinking about?" Her voice cut through his thoughts.

Looking down at her, he pushed away from the rail. "I was thinking about my first visit to the Southern Water Tribe...when I found you out on the ice bluff."

A blush crawled up her cheeks, "That was so long ago...I don't know if I ever properly thanked you for that, so thank you."

Zuko laughed, "You're thanking me? You saved my life, I should be the one thanking you."

Katara swatted his shoulder, "No, silly. I meant when you found me...I was in such a state. You could have gone to my father or to Sokka, or Aang, but you didn't."

Zuko shook his head, "You were dealing with some dark shit, Katara. It wasn't my place. I know what it's like to be there and sometimes...sometimes family or those you're close to are the last people you want to be involved. I ditched Iroh for a while, remember?"

Katara hummed in response and slipped up to sit on the rail, so she was facing Zuko. "I do. I can't believe it's been almost seven years...but at the same time, I can't believe it's been only seven years."

Zuko chuckled, "Tell me about it. Technically, we're still kids...but so much has happened I feel like I'm so old."

"Do you ever think about it still?" Katara asked, her voice a whisper in the wind

"All the time," Zuko answered without missing a beat, "It's hard to remember what I saw in that...in-between place. I could feel my grandfather, and I could feel Avatar Roku, and Lu Ten...but I couldn't see them. I was expecting to see my mother…" his voice trailed off.

"But you didn't, which means she's still alive." Katara finished. She knew how it haunted him, that his mother was alive, but no one knew her whereabouts. It was something he told her and no one else, not even Mai.

"There's too much going on right now for me to try to pursue her. What kind of son does that make me? Why didn't she come back after I took the throne?" Zuko questioned the rolling ocean waters. Pushing away from the rail, he offered his hand to Katara and helped her down.

Standing on the deck, she took his hand in both of hers, "I promise, I'll help you answer those questions. You deserve those answers."

For the first time in a long time, Zuko felt a genuine smile spread across his face. "Thank you, Katara. Let's get some sleep. Your father will never let me hear the end of it if I keep you up."

Rolling her eyes, Katara led the way toward the ship's cabin, where the others were already asleep. Zuko watched her disappear behind a flap of tiger seal pelt and cast one more glance at the rising moon. Silently, he prayed that wherever his mother was, she was safe and waiting for him to find her.

Smoke hung low in the air, and the earth took on a reddish glow. Yao paced the burning streets of Kyoshi, his face twisted into a scowl. The famed warrior wenches of the island had given him some trouble but were no more than a mosquito bite in the end.

Kyoshi's Governor was thrown at his feet. Yao smiled at the sound of flesh hitting the earth. "Nice of you to join me, Governor. I believe you have some information that I need. For every minute you delay, I will throw one of your precious villagers into the bonfire that was once your beloved statue."

The horror in the man's face made Yao giddy. He knew how to extract the information he needed from his victims, and over time he grew to enjoy it. The power he held gave him life. For a brief moment, a pair of mismatched eyes flashed in his mind, dousing his joy. The woman he couldn't break.

He would get his revenge, starting with commandeering her entire village.

"Tick-tock, Governor. You have thirty seconds."

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