A/N: The song Haru sings wasn't my first choice, but after hours of research into Zhou Dynasty music, traditional Chinese folk songs, the Japanese pentatonic scale and the Phrygian mode it's based on, this very well-known one was the only traditional Chinese folk song I could find with an English translation. I thought it might reasonably be something he would have heard his mother sing in happier times. Here's the tune: www dot youtube dot com/watch?v=1QZhJnDS3Vc. Aang's flute would probably sound something like this: www dot youtube dot com/watch?v=9BD1y0TOk3o, though more like a few minutes long and not 20. The Inuit tune for Katara's lullaby was shared back in Return to Omashu (www dot youtube dot com/watch?v=vd1Vffa5wvI).

Disclaimer: I do not own Avatar: The Last Airbender. This episode originally written by May Chan.

Book 3: Fire; Chapter 22: The Boiling Rock, Part 1

Haru hummed to himself as he and The Duke helped Katara with the dinner dishes.

"I didn't know you could sing, Haru," Katara commented.

Haru chuckled. "I don't know about that," he said, "I was just humming a tune my mom used to sing.

"How does it go?" The Duke asked, as they finished up and sat by the fire pit. As Haru's melodic voice carried across the stone courtyard, the rest of the group gathered around to listen.

"What a beautiful jasmine flower

"What a beautiful jasmine flower

"Sweet-smelling, beautiful, stems full of buds

"Fragrant and white, everyone praises

"Let me pluck you down

"Give to someone else

"Jasmine flower, oh jasmine flower"

Everyone clapped when he finished.

"Thanks," he said, looking a little shy and embarrassed.

"Alright, who else has got one?" Sokka asked, clearly enjoying this evening entertainment.

"Not me," Toph announced. "My parents tried to force me into musical training as a kid since it's not visual, so naturally I rejected it."

Sokka looked over to see Aang coming back with a small Air Nomad reed flute. "Aang?" he invited.

"I'm not much of a singer," Aang said as he settled himself in lotus position, "but I can play a song on this." He held his flute up to his mouth and played a snippet of an Air Nomad meditation tune. It was light and breathy, and soothing and centering, all at the same time. Everyone clapped again when he finished, and Aang nodded his head in a small bow.

"Very nice," Sokka commented. "Anyone else?" he asked, looking around. "Katara, do you remember any of our songs?"

Katara shrugged. "Not really. The music all sort of stopped after Mom died. Gran-Gran sang to us a little, but I don't remember much."

"What about that lullaby you sang to Tom-Tom in Omashu?" Sokka asked.

Zuko had been mostly lost in his own thoughts, but the mention of Tom-Tom snapped him back to attention. "Wait, what was that about Tom-Tom?"

Sokka relayed the story. "After Omashu was taken over by the Fire Nation, we tricked the governor into evacuating all the civilians by faking a disease. His son followed us out and wound up in our camp outside the city walls."

"We think he was chasing Momo," Katara put in.

Sokka continued. "Katara took care of him until we could return him to his family."

"Which was easier said than done with his sister throwing knives at us while Sokka was holding him!" Katara's anger flared as she remembered.

Zuko still felt the need to defend Mai. "Wait, Mai wouldn't throw knives at Tom-Tom! She's very precise. I'm sure she was aiming at the person holding him, trying to get him back. She told me he was kidnapped and held for ransom."

Katara frowned at him, thoroughly annoyed that Zuko would defend someone who knowingly put a baby in danger. She readied herself to argue, but Sokka broke in before she could get started.

"Anyway," he said, "when Tom-Tom started to get tired, Katara sang him to sleep. Why don't you sing that one?"

Katara wasn't exactly in the mood for lullabies after her near-spat with the prince, but she didn't want to ruin the mood for everyone else. She glanced nervously over at Zuko and then shrugged, attempting to look nonchalant.

"It's just a snippet of a lullaby. I don't even remember the whole thing."

"Come on, Katara, let's hear it!" Haru encouraged her.

"Yeah, just go for it!" The Duke urged.

"Well, okay," Katara said, still uncomfortable about being put on the spot.

"Still now, and hear my singing,

"Sleep through the night, my darling.

"Tomorrow will be a better day

"You were born to show the way

"We all can live for love and peace

"United in harmony

"Mmmm...

"Still now, and hear my singing"

Silence hung over the group as she finished and they all contemplated the words of the song. Zuko rose without speaking and began brewing tea over the fire. He had liked her song, and her voice, but was sure that someone else should be the one to comment on it. Finally, Aang broke the silence.

"That was beautiful," he said. "Thanks, Katara." Katara gave him a little smile.

"Yeah, love and peace. And harmony. That's what we're aiming for," Teo said. "No more fighting between nations, and my father's inventions can be used for good again instead of being taken and used for war."

Aang caught the scent of tea wafting through the air as Zuko set out the cups on a tray and pulled the kettle off the fire.

"Mmm, that smells good," Aang commented, taking a deep breath.

"No one can make tea like Uncle," Zuko said as he poured, "but hopefully I learned a thing or two. Would you like to hear Uncle's favorite tea joke?"

...

Zuko sent another blast of fire into the war balloon tank to keep it going.

"I think your uncle would be proud of you," Sokka said. "Leaving your home to come help us? That's hard."

Zuko closed his eyes, still facing the fire. "It wasn't that hard."

"Really?" Sokka pressed. "You didn't leave behind anyone you cared about?"

"Well, I did have a girlfriend," Zuko confessed, "Mai."

Sokka smiled and sat forward, amused. "That gloomy girl who sighs a lot?"

Zuko smiled at Sokka's description. "Yeah."

Suddenly, Sokka made the connection. "Wait, that's Tom-Tom's sister, right?"

"Yeah," Zuko said again, more awkwardly and less amused this time.

"Oh, boy," Sokka said as he recalled their conversation from the night before.

"We had already broken up before I left," Zuko explained, "but she was still a good friend."

Sokka sat back and grew somber. "My first girlfriend turned into the moon."

Zuko turned his eyes skyward before looking back at Sokka. "That's rough, buddy," he said.

…

Zuko, now in a prisoner's uniform, was in an isolated room when the warden walked in and shut the door behind him. Zuko leaned his back against the wall and crossed his arms.

"Well, well, well," the warden sneered, "I never thought I'd find you in here, Prince Zuko. You're my special prisoner now. And you'd best behave. If these criminals found out who you are, the traitor prince who let his nation down, why they'd tear you to shreds."

"So what's in it for you?" Zuko challenged. "Why don't you just tell my father and collect a reward?"

"Oh, in due time, believe me," the warden growled, "I intend to collect." He walked out and the door shut behind him, leaving Zuko alone in the darkness.