Chapter 3: Rising Heat

He blinked, allowing his surroundings to come into view.

He felt something slip off his shoulders. Katara's coat seemed to have been put over him. He felt the cold air a bit more as he moved it to the side.

He also felt his face, fingers to his cheeks, adjusting to a slight rush of cold.

His mask was off.

He didn't feel feverish. Iroh would tell him it was because of his natural strengthening ability of his teas. He had a feeling that it was Katara's doing though.

He saw a dwindling flame in front of him. She'd managed to create a fire somehow in an iced-out cave, with barely anything in it. It was strategically set closer to him. Whomever thought the Southern Water Tribe was weak ought to take a trip out here in the icy frigid waste land for a week. He could never quite climatize or survive in this weather.

His eyes adjusted to the dim cave lighting enough to notice she was curled in a ball on the ground sleeping. She had grown, as did he. Five years later they weren't the teenagers they used to be – everyone had called them adults. They were beginning to look it. He could feel it.

Five years later, he was surprised she didn't have a title of someone's wife. She could keep a man in line, protect herself and care for everyone else.

He hadn't spoken to Aang in a long while either.

Then again, he was not one to speak on any matters of love.

He returned her coat covering her with it.

He sighed. For any time, he had been what she called "reckless" and protected her, she'd returned the favour by making sure he survived.

He didn't think it was reckless either. So, what he wanted to protect his friends? Although, after all this time away from them, was he sure they really counted him as their friend?

He looked at the way her mocha skin sat under the dwindling fire. Her long locks that, so as far as he could remember, always smelled a little of cool air and tundra lotus. And calm for being in below zero weather. A testament to what she could withstand.

He used his fire powers to ignite the flame a bit more. He sure as hell couldn't. He crossed his arms for a moment over his chest to warm up.

He spotted his mask on the ground. He'd already strayed so far from the path he'd intended. Was he stupid for going after this vigilante life again? Should he have approached this a different way? If so, then why did his Uncle return it to him after he had once told him to turn away from that?

Did the Blue Spirit have a rebirth like he did… or was he just living in a past that never quite could be?

"You're awake."

He felt his neck stiffen before he looked over to see Katara, groggily blinking awake.

"Yeah…and you saved me again. Guess you can call us square."

"Well I still think you need my coat more than I do."

"Hmm." Zuko hummed a chuckle. "Always trying to look out for me, eh?"

"What? No." Kutara felt herself almost blush. "Look, I need to get out of here. Those fire nation men… I heard them. They-"

"-Have nothing to do with my fire nation. They're a rogue group that have been starting fights and going after underdog groups of other nations. I don't see how they could be attributed with my father, but I'll tell you they have similar ideals."

"Then why don't you cut them off? You're a Fire Lord?"

"You sound like Mai. Like it's that simple. There is a leader. He does not go where they go and so he holds the ideals and power. Think. I can send my men off to stop the fights, but nobody will say who the ringleader is. I can start a fight between my people; rekindling old thought with new, and then I will be the Lord of a new kind of war. Nobody deserves more bloodshed. I came here to infiltrate and find out who this man is."

"Or woman."

Zuko nodded. "I stand corrected. And I planned on telling you. This is my first encounter with them."

"…as the Blue Spirit? Are you sure that going at this alone is right…"

"There is no one else to ask."

"What about me? Us? Our group?"

"I didn't feel right interrupting Aang. I guess my responsibility means something…"

"He is busy."

"Well you would know right?"

"No, I wouldn't."

Zuko's eyes widened. "I'm sorry I didn't realize-"

"No." Katara's words were blunt. "Aang and I weren't meant to be, or we aren't. Or something. He just hasn't grown up. He never quite got my stance on things. He just…sees life and people so fair and justly but I don't see the world that way. I don't know if I burned a bridge with him but …"

"Don't explain. I burned a bridge recently myself." Zuko let out a heavy sigh.

"Oh yea? Who?"

"Mai."

"What? Really?"

"Yea, turns out when you accuse your girlfriend's father of being part of a rebel group to her and then explain that she just doesn't get the passion I have to be what my father wasn't...things go a bit up in flames. She'd always remind me to let others handle it…and maybe I did put a lot on myself, but along the way I think our perspectives and paths just kind of diverged…"

"My grandma told me you can choose the path you take at each fork in the road, but you can't choose the way the paths wind. Maybe your paths were winding away…maybe it wasn't a choice…"

"She sounds very wise. Almost something Iroh would say, but I think he would use tea as the metaphor."

Katara laughed. "Still on his tea kick?"

"Forever more." Zuko smiled. "We will warn your tribe and get out of here."

"I-"

"You don't have to say it. One of the first things that weighed my mind was if I should warn you first…but I didn't want to disrupt the fire men's plans. In fact, their expectations for your tribe's traveling patterns is what we can use against them."

"I'm glad you understand."

"We do have that in common – we will do what we need to, to make sure our people are safe."

"And you Zuko are part of my people. So stop throwing yourself infront of arrows, rocks and lightning."

"Then stop trying to get hit by them."

"Then stop covering my mouth with your hand and treating me like a captive in hostile situations."

"I didn't want you to be surprised…"

"By what? A strange mystery man holding me against him trying to keep me quiet in the night at a rogue fire nation camp?"

Zuko coughed. "I -I didn't realize it seemed that way…I didn't know if you knew it was me...and I didn't know what else to do-"

"I am not a child. I know the dangers of being a woman, and I also know the dangers of underestimating me. The only reason I would have screamed was if you did scare me into thinking you were some pervert or kidnapper."

"Damn I've fucked this up." Zuko groaned.

"Hey, hold it, I never said you were."

"A pervert?"

"Well god no, I should hope not. And you didn't mess anything up. You have me on your side now."

"You're not going to tell me to stop with the Blue Spirit act?"

"No. Not if it helps you do what you need to. I'm no Fire Lord, but you are important and well known, so I get the need to be secretive. I once dressed up as a Spirit so I could help others without revealing who I am…" Katara caught her eyes in his liquid gold ones. "I left my tribe today because I needed a break. I know I am not their leader, but I feel like one. I train the new benders, give advice to the others, and try to delegate when the men get rowdy…and maintain a sense of peace my grandmother always has. Sokka tries, but …he's living a happy life with Suki. I can't interrupt that."

"Sounds like we're both jaded leaders. But, if you need anything, I think we haven't burned our bridge yet so, let me know." Zuko stepped forward and put his hand on her shoulder. She was surprised by how warm he felt again. He was his fire lord self again.

Kutara breathed out slowly into a smile. "I will. Specifically…do you feel like blasting a fiery hole through the cave in? I think my tribe deserves some warning soon."

"Perhaps more of a slow burn? I think a fiery explosion might attract attention."

"I stand corrected." Katara nodded, parroting his earlier words. She watched him slowly burn through the ice. She wondered if the other men could have done the same. Was he lying earlier to make her feel safer, when he had said they probably lost interest… or were they weaker benders?

"We should return to my tribe the opposite way I came from. A different path from the one they will likely take."

"My infiltration can wait." Zuko nodded.

"You're so much more level-headed than you used to be." Katara found the words coming out before she could stop them. "Oh, sorry that sounded rude."

"Maybe I am. But you also reminded me what matters most right now."

"What?"

"Protecting those I care about."

Thanks for reading thus far! I know this has started too as a bit of a slow burn but it will quicken its pace as I go, especially for the Zutara moments! Thanks for the read, and feel free to leave a review of your thoughts!