Chapter 4: Slippery Slope

"Are there any out there?" Katara tried to peak over his shoulder. He had created a crevice for them to sneak out from.

"Not that I can see. Hold it -wait a second." He held a handout suddenly stopping her from following him into the narrow passage.

"They died in that collapse. It's a waste to wait here. If we cause too much of a disturbance if the Fox Lord has any reason to-"

"We are being careful. You want to go back and tell him yourself our plans were taken down by some pesty Water tribe kids?"

Zuko waited. There was a silence. A Fox Lord… A new name for this mystery leader?
"They think we're kids."

"They think we're pests…I'll show them water tribe. I have an idea." Katara looked to Zuko with a confidently stern gaze.

"I don't think I can slip out without causing the snow to budge." Zuko looked up realizing his passage was on the precipice of crumbling.

"I will sneak past you. Trust me. I think I can get them to go away without us disturbing them." Katara took it upon herself to sneak in front of Zuko. Accidentally she pressed harder into Zuko then she had meant to, trying to fit between the narrow space to achieve her goal.

Zuko was silently happy he had his mask on again, as her body passed by his, she pressed so closely, he felt a blood rush. He coughed as silently as he could to attain his composure. Was he really that easily affected by that? He hadn't been ignorant to the fact that Katara had always been a wildly beautiful girl, with a passion that reminded him of the passion often found in Fire Women. He understood why she was so fervent and Katara was the first person he felt he could connect to; after finding out about her mother he understood her deep passion to prove her death wasn't in vain. He admired her cleverness… and her ability to forgive him and remain so caring for others.

Specifically her cleverness as of right now.

She stopped, now hunched down, still hidden in the snowy collapse and delicately touched the snowy ground with her fingertips. As the snow wet, it turned to ice, and it trailed down to the feet of the men on guard.

All it took was one shift of weight, and one of the men went sliding down the hill towards their camp. The other, after a brief fit of laughter, shared the same fate.

"I hate snow...Ice …water…GAH." The men complained, as they stumbled to their feet again.

"I hate this place."

"You good now to return to camp or what?"

"Yea, yeah, lets head out."

"Works like a charm." Katara smirked as she crawled out to her feet.

"I'm impressed."

"Really? I thought you'd know by now how good I am."

"Perhaps I just needed a reminder."

Her cheeky smile had lit up in its confident shine, like a bright moon against her darker features, standing out even more in the early still dark morning sky. He had forgotten what it was like working with her. Perhaps he was going through a reawakening as the Blue Spirit right now. Perhaps this woman in blue was leading him through it.

"And when we get to my tribe, you ARE getting a parka."

"Blue is not really my colour."

"Well your lips turning blue would really not be your colour. And you are in a blue mask right now?"

"It's part of the disguise."

"Well I'm not about to see you freeze to death because of a colour preference." Katara turned and poked him in the chest. "And a water tribe parka would hide your identity even more. There, I'm happy and you're happy."

"I couldn't win this fight if I tried."

"Nope."

"Well Katara, given that you care so much for me, I guess I will have to give in."

"Are you teasing me?" Katara raised a brow.

She watched him with a keen smile, suspiciously. He shrugged. It bothered her that she couldn't see his face. For once she felt herself relaxing a bit, ironically, at the worst time. Her tribe was in danger, and she was on the run, but somehow, at least this moment she didn't mind this brief moment of lighthearted banter.

"So, what do you know about these men?"

"Other than the fact they are now calling their leader the Fox Lord, little. I have a source that told me Mai's father was part of the planning of this rebel group. I think many around my father's circle could be involved. But that is the issue…people who have power still hide behind that power. I won't make rash decisions and I won't accuse people until I have hard proof. I also can't simply take them down…this Lord is pulling the reins…I need to collapse it from the top down."

"I get what you're saying. Do you think my family…do you think we can survive them?"

"I would like to think so… I will however send a hawk from your home when we arrive…"

"That would be suspicious…"

"But you may need my men for back up. I want to warn my uncle. I want to make sure we are all safe."

"Then use our penguins. They can do the same thing your birds can."

"But they don't leave the poles' water do they?"

"Well whatever you choose…they can swim far in these waters."

"Hmm…whatever is best. We can make the call then."

"We again?"

"I'm not about to make these calls without you. This is your home."

"I know. Sometimes I wish I had a change of scenery."

"You could visit the Fire Nation sometimes."

"You could visit here as well."

"Perhaps we both would do well with a break from everything."

Katara trudged up the snowy bank following close behind him. His words rang a chord in her chest. "Is it hard to take a break as a Fire Lord?"

"Yes. I told my Uncle, to tell them I was taking time to retreat to our beach house to do some personal planning for business. I am planning on having it restored. My Uncle and my General are holding the fort. I can only be absent for so long."

"I was complaining today, but in retrospect, I think your responsibilities trump mine. Maybe I was being selfish."

As they reached the top of the hill, Zuko put up a hand to pull help her up. "It doesn't mean what you do is less important."

"No, but maybe I should take my blessings less for granted." She saw a flinch in Zuko's shoulder as she took his hand. "You are still sore."

"How did you know?"

"I saw you flinch. Let's get down off this high ground, so they can't see us. I will heal you again."

"I didn't want you to think you did a poor job…"

"You won't hurt my ego Zuko. A body heals differently. I don't plan on leaving you with another scar." They returned to flat ground. The morning sun was now lighting their path. Zuko pulled down his wrap and did his best to pull up his shirt.

She saw the heavy muscles of his back and was reminded that the muscle tissue would take longer to heal. He was very fit. She felt her face warm as she focused on healing.

"And for the record, I don't consider my scar I got protecting you some kind of war wound. It reminds me there are people worth saving and that all scars are not wounds of the past. I'd rather have a scar than have lost you."

Katara felt her hand flinch. "Who ever said my life was worth more than yours?"

"I never did." He turned his head a bit more to the left to look back at her. "But if it came down to it, I'm pretty damn sure you would have done the same."

"It should be better now."

"Thank you." He fixed his shirts and stood up. "Your talent is unmatchable. Any fire bender would only wish to have this skill."

"Thanks." Katara began to walk again, as they began to move down the hill.

Zuko followed, curious by her quiet demeanor. But let it go for a short while.

"Are we getting close?"

…

"Kutara…"

…

"Kutara!" Zuko grabbed her shoulder and turned her around.

"What?!" Katara exclaimed. Her eyes seemed glossy.

"What is going on? Something is wrong."

Kutara bit her lip. She looked up at that mask again, but the light of the sun caught his golden eyes. She couldn't disassociate with that mask. This time she was looking right into Zuko's eyes.

She couldn't avoid it.