Episode 2: The Waterbending Scroll

Disclaimer: still don't own ATLA.

The night was young, the air damp but not yet cooled by the darkness. The Blue Spirit sweat beneath his ceramic mask, the ghoulish tusks weighing heavy against his heated skin. Yet still, he dared not move. Not to wipe the sweat from his brow, not to ease the ache in his back caused by crouching for so long.

If he'd been able to prepare, he would have worn different shoes. The rubber-soled slim boots he currently crouched in were better for climbing and heists, not so much for springing a trap. When he'd started the night the plan had been to sneak into the museum to nab the revered sunstone for himself, but halfway there he'd heard a new treasure was on it's way that he simply couldn't resist.

A waterbending scroll.

He could only guess that the fanfare and challenging security the news had boasted about was meant as a distraction. The real prize was being transported by mercenaries, little better than pirates, so as to avoid announcing its arrival to the public.

It had been pure luck he'd lingered on the roof of the Cabbage Club when the workers had been taking their break in the alley.

'You hear about the barge coming in this evening? They say the industry hired the searavens to haul a water bending scroll.'

'No way, you believe in that stuff? And why would they hire thieves like that to transport something that high on the market?'

'Heard they paid them 200 gold pieces to do it.'

Zuko had balked at the amount while the second worker below him swore. 'I'd sell my left arm for that kind of money. Must be a real fancy piece of paper.'

Understatement. Bending scrolls were some of the rarest artifacts of their time. Sozin, a previous leader of Phoenix industries, the richest company in the world, had only been able to procure one in decades of searching. (And here was another on it's way into his clutches.)

Normally the Blue Spirit wouldn't interfere with an industry shipment. They were his employers after all, but this was different. The Blue Spirit knew for a fact that the scroll currently in the possession of the Phoenix CEO, an airbending artifact, was locked in a vault and unavailable for viewing. Nobody had seen it in decades, since Sozin had permanently closed it off from the world.

So the Blue Spirit had decided he would give the water bending scroll back...but only after he got a chance to look at it first.

Bending had been a revered art and form of culture a thousand years ago, but over time industry had trumped people's love of the elements and the skill had died away. After years of ignoring their duties to the environment, the world believed they had lost their connection with the spirits that had granted them the ability to manipulate the elements. According to the world, benders were nonexistent. Even if you did manage to get your hands on a scroll, the odds of you being able to use it were slim.

The temperature started to drop. The Blue Spirit thought he had to sneeze and braced, but it never came, so he merely settled back into his shadow.

There was another reason he wanted the scroll beyond the chance to hold a priceless token of history in his hands. Unlike what humanity had believed for the past thousand years, the Blue Spirit knew benders still existed. Humans could form a bond with the elements as they had centuries ago and force them to submit to their will. And he intended to learn everything he could from the water bending scroll.

He shifted on his perch, an outcropping that looked over the entire bay. The ship should be arriving any minute and he would have mere seconds to plan a stealthy infiltration and extraction. The idea sent adrenaline pumping through his veins and he shifted again, passing his weight from one foot to the other.

A light mist began pooling into the bay from the South, the fog settling gently over the glassy water. The spirit frowned. Something was wrong. The island never had fog at this time of year, and the winds travelled in from the East. Not only that, but he couldn't see a thing in the bay. The ship could be pulling in this very moment and he would have no idea.

Cursing beneath his breath, he gave up his optimal perch and leapt across an open space to the nearby rooftop. With sights diminished he would have to rely on the sound of the ship on the water. His gloves muffled the sound of his descent as he slid down a drainage pipe to the uneven cobbled floor of the slums. Launching himself along the sea line, he was grateful for his rubber soled shoes that kept his grip steady on the damp rocks. Despite the heat and lack of breeze, the fog seemed to be thickening. The spirit could no longer see more than three feet ahead. He navigated by memory alone towards the boathouse, his ears perked for any change in the waves.

The bells rang across the East village chiming the tenth hour of the evening. The spirit swore into the mist, twirling down an extended pipe to the docks. The ship should be arriving. How was he supposed to find anything in this cover of fog?

The rustling waves increased, water licking the base of the dock beneath the spirit's feet. He smiled.

Close. The vessel was close.

Then, as quick as it had come, the mist vanished from the bay. He dove for cover behind some crates next to the boathouse. Not close, the ship was on top of him.

They were early, no doubt accelerated due to the same breeze that had brought on this fog. Convenient coincidence or was there something more afoot?

That was when he saw her.

Well…most of her. She was pressed tight between some cargo and the railing of the ship. A wide hat and sheer veil shrouded her face, the only part of her that wasn't covered by a hood. Draping from a tie around her neck was a thick, maroon fabric that fell loosely across her shoulders and swayed around her ankles with the soft ocean breeze. Red paint ran like tiger stripes down the portion of her arms that were visible. It was hard to tell much in regards to her height and weight since she was crouched behind a barrel at the edge of the ship. However, she seemed familiar to the spirit, he tried to think of what he knew her from when his eye caught something in her hand. It was cylindrical, about as long as his forearm, and bight blue.

The waterbending scroll.

He moved without thinking, leaping from his hiding place for the outer edge of the boathouse. Using the side rungs he ascended to the roof and slid across the beam until he was overlooking the entire deck. He'd left bindings and ropes here for this very reason. Grabbing the nearest grappling line he deftly swung the hook across the dock to catch a protrusion of the mainmast. He wrapped the rope securely around his arm and beneath his shoulder before he looked for her again.

She remained hidden from the crew, they patrolled and weighed anchor none the wiser of her presence while her head darted back and forth as if looking for an exit. From the way her shoulders rose and fell rapidly the spirit surmised that her plan must not have gone exactly the way she'd expected. Perhaps she had hoped to be gone from the vessel by the time the mist evaporated; but how could she have known exactly when the mist would depart? Surely she had an escape in place. The crew were just about to tie off to the dock, as soon as the Phoenix representative arrived her window would be closed. And so would his.

The spirit allowed himself a moment to observe the rest of the scene. The club worker had been correct. The dark red sails painted with the stencil of a raven's head symbolized the infamous pirates: the sea ravens. Phoenix industries had indeed hired them for this off-the-books operation. But why? Why would Ozai, the current CEO of the company, risk such a treasured item to thieves and backstabbers?

A burst of movement brought his attention back to the hidden girl.

"What have we here?"

Attempting to streak across to the lowering gangplank, the veiled figure had forsaken her safety only to be spotted immediately. A large, shirtless man caught her by the wrist and flung her easily across the deck. She rolled across the deck before slamming against the mainmast with a thud that had the spirit wincing. Shaking her head, she got back to her feet only to find herself surrounded by about ten men each with a unique weapon of choice. The spirit cursed again under his breath. The odds of him getting away with the scroll were dwindling by the second.

"Well good evening, girlie." Another man emerged from below decks and the mood shifted. If he hadn't already recognized him, the spirit would have known based on his massive hat and mean face that the newcomer was the captain. Yon Rha, previous Commander of the Southern Raiders division for the island's navy now turned pirate captain.

"Looks like you got something that doesn't belong to you," Rha hummed, his eyes sliding up and down her cloaked figure.

The woman clutched the scroll tighter. "Go jump in a river."

Rha laughed. "You got spunk, I'll give you that, but I ain't here to mess around. Now hand over the scroll before somebody gets hurt."

"This scroll belongs to the people. You have no right to have it."

"And I don't want it, neither," the captain growled. "Caused me enough trouble already. Me and mine's just looking to get paid. You can take up your peoples' choice plea with the Phoenix king."

The spirit didn't allow himself to dwell too long on the increasingly popular nickname for the CEO of the largest company on the island. The crew took a step closer effectively pushing the woman back. He watched, still perched on the boathouse ready to move, as her heels met the railing of the boat and she turned to look behind her into the splashing waves.

"Stay away from me," she warned, but her voice shook.

For a moment, he thought he heard her mutter something back over the edge. "Come on water, work with me here."

The Blue Spirit decided it was probably time to move in. He double-checked his grapple before readying to intervene. Should be simple work: Get in, get the girl (and the scroll), and get out. Swinging from his perch, he landed silently beside her facing the crew. She didn't even notice he was there until he whispered in her ear. "I'll save you from the pirates."

She spun so fast he had to duck in order to avoid her outstretched hand. Fast reflexes but sloppy movement.

"My lady." He sketched a bow. She was taller than he'd thought and her body showed curves beneath the cloak, more woman than girl. Up close he could see her paint didn't stop at her arms, but rather continued up her neck to swirl across her cheeks and chin. He could just barely make out crystal blue eyes and a gilded crescent moon painted on her forehead before her chin dropped and her hat shielded her from view.

"The Blue Spirit!"

He straightened to face the pirates. "Good, you've heard of me." He unsheathed the duel swords at his back. "I was worried we'd have to suffer introductions. As it happens, we're rather in a hurry, and the scroll's coming with us. "

"I don't need your help," she hissed from behind him. The spirit resisted the urge to look towards her and effectively take his eyes of the pirates. Was she serious?

"I beg to differ," he muttered. The closest man attacked with a broadsword that the spirit easily deflected just before another threw knives that he dodged. He was about to yell at her to run when she rolled away from him to disarm the skinny one with the bombs. But he didn't have time to admire her determination before Mr. Broadsword was on him again. There was a flurry of motion and his brain went into autopilot. Slash, jab, duck, roll.

It was the most fun he'd had in months. It was probably a good thing they couldn't see the giant grin he was sporting beneath his mask. This was also the first time he'd worked with a partner.

Well…with someone who wasn't currently attempting to kill him. She had no form, but her movements had a sort of flow about them that kept drawing his eyes. And it was in one of these glances that he caught the captain catching her by surprise and twisting her arm harshly behind her.

She cried out in pain and the spirit moved on instinct for the second time that night. His swords arced through the air pushing his four attackers back and buying him just enough time to flip over to the captain and shove his sword handles into the pirate's gut. With a grunt the captain released the woman's hair and the spirit was able to drag her towards the edge by a hold on her waist.

"As much fun as this has been," he said with a final flourish of his sword. "We have to be going now."

Gripping the rope he'd left, he pulled the woman tight against his side and leapt the railing. Weapons flew over their heads and the spirit was momentarily deafened by a scream in his ear but he remained focused. Gritting his teeth, he twisted his legs to swing them around the dock to the closest end of the pier.

"Left, left!" she cried, her hands gripping his shoulder and waist with fingers like talons.

"I know!" he shouted back. They landed in a heap, rolling across the wood until they slammed into a post on the edge. The spirit groaned, his side aching, while the woman squirmed beneath him.

"What are you doing?" she demanded, her voice shrill in his ear.

"Keeping those pirates from kidnapping you."

"Okay, I'm not kidnapped. You can get off me now." She shoved him away before standing .

The spirit watched her stalk away from him with his hand still outstretched. "I'll take that as a 'thank you'." Then he remembered she still had the scroll. "My lady!" he called after her, but there would be time to discuss the matter later. Shouts of outrage and the thunder of footsteps pounding down the gangplank reached his ears as the pirates took to shore.

Brushing off the pain, he quickly overtook her as they ran down the nearest alley.

"This way," he called, grabbing her hand. She immediately pulled it back but still followed him as he turned down a side street. The East village was a maze, one that only the shadow-dwellers dared to learn. The Blue Spirit had spent more time on these rooftops than he dared to admit. It took mere minutes for them to lose the sea rats. He counted to thirty after the sounds of their followers had faded before he took a sharp turn and grabbed the girl to press against a nearby wall.

"Hey! You can't just-"

He reached beneath the veil to cover her mouth with a gloved hand and held the other to his own lips in a motion to be silent. They waited in the quiet of the night, their muffled breaths the only sound in the darkness. When he decided it was safe he let her go and stepped back.

"All clear." He grinned.

She looked anything but pleased. "I told you I didn't need your help."

"You'd be locked in a cage headed to the cells of a Phoenix Industries prison if I hadn't stepped in," the spirit said. "And so would this." He revealed and flipped the scroll from one hand to the other. It had been simple work to slip it out of her sash as they'd waited against the wall, confirming his suspicion that she did not often partake in the kind of escapades she'd just attempted. The scroll was surprisingly heavy for its size, the ends carved from solid blue marble.

Her body straightened as her hand flew to her back in disbelief. "How dare you!" She launched for the scroll.

The spirit easily evaded her. "Tsk, tsk, that's no way to treat your rescuer."

"Give it back," she insisted, holding her hand out.

"Maybe if you ask nicely." His grin widened.

There was a moment of silence before she spoke through her teeth. "May I please have the scroll back?"

"Now, was that so hard?" He was again hit by how much fun he was having, especially when he tucked the scroll into the satchel at his back. He wished he could see her face as choked sounds of disbelief came from beneath the veil.

"You can't-"

"Steal?" he finished for her, crossing his arms. "Quite the reprimand coming from the original offender of the night."

"It doesn't belong to them," she insisted. "These are real waterbending forms. It's crucial for-" she hesitated "-for our world to learn about waterbending. The people need them."

With a start, he realized why she was familiar. "Wait a minute…I know you!"

Her arms crossed and for some reason he pictured her frowning. Now that he thought about it he'd been picturing her frowning since he'd laid eyes on her. The flash of worry that tensed her shoulders did not go unnoticed either.

"You're the painted lady," he said. "The entire East village is talking about you. You healed sick and delivered supplies, they even made posters."

She let out a breath that could have been a huff of annoyance or sigh of relief. "And I know you. The Blue Spirit. Thief and bounty hunter. You're the reason the village needs someone like me."

"The village is the reason people like me exist. It's filled to the brim with traitors and liars."

"Traitors to who?" she demanded. "Phoenix industries? The only thing these people are guilty of is trying to survive in a world where every opportunity has been stolen from them."

"Stolen?" he retorted. "The Industry has created hundreds of jobs, provided supplies-"

"For themselves!" She was practically screaming at this point, her arms flying around her figure as she talked. "The rich get richer while they trample the backs of the poor. Why do you think the village gets more crowded every year? Every day men and women are pushed out of their homes to make way for some new factory. They're increasing economy and revenue for those who already have it while the rest of us compete for the scraps. Factory workers are paid half what they earn and the rest is collected from taxes. You're an Agni Kai, right? Do you have any idea how many people are imprisoned without trial? The people you bring in, do you even know what happens to them?"

The Blue Spirit hesitated. He thought of the man he'd dropped off the night before. It hadn't even crossed his mind to watch where they took him. These days he didn't even bother reading past the physical description and location of a mark before heading out.

"Look around you, spirit." She held out a hand towards the end of the alley. "Your so-called industrial empire is built on the backs of an oppressed people and I won't stand for it any longer."

The spirit could only stare at her.

"Now." Her hand shoved towards him again. "You called yourself my rescuer, but I don't need rescuing." He couldn't see her eyes and yet the weight of her gaze crashed against him. "Instead, will you help me rescue them?"

The door opened and Katara's intent to surprise her brother seemed to work a little too well. His eyes blew wide, a high pitched squeak escaping his throat.

"Katara?!" He looked around nervously as if checking the hall behind her. "Uhhh, Zuko's not here."

Katara's eyebrows furrowed and her hands found her hips. "Why would I care if your roommate is here? I came to see you, dunderhead."

"Of course!" His voice still hadn't come down from its higher pitch.

Katara waited, a hand on her hip, until she finally arched a brow. "Well? Aren't you going to invite me in?"

The apartment was larger than a dorm room but not by much. There was a living area right when you walked in that branched off on either end. To the left was the kitchen that consisted of a fridge, an oven, and a sink. There appeared to be a freshly made batch of cookies stacked on their table. Katara sighed in exasperation when she saw that one of the legs was balanced on an old textbook. To the right was the door for their shared bedroom and workspace.

"I'll make us some dinner." Sokka hustled into the kitchen while Katara took a look around. Her nose scrunched at the smell.

"Sokka, this place is a mess." She started picking up loose pieces of clothing from the floor, the counters, and the backs of chairs. "I thought I bought you a hamper for this exact reason."

Her brother peeked around the corner from the kitchen. "You're as bad as Zuko!"

"Poor boy has to live here..." Katara trailed off, trying not to breathe too deeply from the small stack of dirty laundry she was accumulating.

"He taught me to separate colors and darks," her brother called from the kitchen.

"Yes, but not piece by piece," she said, picking up a second pair of jeans off the TV. "Do you just strip right when you get home?"

"It's a man's home. You wouldn't understand."

Katara rolled her eyes before opening the door to the bedroom. It was immediately obvious the two boys who occupied it had nothing in common. Sokka's side was easily distinguished by the haphazardly organized desk, the bed in disarray, and the posters stamped across the walls. On the opposite side of the room Katara noticed a clean desk, a neatly made bed, and a small stack of books on the nightstand.

She'd heard Sokka talk about his roommate before. Zuko. He was the top in their year and was all set to receive the king's award for excellence. Apparently he was from the island but didn't have any family to speak of. The affectionately claimed "brother" had been immediately adopted by her rowdy father and had attended her home for holidays ever since. Even before he'd moved in with Sokka.

That had been the year after she'd left for boarding school. (With Sokka headed off to college there hadn't been a reason for her to stay home. Her father could handle the bakery on his own and if she wanted to fulfill her dream of being a doctor she had to start early. The North Tribe Campus had accepted her into an accelerated program for young scholars that permitted high school students to participate in collegiate level coursework. She'd been allowed to attend university classes within her focused field even before she'd finished high school. It wasn't until she'd graduated early and started her first official year as a university student that she realized they'd never expected her to succeed.

Pakku alone had believed in her. So she'd packed up her bags, transferred her credits to the West Nation campus, and moved back home.)

She'd expected things to be different. After everything she'd been through, all she'd grown into…and they were exactly the same. Her dad still refused to expand or alter his business plan. Her mother had always handled the business side of things…

And Sokka was still a mess. She glanced at his side of the room. Literally.

Apparently Zuko had been trying to teach him about independent life and had even gotten Sokka to move off campus with a job at the tea shop downstairs, but when it came to his lifestyle it seemed the boy had run into the same stubbornness she'd been working with for years.

From what her father said, Zuko had also helped around the bakery over the years, guiding Hakoda through major purchases and transitions. She'd struggled with jealously the first times she'd heard about the new addition to her family, but if she was really honest with herself…she admired him. Alone in the room she blushed.

She did her best to straighten up Sokka's side before there was a knock at the door.

"I got it," she called, striding back into the living room to open the door. Just outside, rummaging for his keys, was her lab partner.

As soon as he saw her the blood drained from his face and his bag fell to the floor with a thump.

"You!" She pointed an accusing finger at him.

"Katara?"

She hadn't realized he knew her name. Had never heard him say it before. "What are you doing here?" she demanded, crossing her arms.

The boy's golden eyes darted to the kitchen where Sokka was still banging around pots and pans trying to get dinner ready.

"Are you following me?" She prompted when he didn't answer. Her hands fell to her hips, she wanted to appear threatening but she felt more like a mom readying herself to give a life lecture.

"No, I promise," he said, raising his hands in surrender. "I…" He scratched the back of his head. "I live here."

Katara's mouth dropped just as Sokka reentered the room.

"I found some frozen lasagna we can reheat," her brother said, then his eyes caught on the two in the doorway. Katara was seething at the newcomer who sheepishly picking up the bag he had dropped. That bag. It had her seeing red. A Phoenix Industries mandated messenger bag only given to high level employees. Anybody decent wouldn't be caught dead toting around one of those things. It looked old, used, which meant he came from a family who had been working there for years, possibly decades.

Sokka made the same squeaking sound Katara had heard when she'd arrived.

"Zuko!" he said, his voice once again rising to it's high pitch of stress and discomfort.

Did he say Zuko? As in…

"You're Zuko?" Katara asked, "the Zuko who's been…? But that means…You did…You're…" Her throat felt like she'd just swallowed a pickled sea prune and she was ashamed to find herself blushing. Again.

"Katara." Sokka spoke like he would to a riled animal. "I can explain."

Suddenly she was angry. Certainly it had nothing to do with her little crush-ah…admiration turning out to be the same boy she'd spent the last two days cursing in her mind. "You think because you're my brother's roommate you're entitled to my tutoring services?" She demanded.

Zuko's eyes widened. "Excuse me?"

"That's it, isn't it," she continued. "That's why you approached me in class. You thought because you were friends with my brother that I would carry the weight for you."

"Now, hang on." Zuko pushed past her into the apartment. "I didn't tell you I was your brother's roommate and I never asked you to carry anything for me. It's not my fault we were made partners."

"Oh really? So you're telling me you sat next to me by chance?"

Zuko blushed.

Point: Katara. "Yeah, I didn't think so."

"You see what I mean?" Zuko motioned towards her, looking at Sokka. "Impossible."

"Because I'm not doing what you want?" she sneered.

"Okay, hold on." Sokka finally intervened. "We may need to take a break. A couple minutes to cool down? Have some calming tea?"

"I don't need any calming tea!" Zuko insisted just as Katara shouted, "I'm completely calm!"

Zuko shook his head. "You're not even giving me a chance to explain."

"I don't need to." Katara shot back. "I already know exactly what's going on. It's not my fault you rich-boys are all the same."

"You've got it all wrong," Zuko insisted, stepping closer to her. Katara hadn't realized how tall he was. Up until this point, she'd felt like she was winning. Suddenly, she wasn't the only player in the ring. She took a step back from him.

"There's a difference between asking for help and piggybacking," he continued in the same heated tone. "I didn't expect you to do everything for me, and I still don't, but I also acknowledge my limits." His voice quieted. "I planned to humbly ask for your help, and if you would work with me to secure a grade high enough to keep my honors."

"Why? Why is it so important that you graduate with honors?"

For the first time Zuko hesitated.

"That's none of your business, Katara."

Zuko's gaze shot behind her and Katara whirled on her brother, her eyes wide. "You're defending him?"

Sokka and his roommate caught eyes before he turned back to her. "You're messing with something you know nothing about. Zuko doesn't have to tell you anything, you're not exactly helping the situation."

"You want me to be helpful?" she demanded. "Since when have his people ever done anything to help us?"

"Stop calling them his people," Sokka said. "If you'd just listen-"

"You just said it was none of my business!"

Zuko scoffed. "Maybe if you weren't so stubborn."

Katara bristled. "Well maybe if you tried actually doing something for once."

"Katara, please," Sokka begged. Her neck hurt from whipping between them. Since when was she the one being attacked from all sides? After everything she'd done for Sokka? After what Phoenix Industries had taken from them? She glared at Zuko's bag and momentarily wished firebenders still existed so that she could burn it to a crisp.

"I just don't think this high born, vampiric, elephant-rat who thinks he's better than everyone else has the right to demand anything from the rest of us when he has no idea what we've been through to get here!"

Zuko let out a stiff breath from his nose, his eyes burning. The smoldering embers she'd noticed before were now ablaze. He opened his mouth with what was sure to be a cleverly worded counter argument until Sokka placed a gentle hand on his shoulder.

"I've got this," Sokka said gently, then turned to his sister. "Katara, let's take a walk."

"I wasn't through!"

"I wasn't asking."

Katara's shoulders fell, her anger evaporating. She hadn't heard her brother sound that serious in a long time. So she nodded, gave Zuko one final glare, and followed Sokka outside.

He took her to the balcony beyond the bedroom that overlooked the Western Nation campus park. It was beautiful with rolling green hills and a wide fountain running in the center. Katara slid the glass door closed behind her before standing next to her brother, her forearms braced against the peeling metal railing.

Sokka took a deep breath before starting. "There's something you need to know about Zuko."

"Is this where you tell me he's actually a great guy and he's changed?"

Sokka ignored her. "Yes. His family works for Phoenix Industries."

"And you allowed him to-"

"You forget, Katara, that so did ours."

She rolled her jaw, glaring at the fountain spraying across the way.

"His father…" Sokka flexed his jaw as if he were searching for the right word inside his mouth. "When he found out Zuko wasn't 100% behind the program, he left him out on the street. He has nothing. Why else do you think he's holed up with me working in a tea shop and spending holidays at our house?" Sokka shifted against the railing. "The only way he'll be allowed to step foot in his house again, to see his family, is by graduating at the top of his class with honors. Nobody in his family ever went to college, he'll be the first. When his dad sent him out, it was supposed to be an impossible task, but now he's so close and this one class could cost him everything he's been working toward."

"If he disagreed with the program, why does he still carry around that bag?"

Sokka turned to look at her, his expression still uncharacteristically calm. "Maybe for the same reason you still wear that necklace." He motioned with his chin towards the stone tied with a ribbon around her neck. Out of habit, she reached up to touch the cool marble engraved with an ocean wave.

"Just-" He took another deep breath. "Give him a chance. Please? I promise you'll see he's a good guy."

She nodded gently. "I promise."

They hugged and she'd forgotten how much she missed his hugs. Sure, they had their arguments and some days she wanted to strangle him with his own dirty laundry, but he was still her brother.

Sokka went back inside while she took an extra moment. As much as she believed Sokka about Zuko's intentions. He was still working to get back into Phoenix Industries. If he truly hadn't agreed with their methods, why was he working so hard to return? She would help him, for Sokka, but…how could she when she knew he was just going to turn around and join the company she hated?

She didn't need more enemies, she needed help in this fight. Checking that no one was watching, she pulled back her jacket and admired how the waterbending scroll strapped to her side gleamed in the setting sun. Thinking back, perhaps she knew exactly where to find some.

Sokka came back first and explained quietly that he'd told Katara the barest details. Zuko had simply nodded, accepting that it was inevitable she find out at least some semblance of his past. When Katara shortly followed from the balcony Zuko was surprised to see a faint dusting of pink along her dark skinned cheeks.

"I'm sorry." She sounded like she'd rather be saying anything else. Her eyes were on the floor, her arms crossed, and her lip twisted, but it was still progress.

"I forgive you," he replied.

Satisfied, Sokka nodded in approval before clapping his hands together. "Now. Can we eat already?"

Just as Zuko was about to follow them into the kitchen, Katara grabbed his arm.

Zuko's first thought was that maybe she had some questions. His past wasn't exactly public knowledge and she hadn't had much time to hear anything from him. Instead, she watched Sokka round the corner into the kitchen and then took a step closer to him. With her face inches from his own, she proceeded to say so low that nobody else could possibly hear, "You might have everyone else here buying your 'potential', but let me tell you something right now. You make one step backward, one slipup, give me one reason to think you might hurt my future/shot at this, and you won't have to worry about your grades anymore. Because I'll make sure your credit ends. Right then and there. Permanently." (You can kiss your honors goodbye.)

It was impossible, there was no way she could follow through on a threat like that even if he thought she was capable. Yet that didn't stop his bones turning to jelly and an icy chill running down his back.

He gulped.

Katara merely released his arm, rolled her neck, and strolled into the kitchen with his eyes following her the entire way.