Episode 26: Strange Encounters

A/N: So sorry for the late update! I planned a party for a friend this weekend and lost track of the days. Please enjoy!

Zuko was not a stranger to pain, but numbness was new. The days started to blur together. There were meetings, bending practice, plans for the future of the industry, and he was pretty sure he saw his mother a few times. It was only due to Meng that he was eating. He was sure the dishes she was bringing him were all five star, but he couldn't taste any of it.

The moments he savored were the quiet breaks he was able to get away to the turtleduck pond. He spent every spare moment he could sitting out with the growing ducklings, talking with them about his problems.

Then he'd discovered the Phoenix library and had taken to bringing a book out with him. Meng often found him beneath the willow tree by the pond procrastinating whatever his father had asked him to do or hiding from Azula. His sister had been particularly gleeful these last couple of days. She kept trying to get him to come to dinner with her and her friends. There was only one reason he'd been willing to attend the other night. He hoped his message would go through.

He would get used to it, right? The tilting of his universe would be the new normal.

Surely one day…Zuko sighed over the water. Surely, after some time…it won't hurt so much.

Katara hadn't been able to put on her Painted Lady garb in over a week. Her muscles were tight with disuse, her nerves frayed by the unknown. It wasn't that she didn't have the time or the energy, it was the simple fact that everything about her alter ego now reminded her of Zuko.

Now that her 'mourning period' was over, her friends were suddenly in short supply. Aang was still pouty around her, Suki was busy helping Sokka and Hakoda most days, and Toph was nowhere to be found.

Not even the hospital could steal her attention away. With the raids ended and most of the population evicted, the hospital was understaffed and nearly empty. Whole corridors were deserted.

The psych ward alone retained patients she could talk to. Katara spent most of her time there, getting lost in the worlds of her regulars' stories. Roku took her to a land before the hundred year war, when bending was everywhere and used in daily life. Xu took her to a village with fish that had two heads.

She was halfway through her rounds, walking down the hallway with a tray of the hourly dosages for the C wing when she stopped. At the head of the hallway, holding a folder and staring at her, was Ty Lee.

Katara hardly recognized her. Instead of scrubs, Ty Lee was wearing fine clothes of silk with a high collar. Her pants were flowy and widened at the foot to cover high, strappy heels. Instead of frazzled braids, her hair had been pulled into a tight bun atop her head, her face made up like a queen.

"Ty Lee?"

"Katara." She stepped forward with a tentative smile.

"What are you doing here?" Katara asked. "The hospital told me you quit."

"I warned you," Ty Lee said. "I told you dragons do whatever they have to in order to get what they want."

Katara's expression hardened. She'd never received 'I told you so' very well."Seems like you're doing fine."

"Depends on how you look at it," Ty Lee smiled, but there was sadness in it. "If you want to work at a hospital-" her eyes wandered the walls- "living a simple life, making people feel better…life in a palace isn't the dream."

Katara stepped closer. "What are you talking about?"

Ty Lee's eyes met hers again. "I'm here to warn you, and this time I hope you listen."

"Warn me?" Anger rose in Katara's chest in the form of heat, her voice was shrill and loud when she repeated, "Warn me? What more could Phoenix Industries possibly take from me? My mother, my home, my boyfriend?-" She choked, rapidly turning to drop the tray on a nearby empty gurney. She closed her eyes and focused on breathing deeply, her hand over her mouth. Hot, angry tears fell down her cheeks.

All the emotions she'd been trying to push off came crashing down on her. In her mind's eye she saw the few times she'd been able to be comforted by another. The time her mom brought her tea because she'd been unable to beat Sokka in a race. The time her father had come to visit her at the North Tribes campus after she'd called him saying she wanted to quit. Sokka picking her up after she'd had to turn Jet into the police. Toph taking her to the spa. Zuko sitting on the floor with her. Zuko holding her on a bench while she cried. Zuko taking her to a play to get her mind off how ruined her life had become.

It made it worse that she missed the one who had done this to her.

Pressure on her back, most likely a comforting hand from Ty Lee, had her flinching.

"Don't," she gritted through her teeth. "Just…say what you need to say and leave. Please."

Ty Lee sighed and stepped close. Katara could sense her body just beside her, could smell some expensive perfume on her skin.

"It's not just your home," Ty Lee whispered. "They intend to turn the entire island into an industry."

Katara matched her volume, fiddling with the pill bottles on her tray. "What do you mean?"

"He's just starting with the South bend. There are already plans to move into the University grounds. The only thing Ozai plans to keep standing is this hospital."

"He can't-"

"He can, Katara. Once he has access to all of the Industry's resources, anything they've been supporting will be his. The Phoenix family has been sending funds to the White Lotus for decades. He plans to use the student housing for the workers and turn everything else into warehouses."

"What about the east?"

"Already bought out from the Flying Boar Foundation. He's going to use it as an Agni Kai headquarters."

"There's no way-"

"It's already happening, Katara," Ty Lee said. "So please, listen to me. You need to get your family out before he gains control. Your family was too involved, he doesn't like loose ends."

"My family?" Katara turned to look her in the eyes. If Ozai had threatened her father or Sokka, she needed to be certain.

Ty Lee held her gaze, her amber eyes unwavering, and nodded. "Get them out. Get them out now."

"Everyone else? The hospital?"

"The hospital will stay and everyone else will be bought out. Your family is the only one in actual danger. Nothing can stop Ozai now, we're just going to have to wait until…" Ty Lee trailed off but Katara could guess what she'd been about to say. Until Zuko comes into power.

Katara swallowed against the lump in her throat. "I…we've lived her our entire lives, where are we supposed to go?"

A small folio was slid onto Katara's metal tray. With a brief look at her friend, Katara picked it up and opened it. Her eyes widened. "What is this?"

"Plane tickets for you and your family. An address for an apartment on the mainland, rent has already been paid for the first six months. There's a second address for a business space. The deposit has already been sent in. Finally,-" Ty Lee pulled out a stiff, cream colored paper- "A written recommendation that will get Sokka any job he wants."

Astonished, Katara's fingers flittered over the various official documents, her mouth dry. "Where…How…?" Her eyes watered again as she turned to look at her friend. "How did you-?"

"I didn't." Ty Lee held her gaze, her mouth pursed. "I'm just the messenger."

Katara's knees gave out and she slid to the floor, the unshed tears breaking over her eyelids. Ty Lee's red-painted toes peaking out through strappy heels stepped into her vision as she bent down next to Katara.

"The plane leaves tomorrow," she whispered. "Don't make the same mistake I did. Leave while you can."

When Ty Lee made to stand up, Katara grabbed her arm. "Will you-" she cleared her throat. "Tell him…tell him…" Katara thought about all the things she wanted to say to him. How grateful she was. How angry she was. How she missed him. How she didn't want to see him.

"Tell him thank you."

Zuko had been a bundle of tense nerves all day. He'd caught himself more than once trying to revert to his old habit of biting his fingernails. He should have heard something by now. The afternoon had been eerily quiet after the flurry of meetings the day before. Nothing from Azula or his father, no random interruptions from Meng, and nothing from…anyone else either.

After a morning with the turtleducks, he thought about going to see his mother and decided to try taking a nap instead. Avoiding the roaming advisors, he made his way back to his ridiculously large chambers. The room was just as fancy and clean as ever.

He hated it.

Never in a million years would he have guessed he'd miss picking up his old roommate's dirty laundry.

Slipping off his shoes, Zuko laid down making sure to wrinkle the covers.

Just as he was getting comfortable, his eyes alighted on a small tube on his night stand. At first he thought it was the avatar initiative, but upon closer inspection he found a note attached.

'Find the truth' was handwritten across the top while typed along the bottom was 'R3 S16.3 B7'. Coordinates of some kind? But for what? Flipping the note over, he found another handwritten sentence. 'Knowing the past can help to determine your future.'

Could it have something to do with Katara's mother? Some other form of forgotten evidence? Was there something he could do to fix all this?

Zuko sat up and shoved on his shoes while pushing the note into his jacket pocket. The letters must be a reference to the archives. A row, a box, something. He'd figure it out when he got there.

It must have been around lunch time because the hallways were nearly deserted. He passed three people amidst the myriad of turns and elevators it took to get down to the records room.

Entering the room he was hit with a wave of déjà vu before he remembered it had been barely over a week since the last time he'd snuck down here to steal the hidden will of his grandfather. Zuko pulled out the paper, the sense of familiarity carried on as he tracked through the aisles staring at the giant yellow markers as he passed. The rows were descending, meaning row 3 was all the way at the back, farther than Zuko supposed anyone had gone in years, possibly decades. The shelves devolved from metal to wood to recycled packing planks.

Finally, he located row 3, walked down to section 16, bent to the third shelf, and pulled out box 7.

It was an old moving box made of folded cardboard with a removable lid. It was covered in several layers of dust and the paper had an aged hue to it. Hopes that the box held information about Katara and Sokka's mother faded slightly. The box looked well over a decade old. Maybe closer to fifty years instead…but that didn't mean that the contents were as old as the exterior.

With shaking hands, he found himself checking over his shoulder before gently lifting the lid off. Inside was a single ream of papers and an ornate scroll.

The documents were faded beyond legibility but Zuko didn't touch them, perhaps they could still be restored. Instead, he pulled out the scroll and marveled at it's craftsmanship.

It was similar to the avatar initiative in that it's outside was a decorated, thick paper with ancient designs. The endings reminded him of the waterbending scroll he'd stolen with Katara months ago; they were intricate green jade phoenixes with extended wings as if taking off from the paper.

The rolled parchment was bound with a single red silk ribbon tied neatly in a bow. Zuko debated with himself about whether or not to open the scroll here or try taking the box back to his room. The entire box would draw attention, perhaps he could get Meng to gather it for him later. She would look much less suspicious carrying a box, even if it looked like it had been put down here by his great-great grandfather.

Zuko thought he heard a door open far off in the distance and started sweating. While it was unlikely someone would come this far back into the archive room, he also knew there were cameras everywhere. He couldn't risk taking the box, but the scroll was small and flat enough to fit within the inside pocket of his jacket. Tucking the intricate document in the lining pocket of the jacket his father had purchased, Zuko slid the box back into place and attempted to walk out of the records room looking as innocent as possible.

This was impossible.

Azula was the sneaky one. Zuko was sweating bullets by the time he made it to the main floor. He kept touching his face, wishing for the anonymity of the Blue Spirit mask. He'd grown used to being able to scurry away without anyone knowing where to find him. These days, it seemed everyone knew exactly where he was at all times.

Meng stopped him in the third hallway holding out a red folder. "Sign, please."

Reaching into his jacket for a pen, Zuko panicked when his fingertips brushed against the wingtips of the jade phoenixes. "You have a pen?"

Meng gave him a strange look but held out her Phoenix Industries ballpoint all the same.

"What is this, then?" Zuko asked, flipping open the folder.

"Some tutorial transcripts and a budget approval," replied Meng. "Lord Ozai needs a secondary signature from an advisor. Some cuts in the eastern district to make way for the new warehouse."

Zuko quickly perused the document, his stomach knots shifting to be more of a squirm. The new warehouse. The one going right on top of South bend. The cover up his father was slamming on top of the bakery to cover up his murder of Katara's mother to cover up his grandfather's secret will. His sigh was heavy as he signed at the bottom line.

Change would have to wait until he'd been here a little bit longer. That didn't mean every letter of his signature was like a stab to his soul as he betrayed his most recent promise to Katara. The folder snapped shut with a resounding clap and he held it out for Meng.

"If that's all…" his voice trailed off as he caught sight of a new person entering the end of the hallway. Ty Lee caught his eyes and he lifted his brow in question.

Just as she opened her mouth, Azula rounded the corner into the hallway.

"Ah, Ty Lee," she said, "I've been looking for you. Come with me, we're going out."

Azula strode past her friend and into another room off the hallway. Ty Lee paused only long enough to nod at Zuko before following.

He let out a breath he hadn't realized he'd been holding. She was leaving, she would be safe. He'd been mortified after his most recent board meeting with his father, but there was no way he could go back himself.

He'd been lucky to run into Ty Lee, and even more grateful that she'd been willing to help. Meng had been more than accommodating, making good on her promise to help him with anything he asked. She'd secured the plane tickets and rental payments in elusive ways that wouldn't alert his father to their activities.

"Forgive me, sir, but you look like you might need some rest," Meng said, bringing him back to the present. "Why don't I finish the tutorials and give you a highlighted version in the morning?"

"Yeah, that sounds good." He smiled. "Thank you, Meng."

Toph still hadn't resurfaced but Suki was on a mission to make Katara feel better. After sharing the news of Zuko's provided escape to the mainland, Sokka and Hakoda had gone into hunter/gatherer mode like they did during their yearly trip into the mountains. She'd expected more of a fight, a need to convince, but even after all Zuko had done to them, her father and brother ate it up in seconds. Hakoda went to the only grocery store still open and bought anything they might need to make meals for a month. Sokka took everything off their walls and started throwing clothes into bags. He kept saying he wasn't going to let what happened to their mother happen to her.

Safe to say, Katara was grateful when Suki finally arrived saying something about a shopping trip. Apparently Katara needed some new clothes to fit in on the mainland, despite her assurances that scrubs were all the rage no matter which hospital you were at. Suki had been begging to take her to thee mall since she'd arrived back on the island and now was her 'last chance'. Katara would take it. Anything to get away from Sokka's constant hovering, her father's restlessness, or the blaring fact that the only things not being packed in boxes and bags belonged to Zuko.

The strip mall was pretty standard with a variety of restaurants, clothing stores, and accessory stalls. Suki grabbed Katara's wrist and dragged her straight to one of the frilliest, pinkest, most overpriced dress stores Katara had ever seen.

"No."

"Come on, you might need a fancy dress now you're headed to be a mainland girl."

"Even if I need a dress, it doesn't need to look like this." Katara wrinkled her nose at the lace and frills of the nearest ballgown. "I need movement. Is there a store here that doesn't make me want to gouge my eyes out?"

Suki rolled her eyes. "Yeah, Zuko's the dramatic one."

Katara looked away, biting her lip.

"You can't avoid him forever." Suki leaned against the glass of the display window, her arms crossed. "The guy's an idiot for sure, he shouldn't have done what he did, but I understand his reasoning."

"You what?" Katara demanded.

"Zuko always has a reason for what he does," Suki said, her eyes hard as sapphire. "Always. It's one of his most annoying traits. He must have thought he was doing the right thing. His motive shouldn't be that hard to guess."

"What possible reason could-" Katara stopped and shook her head. "It doesn't matter. I can't trust him anymore. No matter how he tries to make up for it."

"Hmm," Suki hummed. Then her eyes shifted over to the left and she grabbed Katara's hand for the second time. "I think I know just the place."

Katara remained grumpy until she saw the new store Suki had chosen. The clothes reminded her of the dresses her mom used to wear when she worked at Phoenix Industries. The kind of dress she'd worn to the theater two weeks ago, the one that had made Zuko stop in his tracks with a slack-jawed look.

She shook her head. "Much better."

"Mhmm." Suki grinned at her. "Just get in there."

Suki kept pulling dresses off racks until Katara couldn't see over the pile between her arms. Looking through the variety she'd grabbed, Katara found only three she was willing to try on. Then came the dressing room. Suki sat in a plush chair while Katara went into the small stall and tried on the first dress. It was a wrap-around red dress that tied at the waist giving her a West Side Story look. She didn't hate it, but she didn't love it.

Suki made her twirl in it before moving on to the next one. This one was white with blue flowers, a halter top that twirled just above her knees. The swish against her skin made her feel pretty, like she could go dancing. When Suki saw it she smiled and clapped turning it into a definite 'yes'. Despite Katara's contentedness that they'd found at least one dress, Suki insisted she try on the last one.

"While you're trying it, I think I saw one more."

"But Suki-"

"Nope, this is making you feel better," Suki insisted. Katara couldn't argue. The dress did make her feel better, prettier, ready for something exciting.

"Fine."

The third pick was a long dress of blue with a beaded bodice. The cut was slimming but far too ostentatious for Katara's own tastes. She was just looking at how the fabric dropped a little too low in the back when she heard movement outside the stall.

"Yeah, not this one for sure." Pushing back the curtain, Katara came face to face with the girl she thought was Suki.

But it wasn't Suki.

For the second time in the same day, Ty Lee was standing in front of her. The difference this time, is that she didn't seem to have been looking for her. This time, Ty Lee looked just as surprised as Katara to be found in the same room together.

Another girl was with her. The porcelain quality of her face and the bored glaze in her eyes told Katara that she was not easily amused.

"Ty Lee?" Katara asked. "Did Zuko send you again?"

"Zuko?" A third girl as fancily dressed as Ty Lee stepped into the dressing area. While Ty Lee made Katara think of bubbles and pink, this girl was all sharp edges and predatory eyes. "Why would old Zuzu be sending you anywhere?"

It was the nickname that jogged Katara's memory. She remembered where she'd seen this last girl before, a moment that seemed to flash by and linger at the same time.

The tea shop. The scroll. The feeling of her mother's life being taken from her a second time.

Zuko, looking her in the eyes as he passed their last hope to-

"Azula," Katara gritted out.

The girl's golden eyes, Zuko's eyes, narrowed. "I know you."

Ty Lee had paled, her face passing back and forth between Katara and Azula.

"You're Zuzu's little flame, aren't you?" Azula asked.

The girl Katara didn't know let off a small cough.

Katara bristled at the condescension and squared her shoulders. "Not anymore."

"Aww, given up on him have you?" Azula mocked. "Not interested in billionaire's sons?"

"Not interested in traitors and liars," Katara responded. "Enjoy having him back."

"I do." Azula smiled. "Have you met Mae?" She motioned towards the frowning girl that Katara hadn't met before. "She's a member of the Agni Kai and a close friend of the Blue Spirit."

It was a fight for Katara to keep her expression even.

Azula wasn't finished. "Not much for smiles, but she's been in quite a better mood since my brother's returned, haven't you, Mae?"

The girl looked at Azula briefly with her depthless eyes and then turned away. Katara's insides squirmed at the thought of this girl spending her days close to Zuko. Her hands clenched at her sides, a sound like roaring water filling her ears. The power of the moon prickled beneath her skin.

"Like I said," she managed. "Enjoy him. I could care less how Zuko spends his days."

Azula's smile only widened. "Zuko himself has been a bit mopey, but he'll perk up eventually. Maybe coming back to the South bend will cheer him up."

"Azula," Mae warned.

"What?" Azula asked with false innocence, "I was only mentioning the fact that the groundbreaking ceremony will be taking place right where his beloved bakery used to be. It's all rubble at this point though so maybe not quite the reunion he was hoping for."

Katara released a breath. The bakery was gone? Already? "What groundbreaking ceremony?"

"Why, for the new warehouse, of course." Azula waved her manicured hand with a flourish and Katara noticed her nails were sharpened to points.

"You didn't think all those evictions were for you, did you?" Azula simpered. "The avatar initiative was merely (the tip of the iceberg). You and your little friends couldn't have caused any real damage. No, our empire will continue to expand until the entire island is able to achieve prosperity and Zuko will be in his rightful place for it. Next to me, leading the charge."

Katara reacted without thinking, her rage blinding her from sense as her arms moved of their own accord. Lifting her hands, her fingers formed the pose that haunted her nightmares.

Azula froze, her limbs stiffly extended like a starfish. Her eyes widened a fraction before she recovered and smirked. "You're quite the little troublemaker, aren't you?"

Katara was so focused she didn't see Ty Lee move until she was right in front of her. The physical therapist jabbed her in the shoulder, then the bicep, and pain rocketed up Katara's body like a shiver. She cried out before falling to her knees.

Through the cloudiness of her thoughts Katara heard, "stay away from my brother" just before everything went black.