Katara let the water rush over her, cool and delicate, brimming with healing comfort that washed away all the grime from her body. She had always loved the feeling of cleanliness, and bathing beneath a waterfall made her grow quiet, drifting away until she herself became part of the ancient, glorious spirit the island held. The fireflies glittered around her, mystical, almost unearthly in their faint, reflective glow, the hidden magic flowing through the soft rainbow of the waterfall as it glittered down the length of her body.

Zuko's leg caught a root and he frowned as it twisted around his ankle. As he struggled to get loose he called ahead, to where he could see the first glimmers of the water's edge between the trees.

"Katara! Are you still bending? Damn tree..."

Katara's eyes snapped open.

Oh no.

The tranquil atmosphere of the night vanished. Panicking, she ducked headlong into the crevasse behind the waterfall, crouching beside the wet rocks, and bent the water before her so her indecency was shielded from view.

Zuko got his foot free and stumbled into the glade. Katara could see his outline through the waterfall, thanking the gods that the fireflies did not fly to close to the rocks. Since there was no light around her she was all but invisible, and if she remained still he had no chance of seeing her.

Zuko glanced around the clearing, bewildered that she had disappeared. Had she gone back to the temple? Maybe...catching his reflection in the water Zuko grimaced, seeing the disgraceful scar burning on the side of his face.

He ground his teeth, furious at the sight, and threw his flaming arms towards the water. Of course, the only outcome was wet bandages and a rippling pool, but he hadn't exactly thought it through before acting. Again. Katara watched him, confused, as he knelt down by the water, clearly concerned with something and paying little attention to everything else around him.

It had been almost a long time since he had looked at his reflection. He avoided mirrors on the ship for the same reason he avoided the still water; he couldn't bear to look at his scar, the focus still blurred badly, his judgement always off because of the damage to his left eye. He reached up, slowly, to touch the outline of his face while Katara watched, intrigued.

When his fingers traced the scar he flinched visibly, and Katara's heart slowed. For a moment, she tried to picture him without his scar; a whole face, unblemished, free of the constant anguish that the scar now represented. But she could not put the vision together in her head. For as long as she had known Zuko, she had known him with his scar...the scar that now inflamed as a tear leaked from his squinted eye and he punched the water again, turned, and headed back up the mountain.

When he had gone, Katara bent the water away from her and went to retrieve her clothes. As she finished dressing she noticed the small mark at the end of her finger, left there by Zuko's flaming rose.

Her heart skipped suddenly. Looking up into the dark sky, she reached up to her neck and undid the strap of her mother's necklace.

"Stop there, Sokka," said Aang, leaning over Appa's side and pointing down to an island marking the horizon. Sokka groaned and loosened his grip on the reins.

"We already looked there, Aang. Let's try that one - the Fire Nation ship hasn't been there yet," he pointed out to a small patch of land on the horizon, where something white and broken jutted from the side of the cliff. Aang squinted his eyes and studied it carefully.

"There's some sort of building on it. Ok Sokka, we'll go there first. But if she's not there, we're going back to that other island."

"The one we checked three times?"

"Yeah, that one!"

Sokka groaned at the Avatar's gigantic smile and spurred Appa towards the island. A silver moon glowed above them, a lonely figure traveling slowly across the a cloudless night sky; its bright rays shone down onto Appa's white fur and the bison shimmered, soaring through the air like the shadow of falling star. The light from his coat glimmered up beneath the Avatar's face and Aang smiled, his hope pouring from his features in the light of the moon, his eyes shining with the mental promise that he would see Katara again.

When Appa landed on the beach, its huge, padded feet were silent in the sands. Momo leapt from the bags and sniffed along the ground. As Sokka slipped from the bison's back it gave a terrified squeak as a crab clamped its nose and the poor lemur darted, helpless and pained, towards Aang.

The Avatar gave a small laugh and pried the crab's claw away from Momo. The lemur rubbed its nose and leered at the offensive crustacean, which scuttled nonchalantly back towards the sea side.

"Aang...Aang! I think I see something -"

Sokka's eye caught something dark and indistinguishable lying up the beach. Aang grabbed his glider and soared passed Sokka, who frowned and ran faster to catch up with him. Aang landed beside the dark form and turned it over with his hand.

"Sokka..."

"I'm here! I'm...I'm here!" he panted, out of breathe from chasing Aang. When he saw what Aang pointed to, however, his exhaustion seemed to vanish.

"Aang...that's...that's Katara's coat -"

"I know..."

Sokka gazed at the article, open mouthed. His eyes caught the edge of it's sleeve and he noticed parts of it were missing.

"She was burned..."

"Sokka..." said Aang quietly, his eyes shaking, "...look."

He pointed a few feet away to another dark form that Sokka couldn't distinguish. He stepped over katara's coat and knelt down beside it, lifting it int his hands. When he felt the iron breastplate and caught the glimmer of red he gave a small gasp.

"Fire Nation...but they're not here! They're behind us -"

"The ship's behind us, Sokka, not the fire benders..." Aang said as he knelt down next to the warrior and picked up a piece of clothing. "This uniform is different...it's..." Sokka stared at the armor for a long time.

"We've seen it before," he whispered. Aang took another second gazing at it and looked back down the beach. His hands were trembling.

"Zuko. He's got Katara."

"Where were you?" said Zuko, trying to sound uninterested as Katara walked up to the fire, almost skipping from the joy of being clean again. When she heard Zuko's question she handed him her canteen and sat down beside him.

"I was getting water...and then I went to the beach."

"Oh, alright," said Zuko. He handed her a piece of melon and she devoured it hungrily. He poked the fire idly, and the water bender decided upon herself that she would never repeat to Zuko the events of the waterfall. When she finished Katara glanced at him; she was seated at his right side, his scar hidden from view. The fire, red as coals in the deepening night, lighted up only half his face, leaving his scar shrouded in darkness. For a moment she noticed the gold in his eyes glaze faintly, his focus fading...the same way it had when he held the burning rose in his hand...

"Zuko..." she whispered gently, and he turned towards her. She caught a brief glimpse of the left side of his face, but continued on. "Just...don't be angry, its just -"

"You want to know about my scar," he said, his voice blunt, his expression indifferent. Katara hesitated at his reply, but nodded. Zuko turned back towards the fire and leaned back, resting on his bandaged elbows. For a second he let the flames from the fire flicker in his eyes, trying to tell her without going into detail.

"I...I was in a duel. I lost."

Katara looked at him, her gaze growing softer by the moment.

"How did you...a duel?"

"I offended the honor of...of another fire bender."

"But a duel - who would challenge you to a duel? Fire benders duel only in extreme circumstances..."

Zuko eyes squinted in slight frustration, but he knew that her questions were innocent. His insides fought with each other...he had to say something that would satisfy here, but wouldn't actually be the truth...

"It was an extreme circumstance," he said shortly. He was determined not to look at her, not to let her see the real story struggling to escape, the hidden pain behind his eyes. But Katara did not need to look at him to know what he felt; she could feel, even from a distance, the fire of his body raging in frustration as he held back from her, the flames beginning to cloud his mind again.

She shifted closer to him and he looked up at her, startled. When she was right by his side he sat up and faced her, searching those endless blue eyes for her next question.

It was strange the way the deep gold of his eyes reflected in hers; the way the icy blue of her gaze made his body relax, his tension fade, his mind go slowly numb. The way she never looked on him with disgust, with hatred...it was only kindness, only serenity...

"What happened, Zuko?" she whispered gently. The Prince gazed at her, lost for words, his mind all full of her face, the delicate lashes that fell down across her eyes, the way her lips moved when she spoke...

"I..." he wasn't really talking, wasn't even breathing...just gazing, lost the deep blue of forgiveness.. "I was in a war chamber...they were discussing...sacrificing soldiers...I told them...they couldn't betray their own recruits..."

Sokka crept up the side of the slope and saw Katara's back to him. Waving back to Aang, he drew his boomerang and continued to creep forwards. Zuko was still staring at the water bender, numb, content...

"I was challenged...I thought...I didn't...I was forced to fight...my father. He banished me, and the Avatar is the only way I can -"

Suddenly his eyes caught the gleam of Sokka's weapon and his brain clicked. Hands flaming, he leapt before Katara, who watched him breathlessly as he crouched before her, fire searing up his arms.

"Zuko, what -"

Sokka's boomerang flew andZuko leapt into the air, catching it with flaming hands, and snapped it in half. Sokka, fuming, leapt from the trees with Aang beside him. Drawing his knife, the warrior glared angrily at the Prince.

"That was my best weapon! You'll pay for that, you -"

"Aang! Sokka!" said Katara, her heart leaping. She leapt from her seat but Zuko stepped before him, his eyes fixed on the air bender.

Aang glared back and fell into fighting stance, the glider ready in his fist. Zuko's eyes roared with flame at the sight of his foe, his hope, the one thing that could bring honor back to his name, erase all this anger from his heart...the flames engulfed him as he prepared to strike, the red light glittering off Sokka's blade, Aang's hands spread wide and ready to bend, to attack.

Zuko bent his knees to take the first leap; Sokka pulled back his knife, aiming it straight into the the Prince's heart; Aang readied a blast of air before him and prepared his defense.

"STOP!"

Three separate whips of water overthrew them all; Sokka went down, the temple in his head throbbing angrily, as Aang sat up and shook his head from shock. Zuko stood almost instantly afterwards, but his arms did not burst into flame again.

All eyes were on Katara, who guided the water back into her canteen and glared.