Wow, I wanted to spend all day yesterday typing, but I ended going on a family journey to a magical place called Hee Haws. It's really just a little amusement "farm" for city folk to go and see how the other half lives. But it was still pretty fun. There was a "hayride" but instead of hay bales to sit on, there was just some straw spread out on the bottom of the wagon. There were pig races and a cow you could pet, there was an adorable mini horse (I couldn't help it, I had to kiss it's nose) and the saddest looking chickens I have ever seen. And then there was Leroy. That is the biggest boar I have ever seen! It looked like a beached whale from the distance! I thought my dad was going to get us kicked out because he kept throwing rocks at Leroy to get him to move. I couldn't believe it. I wanted to smack the old man. And I attempted to wrestle the rocks away from him, but he's a sly one. Then I went on a trip down memory lane when my dad got a hold of a lasso. If it weren't for the stereotype, my dad would probably be a cowboy. One of his favorite passtimes is to tell us kids to run, then lasso us in mid flight. There was also a cornmaze. I ran through the whole thing and was sad because it's impossible to get desperately lost in that puny thing. Then it rained, so we had to go home. Anyways, that was my weekend.

About the new episode: It rocked! I saw so much Zutara-y foreshadowing that it makes me sick. A few to point out (sorry Khazia and O-dragon, you've already heard these), Did Zuko ever deny it when Jun said Katara was his girlfriend? I think NOT! And there were a whole bunch of other subtle things. But there's one part where they were riding the Shooshy-whatever into the abby for the second time where Zuko reached behind and grabbed onto Katara's clothes as though he was making sure she didn't fall off. Watch it again and watch his hand closely. I got the fuzzy giggles when I caught that.

Evangline Angel: You caught me. I was forcing a happy outcome. I want this story to end on a more lighthearted note, and if I really did kill a bunch of people I would be like, "GIVE ME ZOLOFT!" and I didn't want this story to drag on for the length of time it would take me to get over something like that.

Petitio Principii: Yay! And it would make an even bigger difference if you gave me 10 bucks! (wink)

Titan09: Hah! Cellophane! It makes me laugh. Ew, you're comforting Taz? He died two years ago! He was eaten by my neighbor's dog. Animals just don't have much luck out here. I like your dead Zhao song! And let me know if you become a deviant! i would lurv to see your work!

Elf of Rohan: Well, he don't have issues anymore. (evil, maniacal laugh)

O-dragon: Aw, you're the first person that has said I'm not evil! Thankies!

Katara183: This one's a bit shorter. And I really don't get sick of anything.

Zukoscute2: Kay, I will!

Randomwriter88: Aw, ya didn't have to destroy the kiosks! It was all Wallmart's fault!

Plutobaby494: Let's year a round of "Yay"s for Zhaos death! 1. 2. 3. YAY!

Serori: Aw, I'm blushing!

Lovergal1227: Zula's stuff will be answered here.

Khazia: Wow, that seems to be a very popular song!

darklight4ever: don't you worry. You will know when the end has come. and no, there will not be a sequel.

Sesshomaru's Woman: Aw, he likes you! My advice (I actually have several solutions in my powerful brain muscle) creep him out by letting him know you've caught on to his crush. A guy trying that hard to get your attention is most deffinitely crushing. Or if you're absolutely certain that it isn't a crush and if it gets really bad, go to your school administration, a councilor or a teacher and let them know about what he's doing. HARRASSMENT IS ILLEGAL! Or you can just tell him that you've got a hit woman named Lin13 who's watchin' out for ya and if he doesn't knock it off, I'll come over there and beat the stuffing out of him, then eat the stuffing. Yum, stuffing. Or if he really is a cockroach, just pour some liquid soap on him. That oughta kill him good. Hope it helped.

alright, and for all of Seethingxshadow's reviews, I have this obsession with answering everything, so I'm typing yours at the bottom because it is so looong! In fact, it has a whole section off to itself.

Alrighty, this chapter is pretty angsty and I guess you could say it really delves a bit into psychosis. Sorry if it disturbs you. I feel every story needs some serious angst, and I really enjoy writing it. Every angst has it's place, and this'ns place is right here. Enjoy.

Zula sat alone in the dank prison hold of the ship. Zhao's crew had been locked up with her a few hours ago, but Zuko had given them a chance to cross over. A binding ritual on their honor was performed and they had been let free. Normally Zula wouldn't have believed that over one hundred men would switch sides so easily. They had all lost everything when Zuko came to power. They had made their names and fortunes from the war and had been promised so much in the conquest of the world. All of them were comrades to Zhao, well trained and power hungry. It had been very easy to scrounge them together. But in that short time when they had either been brought back from the spirit world or watched as a fallen friend was, their allegiance shifted. She herself had been astounded and struck dumb by what had happened. But once she came back to her senses she held herself firm. She would rather die the worst possible death imaginable than join her brother and his wussy (couldn't think of a better word) cause. There was a soft click from the doorway and the guard watching over Zula immediately stood at attention. Zuko walked in and gave the guard a curt nod of dismissal.

"Have you thought about my offer, Zula?" Zuka asked quietly. Zula stood up and moved as close to her brother as the bars would permit. She hocked a flaming loagy and spit it at him. Zuko shifted slightly and it flew by harmlessly.

"How's that for an answer?" she asked, lounging against the bars.

"Your etiquette lessons really show." Zuko said sardonically. His face softened and he pulled a stool close to her cell and sat down on it. "Zula, why were you with that pile of scum?" he asked sadly.

"Oh, so now you're being all big-brotherly?" Zula asked with a harsh laugh. "Trying to protect me from the bad boys?"

"I'm sensing some bitterness." Zuko said with a cocked eyebrow.

"And if I am bitter? You're twenty-two years to late to start caring Zuko, so don't even try." Zula shoved herself away from the bars and sank moodily onto her cot. "Now go away." She said, waving her hand as though to magically make him disappear.

"I'm sorry if I ever hurt you." Zuko said quietly after a few moments of silence.

"Just go away." Zula said.

"Not until you talk to me. What is it that I ever did to you? I want to try and make things right between us." Zuko pleaded. Zula didn't say anything, just averted her gaze to her pillow. "I said I'm not leaving until you talk to me." Zuko said firmly.

"Then you'll just have to sit there and rot." Zula lay down on her bed and rolled over so her back was to her brother. She wanted to just scream at him, let out all the pent up rage she had felt her entire life towards him. He had never cared for her. He had cared for so much when they were children. For his uncle, for their country, for their father, he'd even cared about a servant girl and a stupid rat. But he had never cared for her. She had needed someone to be there with her, but there was never anybody. Zula laid there and fumed over her lonely past. She didn't know if Zuko was still there, but part of her cared. She didn't notice when the door to her cell creaked open quietly and didn't realize she was no longer alone in the cell until she felt a pair of warm lips press themselves to her forehead.

"Good night Zula." Zuko whispered and left the cell. Zula lay there frozen. Then her shoulders began to shake and the suppressed tears began to flow. She stemmed them quickly when the guard returned. But she placed a fingertip to the place Zuko had kissed her. That was all she had ever really wanted.

Katie couldn't shake the feeling of being unclean. She had washed her face and arms the best she could, but it wasn't enough. She felt a grime all the way down in the depths of her pores. She found a harsh cloth and scrubbed at her skin until it was raw, but the dirt was still there. The dirt and the blood. She began bathing herself with fire, steadily heating her flesh, allowing the natural sterility to consume her. Still it was there. She allowed her skin to get hotter and hotter. The world began to swim around her, the heat was too much. But at the same time it wasn't enough and she stoked her internal flame a little more. The tips of her hair were beginning to singe when Zuko entered the room. He froze when he saw Katie. Her body was on fire. She was burning herself alive!

"KATIE! KATIE, SNAP OUT OF IT!" He cried. He was in front of her in an instant. He grabbed her shoulders and shook her roughly. Her eyes opened and the flames died abruptly. "What were you doing!" Zuko demanded, giving her shoulders another shake.

"Huh?" She asked dazedly. She really had no idea what she had been doing. Fear suddenly welled up inside Zuko as he stared into her face. She could hurt herself and not even realize it. He could lose her. His hands began to shake. He wrapped his arms around her shoulders and pulled her to his chest. He buried his face into her hair and she held him back. She still wasn't entirely sure as to what he was so upset about, but offered what comfort she could. After a few minutes, Zuko seemed to gather control over his emotions and pulled away from her. "Are you okay?" She asked.

"It doesn't matter. How are you?" He asked, fingering her cheek.

"I'm really thirsty." She said averting her gaze to the floor. She knew that wasn't what Zuko had meant, but she just didn't know how to deal with what had happened those few nights ago. She had been running it over and over in her head. She knew she no longer had the power the lightening had given her. She also knew that she would never receive that power again. But the fact still remained that she had held that power in the palm of her hand. She now understood the exact workings of energy. It was more knowledge than she could take. And then there were the crew. The few people she had seen since the occurrence quivered with fear while in her presence. She just couldn't take it. She didn't know how to convey it into words, but she knew that Zuko understood.

"I'll get you a drink of water then." Zuko said. He led her over to the bed and tucked her in. This was another thing Katie couldn't stand, Zuko fussing over her as though she were on her deathbed.

"Zuko, just go get the water." She said wryly and shoved the heavy blankets away. Katie sat up and pulled her knees to her chest as Zuko poured fresh water from a pitcher. It was warm, so he drew away some of its heat until it was almost ice cold.

"I spoke to Zula again." He said when he returned with the glass.

"Any progress?" Katie asked, taking the glass from him and taking a grateful sip.

"She hates me." Zuko said with a shrug. "She made a few comments, from my little knowledge of the woman language I think I've gathered that I just wasn't a good big brother. I wish I knew how to talk to her." Zuko buried his face into his hands and heaved a sigh.

"Just talk to her like you're talking to me. Tell her about yourself. She doesn't need to talk back, in fact she most likely won't. But maybe it will be enough to break the ice a little." Katie said, resting her cheek on his shoulder.

"Will you come with me?" Zuko asked pleadingly.

"No, this is something you and Zula need to sort out for yourselves. I've got enough on my plate thank you very much." Katie said. Zuko reached up and wrapped his hand around hers.

"Why does life have to be so complicated?"

"Eh, you know what they say, "La vie este l'enfer"." Katie said with a shrug.

"What?"

"Life is hell."

"Amen." Zuko said with a nod. "Are you hungry?" he asked.

"Yeah, a little."

"I'll go get something to eat." He said, kissing the palm of her hand in farewell. After he left the room Katie sighed and looked around for something to do until he got back. She climbed out of bed and went to sit in front of a sort of vanity. She glared at her reflection in the large mirror. Her long hair had suffered quite a bit from her constant lapses. Most of it was singed and looked like wire. There was really no point in trying to save it, her hair was dead. So she reached into a drawer and pulled out a pair of fine, silver scissors. She grabbed the first strand of hair and cut it down to only a few inches in length. She repeated the process over and over. It took Zuko twenty minutes to get back from the kitchen. When he walked into the room he nearly dropped the tray he was carrying in shock.

"What are you doing?" He asked. She's lost her mind! He thought to himself. Katie turned and shrugged.

"I'm cutting away my burned hair." She turned back and cut away the rest while Zuko watched her with a sort of fascinated horror. Katie trimmed a few places so that the cut was a little more even then turned to Zuko. "Well, what do you think?" Zuko's face softened as he looked at her.

"You look just like you did when I first met you." He said with a soft smile. Katie smiled back and turned to see her reflection. She ran her fingers through her hair causing it to spike up. It felt so much softer now, she felt like she could sit and rub her own head for hours. But her stomach gave a sharp command that she snarf whatever was filling the room with that savory aroma.

"FIRELORD ZUKO! PLEASE COME QUICKLY, THE PRISONER HAS GONE MAD!" A guard yelled, pounding on the door. Zuko sat up with a start and immediately jumped up, pulling on a pair of pants. He didn't bother trying to find a shirt or his boots, he just ran from the room, his bare feet slapping on the steel floor. He burst through the door to the holding cells and was nearly overwhelmed by the powerful flames that were shooting from the center of the room. The center where Zula's cell was positioned. Zuko shielded himself and squinted into the blinding light. He could see Zula's silhouette. She was lying on her back, writhing in agony. It wasn't difficult to understand what she was doing. She was unleashing all of her energy, she was trying to burn herself out until her body shut down. She was trying to kill herself.

"ZULA! PLEASE STOP THIS AND TALK TO ME!" Zuko yelled, trying to make himself heard over the roar of the flames. But there was no way that Zula could hear him, and he doubted that she would do as he said. So Zuko created a shell around himself and trudged forward. It took a great deal to get to where Zula was laying. Even if he was blocking himself from the heat of her fire, the force of it kept pushing him back. But he did finally make it to her. Flames were erupting from her eyes, nose and mouth. She was twitching on the ground as though experiencing a seizure. Zuko grabbed her shoulders, ignoring the blistering heat radiating from her and began to shake her. He hoped that she would lose her concentration as easily as Katie had. But she had started her fire while in deep meditation. She couldn't be snapped out of it. "ZULA! DON'T DO THIS!" Zuko yelled. Suddenly the fire around him stopped. Zuko nearly cried out with relief. But when he looked down at Zula's face the relief vanished. She was completely still. She wasn't breathing and when he checked for a pulse, there was none.

"Bring her back!"

"Zuko, I can't." Katie said sadly.

"Yes you can! I watched you bring back all those men, I know you can bring Zula back!" Zuko was close to yelling. Katie sat on the bed, watching him apprehensively. He was pacing around the room, his loose hair flying wildly around his face. She had never seen him like this. She half expected him to start hitting her.

"Zuko, that was a one-time deal. I don't have the power to do anything like that anymore. And I probably never will."

"Don't lie to me!"

"Zuko, I'm not lying to you! I'm not a god! I can't just snap my fingers and bring Zula back to life!" Katie said loudly, trying to make her voice penetrate his shell of stubbornness. She was shaking really badly and she was beginning to tear up as the news of Zula's death began to sink in. She had never had a friendly conversation with the girl, but with how hectic things had been just about anything could get her bawling. Zuko stopped pacing and glared at Katie. He just stood and stared at her until he was sure she was telling him the truth. Then the weight of everything settled on him. He felt suddenly as though his life were falling apart. For the first time, he broke down and cried in front of Katie. He knelt in front of her, buried his face in her lap and just began to cry.

SeethingxShadows: I'm just gonna answer questions and stuff from every chapter. Kay?

1-Yup, I ride horses. But not as often as I should. And the only part of Cali I've been to is L.A., but I never left the airport, so I guess that doesn't count. And 13 is my lucky number. My softball jersey numbers were always either 13 or 5. And Lin13 sounds much better than Lin5.

2-Yay! I've always wanted a twin. I'm not ashamed to talk about my religion. I'm from the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter day Saints. or to put it simply, I'm a Mormon. (No, we don't have horns, we don't practice polygamy, we don't worship Joseph Smith, we don't dig up dead people and baptize them and YES, we have electricity). Hope that didn't scare you away. Aw, thanx for sticking up for me against Kissing off into the air!

3-I'm glad you think Zuko was in character. Sometimes I think this was the only chapter he is. And as for naming it Ted, I just have a stoopid sense of humor.

4-Ha ha! Tiny Manhood! You're my hero. As for painkillers, I'm kind of a subconcious health nut. I don't trust doctors, I believe the pharmeceutical companies rule the world, so I try to avoid whatever they put out so I don't suffer from liver failure later on in life. I LOVE THE PHANTOM! I've read the book about a million times! Someday, when I grow up I want to be a filmmaker and when I become that I will make a Phantom movie that follows Leroux's masterpeice to the letter! I love the musical, but I don't think it does the book justice.

5-Would you mind comin' to Utah and lettin' a few people know how offensive they smell? I'm just too nice to say anything, but I'm beggining to go blind from the horrible stench. I don't know how these people can't realize that they REEK!

6-Augh, Biology. I wish I was in an A.P. class just because we don't do anything in the regular class. The other day we watched "The Wonderful World of Dung" I can't begin to express how enthralling that movie was. I nearly dislocated my jaw from yawning. I do Yoga, but I'm not especially good at it. Actually, I'm about as flexible as a rock. But I think it's relaxing, so I pretend to know what I'm doing. I love basketball, but I've never played on an actual team.

7-If I remeber correctly, Similielike, or as. Metaphoris. Ha ha! Your comments make me laugh.

8-Ugh. Don't even get me started on Xena. Oh yay! We're still twins. You sicken me by impersonating a cheerleader. Please don't do it again!

9-I lurv "A knights Tale"! I swear on the toes of my aunt Kolleen, that someday, Heath Ledger will be my personal love slave! I've never seen "Les Meserables", but I've played music from the soundtrack in orchestra.

10-Yup, Dante was in it. I remember having a major crush on him as Rufio when I was little. Who knew it would last this long? You're going to China? That's awesome. My brother lived in Japan for 2 years, and I have a cousin living in Nagoya until January, but that's awesome.

11-Ew no! That's icky. I didn't finish reading the book, I just looked at the pictures. Sorry for the mix-up and thanx for the chinese lesson. That was awesome.

12-Well...supposedly I work for my dad's weird scientist friend, but he hasn't given me anything to do for weeks, he hasn't even contacted me. So I'm planning on hunting for a new job pretty soon. I hate leeching off my parents for gas money. By the way, I WANT YOUR TRUCK! And sorry if the "time spent in bed" gets annoying. I didn't realize when I was writing it how often I was putting us together like that. So sorry.

13-(waves back) Yay for peeing indeed!

14-Cool diary story. I'm from the year of the dragon as well! Oh yeah, we're hot.

15-Iroh is deffinitely a party person. Give him a lampshade and let him rip!

16-I'm a roller coaster addict. I just wish I could find someone to keep up with me.

17-Oh squee! I love ghost stories! And I'm not really a playah. None of my relationships thus far have been anything serious. When I was dating Shawn, it was actually more like hanging out with a guy friend.And I actually prefer relationships like that. All these couples making out around me are always so mopey because they're so obsessed over their relationships. GET A LIFE PEOPLE! YOU'RE ONLY IN HIGH SCHOOL!

18-Shamelessly ask away. Although, I'm sorry if it takes me a while to get around to reading your story. I promise I will though and I'll give you lots of long reviews since you were so nice as to do it for me.

19-Hollywood sucks. When I rule the world, it will crumble into the casym.

20-Yay! you're the first person to realize I was talking about Australia! I've always wanted to go there, so I just placed it as the honeymoon site.

21-The new episode ROCKED MY SOX! Thanx for all of your reviews! I feel all bubbly inside. This has to be the longest shoutout I have ever written. I hope you enjoyed it!

Alright, please remember to review. OR I'LL EAT YOU!