yay! all few of you who actually read thos applaud watcher of hearts for she is my editor now! wee, now on wiht chapter 9, god i am so tierd. no time jumping in this chapter.

Fire that helps Chapter 9

Katara strode down the halls to the nursery and picked up her son, Shang. He was just recently 1 year old. She carried him down the hall and into the garden. He loved the turtle ducks just like his father. She smiled as he tried to catch one. His black hair bounced around behind him. He was truly of the fire nation, pale skin, black hair. He had blue eyes that had specks of gold in them. The gold in his eyes enlarged when he was in the sunlight for extended periods of time. She smiled as he waddled over to her.

"Ed, ed." he said to her. He couldn't pronounce 'br' yet so 'bread' sounded like "ed." She handed him a piece of bread that he gleefully threw at the ducks. The ducks gobbled it up quickly, causing him to shriek with delight. He came back over to her. "Uppie" he piped. She picked him up and cuddled him.

"It's time for dinner." She told him. He smiled.

"Din-din, I see dada" he asked. She gave a faint smile.

"Yes, din-din, you see dada." She told him and tossed him up in the air some. "Come on, let's go to din-din." She took him to the dining room. Sokka had moved out a while ago and joined a school that taught non-benders to fight. Aang and Toph had been married and continued to travel with Appa and Momo doing his duties as the avatar, so it was just her, Shang and Zuko. Where is he anyway? She thought. Shang looked around wildly.

"Where dada?" he asked looking around.

"I guess he's busy." She told him, he pouted.

"You say din-din I see din-din, but I see no dada." He told her in a 'matter of fact' voice, she just had to smile at him this time. He was so cute when he tried to act superior. She looked away from him when she heard the door open and Zuko walked in. "dada!" Shang shrieked from his highchair.

"You're late." Katara eyed him.

"I know, we just got another person form the Earth Jail, disturbing the peace 18 times in 18 days and starting about 13 jail fights in the week they had her there. We need to go watch this fight after dinner, this one seems to love fighting it out." He told her, kissing Shang on the forehead and Katara on the cheek.

"He tried to act like you today, he was punishing the turtle-ducks, for they're treasonous of not eating the bread he gave them."

"That must have been nice."

"I don't like it, Zuko it's not good for a baby to act in violent ways. I don't think we should let him in the room when you talk about those kinds of things until he's older."

"Katara, he's my heir. He needs to know those kinds of things."

"Do you want him to be like your sister?"

"No."

"Then I suggest we don't allow him to be around that kind of hatefulness."

"Fine, as you wish. How old do you think is old enough?"

"When he is 8."

"Katara…"

"Don't try to change my mind, I think it should be 13, but I'm giving you a break."

"I love you."

"Hot!" Shang yelped as he dropped his fork. Katara immediately was checking his hands over; his little hands were red.

"Shang, what'd you do?" she asked him, quickly water healing his hands.

"Fire." He said and lit his palms. Katara and Zuko stared at him. "Now I like dada." He cried gleefully, bouncing up and down.

"He's a firebender." Zuko said

"Great, and to match it he seems to have your temper." She told him, "He got mad when you didn't show up because I told him he would see 'dada at din-din'."

"That's just wonderful," Zuko said sarcastically. Katara shot a glare at him as Shang yawned.

"I'll go put him to bed and meet you in the duel room so we can watch this fight." Katara told him as she picked up Shang and took him back to the nursery. She put him in his crib and kissed his forehead. The baby fell asleep quickly. She walked down the maze of halls to where the arena was, and saw that the servants had gathered to watch as usual. She came to her seat next to Zuko as they brought out the prisoner. It was a female, dressed in a tight black tunic and black sparring pants. Short hair that was a pale yet beautiful yellow adored her head. The girl had tanned skin, making her skin tone look similar to Katara's. She couldn't see her face, since the girl had her back to her. Another guard brought up a prisoner from the cells; this one was the one that fought all of the prisoners. The deal was that if he could win 10 in a row, he would be free to go. He was in for disturbing the peace. Winning this fight would mean that he could go.

"You have got to be joking me. This is going to be a piece of cake." He said and lit his hands and threw a fire punch at her. He decided to start a conversation. "What is this? You're in for starting at least 30 fights and you don't even throw a punch?"

"You don't want me to do that." She told him. Katara's head shot up, she knew that voice, but she couldn't place it.

"As a matter of fact I do." He told her.

"Fine." She threw a big fireball at him. "But you asked for it." She continued with a series of punches and kicks. She was winning the fight.

"Guard, what is her name?" Zuko asked the guard behind him.

"She refused to say what her name was. They just called her 'girl'" she spun around and Katara got a look at her face.

"Zuko."

"What?"

"Her eyes."

"What about them?"

"They're black."

"What?"

"They're black."

"Do you think…"

"There's only one way to find out."

"Stop the fight." He said to the guard and he sounded the gong. They stopped fighting. "Blindfold the girl." He instructed. The guard nodded and hurried to do so. Once they had blindfolded the girl, the gong resounded and the fight resumed.

"You have to be joking me. This is all too easy." The male prisoner said as he circled the girl. He was circling her and changing his pattern at random time. He went to strike her at the back of the head from the left, but was stopped. He arms shot out and caught him. Pushing him down to the ground she twisted his arm around behind his back and ground his face into the ground.

"Ow, ow okay I give, I give." He told her. She released him and allowed him to spit out the dirt that he had eaten. She stood up and Zuko clapped his hands.

"I think I'll have to sleep on my decision of her punishment. Take her to her cell." He instructed. "Take back this man as well, he must start all over again." Zuko stood and left the room, Katara followed at his heels.

"Zuko, its Mia, I'm sure of it. I'll even put a wager on it" She put a hand on his shoulder. He stopped in the hallway and turned to look at her.

"What terms?" He asked

"I know you've wanted to have some 'fun' for a while. So if I win, we get to have fun. If I lose, then we don't."

"Fine by me, I was going to let you go anyway, but I like this better."

XoxoX

Zuko continued down the hall and passed the servants' quarters. His two personal servants were in there doing laundry.

"Did you hear about that sexy new prisoner they got?"

"Yes, I remember her. She was the Fire Lord's friend when they were young."

"Remember what Azula arranged?"

"If it wasn't for you know what then she would be on the throne, not that water girl."

"She is pretty though, you must admit."

"And quite strong."

"But still, mixing water and fire is dangerous."

"Yes, very. A future Fire Lord of ours could end up a waterbender."

"That wouldn't be good."

"No, it wouldn't. Did you hear the girls story?"

"No, what was it?"

"Well, she was caught because she started about 6 street fights, and stole from random stores at least 12 times. Then once they put her in permanently, she started starting fights. This got her sent here." Zuko froze on sight. He had forgotten about that. He hoped that Mia had too.

XoxoX

Katara made her way down the halls and down to the cells, coming to the cell that the guards had told her was the 'girl's'.

"So, when is my damn execution?" she asked her. The girl was lying on the cot with her back to Katara.

"Mia?" Katara asked her. She sat up and turned around, fire in her eyes. She looked at Katara and relaxed.

"Oh thank god its only you." She said to her. "How are things going? Did you have a baby? You don't look it you look great. How's Sokka? He didn't try to kill himself did he? I missed you guys so much. How's Zuko doing?" she asked. Katara laughed.

"One at a time, Things are great, yes I did. His name is Shang. Thank you. Sokka's fine, he didn't kill himself even though he is a bit depressed still. Zuko's fine." She shook her head at him. "I bet if you admitted it was you he'd let you go."

"I bet if you pretended you were me and wanted to get your way you could get him to do that." She teased her. Katara punched her playfully in the arm.

"Hey." Katara said to her

"Come on now, your sexy. Don't try to deny it." Mia told her with her sly smile

"You sound like my conscious." Katara replied to her. "That's how I got Shang." Mia laughed. They heard a door open behind them and Mia quickly changed her face back to expressionless as Zuko came in.

"Katara, are you okay?" He asked Katara. She nodded her head yes.

"We were just talking." Katara stood up and looked at Zuko. "I found out her name. I was right. I win."

"I bet you do. Hi Mia, what'd you do this time? I've heard rumors…" Zuko started. It was Mia for Agni's sake, she wasn't going to judge him for not acting like a Fire Lord should.

"I beat up a bunch of guys. Drunk guys are all the same." She said. "Congratulations on the crowning, the wedding the baby and all. I was there for the crowning and the wedding, but for the safety of all of you I had to remain unseen. I think Katara saw me though."

"I saw you at the wedding." Katara recalled the event. Zuko reached forward and released her.

"Go to Sokka, he's the one who has suffered the most." Zuko told her. She nodded and hurried off. She knew where he lived now; she visited him every night in his sleep while she was posted in the Fire Nation. Watching him sleep, watching him whimper and call out in his sleep, wishing that she could crawl in there and be with him, comforting him in his time of need. Damn vows, I took it when I was 12, for Agni's sake, how did I know I if I was going to fall in love? At least now I don't have to worry about it, I've trained my successor and then got arrested, or as they think dead. I just hope that Cami can do it, she should be able to. She's a strong girl. Mia's mind buzzed with thoughts as she hurried down the now blackened deserted streets. It was a full moon out, just enough light to allow her to see where she stepped. She didn't have a lantern and didn't feel like firebending. If she did then she'd have to watch where she put her fire. She came to the door and pressed her ear to the door, he was awake. She closed her eyes. Please take me back, please take me back… she thought as she knocked on the door nervously.

XoxoX

Sokka stood up at the sound of his door being knocked on. Who the hell would stop by this late? He thought. He opened the door; his mouth dropped open at which he saw. "Mia?" he asked.

"Sokka, I'm sorry." tears fell out of her big, dark brown eyes and rolled down her cheek, "I'd understand if you didn't want me back, I've been gone too long and I gave you no explanation…" she trailed off as Sokka pulled her into a big, passionate kiss. When they finally escaped for air, he began talking to her.

"I missed you, I really did, but I want an explanation." He whispered in her ear and pulled her into his bedroom and pushed her onto his bed. His room was, plain. It had wood floors and walls like all households. There was no color adoring the place, it was depressing. His bed was made of blue cotton sheets and little furniture covered the place. Much different from the house she grew up in. He sat down next to her. "Start talking."

"Okay, when I was 12, I was pulled aside by a person in a mask. The person told me that they needed asuccessor, and that I was the primary candidate. I wanted to leave the Fire Nation, so I accepted. When I was 13, I ran away to fulfill my training in the Earth Kingdom with a gang. I completed my training when I was 14 and I stayed for a while, until the other person needs me to take over. That is when I met Katara and the rest of you guys. When we were in the final battle, I found the person, dying. It was my time to succeed and take charge, I understood. I didn't say goodbye to anyone, it would have put them in too much danger, and my job was needed to help restore peace in the city. I stayed for two years. I came every night to watch you sleep. I wanted so badly for you to hold me, but I knew that I had to train my successor. So I made it go as fast as possible. I found a successor and I began to train them. I took her to the Earth Kingdom to complete her training. Once I finished, I handed everything over to her. I told her I had to go and that if she needed me, I'd be in the Fire Nation capitol. I got in many fights, though, on my way back. They finally arrested me for good, instead of making me spend the night. I started fights there too. I couldn't help it, I couldn't think of any other way to keep their hands of me, especially when they were drunk. They decided to send me back here, to the Fire Nation. I had to duel someone, and I won, but Katara recognized me. She came into the holding cells rooms and released me, and then Zuko told me to find you."

"Who was the person?" he asked her.

"Sokka, you've heard of the angel of fire, right?"

"The angel in the red mask who saves people and steals from the rich and arrogant to give to the poor?"

"Yes."

"What about her?"

"Sokka," she leaned close to him, "I have been the angel for the past 5 years. I've trained my successor, and I am back, for you. I could have continued until I died or got caught, but I didn't. I faked death, so I could be with you." She whispered in his ear. He shivered; her breath was so warm. She was a firebender after all. He just, he had to get used to her again.

"I missed you." He whispered in her ear. He kissed her jaw line. She moved onto his lap and placed her head in the crook of his neck and kissed his neck.

"I missed you too." She told him, "I was… I was worried, that you wouldn't take me back after I left without saying goodbye."

"I was, sad. But why did you appear to Katara and not me?"

"I needed to let someone know I was alive, so you wouldn't think I was dead. Also, I wanted badly to appear to you, but I know you wouldn't have been able to understand my leaving again. Plus Katara is a girl; I needed to find some 'stuff' out. You can't always rely on street gossip. Most of the time its true, but sometimes it gets twisted." She yawned and closed her eyes. "Besides, Katara has had some fun yet she has no female people to talk to. I figured she needed someone to talk to just as badly as I did." She snuggled closer to him in his arms and drifted off to sleep. Sokka picked her up and tucked her into the bed, softly laying her head on the pillow. He took a step back to look at her. She had filled out a lot more, she had grown up and out a little since he had last seen her, on the day that Fire Lord Ozai was killed. Her hair had a yellow tint to it. Her skin had stayed the same caramel color that it had always been, but he found out that it was called a tan. She spent so much time in the sun that she tanned and turned darker, like a piece of meat when it cooked. He pushed a piece of her yellow-brown hair out of her face. He had changed as well. He had become broader and more muscular from all of the training he now did. He worked in a training unit, training children in styles of Martial arts. He was still shorter than Zuko, but not by much. Zuko was about 6 2', and he was only about 6 foot. His hair had been kept in the same style, and his face had lost the last of its fullness years ago, defining his features. He pulled the sheets up to cover her and keep her warm, after all it was autumn and the days were hot, but the nights were cold. He plopped down on a chair in the corner and fell asleep.

Xoxo

Zuko placed his hands around Katara's waist in the cells. "Come now and fulfill your bet." He whispered in her ear. She giggled a little as he led her out or the cells and into the wing with their bedroom in it. They walked by the doors to the servants unit, the ones that cleaned the dishes after dinner and heard tonight's gossip.

'Word is that Mia's back."

"Yes, she is."

"Do you think she came to take back what's her's from that water tribe girl?"

"No, I think she likes the girl's brother."

"I still think that a real firebender on the throne would be better than a waterbender." Katara's head shot up at this. Zuko didn't appear to hear and kept walking her toward his room. Once they were back in their room, he started to kiss her neck, but she pushed him away.

"What is this I hear about you and Mia getting married?" she asked him he closed his eyes.

"I'd rather not talk about it." He told her.

"Well, I'm not doing anything until you do."

"Aw, come on." He groaned as she sat down on the red satin sheets. She crossed her arms.

"I mean it Zuko. I have the right to know about who my husband was supposed to marry." She told him. He sunk down next to her on the chair.

"Remember how I told you we met when we were 10?"

"Yeah."

"Well, at 10 in the Fire Nation it was appropriate for children to begin courting, actually the girls were expected to. It was a ceremony, and all the boys were flocking toward one of the girls, asking her to dance. My grandfather saw this and decided to investigate. After all, if Iroh and his son didn't come back, that would mean that I would become the heir. He found that the girl was a year younger than I was and ordered me to dance with her. I did, as much as it was weird. I asked her if she wanted to go for a walk. She shrugged okay and we went outside. I noticed her eyes were glazed over, so I asked why her eyes were messed up. She said it was because she was blind. I asked her how she could see and she just shrugged it off, said she didn't know. We walked across the bridge over a pond that was quite deep. She slipped on the bridge and fell off the side, but grabbed the edge. She tried to pull herself up, but she failed and slipped. I grabbed her wrist and pulled her up. When she came up, she hit her head on the bar, really hard. I was surprised she wasn't knocked unconscious. I asked her is she was okay, she told me yes and that I had very neat golden eyes. I was like, aren't you blind? And she just said that she could see again, then she bowed to me and thanked me. I asked her if she wanted to dance again, and we spent the entire night dancing. My grandfather noticed this and made his decision went to her eldest brother, Zhao, and asked him if he would like to have little sister marry royalty. He approved it and so did my father. After all, she was a strong warrior and according to my father 'very, very well built' for her age, meaning that she would be when she got older, and that would give her the ability to bear many children. I being 10 then was freaked, and my mom had to calm me down. I couldn't believe it; I had just met her. My father insisted that I spend my days with her or training, so I spent my time training and sparring and getting to know her. But the odd thing was, I grew to like her as a little sister, she told me that she didn't like me that way either, but there was nothing we could do about it. It was set. I was to marry her, she was the so-called 'belle of the ball' tough as nails, could take just about anything and had the beauty to make even the most gorgeous noble woman jealous. Of course, she would have been a noble woman when she got older, as well if she hadn't of ran away when I got banished. I think I was the only thing making her stay. Anyway we had to spend much time together, adults orders. She went to school with Azula and her minions. I remember that one time; she actually beat Azula in a sparring fight. It made her so mad that she attacked her at lunch. Both girls came out bruised and beaten, but Mia had won. I was proud, and this only made my grandfather more pleased with his decision. I remember we had to fake that we like each other that way, even though we only liked each other the way you like a sibling. We went through a lot together."

"What drew people to her like that?"

"She actually has pale skin, like Zhao's. But she spent much of her time outdoors, and this darkened her skin. With her black eyes and bright hair her skin made her gorgeous, different from the pale skin of the rest. It drew the boys to her like flies with honey, you would have had the same fate if you had lived in the Fire Nation."

"Oh, sorry for snapping at you. Would you like to settle this bet now?" Katara looked at her husband slyly. He smiled and slid his hand up her shirt.

"Very much." He said to her with a sly grin

Xoxo

Mia opened her eyes, recalling the night's events once again in her head. It was sunrise, so she was rising. She had always been an early riser, Zhao had made sure of that. This way, he could beat her and then go off to train, feeling strong and good about himself. Stupid bastard, She thought. She looked around. Sokka was asleep on a chair in the corner of the room. It was the only furniture besides the small chest and the bed in the room. She walked past him, to explore his house. It was small, made for one person. It had a small kitchen, sitting room, washroom, and a small training room. Behind the house was a small arena for sparring and a garden. She walked back into the bedroom. "Hey." She nudged him a little. He opened his eyes and looked at her.

"Hey" he told her, reaching up and giving her a kiss on the cheek. "Listen, where did your brothers live? I need to ask them something."

"My family's estate is just west of the Fire Palace. I assume they still live there. I want to take you to meet them. But I think that I should go first. They should be rising soon anyway." She took his hand and pulled him into a standing position. They walked out the door and down the streets, which held a quite a few people for such an early hour. But then again, this was the Fire Nation. They walked down the streets when a dark shadow covered them.

"Long time no see Mia." A large broad shouldered man was standing before them He appeared to be young, in his early 20's. Mia's face turned to a disgusted expression, the same one that she wore when she spoke of Zhao. She dropped Sokka's hand. Sokka watched what happened next with interest.