This chapter kind of poured out of me, and it will be shorter than the last. But keep your hairnet on, it's not for good, the slight shortness.

Now, if you're a smart cookie, you'll catch the meaningful sentence in this chapter, which not only means more than it seems, but will be used in future chapters. So pay close attention. :)

Happy hunting!

(Post Scriptum: Thank you for the nice reviews. They make me so happy.)

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"And you pull up a little – that's how I make Zapi the baby rock golem! Or that's how I did it back when I was a kid…"

Aang watched Bear as he earthbended a tiny pile of rocks into a miniature statue of an adorable looking creature, and clapped when he'd finished.

"This is so great – you can teach me earthbending! Can't you?" he added when Bear twiddled his thumbs.

-

It was a few days after the day Bear had arrived, (and the attack of Prince Zuko,) and the four travelers had grown quite accustomed to not only each other, but their glade as well.

Katara used Bear's superb abilities to bend them all two little huts, one for her, and a slightly bigger one for the boys.

However she regretted instantly not splitting them up – they kept her awake at night with various boy-related humor, including loud noises, dumb jokes, raucous laughter, and storytelling.

She made herself a pair of earplugs out of forest leaves and mushroom stems, that she used at night to solve the problem.

Inside her hut, she also had Bear form a mini kitchen, complete with fire stove, and cupboards.

But there was something missing from the kitchen, so the next couple hours of that work day, they had done a fair share of food-collecting.

Bear and Sokka hunted, and Aang and Katara searched for the more vegetarian side of the menu.

Then, after stocking her kitchen full of their bounty, Katara made them dinner, and that was where they were when Bear had shown Aang his artistic flare.

"… Can't you teach me to earthbend?" Aang repeated anxiously.

"I don't pretend to be a great teacher…" Bear replied with a grimace.

"That's ridiculous." Said Katara, taking his and Sokka's plates. "You're excellent. You've already taught Aang to make that… uh… that rock thing."

"The baby rock golem." Bear corrected. "Aang's naturally talented though, it's got nothing to do with me."

"There you go! Aang learns quickly, it doesn't matter how well you teach! Besides, I still think you're going to be an excellent teacher." She saw a hint of embarrassment creep up on his cheeks.

"Well… if Aang wants me to –"

"I do!" Aang insisted, putting his palms together and bowing towards him. "Teach me, Master Bartholomew."

"Bear." He corrected, cheeks flushing a little more. "And okay, I will teach you."

"Yippee!" Cried Aang, jumping up triumphantly. "Now I've got a waterbending master and an earthbending master to learn from!"

"Don't forget about me," Sokka cut in. "If you ever want to be a fighter, you've got a warrior master right here."

"Okay Sokka," Aang said, watching as Momo tugged the piece of fish out of 'the warrior's' hand, and in turn start a tug fight between the two.

"But maybe I should learn from Momo first, he seems to be winning."

Sokka let go and folded his arms. "Fine, you little creature! Go ahead and have it! I wasn't hungry anyways."

"Sokka. You're always hungry." Stated Katara. He ignored her.

"Well, time for bed." Bear yawned suddenly, but Katara had a feeling he was just stopping the argument for Sokka's sake.

The other two boys complained. "Now?"

"Yes." Said Bear. "Aang and I are going to seriously practice tomorrow, and Sokka – well, you have important things to do too."

Sokka glared at him. "You know… if you weren't an earthbending master…"

"Will you tell us some more stories before we go to sleep?" Aang asked.

"Sure."

"But it really is time for bed." Katara interrupted. "Sleep or not – into the hut."

She shooed them all in, and closed the flap of material that served as the door.

It was loud enough inside their hut that they wouldn't notice if she did anything… out of the ordinary.

Finally having some time to herself for the first time all day, Katara began to clean up around the fire pit; and once again her thoughts wandered to the same thing they had before.

The last few times she'd had alone time were also at night while cleaning up, and she'd done nothing but dwell on the horrible guilty feeling she had.

There was a person dying, barely a couple hundred feet away, and she was doing nothing.

It was because he was Zuko. Prince Zuko - a horrible, angry, relentless teenage boy with bad intentions… she was right not to help him.

… Then why did she feel so wrong?

She'd tried telling the guilt to go away, she'd tried ignoring it, and she'd tried everything she could to right herself.

But no matter how stupid a person was – they still had a right to live, whether they wanted to or not!

Then again, her stubbornness had overridden her healer side for two solid days.

But that night, something occurred to Katara.

By not helping him, she realized she was showing the same self-righteousness that Prince Zuko himself flaunted!

She was being no better than him!

And that was more humiliating than being insulted by him.

So, with the new vow to overcome her pride and be the bigger person, Katara decided to go back into the forest and heal the dying Prince. For the good of the cause.

He would just have to deal with it, and that was that.

And, far more vigorously than before, she grabbed some leftover food, another blanket, and stormed back into the forest on the same path she'd taken to get to him before.

As she walked, a nasty possibility passed through her mind.

- What if Prince Zuko had already died?

A wave of panic rushed through her; she sped up her pace a little.

He wouldn't have died… he was too tough for it.

But no, he wasn't inhuman… he was still susceptible to death… and he was only sixteen, too.

She approached the rock where he'd been with hesitance, not calling his name this time.

Rounding the corner, she spotted the blood on the rock. Then, her gaze fell down on his body. Was he breathing?

Her eyes focused on his chest – she grimaced at all the cuts and gashes.

"Why did you come back here."

The low, raspy voice caught her by surprise and she actually jumped.

"I said," He repeatedly quietly, "Why did you come back… again…"

"No, Zuko," She said, ignoring his two half-questions. "I've decided you're too stupid to realize you need help, and I'm going to be the more mature one, and heal you - despite your arrogant, prideful beliefs that you're just fine, all battered up and bruising as you die in the forest on the ground. And death is not worth your dignity."

There was a long pause.

Did she just call him stupid? And say she was more mature? He scowled.

"Go away," He said disgustedly.

"No," She replied, moving forward and kneeling beside him. This had to be done.

She noticed the two canteens and the blanket she'd left were untouched, though the blanket had a singe hole in it.

"If you touch me –" He snarled.

"Just be quiet!" She shouted at him. For a second, she wondered whether the boys back at glade had heard her – but after a few more moments of nothing, the wonder disappeared.

"I'll do it quickly, and leave. After all, there's no way you can take Aang when Bear and I are protecting him. Even he himself could beat you, like he's done before."

Zuko's expression darkened. "Just because I underestimated him before does not mean he can beat me again! I've been trained solidly for two years, and I am more than ready. If you think a mere child can defeat me, you're wrong…"

He hated the fact that he was… what was the word… he didn't like to say it, but in the current situation, he was immobile, and therefore helpless.

She should just go back. That's what he deeply wanted. Why didn't she just leave…?

Katara pretended she didn't hear him. She wasn't there to listen to him shpeal her with his anger issues – she was there to make sure he didn't die, and leave.

Pulling one of the canteens toward her, she thought of how stupid this was to do when a she faced a dilemma.

To heal she needed to place her hands on the person… in this case Zuko.

Giving an inward shudder, Katara opened the cap.

"Now, do yourself a favor, and don't move." She said tonelessly.

Not like he had a choice.

If it didn't hurt like hell, he would've moved as much as he possibly could.

But to avoid the scraping pain all over his body, he was agile as a log would be in a race.

Katara bended the water into a glistening, swirling glove around her hand. With the other, she pulled back his ripped shirt and slid the water hand onto the scraped skin.

It was much less horrible than she expected… in fact it was pleasantly alright. Not like touching a warlord would be, or a monster, or a really old, wrinkly man. It was just normal.

She closed her eyes and allowed energy to be transferred through her arm, into her hand, and down through his skin.

Suddenly her focus was broken when Zuko's words swished through the silence like an angry knife. His chest moved up and down under her hand.

"Why are you not listening to me." Underlying frustration laced his voice. "I told you to leave."

"Yes, and I'm not listening." She replied simply. "But don't worry; I'm not doing it because I like you or anything."

Prince Zuko stared straight at the sky.

Who knew the girl could be nearly as sarcastic as he was spiteful.

But, this could be used to his advantage, the fact that she was healing him.

Fully healed, he could show them how much his training would come into play, when he took the avatar at night.

They would be sleeping. And he would go as the Blue Spirit!

That way even if they spotted him they wouldn't know who he was.

He had been so lost in thought that when he was drawn back to earth, he realized she'd almost finished healing him. He cursed himself for being quiet. The last thing he would be was compliant.

She opened the unused canteen and placed it in his hand.

"Drink that."

"I don't need your charity." He spat.

"Prince Zuko," She said, pausing for a second to stare harshly at him. He glared back, waiting in irritation for her to speak.

She blinked once, then said, "Even firebenders need water to survive."

His golden eyes narrowed at her with the quizzical defiance they usually held.

"I know that," He said blatantly.

"Good, then drink that, and eat this. You were so arrogant when you denied my help, you haven't eaten in days."

"I don't need to." He said, wishing even more that she would just go. "I've learned to survive without things that most need to survive."

Katara shook her head, not believing how stuffed up one could be.

"You really need to get over yourself." She said.

"What!"

Wait, why was he still laying there?

The instant he'd realized this, he stood up. So did Katara.

Stiffness hung in the air between them.

Katara noticed they'd both balled their fists, and quickly loosened hers, but kept her face set.

"Are you expecting some kind of thank you?" He demanded. His body felt all tingly and new.

"It would be very gentleman-like of you!" She said back.

"Well you're crazy! - I didn't even want your help!"

Katara began to wonder why she kept expecting him to be better. She settled for grabbing her canteens, and walking off, purposefully leaving both the blanket and Zuko behind.

And Katara was satisfied knowing she'd saved someone from death, even if she did hate him.

Her guilt had taken a permanent vacation – she'd eased it for good this time.

-

Back at glade, and in her hut, she dropped the canteens and fell into her bed. (Another byproduct of Bear, though it had been made from wood and rope, thankfully not of rock.)

But her process of rest was interrupted by Sokka.

"Katara are you in there?"

She looked at the door and groaned. "Yes."

"About time!" The flap flew open. "Where did you go? Bear's hurt!"

"What? How?" She said quickly, ignoring his first question.

"He's been hiding it ever since the fight with Zuko –"

Katara rushed past Sokka and into the boys hut.

"Where is it, Bear…"

Bear was propped up in a sitting position with his back to the wall, a blanket over him. He shook his head.

"Aang and Sokka are overreacting – it's nothing."

Katara pulled back the blanket and almost fainted. A giant scabbed wound the size of her largest cooking pan covered a good part of his chest.

"Look, Bear, I know you're modest and humble and everything, but this is serious! Why didn't you say anything? Sokka can you grab me my canteen immediately?"

He'd already had it in his hand – she took it from him and opened it as fast as she could.

For some reason, while she was bending the water into a glove again, she looked at the differences in the chest of Bear and the chest of Zuko, one slightly more chiseled than the other. Bear was in shape, but Zuko's chest had harsher, sharper features on him than the one in front of her.

She rested her hand on his chest and did the same she'd done to Zuko – though she knew he would appreciate it a little more than Prince Pretentious had.

When she took her hand away, she was surprised to see that the wound had gone, but there was a light pink scar still there.

"Well that left a mark." Bear noted, running his own hand over it. "But thank you for healing me."

"No," Katara said distractedly, focusing on his chest. "I mean you're welcome, but I think I can get rid of that too…"

She pressed firmer and concentrated as hard as she could, more energy leaving her to absorb into him.

It felt like a current of electricity shooting through her veins down her fingertips, and the skin underneath curdled.

It got extremely fleshy, then she felt the hardness of his bone, and suddenly nothing out of the ordinary. She heard Bear inhale sharply.

This time, when she moved her hand, his skin was completely normal again.

"Wow Katara, I didn't know you could do that." Sokka said.

"Neither did I." She admitted.

"Well –" Her brother replied, stretching. "Not to be rude or anything, but we were having a good story-telling lie down before you interrupted us."

"I didn't interrupt – never mind." She was too exhausted to argue with her brother, who'd flopped back down onto the bed.

Before she left the tent she noticed Aang had been in the corner with a blanket over him, watching silently. He remained silent, not looking her in the eye, until she went to her hut out of his sight.

In her bed, Katara rolled over and wondered about the days events.

What was wrong with Aang, how she suddenly had the power to heal scars, whether Zuko would attack again or not…

She wouldn't put it past him, but she hoped he wouldn't. And not because of the fighting, either. That part was almost easy.

But because Katara wished he would stop being such an idiot. Men were frustrating… but Zuko was infuriating. Selfish and mislead by whoever raised him.

-

Across the way, Zuko had had a struggling battle with himself ever since Katara had left.

Not only was he fuming from the insults she'd thrown at him which he hadn't gotten back at her for, but he had the choice to use the blankets she left, or not use them.

One was warm, yet humiliating, the other satisfying and cold. But which would he give in to?

Deciding that he wouldn't be able to live with himself if he accepted help from a peasant who was his enemy, Zuko kicked the blankets off to the side and laid down on the ground.

Tomorrow night, when they weren't expecting it, he would launch his sneak attack…