Chapter Sixteen

"I knew this was a bad idea!" Zuko shouted, four hours later as he and Katara raced down a deserted street together, followed by a group of Fire Nation guards.

"At least we know they're in that building!" Katara shouted back, as she aimed a water whip that she had pulled from her canteen at the guards. Two fell back and Zuko finished the rest of the group off with a fireball.

The two teens stopped at the end of the street to catch their breath. They had finally found the building where the Aang and Sokka were located, but they had been seen in the process. Now the entire Fire Nation was on high alert to their presence.

"Ok," Zuko said, after he was finally able to breathe normally, "Here's what we'll do. One of us will serve as a distraction while the other steals the keys from the guard outside. Then we'll break into the room where they're keeping them and get away. Do you think that the Avatar has his flying….buffalo….thingy nearby?" Zuko asked.

Katara giggled in spite of herself at Appa being referred to as a buffalo. "I would think so."

"He'd better." Zuko mumbled to himself. "Or we won't have a very good escape route."

"Don't worry about it. It'll all work out. By the way," Katara continued, seeing that Zuko was about to say something, "I want to steal the keys."

"What? No!" Zuko said, staring at her in surprise. "It's too dangerous! There's no way I'm letting you do that."

"Well, would you rather me serve as a decoy? Come on, you have to admit that I'm lighter on my feet."

"I...but..." Zuko stammered. Finally he bit his lip in frustration. "Fine. But don't let yourself get caught. I don't want anything to happen to you."

"It won't." Katara reassured him. They crept back up the street, listening closely for more guards. "Zuko?"

"What?" Zuko asked, turning slightly to see what she wanted.

"Thank you." Katara said, kissing him gently on the lips, her hand drifting across the back of his neck. "For everything."

Zuko smiled in spite of himself. He held her gaze for a moment, his arms encircling her waist, then finally he let go and they continued out into the street. When they got close, Zuko gave her a slight nod and she slipped down a deserted street that led to the back of the temporary prison where Aang and Sokka were being held. Zuko darted down another alleyway and started shouting.

The moment he did, all the guards except the one holding the keys raced down the street. When they saw who it was, they let out a yell and quickened their pace. Zuko ducked into another alleyway and the guards faded from sight. Katara moved into action. She crept slowly up behind the only guard left. Slowly she reached forward. Suddenly she hit him across the back of the head in a move Zuko had taught her. Her form was flawless and he was unconscious before he even knew what hit him.

"Well at least I learned something useful." She muttered to herself. She reached down and slipped the keys out of his pocket, then drug his unconscious body behind the building so the guards would not realize right away that something was wrong.

She heard a noise and tensed her body for an attack as she crept towards the front of the prison again. To her surprise, Zuko was standing there.

"Where are the other guards?" Katara asked, blinking at him.

"They are currently visiting the land of unconsciousness." Zuko said with a little smirk.

Katara noticed that he was in a better mood since his scar had been healed. She hoped he'd stayed like this. She liked it when he was happy.

"Come on, let's get your friends. There's not a minute to lose." Zuko motioned her towards the prison door."

"You did get the keys, right?"

"Yes." Katara pulled them out and quickly unlocked the door. The two crept inside, listening closely in case there were more guards. The building was very small, however, and there was no one else in site.

"Aang?" Katara called softly. "Sokka?"

"Katara!" Sokka's surprised voice sounded from the doorway to the right. "Aang!" There was a muffled thump.

"Ouch! What was that for?" Aang's sleepy voice met their ears.

"Wake up! Katara's here!"

"Oh no! Was she captured to?"

"I don't know." Sokka suddenly sounded worried. "I'll ask. Hey Katara!" He shouted again. "Were you captu-" He didn't have to finish, however, for at that moment Katara and Zuko emerged from the shadows. In front of them was a small jail cell with only a cot inside. Aang was sitting on the cot and Sokka had his face pressed against the bars. There were fire nation symbols around the cell on the wall.

"Oh no!" Sokka groaned. "They got you too."

"Wha-, oh, no!" Katara said, realizing that he thought Zuko had captured her. "Zuko is with me. He agreed to help free you."

"He- wha- but-.." Sokka stammered, staring in surprise at them. Aang just stared at Zuko nervously. He had had many encounters with the fire bender before, and none had ended pleasantly. Zuko met his gaze without saying anything. Though he had made a promise, and he did not want to go back on his word, he was struggling very hard with the urge to capture the Avatar and run. After so many years of chasing him, it was hard not to, but he knew that he had to resist the urge.

"I know it's crazy, I'll explain it all later, but Zuko agreed to help us in exchange for some information on someone who was out to kill him, and to stop Zhao fro completing the ritual at the temple."

"But that's what he wants." Aang said quietly, still looking at Zuko. "Is for the ritual to be complete."

"Not anymore." Zuko said, speaking for the first time. "I must admit I don't exactly feel like we would be on what you would call friendly terms, but Zhao is evil and if he wants to complete this ritual so bad then there must be something to it that I do not know about. So I'm willing to call a truce for now."

Sokka just stared at them. Katara decided this was a good moment to open the door, before someone said something bad and they all got into a fight. She walked over to the door and inserted the key. She turned it and there was a click. The door sprang open and she held it as Sokka and Aang walked out. Sokka stood next to Katara, glaring at Zuko like he was daring him to fight, but to everyone's surprise, Aang walked slowly over to where Zuko was standing and stuck out his hand.

"Partners?" he asked, looking up at the older boy. Katara saw Zuko's eyes narrow as he stared at Aang's extended hand, but finally he reached his own out and shook Aang's.

"For the moment." He muttered and turned abruptly and walked outside. Katara sighed to herself; she wished he didn't have so much responsibility and pressure on him. She wanted to see him happy. For a moment she was caught up in a violent explosion of thoughts about the unfairness of the world and how she wished that for just a moment she and Zuko could be the only two in it, but then she noticed Sokka giving her a funny look, and she quickly shook her head and turned to follow Zuko out the door. Aang and Sokka followed her and soon the four found themselves back at the dock where Zuko's ship was waiting. They climbed on board silently. Katara noticed Aang looking slightly nervous as the door was shut behind them, but she was too lost in her own thoughts to comfort him.

"Are you sure this is a good idea Katara?" Sokka whispered, coming up behind her.

Katara just shrugged. "What choice do we have?"

They walked in silence till they came to the room Katara had been staying in. Zuko pointed to a room across the hall. "You two can share that room." He said to Sokka and Aang. "We'll be at the temple soon enough. For now get some rest. You're going to need your strength if we're going to take out Admiral Zhao." With that he turned and walked back up the hall, leaving the three of them to their own contemplations.