---

Katara's eyes narrowed with determination as she tied a bandanna around her brow and a second one round the lower half of her face. On the ground beside her right foot was a large bucket filled with water while two steps behind stood her similarly bandanna-ed children worriedly eyeing their mother's tensed back.

Tui, armed with a broom and dustpan, frowned and nudged her twin brother, Lan, who glanced at his sister before tightening his grip on the duster he was holding and stepping forward to reach up and tug at their mother's sleeve.

"Ma-a," he said when Katara looked at him, "we don't have to do this today. We can do it tomorrow."

Katara heard the concern in his voice and smiled automatically. She so wished to do as he said but knew she couldn't keep putting it off any longer. Sooner or later, she would have to clean her late husband's workshop.

"It is all right, Lan," she said, hoping her voice wouldn't break. She stole a look at the locked workshop door before taking a quick calming breath and bestowing an all too bright smile on her now really worried children.

"Actually, I really should do this all on my own. You two shouldn't have to spend your rest day doing chores. Why don't just put down those things and go find your friends?"

Without waiting to see if her children followed her advice or not, Katara took out a large bronze key from her pocket and after some difficulty opened the door. Tui and Lan, the former who would rather do as their mother had suggested, slowly followed her into the dark dusty workshop.

All the windows were shuttered, needing to be opened first. Katara made her way to the nearest window, her eyes already beginning to water from the dust that had been thrown up into the air by her movements. She opened her target window, two others opening in succession by the twins had gone to other sides of the room. Katara felt a twinge of irritation that they had not done as she said though she did felt touched that her children chose to accompany.

Her husband's workshop was not messy, just covered in a year's layer of dust. Sacha had been quite neat; Katara would even admit he was more orderly than she was. In the middle of the shop was long worktable half covered with neat rows of tools, on a wall - more tools hanged on pegs. A forge and anvil stood in the corner closest to the door and on two other walls were shelves full of bars of different colored metals and jars filled with substances Katara couldn't name. Last and the most obvious, was a large iron cabinet standing against the wall farthest from the forge.

Knowing that the cabinet had dangerous flammable materials in it, Katara sternly ordered the twins to stay away from it. The order wasn't necessary for the twins knew what was inside of it. They kept to other areas of the workshop as the cleaning commenced and a dusty battle ensued.

There didn't seemed to be any end to the dust, which was simply everywhere. Katara who had dreaded that painful memories of her husband would resurface while cleaning the workshop found herself occupied with coughing and sneezing every now and then. Lan was in a similar state and worse - he soon was wheezing and had no choice but to evacuate the workshop. His sister was more in her element. Tui suffered not a single sneeze or cough and more than once rolled her eyes at her dust-allergic mother and brother.

Much to Katara and Lan's relief, Tui discovered she could earthbend the dust out of the workshop, as well as take the dust off herself, her mother and brother. She also quickly learned how to bend the dust into ball shapes, much like the globs of water Lan liked to practice with. This time - much to her mother's discomfort and her brother's amusement for unlike globs of water which were allowed in the house - Katara refused to let Tui bring her balls of dust in.

"That's not fair," said Tui, glaring mutinously at her mother. "You let Lan practice waterbending in the house all the time."

Katara, whose attention was divided between her stubborn daughter and the hovering dust balls behind her, knew somewhere in the back of her mind that she was being a little unreasonable, but still - she really couldn't allow her child to bring dirt into the house, much less play with it indoors. Surely, Tui could understand that.

She attempted to explain. "Tui, dust is different from water. Water is clean. Dust is... dirty. We just finished cleaning up your father's workshop, remember? You'll get the house dirty if you bring those things in."

Tui's nostrils had flared at her mother's reference to her "things." "I won't drop them. I'll be careful," she snapped at Katara, whose temper also frayed at the clear disrespect in her daughter's tone.

Lan, seeing their mother's blue eyes narrow, hurriedly stepped in. "Ma-a, Tui's right. It is not fair that I get to waterbend in the house," he said and quickly turned to his sister before their mother could say anything. "Tui, how about if I don't waterbend in the house also. That's fair, right?"

Both mother and daughter stared at their younger son, younger brother respectively for several long nervous moments (on Lan's part) before slowly and near-simultaneously agreeing to the neither-completely-satisfying-to-either compromise.

Later, while his mother was preparing the noonday meal and his sister was off somewhere, most likely venting her frustration on innocent rocks, Lan visited the cemetary for it had become a habit of his to visit his father's grave marker whenever he worried about his ability to be "the man of the house" as what Uncle Sokka had said.

The cemetary was on a cliff that overlooked the lagoon leading to the largest village on Kyoshi Island; it was a beautiful sight which rarely failed to lift Lan's spirits. The only time it ever failed was the day his father's grave marker was planted. After paying respect to the memory of his father, Lan continued climbing until he reached the summit which rewarded with a majestic view of Kyoshi Harbour with ships constanting arriving and departing.

For as long as he could remember, Kyoshi was always busy with travelers, fishermen and merchants. According to the adults, it hadn't always been so and certainly wasn't as busy for several years after the Hundred Years' Wars. Uncle Sokka liked to brag that the reason why Kyoshi became such a popular port-of-call was due to his having set up an engineering shop on the island, a claim which often irked his mother - who by far was the main reason why so many chose to travel to Kyoshi. She was one of a scant few waterbender healers based outside of the North and South Poles. Plus, she didn't travel around as much as her wanderlust sibling.

While dwelling on the familiar comforting sight of the Kyoshi Lagoon, a movement out of the corner of his eye distracted Lan, automatically turning his attention towards it. His breath suddenly catched in his chest, his eyes widening as a fleet of gray-colored ships appeared on the blue horizon.

---

"According to Lan, there are seven ships in all," said Suki.

The village chief nodded. "We have sent ships to intercept the Fire Nation fleet." he said, sounding apologetic with reason. All of Kyoshi's ships were fishing vessels.

Both fell silent and waited for Katara's input. She was looking out to sea through a spyglass she had once found on a Fire Nation soldier years ago.

"What about the other ships, the ones visiting Kyoshi?" she asked, refering to the merchant galleons which frequented the island. There was a quick cough from the village chief and hmmp-ed from Suki.

"They prefer not the be involved in any altercation between Kyoshi and the Fire Nation; some have already left the harbour" said Suki, not bothering to conceal her irritation. Neither did Katara, who lowered the spyglass with obvious impatience. It was on the tip of her tongue to have the village chief demand assistance from the merchants, but what could he say to them? That their wooden galleons help defend the island against iron-clad warships lest they be banned from ever docking at Kyoshi?

By the Spirits, it's been eight years, and we still can't defend ourselves against a Fire Navy attack, thought Katara, fighting hard not to feel disgusted by their helplessness. Once again, she lifted the spyglass to her eyes and tried to keep calm and hope. Perhaps, perhaps, this wasn't what it seemed. Perhaps the Fire Nation had a non-violent reason for sending seven of their ships to Kyoshi. Perhaps it was a trade delegation. One could only hope. After all, Kyoshi had stayed neutral even during the Hundred Years' War. Surely, the Fire Nation wouldn't break the peace, not with the Avatar ready to censure any sign of open aggression.

Reminded of Aang, Katara wished he was on Kyoshi right now, but Aang was at the Southern Air Temple. It would take three hours for the messenger birds from Kyoshi to reach the temple and another three hours for Aang to fly to their rescue.

Katara lowered the spyglass abruptly; she really hadn't paid attention to anything she was seeing through it, so deep she was in thought. All of a sudden, she told them to signal to their ships to keep at a safe distance away from the Fire Navy ships.

"Tell the villagers to evacuate and have a boat prepared for me," said Katara. Suki and the chief stared at her.

"Katara, what are you planning to do?" asked Suki as the chief left.

"Go out and meet them."

Suki blinked. "What? You can't be serious. You can't hold them all off by yourself."

"I can try."

"Katara-"

"Suki, please, we don't have much time. Please make sure my children get to Sokka or Aang."

The warrior woman looked helpless as Katara left for the docks.

---

The docks was in shambles with villagers and outsiders alike scrambling to board departing ships. Katara nearly lost her temper when she passed by a captain was demanding ridiculously inflated prices for passage onboard his ship. Her temper once again was sorely tested when she came across the village chief who informed her that the remainder of Kyoshi's fishing boats had been commandeered who as of yet unknown individuals.

"I am sorry, Katara," he said, looking as irritated as she felt. "I hadn't anticipate people would be this panicked. I have already signaled an order for our ships out there to return, but it will take time."

Katara shook her head. "You did your best. If you can't get passage onboard a ship, please head up into the mountains."

The village chief regarded her seriously. "Understood, and please do the same, Katara. I appreciate you wanting to save the village, but it can be rebuilt."

He only left when Katara agreed to take her own advice.

---

Suki and her warrior sisters were still trying to convince Tui and Lan to leave with them when Katara arrived at their house. Lan's eyes lit at the sight of their mother and unabashedly ran to greet her. Tui was cooler in her greeting though she couldn't hide the relief in her eyes.

Suki's expression was torn between You're here? and Glad you're here.

"So what ever happened to your heroic attempt to stop those Fire Navy ships?" Suki whispered to her in a wry tone as they joined other refugees heading up into the mountains.

Katara made a face. Her "Couldn't find a boat." made Suki chuckle and earned them questioning looks from their companions.

They made good time up the mountain slope, reaching a network of sheltering caves before dusk. Surprisingly, the Fire Navy ships hadn't even reached the harbour.

Nor had they even seem to had have moved from the position Katara had last seen them.

From the mouth of their cave, Katara frowned as she looked through the spyglass, ignoring repeated requests from Lan to have a look through it. She could see lights from ships, but no smoke from their funnels. The ships weren't moving at all.

In the caves, people were getting restless and annoyed with the delay.

"What in the world are those Fire Idiots waiting for?" a villager grumbled to his wife, who sweetly suggested, "Why don't you go ask them, dear?"

"Hmmph," said an elderly man, "Maybe they've changed their minds, seeing as we know they were coming."

"Betcha they're a'scared of the Avatar," said another.

"Well, 'course they are. The Avatar can rid of the lot of them lickitysplit, I tell you."

Suddenly, everyone was talking about Avatar Aang, and the overall mood had gone up several notches as people traded stories of the deeds, feats and powers of the Avatar.

"One time I saw Avatar Aang make this twister come straight down out of the clouds."

"He does that all the time. You should how he made an entire mountainside crash down on a battalion of firebenders."

"How about that volcano he exploded in the Fire Nation to teach them a lesson?" There were affirmations and cheers of that, making Katara decide to take a walk.

"Ma-a, where are you going?" asked Lan worriedly, moving to follow her, but Katara wouldn't let him come along.

"I just need some fresh air, Lan. You stay here."

"But-"

"Lan, stay here. I'll be back in a few minutes." Her son reluctantly let her leave the cave without him, but his sister wasn't as obedient, and besides - their mother hadn't ordered her to stay behind, a fact she was quick to point out when Lan protested her following their mother. Lan frowned as Tui left the cave as well. After a minute of thinking over the technicality, he scrambled after his sister after deciding that, if their mother caught them, he could always say it was Tui's idea.

Unaware that her children were tailing her, Katara followed the trail down the mountainside until she could no longer hear the other refugees' voices. She simply couldn't feel comfortable hearing them brag about what Aang had done, not since she knew how hard it had been for Aang to do what he had done to force the Fire Nation to surrender.

At a ledge just far enough from the caves, Katara seated herself and contemplated the clear view of the yet unscathed village, harbour and beyond. She thought of Aang, and how he had reacted to his destroying of an entire Fire Nation city.

o o o

"Aang hasn't come out of his room all week," said Jojo, picking at the food on her plate.

"He'll be fine. He just needs more time to get over it," mumbled Sokka through a mouthful of meat. Directly across the table from him, Kinto, who also had a good appetite, signalled his agreement with Sokka by nodding his head since his mouth was also full.

Jojo frowned at them while Katara shook her head, slightly miffed by their unworried attitudes. Inwardly though, she envied them.

As always, it was the boys who cleared the table of food and the girls who cleared the table of plates. Engrossed in scrubbing a particularly grimy plate, Katara didn't hear Jojo when she said -

"Actually, Aang has come out of his room, but only at night."

"... Huh, what? Did you say something, Jojo."

Jojo, who was used to people, usually of the male persuasion, hanging on to her every word, made a face at Katara. "I said that Aang does come out of his room. I saw him last night when I came to the kitchen to get a midnight snack."

"Oh, was he okay? What was he doing?"

"I couldn't see him very well. It was dark," said Jojo, looking as though she was trying to remember. "I think he was getting something eat. I'd be hungry if I holed up in my room for a week."

"Did you talk to him? What did he say?" Katara felt put offed when Jojo shook her head, saying she didn't want to bother him.

"You didn't talk to him?" Jojo shook her head, and Katara eyed her dubiously. She just found that very hard to believe. Jojo had been trying to monopolize Aang's attention from the moment they met.

Jojo caught Katara's expression and turned flustered. "It's not that I didn't want to, Katara. I just didn't know what to say to him. I mean- you saw what he did in the Fire Nation. What am I supposed to say to him? Aang, that was really incredible?"

Hours later, Katara found herself shivering, her muscles aching with forcing herself to stay still as she patiently waited in what seemed the darkest corner of the kitchen for Aang. She was torn between hoping he would come and dreading if he would. Though she had thought about it all the time she was waiting for him, like Jojo - she still didn't know what to say to Aang when she saw him. What could she say to a person who had just destroyed half of the Fire Nation's army and one of its largest cities?

A sound startled her out of her reverie. It came from one of the dimly lit window. She heard Aang complain to Momo for tripping him.

"You should know better than to get underfoot," Aang muttered as he climbed lithely through the window and into the kitchen. His pet lemur soon followed, pausing on the moonlit windowsill, his enormous ears alert for any sound. Katara smiled at the sight.

As Aang rummaged through the pantry, Katara moved out of the shadows towards the windowsill and gave Momo a peach before he could warn his master.

"Aang."

He whirled about; fruits and vegetables flying out of his arms only to be eagerly snatched up by Momo, who seemed oblivious to the uneasy silence that quickly followed.

"Oh, hi Katara," said Aang softly, not quite meeting her eyes and soon appeared quite engrossed with watching Momo eat everything in sight. He was startled when Katara offered him a peach.

"I never did find out which kind of fruit is your favorite," said Katara conversationally as he slowly took the peach. He stared at it for a while and then with a shrug, took a bite out of it. "Don't really have a favorite; I don't mind what I eat so long as it isn't meat," he mumbled through the pieces of fruit in his mouth.

"Well, I think mangoes are the best."

"... Yeah, they're nice."

"I don't like papaya much."

"They're not so bad."

Katara smiled inwardly at their conversation. Well, at least she was able to say something to Aang.

"I'm hankering for a fruit salad. I hope you and Momo can join me."

Aang hesitated and then very slowly nodded.

o o o

They hadn't spoken much while making the fruit salad though Katara was pleased when Aang more than once couldn't help but be amused when Momo tried to unhelpfully help them by adding ingredients that weren't exactly suitable for a fruit salad. Like whole onions and garlic for example. The memory made Katara smile, distracting her from the chill of the mountainside.

They never did talked about the massive destruction he had wrought in the Fire Nation.

A deep thundering noise made Katara look up and a giddy feeling welled up inside her as the familiar most welcomed shape of Appa soared towards her. She could see Aang waving at her.

She returned his wave and backed up to make room on the ledge for the ten-ton flying bison.

"Katara!" Aang leaped gracefully as only he could from the top of Appa's head and caught Katara as she rushed to embrace him.

"Aang, I'm so glad you're here," she whispered against his robes. All of sudden, there was lump in her a throat and she was fighting a near-overwhelming desire to cry.

"It's all right, Katara. Don't worry. I'm here," said Aang soothingly, returning her embrace. "Are you well?" He pulled back slightly and looked over her critically. "You're not hurt anywhere, are you?"

"I'm fine, Aang."

"Is everyone okay? Anyone hurt?"

"Yes. No."

"I saw the Fire Navy Ships, but village looks fine, empty though."

"That's because they haven't attacked, and everyone's either out to sea or up here." At every passing second, Katara became more and more relaxed. Aang is here; everything is all right. It was like a mantra. Aang grinned, pleased when Katara finally smiled at him.

"There. That's much better. I never like it when you're sad, Katara," said Aang teasingly, touching the tip of her nose with his finger and causing her to sneeze.

"Aang!"

"Sorry, sorry!" He somersaulted out of her reach before she could hit him. Appa let out another bellow and something furry scurried up her side and over her back to balance expertly on her shoulder.

"Hello, Momo," Katara greeted the lemur, who chittered back at her before staring off into the darkness and leaping to the ground to scamper up the slope. Yells suddenly erupted and a pair of small fur-cladded shapes tumbled down towards them to come to a halt against Appa's white bulk.

Katara crossed her arms when she saw who it was. "Didn't I tell you two not to follow me?" she told the twins in her most stern voice.

"You only told Lan." "It was her idea, Ma-a." "Good evening, Avatar Aang," the twins chorused from their sprawled positions on Appa's furry side. Katara sighed and turned her gaze heavenward as Aang broke down in absolute mirth.

---

"So, no one has any idea why they're here?" asked Aang as they made their way up the slope. A few steps behind him, Katara said, "No," and then smiled at the sight of Momo riding atop of Aang's head and the twins walking beside him, each holding onto his hand tightly. Once in a while, Tui or Lan would gaze up at him, clear adoration in their eyes. They were that way only with him. Not even with their father had they shown such unreserved unsolicited affection, not even with their Uncle Sokka whom they treated and teased as though he was their older brother. With their grandfather, Great-Gran-Gran and Bato they showed affectionate respect. Pakku, with great respect. But Aang (Avatar Aang or Sir to them), they openly worshipped.

"The two of you are turning seven next next week, right?"

"That's right, Sir."

"What would you like as presents?"

Katara bit her lip to keep from laughing as the twins grinned and simultaneously tugged on Aang's hands to make him bend down so that they could whisper what they want in his ears.

"That again? That's what the two of you asked last year and the year before last and the year before that."

"They asked for private bending lessons again, didn't they?" said Katara.

"Yeah," said Aang, glancing back her with a mock-helpless expression, and Katara almost told him that what the twins actually wanted was to be his apprentices and travel the world with him. The only reason why they didn't ask him that was because they knew their mother would not allow it (perhaps when they were older, maybe), and the reason why Katara preferred Aang not to know about it was because his ego was already big enough as it was.

But for all Katara knew, perhaps he already knew. Her children certainly never made the slightest effort to hide how much they liked him.

"Avatar Aang, would you like to see a new earthbending move I learned just today?" Tui asked shyly, which was very uncharacteristic of her.

"Sure, Tui, I'd love to see it," said Aang. Tui beamed, removed her right mitten and tugged out a waterskin from under her coat, similar to the ones Katara and Lan constantly carried around with them. Though Tui wasn't a waterbender, Katara had thought it wouldn't hurt for her daughter to always have a supply of clean water with her.

Katara barely had time to wonder what her daughter was going to use the water for (make mud?) when a stream of dust, instead of water, flowed out of the waterskin and swirled into a dusty sphere hovering over Tui's hand.

Katara's face fell with dismay; Aang's lit up with excitement.

"That's great, Tui! I've never thought of earthbending dust, can't recall ever seeing it done before either. But why not earthbend dust indeed! You're a genius, and it looks like a lot of fun! Let me try! Let me try!"

Tui, flustered by Aang's praise, quickly handed over the dirty dusty ball to Aang, who instantly had the hang of it and somehow made it bigger, enormous actually which in turn he divided up into three smaller still alarmingly large dirty and dusty balls and began juggling them. Unfortunately, he forgot that Momo was stationed atop his head. Of course, the inquisitive lemur, who had never seen a floating dust ball before, reached out to grab one, couldn't grab one, was surprised and fell over onto Aang's face, who in turn was also surprised and wound up losing control of the dust balls which poofed into huge dust clouds over the lot of them just as they reached the caves where Suki and other refugees were waiting.

---

After fielding multiple questions from the refugees about the dusty monk who had accompanied them to the caves (Is that the Avatar?) and after reprimanding her daughter for storing dirt in a waterskin (Mother, I'm a earthbender, not a waterbender!) and after telling off Aang for being a bad example for her children (But, Katara... it was Momo's fault.) and Suki to mind her own business (All I said was that the gray mask thing looks good on you.), Katara took out her waterskin and after cleaning her face with water, cleaned Lan's then Tui's (who protested, "I can't bend the dust properly if you add water to it!").

Aang chuckled and with little warning set off a powerful wind which not only blew off the dust but all the campfires in the caves. It did little to appease Katara who was dead set on the notion that only water and soap could do a proper cleaning. Much to the twins' reluctance, she herded them to the back of the cave where a cistern of water was stored.

"Have you been to the Fire Navy ships, Avatar?" Suki asked Aang after everyone had paid their respects to him and had settled back down in the caves.

"No, not yet, Suki. I wanted to make sure everyone in the village was safe first."

One of Suki's warrior sisters said, "Everyone here is well, though we cannot say for certain about those who left Kyoshi on boats."

Aang nodded. "Understood. I'll check the nearby waters first to see if anyone needs help before going to the Fire Navy Fleet."

Suki glanced at her sisters before regarding Aang very seriously. "Avatar, if we may be of any assitance, please allow us to accompany you."

Aang hesitated; he didn't wish to insult her by refusing quickly, but Suki immediately discerned the answer in his eyes. "We understand, Avatar. Please return safely," she said, bowing graciously; her sisters following suit.

Aang bowed in return and asked Suki to tell Katara and the twins he would return as soon as he could.

"Of course, Avatar."

---

Despite Suki's insistence for Katara to rest, she kept vigil at the cave entrance. Once in a while Suki or one of her sisters would check on her before going back on their patrol. The twins who had tried to keep awake with their mother had succumbed to slumber an hour before midnight.

Katara gazed into the twilight, barely seeing the stars and the quarter moon. She hoped Aang would return soon and safe. She took comfort that there hadn't been a single sound or sign of battle.

Sometime after midnight, she wasn't sure when - Katara dozed off and the next thing she could remember was feeling the warm weight of a blanket around her and Aang gently drumming his fingers across her cheek to wake her up.

"Aang-" Katara fell silent when he held a finger across her mouth.

"I don't want the others to wake up," he whispered, gesturing towards the people sleeping further in the caves. Katara realized that Suki and the other Kyoshi warriors was standing motionless behind Aang, watching out for his back.

Katara forced herself to remain calm. "What do the firebenders want, Aang?" she said, keeping her voice low as Aang helped her up to her feet.

He opened his mouth to speak, but then closed it abruptly without saying a thing. There was a troubled light in his gray eyes as he told Suki and her sisters to remain on the mountain.

"Aang, what's going on?" Katara asked, feeling perturbed that Suki and the others looked as though they knew as much as she knew - which was nothing.

"I'll explain to you on the way."

"On the way to where?"

"The village."

"What? Why?" Katara was dumbfounded.

Aang began tugging at her to go down the trail with him. "C'mon."

Katara dragged her heels. "Aang, please tell me what's going on."

"You'll know when we get there, now let's go."

"Aang, why won't you just tell - hey!" Aang had lifted her bodily into his arms, forcing Katara to grab onto his shoulders for dear life as he leaped off the mountainside.

---

They arrived at the village faster than Katara could catch her breath. The buildings were no more than dark blurs as Aang brought her to her clinic near the docks.

"Katara, we're here," said Aang as they landed safely on the veranda. Katara blinked and had to concentrate to release her death grip on Aang's robes. He lowered her down and watched with an amused expression as Katara wobbled unsteadily on her feet.

"You're as white as Appa," he couldn't help but had to comment, pretending innocence when Katara glared at him.

"All right, Aang. We're here. Tell me what's going on."

His face quickly turned serious again. He gestured towards the door of her clinic, and Katara started upon realizing that the lamps inside were lit and there was a human-shaped shadow cast against one of the windows. She hurried pass Aang and pushed the door open.

An unfamiliar firebender was standing by the windows; another lying on the examination pallet on the floor.

---

Commander Jee tilted his head respectfully when the healer glanced at him curiously as she moved passed him to kneel beside the pallet where Lord Iroh was resting.

---

Katara recognized the elderly firebender sleeping on her examination pallet. "Aang, this is General Iroh," she said, surprised. She turned her head back towards the door and froze at the sight of a third firebender, this one hooded and standing behind the door and out of Aang's line of sight.

Instinctively, Katara's hand moved towards her waterskin. She was about to warn Aang when she felt a hand stay her attack. She looked down to see Iroh give her a wan reassuring smile.

"It's all right," he whispered, sounding tired. "My nephew will not attack the Avatar."

His nephew? That's Zuko?

---

"He had his first seizure three months ago," said Zuko in a flat tone. Still hooded, he had ignored Aang's suggestion to sit down and remained in his position by the door. "Our healers said it was a mild heart attack and recommended he start on a new diet-"

"Which was awful," interrupted Iroh, looking at Katara pleadingly. She smiled and shushed him to remain quiet as she concentrated on guiding the healing water.

There was the softest of growls from Zuko. "The diet was for your own good," he told Iroh snappishly. "If you had followed it, you wouldn't have gotten worst-" he broke off and demanded Katara to heal his uncle so that he could kill him.

Concentration disturbed once again, Katara paused in her ministrations and pointedly asked Aang and Commander Jee to keep Lord Zuko entertained, outside the clinic.

"Unhand me!"

"I'm really very sorry, milord."

"Don't worry. Katara is the best healer I know. Your uncle will be better in no time!"

"Just you and me alone now, my dear," they heard Iroh say happily to Katara as Aang and Jee manhandled Zuko out of the clinic.

---

"Avatar, can the waterbender really heal Lord Iroh?" Jee asked Aang; the older man was standing while Aang was seated on the landing. They were both watching Zuko stomping round and round; he had wanted to vent out his frustration via firebending maneuvers but Jee had reminded him that they had gave their word to the Avatar not to make a single spark whilst on Kyoshi.

"I'm pretty sure he will be all right," said Aang simply. He knew Katara would give it her all to heal Iroh, and he had sensed that Iroh's spirit wasn't about to leave this world anytime soon. Jee looked relieved; Aang half-expected him to ask why he was so sure, but the firebender seemed content to take the Avatar's word on its own merit. Now, if only Zuko shared even a small fraction of Jee's trust in the Avatar.

As if sensing that Aang was thinking about him, Zuko paused in mid-stomp, turned and stared at him with a murderous gaze. Aang smiled and waved at him, his smile dying slightly when Zuko turned away.

Jee noticed.

"There are many in my nation who say they will never forgive the Avatar," Jee said slowly. When Aang turned to look at him, he shrugged and added, "Of course, in other countries, there are many who say they will never forgive the Fire Nation."

The corner of Aang's mouth twitched. "What exactly are you trying to say, Commander Jee?"

Jee shrugged again. "Just that many, many say they will never forgive, but that I am not one those many."

"... Thank you, Jee."

"You're welcome, Avatar, and thank you."

---

"I would prefer if General Iroh stay on Kyoshi for a few days," said Katara when they had gathered around bed where Iroh was sleeping soundly

"Why? Has he become worse?"

"No, no, Lord Zuko. His condition has improved greatly. Really. I just don't want him to travel so soon after treatment. Travelling at his age can be quite stressful, whether on a flying bison or on an Imperial Fire Navy Warship. Besides, Kyoshi is nice this time of the year, and this way, I can check on him daily."

"But milady," said Jee in a worried tone, "The people here will not like the idea of firebenders on their island. You saw what happened when our fleet came near Kyoshi."

"Well, what did you expect us to think? You brought !seven! warships."

"Katara does have a very good point," said Aang, his brow wrinkling in thought. "Would not had one ship be enough?"

Zuko snorted, declaring, "Members of the Imperial Family have to be properly escorted. Seven warships is the bare minimum."

Unable to help themselves, Aang and Katara traded looks of dumbfounded disbelief with each other. They certainly would never forget the time he had hunted them, Sokka, Momo and Appa on just one warship, and apparently - it was a small one too.

Iroh suddenly murmured in his sleep, "I am so fortunate to have a nephew who worries about me so."

---

Finished, but may be continued. )

Ficwriter's note: Hope you enjoyed reading! Please let me know what you think of the story by leaving me a review. Thank you!