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-Lunachaos

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On with the show!

Talking with Iroh

Katara was utterly confused by Zuko. One minute, it seemed like he was trying to bite her head off, and the next minute he would apologize and be polite. She wanted desperately to find out what made him tick. Now that she though about it, she really didn't know anything about him. Anything except his favorite color, red, but that was a given.

Zuko once again tried to get up. His leg wasn't bleeding or had a cut anymore, but it was still broken. That was something Katara couldn't fix. At least she helped him before his infection became any worse. He was grateful for that. What he couldn't understand was why she even helped him in the first place. He had been totally and completely rude to her. Not only that, but he has tried numerous times to kill her and her brother. And on top of all that he was trying to capture the Avatar, who just so happened to be her friend. He had to know what made her tick. Now that he thought about it, he really didn't know anything about her. Anything except her favorite color, blue, but that was a given.

He looked over at her; his piercing gold eyes seemed to stare into her soul. It was almost like he was searching for something deep within her. Katara suddenly felt like she was being watched. She looked around and found Zuko looking at her in a strange way.

"Yes? You need something?" Zuko snapped back into reality and realized he was staring at her.

"Uh, no, I was just enjoying the scenery." SHIT! Where did that come from?

"Excuse me?" Katara blurted out. I can't believe this, he was looking right at me. He did NOT just say that…

"Best to not ask him that question Miss Katara." Said Uncle Iroh. "He doesn't mean anything he says." "That's not true!" Zuko shouted.

"Oh, I see, then you were staring at Miss Katara, and "enjoying the scenery"." Zuko had just about had it with his uncle. He sent him a death glare. It looked as if fire was shooting out from behind his eyes. Uncle Iroh stopped teasing him, knowing that one more comment could push him over the edge.

Sokka thankfully did not hear this conversation. When he returned with more food, he noticed Zuko's evil glare at his uncle who had a nervous grin on his face.

"What'd I miss?" he asked.

"Not much," said Aang with a chuckle, "Zuko was just staring at Katara admiringly, that's all."

"WHAT!" Sokka nearly had a heart attack right then and there. His face turned bright red, and steam came out of his nostrils. He was fuming mad, and you could tell. He ran over to Zuko and held his shirt collar, pulling Zuko's face up to meet his.

"Would you mind explaining to me what this is all about?" Sokka asked through clenched teeth.

"Look, calm down." Zuko responded calmly to even his uncle's surprise, "It's nothing like that, put me down or you're going to get hurt." His eyes started to stare at Sokka with the same glare he gave his uncle earlier. Sokka tried to be brave and still held onto him, even though he choked down the lump in his throat. He could tell Zuko was serious, but he had a broken leg. What could he possibly do to him?

After a silent moment Zuko grabbed Sokka's shirt and held him up in the air. "I TOLD YOU TO LET GO OF ME!" he shouted. He threw Sokka with a great deal of strength, which sent him flying into the jungle-like forest.

Katara gasped and ran after her brother. She clambered around, trying to locate him. When she finally heard him groan, she followed his voice. He wasn't too far away. She Knelt next to him and held his head up.

"Are you okay?" she murmured.

"Yeah, but my back is killing me. I didn't think he would have the strength to actually throw me."

"Well apparently he does." She said with a slight laugh. "Don't get in his way. We still have no idea what he is capable of. We should find out his limitations before acting okay?"

"You always were the smart one." He chuckled.

Katara helped carry him back to camp. As they came through the clearing toward the beach, all eyes fell on them.

"Are you okay Sokka?" Aang said worriedly. "You didn't break anything did you?"

"No, I'll be fine. It takes a lot more than that to injure me." Sokka glared at Zuko, who didn't seem to notice or care in the least. His attention was on a small piece of paper. His expression wasn't of anger, angst, or rage like it normally was. His expression was rather that of sadness, loneliness, and despair.

"What cha got there?" Sokka asked casually.

"None of your business." Zuko whispered. He didn't even hiss at him. He simply stated it coolly and calmly.

Iroh had a sad expression on his face as well. He walked over to Zuko and put a hand on his shoulder. "I'm sorry." He said. "I miss her too." We'll do something to honor her tomorrow okay?"

Zuko simply nodded and tucked the piece of paper into his shirt. He looked up at his uncle and seemed to be speaking to him telepathically. His uncle's only response was a pat on the shoulder. "Why don't the five of us share a fire tonight?" Iroh asked with a smile. "We could swap stories!" Katara, Aang, and Sokka looked at each other. They liked Zuko's uncle. He was warm and friendly. He had a charismatic way about him. So they all sat together.

Through the night Iroh told embarrassing stories about Zuko's childhood, causing a lot of needed laughter. Zuko merely grumbled or yelled at his uncle. Everyone needed to relax, and Uncle Iroh would make sure everyone got just that.

The next morning Katara awoke to find Aang taking to Zuko! They were whispering about things. She couldn't make out what they were saying, but she felt that Aang was dangerously close to Zuko.

"Aang! What are you doing?" her puzzled expression gave away her worries. Zuko and Aang looked up. Aang smiled at her in his usual manner. "Oh, good morning Katara. Glad you're up!"

"Aang you didn't answer my question. What are you doing?" she crossed her arms, hoping to have the look of authority instead of the look of "worry wart."

"I'm having a conversation with Zuko. Why? What's wrong?" Aang truly didn't see the harm in talking to Zuko.

"Don't you get it Avatar? She thinks I'm going to hurt you or something. She assuming the worst of me as always…" a sly smirk stretched across his face as Katara's mouth gaped open.

"That's not true! I'm not assuming anything! I was just wondering what you were doing. Is that a crime!"

"No, it's absolutely not, but then again you're not telling the truth. Don't you trust the Avatar's judgment?"

"Of course I do. And he has a name you know, it's Aang! And don't you forget it!"

"I think I made her angry." Zuko whispered into Aang's ear. Aang laughed while holding his stomach. Katara growled and stomped off to find a place to calm down.

She walked through the dense forestation. Then she heard a familiar sound. It was running water! She ran through the brush to find that the source of the sound was a natural spring. Iroh was kneeling over the water with a pool of it in his hands. He was taking a sip when he heard her approaching. He turned around and smiled. "Well, hello Miss Katara, did you sleep well?"

She knelt down next to him. He saw her angered expression. "What has my silly nephew done now?" his warm voice comforted her. She didn't know why, but he reminded her of her mother. His mannerisms and wisdom were just like hers. She couldn't help it. She broke down and started crying in his arms. She grasped his robe as if it were a lifesaver. "My, my, was it really that bad?"

She looked up at him with tear filled eyes. "Why do you even care about him? He's mean, and rude, and arrogant." She choked through sobs, "He's also conceited, angry, and he picks on me. I don't know how, but he always manages to push everyone's buttons. He can even get the most mild-tempered people's blood to boil. What do you see in him? Why do you love him and protect him? He doesn't deserve it!"

Iroh looked down at Katara with a smile still on his face. "If you knew him like I know him, you'd understand." She quickly looked up. Surprise and shock covered her face.

"He has a different side to him?" she asked.

"He most certainly does. Have you ever wondered what he was like before you met him?" A stern expression replaced the warm smile that once occupied his gentle face.

"Well, sometimes." She muttered.

"When Zuko was a baby, his mother took care of him. My brother, not wanting to occupy his time with children, asked me to help her raise him. I had a son and a wife at the time, so I had experience in that field. From the time he was born I knew he would do great things someday. When he was growing up, he was polite, charming, and well mannered. He had a wonderful smile and loved the world he lived in. He was the only Prince in our kingdom's history who actually spent time with the Fire Nation citizens. The people of our nation loved him. He was trained in many different fields, and excelled in all of them. He was indeed a Prince worthy of the title. But my brother, felt that he was too sympathetic and weak minded. My brother never cared about him." Iroh's stern expression slowly turned into one of sadness.

"What happened to him?" Katara asked, wonder and amazement in her eyes.

"Well, one day he asked me if he could accompany me in the War Room. He said that if he were to be the Fire Lord someday, then he should become exposed to it as much as possible before then. I let him come, a mistake I will never make again. The General's plan was to attack the Earth Kingdom's best fighters with our new recruits."

"But they would be killed. There's no way new recruits can stand against the Earth Kingdom's best forces."

"Right you are Miss Katara, they couldn't. They would be a diversion. While the Earth Kingdom forces were busy with them, our best fire benders would ambush them from behind."

"Sacrifices! They would become sacrifices!" Katara jumped up in alarm. Never in her life had she ever heard of someone using people as bait in times of war. She thought that as many men as possible would be needed. Her eyes shook at the thought of hopeful, bright, young, recruits being killed without even a chance.

"Prince Zuko felt the same way. He told the General that by using them this way, he was betraying the people of the Fire Nation. He said that they couldn't just sacrifice them as if they were nothing. However, Prince Zuko wasn't allowed to speak out in the War Room. By confronting the General, he dishonored himself. An agni kai was issued. Who ever won would retain their honor. Zuko thought that he would be fighting the General. But it was his father's War Room he dishonored. So, when he turned around to fight, he came face to face with his own father. He begged him to forgive him. He groveled at his father's feet. The Fire Lord told him to get up and fight, but he refused. That's when the Fire Lord burned Prince Zuko's left eye. After the battle, he was banished and told that he could never return home unless he captured the Avatar and delivered him to his father."

"He was burned by his own father?" Katara couldn't believe it. All this time she thought it was a training accident. But in actuality it ran much deeper than she thought.

"That's why I care about him Miss Katara. Although he can seem mean, vengeful, arrogant, and conceited, he is still the young boy from all those years ago. I have hope that one day, he will return to his former self. His emotional scar will finally heal itself, and he will be free from misery. Do you understand now?"

"Yes, yes I do." Katara said with a tear in her eye. "I had no idea." She slowly got up and dusted off her clothes. "Thank you so much Uncle Iroh. You don't know how much I appreciate you telling me all of this." With that she left the clearing, a newfound emotion of pity mixed with guilt flooded over her.

As she left the forest, she looked out towards the ocean. She stood there and watched the ebb and flow of the waves. In, out, in, out. She loved its constant motion. Then she looked over to find Zuko watching it too, alone. He sighed a gentle sigh and rested his chin in the palm of his hand. She then walked over to him, getting down on her knees she slowly reached over and hugged him.

"I'm so, I'm so sorry." She whispered. "I never should have been mean to you, you've been through enough." She started to cry again, but this time it was in his chest, not Iroh's. He looked down at her amazed, stumped actually. What was she talking about?

"Are you feeling alright?" he asked in a soothing, calm, tone. Her sudden outburst of affection caused him to slightly blush. No one had ever willingly been that close to him. He suddenly found himself wanting to hug her back, but couldn't find the strength or courage to.

"Your uncle told me how you got that burn." She said through sobs.

"What!" Zuko was completely taken by surprise. His uncle promised that he would never say anything about it to someone unless ha had a good reason. What was his uncle up to? Just thinking about it made him want to cry. His father in general made him want to cry.

"I'm sorry, no one should have to go through something like that for a silly thing like honor, not even you Zuko. You don't deserve that." Zuko's eyes widened. What did she say? Did she just say that I didn't deserve to be treated that way? This must be a dream. He looked down at her small frame. Her arms were tightly wrapped around his muscular body. Even though he had a shirt on, she could tell he was fit. He slowly bent down and hugged her back. He didn't say anything except for a "thank you". He reluctantly let go of her after that. He hadn't been hugged in a long time. Not since his mother died. He breathed in and was thankful that someone had finally understood his pain.

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