Bright lights assaulted her eyes as Katara slowly forced open heavy eyelids. She observed a large number of flames situated around the walls of a strange room. She was lying down.

Why was her head throbbing?

She tried to lift a hand to press against her temple and looked down in shock at how difficult it was to move her arm, noticing that she was tucked into a small bed.

Where was she? She hadn't seen this place before. The room appeared to be predominantly empty apart from a number of benches covered by perfectly stacked metal…were they utensils? That was weird. A seat was the only other notable item in the room, currently empty but placed next to her bed.

Katara felt completely exhausted. Forcing her arms to rise and pressing the heels of her hands into aching eyes, she was surprised to find her hands were also tender.

Wait. What had happened?

Fire?

Panicking, she pulled her hands away from her eyes and stared at them, before quickly rubbing her hands down her arms.

What? Where were the burns? Was that all just a bad dream? The last thing she could remember was seeing alarm in Zuko's eyes?

Did he say she was glowing?

Shallow breaths fought to escape from her throat as she prodded and stroked her face and neck. Pulling down the sheets on the bed, she tried to find evidence of the burns that had felt ravage her, that had brought on an unparalleled agony. Her confusion intensified when she realised she was not wearing the clothes she had on in the Gardens, instead covered in a long white nightshirt made from a light material that fell past her knees.

A cough from by the door caused Katara to jump out of her skin. Her frightened eyes glanced up to find the concerned face of Iroh.

"I'm sorry to startle you, Katara. We were wondering when you would wake up," Iroh said. "Good to see you appear to be in one piece."

"I-I don't understand. What happened? Where am I? Why am I not covered in burns?"

A sympathetic smile met her questions, before Iroh stepped into the room, tugging the sheet back up to her shoulders. He pulled the chair closer to her bed as he sat down, knees creaking slightly with how low the chair was raised above the ground.

"Iroh, I don't understand, what is happening to me?"

Iroh took a deep breath. "I thought you may have learnt this already but without any other waterbenders around, I can see why you may never have been told. You have healing abilities. The great benders of the Water Tribe sometimes have this ability."

"Healing abilities?"

"Some waterbenders are able to heal wounds by redirecting a person's chi throughout their body channelling water as the mechanism to allow them to achieve this. I think you may have always had this ability and when you suffered burns earlier today, your body instinctively knew to use this."

"Zuko said I was glowing?"

"Yes. Specifically the water that coated you was glowing while it healed you."

Pinching her eyebrows together, Katara looked down at her hands.

"Why am I here?"

"Ahhh. You fainted. You've actually been asleep for a few hours now," Iroh said. "My nephew has been asking about you."

"Oh," Katara responded quietly.

"Katara, I heard what happened," Iroh explained. "There appears to be a variation in everyone's memories of the exact events that occurred but it does seem that Zuko did not mean to burn you."

Bewildered, Katara looked up at him. "I didn't think he had," she responded. "It was my fault we were out there in the first place…actually I should have listened to Zuko about a few things," she continued quietly, embarrassment threading through her words.

A comforting hand was placed on her shoulder, squeezing it gently. "I heard you met my niece," Iroh sighed. "Katara, each new person we meet has something to teach us. Both about who they are and about who we are," Iroh said gently. "We can use those lessons however we want. Whether we take what we learn as a positive or negative lesson, or even choose to just ignore it, is our own decision."

Scrunching up her nose, Katara frowned at him. "Why do you always speak in riddles?"

Iroh threw back his head and laughed. "A question my son and nephew have asked me many times. Unfortunately, I am yet to provide them with a suitable answer."

"I'm not surprised by that."

"I imagine you are not," his eyes twinkled at her. "Anyways, in light of your new discovery, I have someone who would like to reintroduce themselves to you. Would you mind if I invite them in?"

"S-sure?" Katara responded uncertainly.

Iroh chuckled as he rose and left the room, before returning with another man. The bags under the man's eyes remained from the ship but his hair had been wrestled into submission, the tangles removed and the strands tied away from his face neatly. The same kind smile spread over Doctor Pang's face as he considered her, Katara noticing that he was quickly cataloguing her condition as the recognisable crinkles formed around his eyes.

"Hello Katara, you look a lot better than when I last saw you," his voice calmed her, as it had on the ship that brought her to the Fire Nation. "How are you feeling?"

She smiled back at him. "I just feel very tired…and a little confused."

"I take it General Iroh has explained what happened to you," Pang looked at Iroh, acknowledging the resulting nod before returning his eyes to her. "I am honoured to meet another Water Tribe healer, I admit I haven't seen one in a number of years."

"Uh, I don't know if I would be considered a healer. I wouldn't know how to heal anyone," Katara responded nervously.

Pang waved his hand, dismissing her concerns with a smile. "You have the ability. It is possible to learn more about this skill now that we know you possess it," Pang said. "If you were interested, I would love to give you a chance to practise here, we have a lot of injured soldiers returning."

"Fire Nation soldiers…"

"Uh yes, I understand why that may be uncomfortable for you, but I would urge you to see this as an opportunity to practise a skill you already possess," Pang explained. "Of course, you are welcome to have a think about and let me know if you are interested."

"Thank you, I will."

A neatly presented woman arrived at the threshold of the room, bowing and waiting patiently as Pang moved towards her. A few quiet words passed between them, Pang nodding as she backed out of the room.

"Either way, it was nice to see you again Katara. I will leave you with General Iroh for the moment. I believe there is someone camped outside the medical wing who may want to hear that you have woken up," Pang said, backing out of the room.

Katara did not miss the amused glance that passed between the general and the doctor as he exited. She looked at Iroh questioningly.

"Zuko has been coming and arguing with the doctors on and off all afternoon," he chuckled. "He may be a little grumpy to find out that I have been allowed in without him." Sighing, Iroh continued a little softer. "Whether or not you think so, I believe my nephew feels responsible for you ending up in here."

"I understand why," the girl nodded. Noticing an odd look on Iroh's face as he observed her, she asked, "Is something wrong?"

"Katara, I realise this is your decision," Iroh said, "but I have to urge you to consider practising your healing with Doctor Pang." Katara recognised with surprise that his expression was one of concern.

"I would like to try and get better at healing," Katara said. "But it would be strange to…"

"…heal Fire Nation soldiers," Iroh finished for her. "I understand. However, there are advantages in the development of your skill past that of healing soldiers. If anyone queried your existence in the Capital, showing ability in healing would provide a usefulness that would be hard to refute even by the most passionate of arguments.

"I see," Katara replied quietly. She had wondered how Iroh had convinced his father to save her life, but the question scared her. It still scared her. But she decided she no longer wanted to be kept in the dark. "Is this how you plead my case to the Fire Lord?"

Resignation filled Iroh's eyes at her question and she knew it was the right one. "It was a key point in my argument. I assure you it was not the only argument and reason for your pardon, but it was a crucial one."

"B-but, I hadn't shown any ability to heal," Katara stuttered. "How were you so certain that I would be able to?"

"I had a hunch," he shrugged as he spoke. "It is an ability that many waterbenders present with, and considering your actions at the South Pole, you appear to have the makings of a powerful waterbender, Katara."

"But what if you had been wrong?"

"Ah, then I trusted that there would have been other reasons to argue in the future," Iroh said. "However, as you now have shown that you hold this skill, surely you can take some comfort in that through development of that, it would be much harder to stand against you," he reached over and placed his hand on hers, smiling reassuringly when she didn't flinch away. "There are some things that the best Fire Nation medicine fails to heal. You have the potential to change that."

Frowning, Katara grappled with this new information. She felt so stupid. Of course she needed to have some use to be allowed to stay here. She still embraced her freedom from the cells, still welcomed it, but somehow this freedom felt tainted now. Her continued existence depended solely on the presumption that she could help the Fire Nation.

What was expected of her? Was she expected to sacrifice herself for the pride of her people and return to the cells? So that one of their own was not helping their enemy?

Or was she allowed to want to live?

She thought of Iroh, who had been holding this information, hoping she'd present with a skill she didn't even know she could possess, not wanting to put pressure on her but knowing the risk he had taken.

She thought of Yao and Liao who had been nothing but kind to her, despite her background and she thought of Pang, offering to train her in a skill that would likely save her life as well as make her more powerful in her own bending.

And she thought of Zuko, currently believing he was to blame because Katara dragged him into playing a game he didn't want to play.

Pride be damned. No one else was here to tell her what to do. To tell her what she was supposed to do. And she didn't want to be returned to the cells. Surely her family would want her to do anything to survive.

So she could eventually go home to them.

Just like the Fire Nation soldiers that were injured. She was sure that many of them just wanted to make it home to their families. She had a chance to help them. Why should she feel guilty about helping them?

"I want to learn how to heal," Katara said defiantly. "I want to help."

Concern fading from his face, Iroh's smile warmed at her decision, and he squeezed her hand. "I am glad to hear that, learning to heal will hopefully be useful for you to learn as well."

"When would I have to-"

"Where is she?"

An angry, emotional voice pierced through their conversation, the words bordering on a shriek on the last syllable. Iroh glanced towards the door as he recognised the sounds of his nephew storming through the medical wing, with Pang's calming voice following the small but indignant prince.

"Be gentle on him, he's had a rough morning," Iroh smiled at her as he stood up and stepped out of the way as Zuko burst through into the room. His hair was falling out of the now lopsided ponytail, robes pushed up one arm and sooty tracks smeared across a furious face. Frantic eyes searched the room before landing on her.

The change was instant. At seeing her sitting up in the bed, looking at him with surprise, Zuko's entire posture subdued into relief and what Katara perceived as embarrassment.

"You're ok…" his voice was quiet, the question fading into a statement as his voice trailed off.

"I'm ok," Katara reassured him, unable to bring herself to smile as she watched the dejected boy standing in front of her.

"But you were covered in fire, I- how-" perplexed eyes flicked to Iroh and back to Katara. "How are you not burned?"

"Katara was able to heal herself," Iroh interjected, explaining when he saw the girl was unable to. "The glowing you saw, she used the water to heal the burns."

"So it wasn't m-magic?" Zuko asked uncertainly, a deep red filling his cheeks.

Iroh made a slight choking noise before coughing quietly and glancing at Pang. Once he had regained control, he replied a little shakily. "No Zuko, it wasn't magic. Some waterbenders are able to heal and we were unsure whether Katara possessed this wonderful gift or not," Iroh smiled at his embarrassed nephew. "I guess now we know."

"Oh."

"I think we should leave you two alone for a few minutes before Katara needs some more rest," Iroh nodded at Pang before the two of them left the room, Iroh patting his nephew on the shoulder as he passed him.

After the men had left the room, silence filled the space between the two children, disturbed only by the shuffling of Zuko's feet and Katara playing with the sheets on her bed.

"I'm sorr-"

"I'm so s-"

Awkwardness replaced the silence as they both flushed at their outbursts, Katara staring at the ceiling as Zuko's gaze found his feet.

"Katara, I don't- I'm not sure how- I'm so sorry," Zuko stumbled over his words but by the time she returned her gaze to him, he was earnestly staring at her. "I thought I had burned you really badly and- and I didn't know how I could cope knowing I had done that to you."

"Zuko, it wasn't your fault-"

"Yes it was, I should have had more control than that!" Fierce golden eyes met hers, anger and frustration lurking in them. Katara realised with a start that the emotion was solely focussed on Zuko himself.

"Zuko, you were pushed," she said quietly. "I don't think it was your fault."

"It doesn't matter, I should have been able to stop myself from bending," Zuko shook his head, eyes firmly trained on a spot on the wall beside Katara. "My tutors are right, I need to have more control."

"Maybe. But I am still ok…" Katara tried to smile at him, willing him to looking at her. "You can't blame yourself for today, I should have listened to you."

Confused, blurry eyes finally looked at her, eyes forming a question Zuko was unable to state.

"You didn't think the game was a good idea. You were right."

"Oh."

"I should have trusted you," Katara said softly. "I got us into trouble, not you."

An exchange of small, bashful smiles occurred before the awkwardness returned.

"I don't understand though, what happened?" Katara asked. "All I remember seeing was someone pushing you, then felt myself being pushed into the fountain and you were scared of me…"

Zuko looked at her curiously for a moment before responding. "Ty Lee tripped into me. Well that's what she- I was told. I saw you covered in fire and tackled you into the water. The girls were screaming for someone to help and maybe I was too, I don't know, and then- then you just looked up at me and you were covered in this strange blue glowing light and- and you were starting at me and asking me what was happening," Zuko shuddered, "and I told you that you were glowing and you passed out as the guards arrived."

"I passed out?"

He nodded. "And they took you and I- I wasn't allowed to come see you. They said you were sleeping but you were doing better but- but I couldn't work out how you would be ok and they wouldn't tell me," Zuko continued, fists thudding against the outside of his legs as he punctuated frustrated words. "They wouldn't even tell me Uncle was here."

"I'm so sorry, Zuko."

"Why are you sorry, it's not your fault no one tells me anything?"

"I know. I'm still sorry," Katara said. "I just wanted to fit in…" her voice trailed off as she remembered how idiotic and naïve she had been. "I made a mess of this. I feel so stupid."

Zuko huffed a small laugh. "You shouldn't, my sister has a way of making people feel that way."

"Yeah, I guess I can see that now."

"She's a prodigy. You'll get used to her after a while," Zuko explained.

"Oh, I imagine it isn't easy having her as a sister," Katara said.

"No, it isn't," Zuko scoffed. "We used to be a lot closer, but not really anymore. Azula has her moments though, when she reminds me of the sister I remember."

"That's good," Katara smiled at him. "People change, it's just not always for the better though. Maybe she could change back?"

"Yeah…" Zuko said. "Have they told you when you can leave?"

Katara frowned. "No, but I'm just tired. I don't want to stay here," she said, creasing her nose. "It smells weird."

"I'm sure Uncle won't make you stay if you're feeling better," Zuko replied. "It's neat that you can heal though."

Katara hummed. Changing the subject, she flashed Zuko a cheeky smile, feeling better when she noticed the wary expression on his face.

"So…" Katara asked teasingly. "…Zuzu?"

Zuko groaned, glaring at her. "Don't start."